Today we start off with some pretty heavy text. Some of it is a declaration that confirms Jesus' divine identity, fulfills old Testament prophecies and asserts an authority willing to face persecution as a model of faith and steadfastness for believers. Other text links the idea of marriage union as a model for how the … Continue reading Do You Realize That The Great ” I AM ” Is Claiming You As His Own?
Month: April 2026
Why Is It That Jesus Cannot Be Explained Away?
Good Morning Friends, Christian faith is not built on wishes, feelings, or private spirituality. It stands on history—real people, real events, real encounters with the risen Jesus. And someday you may need to bear witness to it in your life and how you arrived at your belief. But don't be fearful, you have 2000 years of history … Continue reading Why Is It That Jesus Cannot Be Explained Away?
Is Anything Better For Us Than The Gift Of The Holy Spirit?
Good Morning Friends, As we continue our journey toward Pentecost, Scripture invites us to watch the gospel spread—from Cornelius to Peter, from Barnabas to Paul—and to reflect on what true worship is. Christ’s promises can still be received or resisted. We can easily focus on the wrong things, expecting Jesus to fit our preferences rather … Continue reading Is Anything Better For Us Than The Gift Of The Holy Spirit?
Will We Shepherd The People We Want To Spend Eternity With — And The People We Wouldn’t Choose At All?
Good Morning Friends, There is a door through which we enter to find Jesus. Sam Shoemaker’s poem captures this beautifully, and it echoes the themes we’ve been sitting with from John’s Gospel. Shepherds and doors—two images that remind us that Jesus not only leads us but prepares a place for us. But the deeper question for … Continue reading Will We Shepherd The People We Want To Spend Eternity With — And The People We Wouldn’t Choose At All?
Are You Feeling Part Of A Cruciform Community Shining Forth Christ’s Covenant Love?
Good Morning Friends, Many churches avoid honest self‑examination. Yet Scripture calls us to face the truth about sin, purpose, and mission. God’s covenant with Israel is not an allegory to be dismissed but a promise that shapes the church’s calling. And if we are grafted on to the rootstock of Israel we would be wise to … Continue reading Are You Feeling Part Of A Cruciform Community Shining Forth Christ’s Covenant Love?
How Are We To Feel Spiritually About Eating The Fruit Of Another’s Labors?
Good Morning Friends, In Greek mythology the pomegranate symbolizes death and the underworld, but in Scripture it is a sign of God’s abundance—one of the seven fruits of the Promised Land. Its hundreds of seeds make it a natural symbol of fruitfulness, blessing, and the visible life of God’s people. Botticelli’s Madonna of the Pomegranate shows Christ … Continue reading How Are We To Feel Spiritually About Eating The Fruit Of Another’s Labors?
Are You Ready To Be Loved Into A Fellowship With The Holy Spirit That Spreads The Faith?
Good Morning Friends, Maybe it was an angel. Maybe it was simply a willingness to trust. The Ethiopian eunuch understood trust, and he needed someone to guide him into the Word of God. In the same way, God knows us better than we know ourselves—and He loves us first so that we might learn to … Continue reading Are You Ready To Be Loved Into A Fellowship With The Holy Spirit That Spreads The Faith?
Will We Recognize and Apply the Character of Christ in Our Daily Living?
Good Morning Friends, Saul enters today’s story still bearing his Hebrew name, not yet the apostle Paul. We meet him in the before picture—zealous, violent, convinced he is serving God—standing as a consenting witness to Stephen’s death. Yet even here, a seed is planted. The persecution that scatters the church becomes the very fire that … Continue reading Will We Recognize and Apply the Character of Christ in Our Daily Living?
Are We Choosing the Spirit’s Work?
Good Morning Friends, I have included a copy of the painting of the stoning of Stephen in the devotional today as a Visio Divina as well as Caravaggio’s painting of Paul being knocked off his horse as part of his conversion on the road to Damascus. I do this in the hope that they might … Continue reading Are We Choosing the Spirit’s Work?
How Can We Best Be A Witness To the Work Of God In Us?
Good Morning Friends, In our Presbyterian life together, elders often carry the authority, but deacons carry the growth. Their ministry of service, mercy, and practical care becomes a living witness to Christ. Today in scripture we meet Stephen—the first deacon—whose signs and wisdom revealed the Spirit’s power. And we meet Jesus, who exposes the crowd’s … Continue reading How Can We Best Be A Witness To the Work Of God In Us?
Daily Devotionals 