Archive for March 2011

Lenten Devotional Series Day 23. Today’s meditation is on 1 John 3:10-15. John writes, “Do not be surprised that the world hates you.”  Why would the world hate Christians? 

Lenten Devotional Series Day 22. Today’s meditation is on Matthew 5:21-26. Jesus said, “[21] You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ [22] But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to…

True Christian friendship is a rewarding act of love, involving time and commitment, openness and vulnerability, trust and faithfulness, prayer and thanksgiving, hospitality and feasting, laughter and joy, tears and heartache. It reaches out not only to those who are friendly to me, nor only to those who are like me, but to my neighbor whoever he might be. It is gentle, patient, forgiving, and kind, but also frank, honest, and challenging. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but an enemy multiplies kisses” (Proverbs 27:6). A true friend knows when to be silent and when to speak, when to encourage, and when to rebuke.

“The result of American polling is uniform: most Americans believe both that abortion for other than exceptional reasons is the unjust taking of a human life and that women would have the right to procure abortion for any reason that compels them. That is, the American people have in this matter abdicated moral coherence.”

Lenten Devotional Series Day 19. Today’s meditation is on Luke 18:15-43. Jesus loves our children. Even the tiniest ones. He loves them in the womb, he loves them in their mother’s arms. He loves them even when they start running around, getting under our feet, and fighting with their siblings. He loves them, and he…

Lenten Devotional Series Day 18. Today’s meditation is on the fifth commandment (Exodus 20:12), “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” A year and a half ago, I lost my mother to breast cancer. Six months after that, my dad was…

Lenten Devotional Series Day 17. Today’s meditation is on the fifth commandment (Exodus 20:12), “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” The commandment to honor father and mother makes plenty of sense for children. But what use is it for…

Lenten Devotional Series Day 16. Today’s meditation is on Exodus 18:13-27. Doesn’t the fourth commandment seems antiquated in the modern world? We’re too busy for Sabbath-keeping; there aren’t enough hours in the day. But God made time—and us. Is his purpose in this commandment merely to confirm and demonstrate our own sinfulness? Or does he…

Lenten Devotional Series Day 15. Today’s meditation is on Matthew 11:25-30. Lent is a season of penitence, a time for intentionality in dying to self. On the other hand, the fourth commandment (see yesterday’s devotional) is an injunction to rest. How do Lenten contrition and rest go together?

Lenten Devotional Series Day 14. Today’s meditation is on the fourth commandment, Exodus 20:8-11. Traditionally, each of the Ten Commandments has been understood to include both a prohibition and a duty. As we observed yesterday, the fourth commandment prohibits a life of unceasing labor, without rest and reflection. Today we focus on the duty—or perhaps…