Loving Jesus Style

  Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:13b-18 (ESV) Be at peace among yourselves. 14  And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15  See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16  Rejoice always, 17  pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Devotion:             In writing these words, the Apostle Paul was aware of the condition of the church at Thessalonica. His first statement, “Be at peace among yourselves,” speaks to the condition of the human heart. There was no doubt about this first-century church's full range of human emotions and conditions. Jealousy, envy, laziness, anger, bitterness, all of the destructive emotions are unfortunately just as common among the people of God as they are shared among t...

  Scripture: Isaiah 1:18-20 (ESV) 18  “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord :        though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;        though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. 19      If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; 20      , but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”   Devotion:               In this brief selection from the beginning of Isaiah, we see God willing to reason with His people. This passage begins with a promise that no matter how bad our sins are, God plans to make them disappear. For Christians reading this passage, it seems to foreshadow the cross and resurrection. Under the old covenant, sins could never be dealt w...

Scripture: Matthew 2:`13-23 (ESV) 13  Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”  14  And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt  15  and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 16  Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.  17  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:              18        ...

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2 (NRSV) 12  I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  2  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. Devotion:             Today’s scripture is well known among the followers of Jesus Christ. Many people have memorized this in fact. There is a danger in that. We may become so familiar with any passage of scripture that we no longer seek meaning in its words assuming that we know all there is to know about the passage in question. Therefore, let us stop and look at this passage with fresh eyes, so that we may be transformed in our minds as the passage urges us to do and be.          ...

Scripture: Romans 5:6-8 (ESV) 6  For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  7  For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—  8  but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Devotion:             We humans are weak, frail, and prone to sin. How is it that God, who we believe is a good and kind God, would allow such faults as these in His special creation? Why would His rescue plan be to become incarnate only to die a humiliating death on the cross? A logical and philosophical answer to those questions would require more knowledge and skill in reasoning than exists on planet earth today. So why bother tackling them in a short 500-word blog post? Because the simplest answer can be found in today’s scripture quotation.          ...

Scripture: Psalm 32:1-11 (NIV) 1  Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 2  Blessed is the one whose sin the  Lord  does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit. 3  When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4  For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. 5  Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the  Lord .” And you forgave the guilt of my sin. 6  Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them. 7  You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. 8  I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. 9  Do not be like the horse or the mule,...