Pastor’s Blog

Daily Devotion Jan 25, 2024

“So, Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, ‘Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?’ Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank” (Numbers 20:9-11, NIV).

     
     Oftentimes God puzzles me. This story of Moses is one of those instances. God instructs Moses to speak to a rock, so that water would gush forth and quench the thirst of the Israelites. However, Moses adjusts God’s instructions slightly and slams his shepherd’s staff into the rock. Even though Moses deviated from God’s orders, water still surges from the rock. Yet, God is not happy. God proceeds to punish Moses by banning the leader from entering into the Promised Land together with the Jewish people.

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Daily Devotion Jan 24, 2024

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” (Luke 10:35-37, NIV).

     Who is my neighbor? This is the question that prompted Jesus to tell the parable of the Good Samaritan (read Luke 10:25-37). I’ve often wondered what might have happened had the man lying wounded on the side of the road was a relative or friend of the Priest and Levite. Most people would conclude that these two religious men avoided the injured fellow because they would have defiled themselves by touching blood. I find such an explanation a convenient excuse. I believe that Jesus’ point of the parable is that indifference was their true motive.


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Daily Devotion Jan. 23, 2024

“[Love] does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs”
(1 Corinthians 13:5, NIV).
 

     Several years ago, I was appointed to a church whereupon the first year several members who had left for various reasons had returned. Some of those who had previously left the church had created quite a fuss prior to their departure. Those who remained with the church carried unfavorable memories of their counterparts, and in some cases, held grudges. I was seeking a way to help reconcile the differences between these two groups of people when a very wise woman shared with me an insight. Judy said:


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Daily Devotion Jan 19, 2024

[Love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.   Love never fails”
(1 Corinthians 13:7-8a, NIV).

     Paul’s wrote, “Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8, NIV). He used the word persevere to describe love’s eternal character. Persevere is a military term. When entering into combat, soldiers worked together in groups of two. Each duo would tether themselves to one another, so that neither man could run away. Persevering is about staying power. To persevere means that two people keep their connection even in the heat of battle.


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Daily Devotion Jan 18, 2024

“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Corinthians 13:6-7, NIV).

     Robert Fulghum once told of the time he attended a Greek wedding. During the reception, the bride’s grandparents were overheard arguing. In Greek, the grandmother was chastising her husband for taking one too many pieces of baklava. Fulghum turned to a family friend and asked what the conflict was all about. The friend said, “Oh, there’s no conflict. That is just our grandparent’s way of making love.”


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Daily Devotion Jan. 17, 2024

“Be subject to one another in the fear of Christ” (Ephesians 5:21, NASB)

     Fear is one of humanity’s greatest gifts. Fear is also humanity’s greatest struggle. Fear is necessary to alert us when danger presents itself. Fear engages adrenal activity in order to help our body move away quickly from potential harm.


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