Category: Daily Devotionals

SERVANTS AND MASTERS

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus.  Romans 1:1a

There was once a master of a great kingdom.  He was wealthy beyond measure and needed to hire servants to take care of his estate.  He sent a foreman to the streets to hire whomever was needed to keep his house in order.  He would never get to know them personally however. Most of them would long for their freedom. They would know that their master’s only interest in them would be in their ability to take care of what he owned.  They would strain under the workload and despise their lowly status. Continue reading “Servants And Masters” →

SETTING THE STAGE

Studying Romans is a daunting adventure.  As I begin with verse one tomorrow, I’m aware of my nervousness.  There are three reasons for that. Continue reading “Setting The Stage” →

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ.  Romans 1:1

Paul grew up in Tarsus to a well-to-do family.  He was privileged to be tutored under the Rabbi Gamaliel, the President-Patriarch of the Sanhedrin.  Gamaliel was the Pharisee doctor of Jewish law.  No young student of the Torah could have wished for a better teacher.  This brilliant and well-respected Rabbi shaped Paul’s life and gave him a coveted education. Continue reading “Education And Experience” →

THE AUTHOR

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ.  Romans 1:1

Most historians say that Paul was born around the time Jesus was a toddler.  When Jesus was two, Paul was being rocked to sleep in his mother’s arms.  His birth into the very era of the time of Christ was not to be significant to him for several more decades.  Though he couldn’t know it, he was created to live in a time of history which framed his calling perfectly. Continue reading “The Author” →

FRIEND OR FOE

Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.  I Thess. 5:26

Greeting one another with a kiss on the cheek was commonplace in Mediterranean culture.  It was not specific to Christians.  It dates as far back in biblical texts as I Samuel.  It would be compared to our modern day handshake or hug.  Paul’s words meant this, “When you kiss, or since you kiss, make it a sanctified thing, a holy thing. Don’t be hypocritical.  Don’t give what appears to be a holy kiss, like Judas, but have something adversarial in your heart.” Continue reading “Friend Or Foe” →

PARALYZING INERTIA

“Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”  I Thess. 5:24

I used to live frozen in inertia.  I reviewed my failures and all the self-proclaimed reasons I believed I was inadequate and decided to stand still in order to avoid the humiliation of failing.  I lived in perpetual self-condemnation.  My energy was depleted.  I remember entertaining thoughts that something was physically wrong with me, when all the time, self-hatred and the sinful thought patterns that accompanied it sapped the life out of me. Continue reading “Paralyzing Inertia” →

MAKING MUCH OF EVERY WORD

Do not despise prophetic utterances.  But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.  I Thess. 5:20-21

Another translation puts it this way.  “Do not think little of God’s words.” How might I show God that what He says means little to me?  When I hear His words but go and do the opposite of what He said.  When, after hearing, I close the Word and never give them another thought all day. Continue reading “Making Much Of Every Word” →

WHAT QUENCHING LOOKS LIKE

Do not quench the Spirit.  I Thess. 5:19

When the word “quench” is used in the English language, it usually has to do with putting out a fire.  That is a good analogy of what happens when the fire of the Spirit is diminished in someone’s heart. Continue reading “What Quenching Looks Like” →

TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES

See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all men.  I Thessalonians 5:15

When I invest in a close relationship, I have hopes of reciprocity.  I anticipate that the other person will have a heart for me, that they will listen well, love well, and value me.  When that happens, it’s easy for my heart to stay open in their presence.  But let them fail me and my carnal nature rises to the surface.  It’s fairly easy to forgive them for the first few offenses but after that, I’m churning to plot a new course.  How painful when any relationship deteriorates but I often contribute to its demise by carrying out small acts of revenge. Continue reading “Truth and Consequences” →

TAKING ON WHAT ISN’T NATURAL

We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient with all men.  I Thess. 5:14

When I read Paul’s list of suggestions, there are a few that come easily for me and one that doesn’t.  It’s easy to want to do what I’m good at and ignore what is not intrinsically part of my nature.  For me, my Achilles’ heel is admonishing the unruly.  I’d rather have a root canal and I’m serious.  Put the fainthearted and the weak in my path though, and I’m totally in my comfort zone. Continue reading “Taking On What Isn’t Natural” →