Views

The views expressed here are those of each individual devotion writer. Thank you to our writers for their contributions to this ministry!

Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Whispering Hope

"We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain." Hebrews 6:19


"In hope of eternal life, that God, who never lies, promised before the ages began." Titus 1:2

In the country church where I grew up, each fall we celebrated the harvest season with a church supper and bazaar. Youth were invited to share music during the meal. One year, I played "Whispering Hope" on my clarinet. Septimus Winner wrote the hymn inspired by Hebrews 6:19. (You can Google "Whispering Hope" to learn more.)

On Sunday, August 28, 2016, we sang the hymn, "God is Calling Through the Whisper." Note: God calls us with a whisper - not loudly and demanding. Yet, God's hope is sure and steadfast.

Everywhere I look, the word "hope" jumps out at me. The college football preview, Husker Extra, Lincoln Journal Star is simply titled "Hope." In part, the sub-title states, "loyal fans remain constant in their belief of better days." A "Guideposts" magazine headline proclaims, "Embracing Hope - in Troubled Times." Perhaps it is because we are bombarded with messages of troubled times that we hunger for words of hope. We are reassured by the words in Hebrew 6:19 and Titus 1:2 and other scriptures.

Prayer: God, we need your promises of hope today more than ever. Be with us in our daily lives and as we seek your hope of eternal life. Amen.

Lois Poppe (reprinted from 2016)

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Do Good; Seek Peace, and Pursue it


  I will extol the Lord at all times;

    his praise will always be on my lips.

  I will glory in the Lord;

    let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

  Glorify the Lord with me;

    let us exalt his name together.

 

  I sought the Lord, and he answered me;

    he delivered me from all my fears.

  Those who look to him are radiant;

    their faces are never covered with shame.

  This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;

    he saved him out of all his troubles.

  The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,

    and he delivers them.

 

 Taste and see that the Lord is good;

    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

  Fear the Lord, you his holy people,

    for those who fear him lack nothing.

  The lions may grow weak and hungry,

    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

  Come, my children, listen to me;

    I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

  Whoever of you loves life

    and desires to see many good days,

  keep your tongue from evil

    and your lips from telling lies.

  Turn from evil and do good;

    seek peace and pursue it.

 

  The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

    and his ears are attentive to their cry;

  but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,

    to blot out their name from the earth.

 

  The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;

    he delivers them from all their troubles.

  The Lord is close to the brokenhearted

    and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

 

  The righteous person may have many troubles,

    but the Lord delivers him from them all;

  he protects all his bones,

    not one of them will be broken. Psalm 34:1-20

Monday, June 28, 2021

A Time for Everything

 


There is a time for everything,

    and a season for every activity under the heavens: 

     a time to be born and a time to die,

    a time to plant and a time to uproot,

     a time to kill and a time to heal,

    a time to tear down and a time to build,

     a time to weep and a time to laugh,

    a time to mourn and a time to dance,

     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

     a time to search and a time to give up,

    a time to keep and a time to throw away,

     a time to tear and a time to mend,

    a time to be silent and a time to speak,

     a time to love and a time to hate,

    a time for war and a time for peace. 

What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.  Ecclesiastes 3:1-13

Friday, June 25, 2021

Singing of God's Great Love Forever

 


  

  I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;

    with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known

    through all generations.

  I will declare that your love stands firm forever,

    that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.

  You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,

    I have sworn to David my servant,

 ‘I will establish your line forever

    and make your throne firm through all generations.’”

 

 The heavens praise your wonders, Lord,

    your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.

 For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord?

    Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?

 In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared;

    he is more awesome than all who surround him.

 Who is like you, Lord God Almighty?

    You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you. Psalm 89:1-8

Thursday, June 24, 2021

Paying Attention



 

There’s a kind of white moth, I don’t know

what kind, that glimmers

by mid-May

in the forest, just

as the pink mocassin flowers

are rising.

 

If you notice anything,

it leads you to notice

more

and more. ~ from a portion of The Moths by Mary Oliver

 

I love the poetry of Mary Oliver, partly because she loved and noticed nature as I do. I think we can’t help but take more notice of nature in the summer, it’s so prolific! Everything is growing, blooming, living.

But maybe this poem is about more than noticing nature, maybe it speaks of paying attention to those fellow human beings around us. Maybe we’re called to notice those in pain, those who need a helping hand, those who just want someone to see them.

An incident happened in my life recently that made me consider more carefully how we interact with others. Often our energy only allows us to worry about our own people, ourselves, our jobs, what to fix for dinner and how we can afford to repair the car. Whatever little reminder you can give yourself to pay more attention to others will not be in vain.

Prayer: Lord, help me to notice those around me with whom I may come into contact today. Help me to see them as your children. Amen.

Donna Gustafson

(click on photo to view larger)

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

How to Involve the Body of Christ in the World

I would like to base my devotion "How to Involve the Body of Christ in the World" on a scripture from The Sermon on the Mount in which Jesus is speaking:

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven. Matthew 5: 14-16

Jesus came to the earth, in the form of man, to shed light to the world so men might see God through Him. Christians are to shine for Jesus' sake, or in other words, to carry on Jesus' message of hope and love to the world. Jesus is saying that we, as Christians, are the light of the world.

Man is to be the bearer of eternal light. Man is to let his light so shine that other men shall see the light and give glory to God. We as Christians must radiate God’s light through Jesus, for Jesus and God are one.

As Christians we sometimes feel that we have to debate with ourselves whether or not to love, to hope, or to perform any other action which shows Christ’s light in us. We often feel that we must hide the fact that we are Christians.

The sun warms the earth with light and we too as Christians must show our Christian love by gathering and reflecting light from Christ to the world around us.

As a college freshman, life on campus is new, exciting, and presents challenges. The biggest challenge is to live as Christians - showing Christ’s light. We have been reared in Christian homes, but now we are on our own and it is difficult at times to remain a shining light. We are set in a new world of changing forces surrounding us. I guess you might say we had been in a protected world through high school, but now we are faced by an open new world.

In a church related college, the students have a common background, but at a state college such as Towson State College, it is more of a challenge because of the varied backgrounds of the students. It is more of a challenge to shine our light as a Christian.

I have picked a few examples that I have observed on my own campus relating to the new world in which we are faced.

1) The first is going to church on Sunday. At college you don’t have your parents encouraging you every Sunday morning and it is easier to just not go, for many. But I have found that those of us who do go set an example for others to follow.

2) Second is taking the Lord’s name in vain. It stops me short when I hear this going on, but I have found that setting an example of yourself and not using it is the best remedy for people that notice. 

The whole idea of showing light is based on setting an example for others by the way we carry out our lives. If we can live a life as a Christian, we are showing others the Christian life – thus involving Christ in the world. I have found that the people at college who live a Christian life and involve Christ in their everyday life tend to be looked up to and followed by others. (I went to Towson State College in Baltimore, Maryland, and belonged to a Christian Fellowship group.)

When the lights go out, confusion results but when they resume, things go back to order. This can be related to us as Christians. If we turn out our light of Christian love and hope, then the world will be in confusion. Let’s keep our light burning for Jesus – setting an example for others is letting our light of Christian love and hope shine.

~Susan Taylor, adapted herself from an essay she wrote in 1965, during her freshman year in college. Susan found this recently when cleaning out storage areas.

Tuesday, June 22, 2021

Words from Romans 8


 

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.  And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Romans 8:18-30

Monday, June 21, 2021

God's Promise to David

 


After the king was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him,  he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”

Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you.”

But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying:

“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in?  I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’

“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.

“‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’” 2 Samuel 7:1-16

Friday, June 18, 2021

Words from Romans


Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your[a] faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:1-12

Thursday, June 17, 2021

Why Go to Church?

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.  Hebrews 10: 23-25  

“If going to church makes you a Christian, does going to the garage make you a car?” I recently saw this question on a vehicle’s bumper sticker and found it intriguing to consider what kind of person was asking this nonsensical question. Is he a “nonbeliever” with animosity toward Christians for some reason? Could he be a “believer” who attends worship services regularly but questions the sincerity of the others who occupy the pews around him? Could he be a “believer” who thinks his personal relationship with Christ is adequate and attending church is unnecessary? 

No, going to church does not make me a Christian. It is my faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior that makes me a Christian. But attending worship services at church on Sundays makes me a better Christian….and I don’t mean better than other Christians. I mean that it makes me a better follower of Christ than I would be without the encouragement and support of others in my congregation.

Prayer: Father God, You have provided an awesome plan for the spiritual nourishment of Your people through the church. Thank You for the privilege of coming near to You through church attendance and fellowship with others who believe in You and Your Son. 

Judith Keller (reprinted from July 2011)

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Tolerance

Do to others as you would have them do to you. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:31-36

Have you ever encountered a person and you feel like your patience is wearing very thin?  You start counting to 100, take deep breaths, or maybe just step away for a minute to maintain a level of calmness.  It is so hard sometimes, and especially when you know that you will be dealing with this person again in the future. Maybe it’s a person that is never cheerful, or doesn’t know the correct volume level (very loud), uses profanity or is simply just unpleasant. Then there is the person that walks into the room and everyone sighs.

Going through the kindness daily reminders in June, I have found myself doing a lot of self-checking. In this scenario I have had to step back and reevaluate.  There are so many hidden reasons why people are like they are; either a health condition that is not visible, a family situation that is not apparent, or a traumatic life experience that may affect their everyday life. I have health conditions that are not visible when you meet me and I know that at times it causes me to struggle to deal with my daily activities. How am I portrayed as a pleasant person: am I seen as grumpy, am I speaking at the normal volume level and do I present myself well even on those most struggling of days?

Take the time to take those deep breaths, remember that you may not know what all their struggles are and if they have more to deal with than what is visible to an outsider. 

Prayer: Dear Lord, please help me remain calm, take a few breaths, and say a prayer for myself and others when I encounter someone with whom it is hard to understand their attitude. Help me to remember on those difficult days when I may not be feeling the best not to exchange that feeling to the person I am with.  Forgive me when I lose my cool, and forgive me if I wasn’t polite, caring and understanding every day. Help me become the person who reflects your love to others whether I feel I want to or not. Teach me to be more understanding of others. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Begin each day:  Lord help me to be the best I can be.  Help me to spread your love through my attitude, words and actions.   

Lori Hood


Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Words from the Gospel of Matthew

 


Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

“Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony,   honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”

 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.  Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

 Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. Matthew 19: 16-30

Monday, June 14, 2021

Let Light Shine Out of Darkness


For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself.  All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:6-18

Friday, June 11, 2021

Seek the Lord and His Strength

 


That day David first appointed Asaph and his associates to give praise to the Lord in this manner:

  Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;

    make known among the nations what he has done.

  Sing to him, sing praise to him;

    tell of all his wonderful acts.

  Glory in his holy name;

    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

  Look to the Lord and his strength;

    seek his face always.

 

  Remember the wonders he has done,

    his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

 you his servants, the descendants of Israel,

    his chosen ones, the children of Jacob.

  He is the Lord our God;

    his judgments are in all the earth.

 

  He remembers his covenant forever,

    the promise he made, for a thousand generations,

  the covenant he made with Abraham,

    the oath he swore to Isaac.

 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,

    to Israel as an everlasting covenant:

 “To you I will give the land of Canaan

    as the portion you will inherit.”

 

  When they were but few in number,

    few indeed, and strangers in it,

 they wandered from nation to nation,

    from one kingdom to another.

 He allowed no one to oppress them;

    for their sake he rebuked kings:

  “Do not touch my anointed ones;

    do my prophets no harm.”

 

  Sing to the Lord, all the earth;

    proclaim his salvation day after day.

  Declare his glory among the nations,

    his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

 

  For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;

    he is to be feared above all gods.

 For all the gods of the nations are idols,

    but the Lord made the heavens.

  Splendor and majesty are before him;

    strength and joy are in his dwelling place.

 

  Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,

    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

    bring an offering and come before him.

Worship the Lord in the splendor of his[e] holiness.

      Tremble before him, all the earth!

    The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

 

  Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;

    let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”

  Let the sea resound, and all that is in it;

    let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them!

  Let the trees of the forest sing,

    let them sing for joy before the Lord,

    for he comes to judge the earth.

 

 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

    his love endures forever.

  Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior;

    gather us and deliver us from the nations,

that we may give thanks to your holy name,

    and glory in your praise.”

  Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,

    from everlasting to everlasting.

 

Then all the people said “Amen” and “Praise the Lord.” 1 Chronicles 16:7-36

Thursday, June 10, 2021

God in the World

Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32

When I edit a photo in Photoshop or an online editing program, I’m altering the image. Some purists might argue that I’m presenting a false reality, but I prefer to think that I’m making the most of the image and presenting you with what my eyes actually saw, and/or removing distracting details. Again, it depends on what is edited, but I’m going to stick with: I’m making the most of the image.

That is similar to how we should present our faith to others: we may be uncomfortable with the word “witness”, but I’d like to think that, as Christians, we’re presenting our best image of Christ as we know Him to others. With our focus on kindness at Eastridge this summer, it’s a good time to practice this.

Prayer: Dear Lord, when I practice kindness help me to be aware that I’m being Christ in the world. Help me to show your love and kindness to others. Help me strive to present the best image of You to those with whom I come into contact. Amen.

Donna Gustafson

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

Words from Proverbs

 

 

 The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters,

    but one who has insight draws them out.

 

The righteous lead blameless lives;

    blessed are their children after them.  ~from Proverbs 20

Tuesday, June 8, 2021

Dancing before the Lord

And David danced before the Lord with all his might. 2 Samuel 6:14

Whenever I think of this verse I can imagine the scene in “Footloose” when Ren (Kevin Bacon) is lobbying to have a party in a town where there is no dancing. His character says “And what did David do?”  And then he frantically pages through the bible and reads “David danced and leapt before the Lord”. 

This past weekend we saw one of our favorite local bands. As the night progressed, people got up and danced. Some with abandon. Some with a focus on skill and agility (you could tell they had been to class). Some nervously, or at the coaxing of others. One gentleman stands out in my mind. He wiggled and shook. He bobbed and weaved. He swayed to the rhythm and closed his eyes as the sound washed over him in the small space. The joy on his face was pure and perfect. After many months of being cooped up he returned to a space that brought him happiness and it spread across every part of his body. Watching him brought me to this verse, and the image of dance as celebration and joy, and faith and personal expression. 

Prayer: God who gives us so many gifts, thank you for music and movement and celebration. Thank you for joys and pleasures that are timeless. Amen

Christi Moock

Monday, June 7, 2021

Comfort for God's People

 


 

  Comfort, comfort my people,

    says your God.

 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,

    and proclaim to her

that her hard service has been completed,

    that her sin has been paid for,

that she has received from the Lord’s hand

    double for all her sins.

 

  A voice of one calling:

“In the wilderness prepare

    the way for the Lord;

make straight in the desert

    a highway for our God.

 Every valley shall be raised up,

    every mountain and hill made low;

the rough ground shall become level,

    the rugged places a plain.

 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,

    and all people will see it together.

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

 

 A voice says, “Cry out.”

    And I said, “What shall I cry?”

 

“All people are like grass,

    and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.

 The grass withers and the flowers fall,

    because the breath of the Lord blows on them.

    Surely the people are grass.

 The grass withers and the flowers fall,

    but the word of our God endures forever.”

 

 You who bring good news to Zion,

    go up on a high mountain.

You who bring good news to Jerusalem,

    lift up your voice with a shout,

lift it up, do not be afraid;

    say to the towns of Judah,

    “Here is your God!”

 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power,

    and he rules with a mighty arm.

See, his reward is with him,

    and his recompense accompanies him.

 He tends his flock like a shepherd:

    He gathers the lambs in his arms

and carries them close to his heart;

    he gently leads those that have young.

 

 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,

    or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?

Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,

    or weighed the mountains on the scales

    and the hills in a balance?

 Who can fathom the Spirit[d] of the Lord,

    or instruct the Lord as his counselor?

 Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him,

    and who taught him the right way?

Who was it that taught him knowledge,

    or showed him the path of understanding?

 

 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;

    they are regarded as dust on the scales;

    he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.

 Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,

    nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.

 Before him all the nations are as nothing;

    they are regarded by him as worthless

    and less than nothing.

 

 With whom, then, will you compare God?

    To what image will you liken him?

 As for an idol, a metalworker casts it,

    and a goldsmith overlays it with gold

    and fashions silver chains for it.

 A person too poor to present such an offering

    selects wood that will not rot;

they look for a skilled worker

    to set up an idol that will not topple.

 

  Do you not know?

    Have you not heard?

Has it not been told you from the beginning?

    Have you not understood since the earth was founded?

  He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,

    and its people are like grasshoppers.

He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,

    and spreads them out like a tent to live in.

  He brings princes to naught

    and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.

  No sooner are they planted,

    no sooner are they sown,

    no sooner do they take root in the ground,

than he blows on them and they wither,

    and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

 

  “To whom will you compare me?

    Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.

 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:

    Who created all these?

He who brings out the starry host one by one

    and calls forth each of them by name.

Because of his great power and mighty strength,

    not one of them is missing.

 

Why do you complain, Jacob?

    Why do you say, Israel,

“My way is hidden from the Lord;

    my cause is disregarded by my God”?

Do you not know?

    Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

    the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

    and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary

    and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,

    and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the Lord

    will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

    they will run and not grow weary,

    they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40

Friday, June 4, 2021

Jesus Teaches about the Kingdom of God

And again he said, “Where to shall I liken the kingdom of God?”  It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal til the whole was leavened.  Luke 13: 20-21

Yeast is the leavening agent for many bread products. The fermentation process produces carbon dioxide (CO2) which causes the bread to rise. In a recipe for standard white bread, yeast accounts for about 1% by weight of the dry ingredients. This small amount of leavening agent helps to transform the dough into the large, light loaf we associate with bread.

In the scripture selection, Jesus likens the kingdom of God to the leavening agent permeating the meal and changing the nature of the dough.  The kingdom of God and Jesus’ ministry began in a small way, but in a dynamic way spread and has become a powerful message of love and hope for many around the world.

The term leaven is derived from the Latin verb “levare” which means to make light, lift up or raise.  Are we as believers “leavening agents?”  Do we help to make light the burdens of others, lift up the message of Jesus’ redeeming grace and raise the banner of faith and hope as we work to build up and help the kingdom of God grow?

Prayer: Dear heavenly father, help us to be leavening agents in your kingdom.  We are small and the “basket of meal” is large.  With your love and support and our dedication and prayer may the loaf grow to feed those who hunger and thirst for spiritual nourishment.  Amen. 

Gain Keown, reprinted from 2008

Thursday, June 3, 2021

Psalm 25

 


  To You, O Lord,

    do I lift up my soul.

 

O my God, I trust in You;

    may I not be ashamed;

    may my enemies not triumph over me.

Yes, let none who wait on You

    be ashamed;

let them be ashamed

    who transgress without cause.

 

Make me to know Your ways, O Lord;

    teach me Your paths.

Lead me in Your truth and teach me,

    for You are the God of my salvation;

    on You I wait all the day.

Remember Your mercies, O Lord, and Your lovingkindness,

    for they are from old.

Do not remember the sins of my youth

    or my transgressions;

according to Your lovingkindness remember me,

    on account of Your goodness, O Lord.

 

Good and upright is the Lord;

    therefore He will teach sinners in the way.

The meek will He guide in judgment,

    and the meek He will teach His way.

All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth,

    for those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.

For Your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity,

    for it is great.

 

Who is the man who fears the Lord?

    He will teach him in the way He should choose.

He will dwell at ease,

    and his descendants will inherit the land.

The counsel of the Lord is with those who fear him,

    and He will make His covenant known to them.

My eyes are ever toward the Lord,

    for He will lead my feet from the net.

 

Turn to me, and be gracious to me,

    for I am isolated and afflicted.

The troubles of my heart are enlarged;

    bring me out of my distresses.

Look on my pain and misery,

    and forgive all my sins.

Consider my enemies, for they are many,

    and they hate me with violent hatred.

 

Watch over my life, and deliver me!

    Let me not suffer shame,

    for I seek refuge in You.

Truth and integrity will preserve me

    while I wait for You.

 

Redeem Israel, O God,

    out of all their troubles. ~ Psalm 25