faithfulness ⁽³¹⁾

Psalm 35:11–28, Exodus 35:1–29, Acts 10:9–23 Sometimes the greatest evidence that we are doing well is those that oppose us. Another way of perhaps saying that is that the measure of one's success is the quality of one's enemies. Some scholars have claimed that part…

Psalm 68, Genesis 28:10-22, Hebrews 11:13-22 How often do we look at the world asking, "what's wrong with the world today?" How often do we look around ourselves asking, "what's wrong with everyone?" How often do we look at ourselves in the mirror asking, "what's…

Psalm 148, Acts 7:37-53, Hebrews 2:9-13 …[Jesus'] followers began to shout and sing…"Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!" But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, "Teacher, rebuke your followers…

Luke:1:46b-55, James 5:7-10, Hebrews 12:1-2 Mary’s song/poem of praise is often called the Magnificat in the Protestant/Roman Catholic tradition, or the Ode of the Theotokos (Bearer of God) in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. It is a joy-filled response to God by Mary that appears to…

Job 33:14-30, Psalm 126, Luke 1:35-45 In many respects, joy is both easy and incredibly difficult to truly understand. On one hand, we understand that joy is something much deeper than the feelings of the moment. Yet, on the other hand, we use the word…