Monday, June 15 Exodus 5:1-5 “I don’t know the Lord” Moses returns to Egypt and is now ready to carry out the task that God has specifically chosen for him. One might expect a quick, decisive end to Pharaoh’s enslavement of God’s people, but this is not what happens. Things will get worse… Read more about Exodus 5 and 6
Exodus 3 and 4
Monday, June 8 Exodus 3:1-10 “God called to him from the burning bush” Moses is pasturing the flock of his father-in-law Jethro (also named Reuel) near Mt. Horeb (also known as Mt. Sinai). Arriving at the mountain, Moses sees an astonishing sight: an angel of God within a bush that burns without being… Read more about Exodus 3 and 4
Exodus 1 and 2
Monday, June 1 Exodus 1:1-7 “They multiplied greatly” It is helpful to think of Exodus more as the second chapter of a five-chapter book (Genesis through Deuteronomy) than a stand-alone book. Exodus describes one stage of Israel’s story that began with creation in Genesis 1 and ends with the Israelites poised to enter… Read more about Exodus 1 and 2
Second Corinthians 12 and 13
Monday, May 25 2 Corinthians 12:1-4 “Visions and revelations from the Lord” Evidently certain false apostles claimed to have experienced visions and revelations and had presented this fact to the Corinthian church as proof that they were superior to Paul. The idea of visions as one of the primary ways in which God… Read more about Second Corinthians 12 and 13
Second Corinthians 10 and 11
Monday, May 18 2 Corinthians 10:1-11 “The meekness and gentleness of Christ” Attacks were apparently being leveled at Paul. Because this is a letter, we have only Paul’s answer to his critics and are forced to reconstruct from his responses the nature of the criticism. Evidently, they said: (1) that Paul was only… Read more about Second Corinthians 10 and 11
Second Corinthians 8 and 9
Monday, May 11 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 “The gift for the believers in Jerusalem” As we read these verses it is apparent that the members of the mother church in Jerusalem were suffering from extreme poverty. The exact cause is not known, but it could have come from a number of sources: a drought,… Read more about Second Corinthians 8 and 9
Second Corinthians 5 – 7
Monday, May 4 2 Corinthians 5:11-15 “Christ’s love urges us on” For Paul the reason for doing something was as important as what was done. Christ also stressed this principle in the Sermon on the Mount where he criticized those who did good things – like fasting, praying, or giving – for the… Read more about Second Corinthians 5 – 7
Second Corinthians 4 and 5
Monday, April 27 2 Corinthians 4:1-4 “We do not lose heart” Any of us who try to serve God in any way often have reasons for being discouraged. The awareness of our human limitations and imperfections take a toll on our self-confidence. Then, too, the indifference of people to whom we try to… Read more about Second Corinthians 4 and 5