Devotional Blog

Read John 20:11-18 It is natural for people who have been separated for a period of time to shed tears when they are reunited. I remember the first time I came home from USC during my freshman year.  I had never been away from home for more than a few days at a time before this—but this time I had been in California for almost three months before my quick visit in October.   I was excited to see several…

ReaD Matthew 27:57-66 “Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.” (Matthew 27:59-60) On Good Friday we celebrate the real sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, remembering His suffering and the cost of our salvation. On Resurrection Sunday, we celebrate Jesus breaking forth from death…

Read Luke 23:46 and Psalm 31:5 “Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice, Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit. When he had said this, he breathed his last.” (Psalm 31:5) In seminary in the 1980’s, we were taught that one of a pastor’s most important tasks was to “teach people how to die a good death.” In my career, I ended up walking with hundreds of people down that path, preparing them to “meet their Maker,” sometimes…

ReaD Luke 22:14-22 A well-known hymn by Robert Robinson says: Here I raise my Ebenezer;hither by thy help I’ve come. The word “ebenezer” is a reference to 1 Samuel 7, in which the Lord brings the Israelites to victory and the prophet Samuel responds by setting up a rock as a physical testament to the Lord’s deliverance. He calls the stone “ebenezer,” which means “stone of help,” and as he leaves it where the battle was won, declares in holy…

ReaD Hebrews 2:13 Throughout Hebrews, God reminds us of His works from Genesis and Deuteronomy all the way through the Kings and the Prophets, while applying numerous Psalms as well. All of this is pointing to Himself: Jesus the Messiah. Isaiah testified “I will wait for the LORD… I will hope in Him. Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me…” (8:17-18). This is what Hebrews 2:13 quotes here. Jesus placed His trust in the Father when…

ReaD Hebrews 12 A few years ago, I decided to train for a triathlon after a long season of chronic pain and fatigue. Training came with blood, sweat, and a lot of tears, but as I neared the end of the race, I was overwhelmed remembering everything I had overcome to get there. I felt God’s presence with me—strengthening me and cheering me on. I drew courage from the determination and encouragement of my fellow triathletes and had the joy…

ReaD John 11:42 Jesus prays these words right before He raises Lazarus from the dead, while He is weeping with the mourners. We recently studied this passage in women’s Bible study, and John 11:5-6 stuck out to me, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two more days.” Wait. What? Jesus heard Lazarus was sick, so He waited to go to him? At first it…

ReAD Hebrews 5:7 and Luke 22:39-46 Imagine the scene with me. Jesus and His disciples have just left the gathering in the city of Jerusalem, the upper room where He taught them deep things about the life with God and the impending suffering He would face. He washed their feet. He shared a meal. The betrayer departed. Then they left the city and walked across the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives, and eventually to the Garden of Gethsemane…

Each Saturday during Lent, we will take some time as a church family to practice a different spiritual exercise together. Today, we are practicing Fasting. About Fasting A fast is the self-denial of normal necessities in order to intentionally attend to God in prayer. Bringing attachments and cravings to the surface opens a place for prayer. You may abstain from food, drink, shopping, media, habits, comforts, and so on to intentionally be with God. The physical awareness of emptiness or…

ReaD Isaiah 53:1-5 Read the verses in today’s passage from Isaiah carefully, and lose yourself in their depth. Words such as “despised’, ‘rejected’, ‘sorrows’, ‘suffering’ make their stark appearance, and are amplified by what they resulted in: Jesus being stricken, smitten, afflicted, pierced, crushed, and punished by God. Jesus (as fully God) would give the last, full measure of devotion for the salvation of that which had been lost.  Jesus (as fully man) would own our tears, and He would…

ReaD Matthew 26:36-39 Jesus has just finished His last supper with His disciples—the men He has loved and poured His life into over the past three years. He knows Judas is about to betray Him and hand Him over to soldiers. He knows these disciples who love Him, will deny Him. In Matthew 26:31 Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me.” Jesus takes His disciples away to Gethsemane to pray. He needs…

ReaD Psalm 116:1-4 “Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath! How kind the Lord is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours!” (Psalm 116:2, 5 NLT)  After spending five years as a missionary in a large communist country in East Asia, I felt God telling me it was time to head to Bible school. I enrolled in a year of study at a Christian college in Vancouver, Canada. On…