Devotional

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind – just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you – so that you are not lacking in any gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the…

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.” Matthew 10:5-8 Cecilia Gentili, who died on February 6, 2024, was a former sex worker who suffered drug addiction and was jailed at Rikers Island, before becoming an advocate for sex workers, as well as a representative for the, gay, lesbian, and transgender…

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. Luke 9:51 Several years ago, I watched the program Weeds, that was aired on Showtime. It was in the third season when, in one weekly installment, religion became a prominent topic. The depiction of religion was that of snake handlers, as the following scenes showed: A grade school class is taught the evils of abortion by being shown a shocking photograph; A Jewish boy is sought out for conversion; A teenage girl was snubbed because she confessed to being a homosexual;…

Religion Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 DEVOTION “Ash Wednesday” and “Valentine’s Day” share the same calendar square this year. So, what will this day look like for you? Will it be festooned in red bows, bling, and balloons? Or, as ashes mark your forehead, will you “Remember you are dust and to dust you will return”? Maybe your…

Death I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.  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. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.  When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death…

Sanctification Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, “Master, now you are dismissing your servant…

Sin He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field, but while everybody was asleep an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and then went away.  So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well.  And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’  He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and…

Creation And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind and the cattle of every kind and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:24-25 STORY Bob Barker was a fixture on daytime television for half a century, first as the host of Truth or Consequences from 1956 to 1974, and, most famously, starting in 1972, on The Price…

Humility If, then, there is any comfort in Christ, any consolation from love, any partnership in the Spirit, any tender affection and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests but to the interests of others. Philippians 2:1-4 STORY Charles Feeney was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1931. His parents were devout Catholics. His father, Leo, was an insurance underwriter…

Second Coming “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so, too, will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two…