SCRIPTURE: Psalm 118 “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.” (Psalm 118:8) There are 594 chapters before, and 594 chapters after this psalm in the bible. If you add all the chapters together (except Psalm 118) you get 1188 chapters. And if you break this down into 118:8, you get our theme…
Category: daily meditations
A parent’s struggle
SCRIPTURE: Hosea 8-12 “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel?” (Hosea 11:8) I’ve often struggled with the judgment side of God and the bible. As a parent, I wonder how God can punish His children so harshly. Hosea conveys the extreme concern and compassion of God. I have not had…
Wise men still seek Him
SCRIPTURE: John 10:40-42 “Many people came to him.” (John 10:41) How do we explain the radical expansion of Jesus’ movement? His mission failed, He eventually died. His teaching was not only hard, it was impossible. Organize a movement of people willing to suffer and die for God and good? His ideas were counter-cultural: love your enemies, forgive…
In one sense, we are gods!
SCRIPTURE: John 10:31-39 “Is it not written in your Law, I have said you are ‘gods’?” (John 10:34) God created humans to be like God, to rule on God’s behalf. Jesus quotes Psalm 82, which describes God’s appointed rulers as ‘gods’. The parallel verse adds “you are all sons of the Most High.” (Psalm 82:6) Both are ways of…
The other hand of God
SCRIPTURE: John 10:22-30 “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30) Debates have raged through the centuries about this. How can the eternal God and a finite human be one and the same. The bible teaches that there is only one God (Romans 3:30, Ephesians 4:6) It also teaches a special link between this one God, and Jesus (1 Corinthians 8:6, 1…
The best Leader of all
SCRIPTURE: John 10:11-21 As a leader in a church, I often focus on different aspects of leadership. Casting vision, mobilizing believers, setting S.M.A.R.T. goals for success. Providing inspirational, helpful leadership through challenging situations. But Jesus reminds me of another important aspect of being a good leader (shepherd). “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays…
All nations under God!
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 117 “Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.” (Psalm 117:1) There is a God, but this God does not belong to just a few people. God is God of ‘all nations’ and ‘all peoples’. Our religions attempt to describe God, but they do not confine God. All nations and all peoples…
He still loves us!
SCRIPTURE: Hosea 1-7 “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.” (Hosea 1:2) God uses this dramatic object lesson – Hosea marrying a prostitute – to get the peoples’ attention. ‘This is what it is like for Me to be your…
The life we’re looking for
SCRIPTURE: John 10:1-10 “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.” (John 10:7) Who or what can help you find a full and happy life? Be honest, not just the ‘right’ answer; what do you prioritize or desire in your heart? Whatever it is, you are viewing that as your gateway to happiness….
So much I can’t see!
SCRIPTURE: John 9:35-41 “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” (John 9:35-41) Jesus is talking about figurative blindness (‘you claim you can see’). Are there people who are blind in this figurative sense? That is, they genuinely cannot see, cannot understood, cannot…