Being Christian Without Losing Your Mind
Lord, I have so many enemies! So many are standing against me. So many are talking about me. — Psalm 3:1-2a Having enemies is a recurring theme throughout the psalms. And when we read it, we often understand “enemies” to be tacky, wicked people who’ve mistreated you in some fashion. Or, at least that’s the …
Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or imagine by his power at work within us. — Ephesians 3:20 John Lennon’s beautiful song by this title dreams of a world where we will all live together “as one.” Important to him was imagining “no religion” because, rightly, he saw …
The goal of instruction is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. — 1 Timothy 1:5 What is a “conscience”? It’s a biblical term that runs throughout Scripture, especially used in the “Pastoral Letters” (1st and 2nd Timothy, Titus), which contain instructions for church leaders. It refers to the inner …
God saw everything he had made: it was supremely good. — Genesis 1:31 I commend to you this meditation from pastor/writer Brian McLaren: “Beauty, Memory, Grief.” He describes a wetlands area that he frequented growing up. It was like an Eden to him, with the assorted wildlife and vegetation that thrived there. He also talked …
During that day’s cool evening breeze, they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden; and the man and his wife hid themselves from the Lord God in the middle of the garden’s trees. — Genesis 3:8 I grew up thinking that sin is what we do. And that could, at least historically, contain a lot …
“Therefore, I say to you, don’t worry about your life, what you’ll eat or what you’ll drink, or about your body, what you’ll wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes?” — Matthew 6:25 I ran across this quote from a video of a 96 year old man talking to a young adult, …
For Christmas I had asked AI to write a devotion in a style that was similar to mine. Was very interesting what AI came up with in just a few seconds. So, for Easter, I did the same thing. I didn’t write what you see below, but I certainly believe what it says! Hope you …
Then [Aaron] made a metal image of a bull calf, and the people declared, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” — Exodus 32:4 I think we have it backwards when we think of idolatry. The Hebrews, scared that Moses wasn’t coming back, made a golden idol. …
Now we see a reflection in a mirror; then we will see face-to-face. Now I know partially, but then I will know completely in the same way that I have been completely known. — 1 Corinthians 13:12 An influential book I read in seminary dealt with faith development. It linked our faith to our physical/mental development. …
Tell the older men to be sober, dignified, sensible, and healthy in respect to their faith, love, and patience. — Titus 2:2 Approaching the tracks, I heard the horn of a freight train as the protective arms lowered across the road. No problem, I thought as the train slowly passed by. What could spoil the sunshine …