Posts by Eastbrook Church (Page 11)
Son-Shine
Read Hebrews 1:3-4, 8 “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.” (Hebrews 1:3-4) But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever…
Son of Man Ruler
Read Daniel 7:13-14 In the Christmas season we are inherently reminded of Jesus coming to earth as a little baby in Bethlehem born to the virgin Mary and the profoundly humble origin of the plan for salvation. We also need to be reminded of the other characteristics of who Jesus is: revealed as the Word of the Lord in the Old Testament and our Almighty Ruler of the Heavenly Kingdom. I sometimes get overwhelmed when I watch or read…
Fill the Earth
Read Ephesians 1:22-23 “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” (Ephesians 1:22-23) Our perfect, holy God has supreme authority; His dominion is over all things, people, nations, and places. There is no greater power in the universe, as Jesus’ resurrection shows. His rule is indeed over everything, and while He could rule on His…
Promise · Patience · Peace
Read Micah 5:2-5 If Micah were a motivational speaker in today’s world of startups and dreams, you would get this: Fellow employees—we are a small and seemingly inconsequential company, but with patience through growth, we will see adjustments leading to profits with increased durability. Right now there is a boy somewhere who will grow up to lead us through our lean times, over the hurdles and to prosperity. Changes will be made. Maybe not today; maybe not tomorrow, but be…
A Great Light
Read Matthew 4:12-17 What a lot of words to introduce Jesus’ ministry. Couldn’t Matthew just have just said, “Jesus started preaching, and then got on with it?” The biblical writers didn’t just say things to fill the pages, they didn’t have a word count to meet, they said things with intention. We have to stop and ponder: why did Mathew say these words, and what was his intention? The imagery here is wild. Matthew is painting this picture of Jesus…
The One Who Rules
Read Isaiah 9:1-7 We all want a ruler who will administer justice fairly, be kind to its citizens, and keep them safe from enemies. These are some of the traits expected of a good king. The Bible records many kings who were good during their reign. They were God-fearing. They administered justice, especially to the weak and vulnerable. They were good warriors who cared for their people. Such kings include King David, King Josiah, and King Asa. None of these…
Introduction to Who Is He? Devotional
One of my uncles loves to research family history. He has traced our family line through many descendants and across generations back to homelands before they immigrated to the United States. We have learned some interesting facts along the way, such as that what we took as my grandmother’s first name was actually her middle name…and she had a different first name that no one knew about. We also made connections with family members we did not know we had.…
A New Ordinary
Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-22 “Why don’t you go for a short hike over there while I shoot some B-roll. It’s a pretty good view.” I was in the middle of a visit to our dear field workers in the Holy Land and sometimes on these visits, we simply tag along with whatever they have going on that day. In this case, it was driving into northern Israel and getting some B-roll footage to finish out a video project. So, I…
Practice: Examen
Each Saturday during Lent, we will take some time as a church family to practice a different spiritual discipline or spiritual practice together. Today, we are practicing the Examen with Joran Weitzer. What is the Examen? This week, we are practicing a spiritual discipline that dates back centuries, something that our brothers and sisters have engaged with over the years in order to reflect on where they’ve seen God’s presence over a period of time. This practice is called…
A Good Friday
Read Romans 8:9-11 I remember, as a child, being perplexed by the name “Good Friday.” What’s so good about killing Jesus? How can humiliation, mocking, wrongful accusations, and a painful public death be good? It doesn’t make sense in the physical world. It seems like weakness and defeat. But in the spiritual realm, it is good news! Jesus came to earth for this very purpose. Jesus, being fully God, came to earth, fully human, to obey God the Father. This…
Bread of Life
Read John 6:32-40 Have you ever been driving happily along on the highway, singing to a song on the radio and all of sudden, “Screech!” the traffic around the corner is at a dead stop and you have to jam on your breaks to avoid ending up in the back seat of the car in front of you? That’s kind of what I feel when I read John 6:32-59, a sudden stop. The first half chapter 6 shows Jesus gaining…
The Spiritual Body
Read 1 Corinthians 15:42-45 The spiritual body is not something we talk about much in U.S. society. Yet, this passage reminds us that each of us has a spiritual body which resides in our physical body until our spiritual bodies are raised. As media, television and public discourse bombard us with unhealthy ideas and practices more and more, I’ve found myself reflecting on some of the simple lessons learned in my childhood that still guide my actions and decisions today.…