Scripture: Hebrews 13:16 Don’t forget to do good and to share what you have because God is pleased with these kinds of sacrifices. Thought for the Day: Yesterday I took from my closet a lot of shirts and other items that I haven’t touched for more than a year. Donna and I made a big trip to Goodwill, but like so often, I looked at some of these
Prayer for the Week: Today, I sing a song of thanksgiving unto you, O God who is Generous and Kind. I sing amid pressures and powers that do not honor you. I sing while other disharmonious voices shout hateful and divisive words. I sing because I must, for despite all that seek to quiet me, it is your grace that both invites me and inspires me to sing.
Scripture: Luke 19:4-6 So Zacchaeus ran ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When Jesus came to that spot, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down at once. I must stay in your home today.” So Zacchaeus came down at once, happy to welcome Jesus. Thought for the Day: Zacchaeus is described as a ruler
Scripture: Luke 14:1-4 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to share a meal in the home of one of the leaders of the Pharisees, they were watching him closely. A man suffering from an abnormal swelling of the body was there. Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees, “Does the Law allow healing on the Sabbath or not?” But they said nothing. Jesus took hold of the sick man, cured
Scripture: Luke 11:37-40 While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee invited him to share a meal with him, so Jesus went and took his place at the table. When the Pharisee saw that Jesus didn’t ritually purify his hands by washing before the meal, he was astonished. The Lord said to him, “Now, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and platter, but your insides are stuffed with
Scripture: Luke 7:36 One of the Pharisees invited Jesus to eat with him. After he entered the Pharisee’s home, he took his place at the table. Thought for the Day: The word Pharisee has its own soundtrack. Each time it is spoken, you expect to hear: Dun, dun, dun! Or maybe some hissing and boos. The word Pharisee has become a caricature which is not good, for though
Scripture:Luke 5:27-32 Afterward, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at a kiosk for collecting taxes. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Levi got up, left everything behind, and followed him. Then Levi threw a great banquet for Jesus in his home. A large number of tax collectors and others sat down to eat with them. The Pharisees and their legal experts grumbled against
Scripture: James 1:27 True devotion, the kind that is pure and faultless before God the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their difficulties and to keep the world from contaminating us. Thought for the Day: All last week, I looked at the first chapter of James. I decided to do one more devotional with the last verse from the first chapter. The word that
Prayer for the Week: When my spirit is troubled, When my spirit aches because I have injured another, When my spirit feels the weight of shame and regret, It is time for me to turn to you, Gracious God. Feelings of contrition, yearning for confession, accepting responsibility do not always come easy. Recognizing of failure and acknowledging sinfulness,
Scripture: James 1:19-22 Know this, my dear brothers and sisters: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to grow angry. This is because an angry person doesn’t produce God’s righteousness. Therefore, with humility, set aside all moral filth and the growth of wickedness, and welcome the word planted deep inside you—the very word that is able to save you. You must be doers of