Day 120 Judges 11:1‐12:15; John 1:1‐28; Psalm 101:1‐8; Proverbs 14:13‐14 The Word of God Among Us “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” – John 1:1 So begins this magnificent passage that reads like a hymn of praise to Jesus the Messiah, through Whom comes…
Day 119 Judges 9:22-10:18; Luke 24:13-53; Psalm 100:1-5; Proverbs 14:11-12 The Lord Is God! The reading from Proverbs is a reminder that not every “way that seems right to a man” is pleasing to God. The Nation of Israel suffered much under the rule of Abimelech. Even in better times under the judges who succeeded…
Day 118 Judges 8:18‐9:21; Luke 23:44‐24:12; Psalm 99:1‐9; Proverbs 14:9‐10 God Answers Prayers In Psalm 99: 8, we are reminded that our God hears us and does answer prayers with forgiveness. However, we do experience the consequences of our actions along with His forgiveness. As I read Luke 23 and 24, I am again reminded…
Day 117 Judges 7:1-8:17; Luke 23:13-43; Psalms 97:1-98:9; Proverbs 14:7-8 Today in Paradise Do you know the Greek word for “truly”? It’s “amen.” We say it at the end of a prayer. Jesus uses it up front to announce truth. When Jesus tells the thief on the cross, “Truly, I say to you, today you…
Day 116 Judges 6:1‐40; Luke 22:54‐23:12; Psalms 95:1‐96:13; Proverb 14:5‐6 Go In the Strength You Have Take the world for Christ! Too big, Lord! Well, then, take your city for Christ! Like Israel during the seven years Midian oppressed them, Central Florida – my zip code – is threatened with being overrun by evil. Is…
Day 115 Judges 4:1‐5:31; Luke 22:35‐53; Psalm 94:1‐23; Proverbs 14:3‐4 Deborah and Jael Eve tempting Adam to eat, Sarai scoffing at the idea of bearing Abram’s son to the point of laughter, Rebekah deceiving Isaac to gain favor and a blessing for Jacob, and so on. Women’s roles in the Bible up to the Book…
Day 114 Judges 2:10‐3:31; Luke 22:14‐34; Psalms 92:1‐93:5; Proverbs 14:1‐2 The Profit of the Right Knowledge In chapter 2, God lays out the pattern that is demonstrated three times in chapter 3 and again and again throughout the book of Judges: They forgot God; they did their own thing; they got themselves into a big…
Day 113 Judges 1:1‐2:9; Luke 21:29‐22:13; Psalms 90:1‐91:16; Proverbs 13:24‐25 The Love of God We don’t just want to be loved; we need to be loved. Among our greatest needs is the need to know that we matter to somebody – that somebody truly cares. As we read God’s Word, we learn the story of…
Day 112 Joshua 24:1‐33; Luke 21:1‐28; Psalm 89:38‐52; Proverbs 13:20‐23 The Voices of Choices Bob Dylan used to sing a song called “Gotta Serve Somebody.” The lyrics suggest that everyone, a CEO, a doctor, a socialite, a construction worker… yes, everyone, rich or poor, serves someone or something. “It might be the Devil or it…
Day 111 Joshua 22:21‐23:16; Luke 20:27‐47; Psalm 89:14‐37; Proverbs 13:17‐19 Resurrection Rejoicing – Don’t Miss the Point! After disarming the Sadducee’s riddle on the resurrection using an example of family that had experienced more tragedy than most any family could bear, Jesus challenges them with one of His own: the Messiah is meant to be…
Day 110 Joshua 21:1‐22:20; Luke 20:1‐26; Psalm 89:1‐13; Proverbs 13:15‐16 The Litmus Test Years ago, a dear friend and circuit court judge shared his insight when deciding difficult cases. He said, “When seeking to decide the greater of two goods or the lesser of two evils, I always look at motivation and ask, ‘Was this…
Day 109 Joshua 19:1-20:9; Luke 19:28-48; Psalm 88:1-18; Proverbs 13:12-14 God is a Refuge. Are We? A gold star if you tried to read the Joshua passage out loud! When I was preparing for ordination about thirty years ago, a priest opened my eyes to the significance of geography in the Scriptures. Where certain events…
