For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. (Matthew 12:34b) We're pretty good at censoring our words (although even that is a practice that's somewhat waning in our culture), but every once in a while a person slips. Out comes this expletive or nasty thought that surprises everyone around us, including ourselves. Where did it come from? Jesus said that, from the ... [Continue Reading]
Flashback: Gentle Jesus? (John 2-4)
To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” (John 2:16) I grew up with pictures like this of Jesus. Our old sanctuary had stained glass images of him with sheep or on the cross. Pictures in the hallway had children sitting on his lap. I don't remember dogs in the pictures as depicted above, but they probably ... [Continue Reading]
At the Heart (Jeremiah 4-6)
Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, circumcise your hearts... (Jeremiah 4:4a) The heart is a common topic on these daily devotionals, and I hate to address it again. However, it plays such a prominent theme in these three chapters that I would be remiss to ignore it. There is a tendency even within contemporary Christianity to believe that God desires "good works" from ... [Continue Reading]
The One Who Changes Hearts (Exodus 10-12)
(The Lord made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.) (Exodus 11:3) God is the one who changes hearts. Period. It's remarkable to me that this side note even exists in Exodus. The purpose for Moses including it in the account is clear: the reasons the Egyptians (other ... [Continue Reading]
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