church ⁽³⁹⁵⁾

Genesis 33:1–9; Numbers 20:14–21; Psalm 137; Lamentations 5:1–22 How much of your extended family do you know? Second cousins, third cousins, and so on. Imagine knowing the descendants of your ancestors (approximately 20 generations gap). The brothers Jacob and Esau seemed to have been reconciled…

Acts 11:1–18; Galatians 3:27–29 Depending on the translation, Acts 11:18 is phrased something akin to, “even the Gentiles got the gift.” It’s not exactly the most positive response. It shows us that at the beginning of the church the new reality of a faith that…

Ezekiel 2:1–3:3; Lamentations 3:17–33; Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 There are two prevailing feelings currently: fear and anger. Neither one is productive over time. In the end, they can destroy a person emotionally and spiritually. Ezekiel ate words of lament, mourning, and woe. In the vision, the edible…

2 Corinthians 8:1–15; 1 Timothy 6:17–19 Generosity is a good thing. A generous heart is a good thing. Paul encouraged generosity among the churches. The churches would care for one another as they were going through trials (famines, war, etc.). The graciousness of one church…

Psalm 94; Luke 6:27–36; 1 Corinthians 4:9–13 Bless your enemies. Except “bless” means something more than just be nice or even help them. “Bless” means to ask for God’s divine favor to come on them. We all want blessings, but we are being called to…