Scripture: 1st Thessalonians 5:9 (the Message) God didn’t set us up for an angry rejection but for salvation by our Master, Jesus Christ. Thought for the Day: On one level, I appreciate the optimism of those who say, “Rejection is the momentary darkness before the dawn of something new.” It is a nice thought, but most of us are not interested in pithy sayings when it feels as
Scripture: Romans 15:33 The God of peace be with all of you. Amen. Thought for the Day: I was listening again to the song, It Is Well With My Soul, and I found myself being draw into the words found in the opening lines. It says, When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to
Scripture: Luke 7:26-28 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.” I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John; yet the least in the kingdom of
Scripture: Proverb 22:9Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor. Thought for the Day: Years ago when visiting my grandparents, my grandmother would give me a dime on Sunday morning to put in the offering tray at her church. I don’t remember the specific event, but according to my grandmother, on one occasion I did not place the dime in the tray
Scripture: Psalm 28:9 O save your people, and bless your heritage; be their shepherd, and carry them forever. Thought for the Day: The 18th-century French writer, Stendhal, penned these words, “The shepherd always tries to persuade the sheep that their interests and his own are the same.” In the well-known 23rd Psalm, the shepherd moves the sheep to green pastures and still waters. This sounds very comforting, but
Scripture: Psalm 66:19 But truly God has listened; he has given heed to the words of my prayer. Thought for the Day: Tomorrow is the World Day of Prayer, a worldwide movement started by women to affirm their common connection to Jesus, and to share their joys and sorrows, gifts and needs. It was Corrie ten Boom who said that we should not pray when we feel like
Scripture: John 4:46-50 Jesus returned to Cana in Galilee where he had turned the water into wine. In Capernaum there was a certain royal official whose son was sick. When he heard that Jesus was coming from Judea to Galilee, he went out to meet him and asked Jesus if he would come and heal his son, for his son was about to die. Jesus said to him,
Scripture: John 3:3 Jesus answered Nicodemus, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Thought for the Day: The story of Nicodemus is fascinating and been the source of great Biblical and theological discussion throughout the years. It is also the birthplace of the evangelical question, “Are you born again?” Too often this notion has lost its original
Scripture: Genesis 1:1-5 When God began to create the heavens and the earth— the earth was without shape or form, it was dark over the deep sea, and God’s wind swept over the waters—God said, “Let there be light.” And so light appeared. God saw how good the light was. God separated the light from the darkness. God named the light Day and the darkness Night. There was
Scripture: Luke 9:18 Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” Thought for the Day: The Confessing Church was a group of Christians who stood against the Nazi’s during WWII. In his 1936 lecture, “The Presentation of New Testament Texts,” Dietrich Bonhoeffer proposed an alternative strategy of reading Scripture. Instead of questioning the