Devotion Archive
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Devotion for December 24, 2020
Is there any hope? Many of us have had that thought at one time or another. Using the image of someone drowning or trapped in a pit, Psalm 130 cries out for help. The sense of hopelessness is made worse because the psalmist knows the reason for the brokenness of life: sin. It is not…
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Devotion for December 23, 2020
“You are the light of the world … Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16) In his book “Christ in Crisis”, Jim Wallis says that the church has often failed to let its light shine. It has, he says, failed to…
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Devotion for December 22, 2020
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines…
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Devotion for December 21, 2020
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David…
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Devotion for December 20, 2020
“The Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel” (which means ‘God is with us’).” (Isaiah 7:14) In light of a busy world Jesus invades humanity with a God-sized announcement. You could focus on so many things…
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Devotion for December 19, 2020
“We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us.” (Romans 8:26) As a pastor, I have sometimes heard members of the church say, “I can’t even pray anymore.” When people are depressed or physically run down or overwhelmed by grief, they can sometimes find it impossible to…
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Devotion for December 18, 2020
“Then our mouth was filled with laughter.” (Psalm 126:2) Laughter has all sorts of benefits for us physically as well as mentally. I sometimes wonder whether we laugh enough, and some of my corniest jokes are an attempt to help people to have a laugh and receive the benefits. There is even a form of…
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Devotion for December 17, 2020
“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16) In the book Huckleberry Finn, the main character — Huck, as he was called — needed fishhooks. Someone had told him that God always answers prayers, so for three days Huck Finn prayed for fish hooks. But he received none. So he concluded:…
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Devotion for December 16, 2020
“His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3) When I look in the mirror, I see an ageing face with wrinkles, greying hair, and glasses — an image that continues to change as the…