Scripture: 2nd Thessalonians 3:13 Brothers and sisters, don’t get discouraged in doing what is right. Thought for the Day: John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church, wrote: Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as you
Scripture: Genesis 1:10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Thought for the Day: St. Augustine, one of the central figures of the Christian faith and defender of orthodoxy, was in fact a closet heretic. What I mean by that is Augustine often shared thoughts that were a bit outside of traditional
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:22-23 I act weak to the weak, so I can recruit the weak. I have become all things to all people, so I could save some by all possible means. All the things I do are for the sake of the gospel, so I can be a partner with it. Thought for the Day: The language of servant is often used in the New Testament,
Scripture: Psalm 6:2 Have mercy on me, LORD, because I’m frail. Heal me, LORD, because my bones are shaking in terror! Thought for the Day: We opened yesterday’s services with these words of scripture. Though a few thousand years have come and gone since those words were first spoken, they do not feel ancient or irrelevant. In fact, the words of the Psalm have been spoken in all
Scripture: 3 John 1:2-3 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul. I was overjoyed when some of the friends arrived and testified to your faithfulness to the truth, namely how you walk in the truth Thought for the Day: Frederick Buechner has always been a companion for me along
Scripture: Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross, and follow me…” Thought for the Day: Recently a group of Christians wrote the following in regard to politics in the United States, and though I don’t usually venture down that road in my devotionals, I appreciated the reminder it provides. Imperfect elections
Scripture: 2nd Peter 3:9 The Lord isn’t slow to keep his promise, as some think of slowness, but he is patient toward you, not wanting anyone to perish but all to change their hearts and lives. Thought for the Day: These words come from a larger context in which we find warnings about being ready, prepared for whatever the Lord might do. It might appear that God is
Scripture: 2nd John 1:3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, in truth and love. Thought for the Day: I overheard some kids talking about items they were wanting. They spoke passionately – as they could not live life without them. As you can imagine, these items were big-ticket toys and electronics. Most people never grow
Scripture: Psalm 4:1 Answer me when I cry out, my righteous God! Set me free from my troubles! Have mercy on me! Listen to my prayer! Thought for the Day: Mercy is an interesting word – often associated with someone crying out to the Lord. The Hebrew word we translate as Mercy could be translated as gracious, to show consideration or even pity. Each of those potential translations
Scripture: 1st Peter 4:10 Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. Thought for the Day: Each person has been gifted for the purpose of building up the Kingdom of God here on earth, yet there are many people who do not see themselves as gifted. For whatever reason, they perceive their abilities as insignificant or