Scripture: Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Thought for the Day: Yes, this is the same scripture as yesterday. In that devotional, I focused entirely on the notion of the shepherd, and the relationship between the shepherd and the flock. This is, in the minds of most people, the central idea of the passage, yet notice the interesting connection between the declaration of
Scripture: Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Thought for the Day: A sheep is a very vulnerable creature, especially when there is no shepherd. Sheep have no defense against predators except for the flock, yet their instinctive flight response causes the potential strength of the flock to be scattered and lost. Clearly, the scripture is speaking about the faith community being scattered and
Scripture: Genesis 23:1-6 Sarah lived one hundred twenty-seven years; this was the length of Sarah’s life. And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan; and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. Abraham rose up from beside his dead, and said to the Hittites, “I am a stranger and an alien residing among you; give me property among
Scripture: Psalm 119:130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. Thought for the Day: You’ve probably been seeing a lot of plecia nearctica around. That’s the little insect better known as the Lovebug or the Honeymoon Fly. As I was mowing the lawn yesterday, they were thick and annoying. I said out loud, “I wish these Lovebugs would get lost”, but
Scripture: Proverbs 11:25 A generous person will be enriched, and one who gives water will get water. Thought for the Day: Rev Bruce Barkhauer did a presentation last fall here at Cypress Creek Christian Church. Recently, he posted the following on Facebook: “If generosity was easy, it wouldn’t be considered a discipline. It is a choice – choose wisely.” I wish generosity was something that came naturally to
Scripture: Exodus 3:7-8 Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey,
Scripture: 1st Peter 2:4-5 Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Thought for the Day: There are times when I find myself saying, “Oh, that’s one of my favorite verses in
Scripture: 1st Peter 2:1-3 Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. Thought for the Day: We have a hymn in our Chalice Hymnal entitled, “All Who Hunger Gather Gladly”. There is a line
Scripture: Psalm 119:99-103 (the Message) I’ve even become smarter than my teachers since I’ve pondered and absorbed your counsel. I’ve become wiser than the wise old sages simply by doing what you tell me. I watch my step, avoiding the ditches and ruts of evil so I can spend all my time keeping your Word. I never make detours from the route you laid out; you gave me
Scripture: Proverb 14:23 In all toil there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. Thought for the Day: Yesterday I was introduced to something in the human body that I had never known before. As I put my feet on the floor first thing in the morning, I discovered a muscle that runs along the backside of the leg, just a little bit toward the inside