Archive | Weekly Devotional

Hail to the King of Kings! by Steven Josephs Hail Jesus Christ God’s only SonWho died to set us freeHis life He gaveHis promise keptHe rose in victory! Sin and death had no prevailThe stone was rolled awayAn empty spaceNow echoes graceWhat prophets voiced in fine detail The chains of death no longer claspReleased from […]

Here She Is… “This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful.” –Esther 2:7b When I was growing up, one of our favorite events on TV was the yearly Miss America Beauty Pageant. My sister and I would eagerly watch for Miss West Virginia, always hoping that this […]

Grace, Faith and Obedience by Jim Rower In Romans 5:20-6:4, Paul writes about how sin came into the world through Adam, bringing death; God’s law was given through Moses; and then grace was given through Jesus Christ: “The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all […]

Brick by Brick They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and […]

Is This a Yoke? We finish our reading from the Moravian Texts today in the book of Ezra with a great sin exposed, a priest’s fervent prayer, and a wrenching act of repentance. The problem? The “remnant” that God has re-established in Israel has not “kept themselves separate” from the neighboring people with their “detestable […]

“Bring Them to Me” Bring them here to me, He (Jesus) said. –Matthew 14:18 Into each of our lives there come times that test us, times that seem overwhelming; situations through which we question whether we will have the stamina to make it. Some of these are defining moments, often involving significant sacrifice and risk; some […]

Wild Animals and Angels “He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.” –Mark 1:13 Mark, also known as John Mark (the cousin of Barnabas), is the only Gospel writer who tells us that during Jesus’ time of temptation in the desert he was with the wild animals. Some commentators note that “in Jesus’ […]

In the Twinkling of an Eye Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. –1 Corinthians 15:51-52 I remember the day I stepped out of the airport into the San Diego sunshine for the […]

Sent by God “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.” –Genesis 45:8 Family disagreements are nothing new, are they? They’re just not usually as extreme as the one that led eventually to Joseph’s loud, wailing reconciliation with the very brothers who had sold him into slavery, way back when. It […]

A Sight for Sore Eyes “My God sent his angel…” –Daniel 6:22a I grew up with the expression “You’re a sight for sore eyes.” Why we characterized our eyes as sore, I’m not sure. But we all immediately knew the meaning of the phrase to be a person or thing that one is extremely pleased […]