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 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
Easter Sunday
Monday, April 6 Matthew 26:1-30 “She did it for my burial” Jesus was at the house of Simon the leper, a man he had healed, when a woman came with a vial of very expensive perfume and poured it on his head. Speaking out of their materialism, and probably stirred by Judas’ murmuring, the… Read more about Easter Sunday
Palm Sunday
Monday, March 30 Matthew 19:16-30 “He went away sad for he had many possessions” The rich young man’s wealth prevented him from entering the kingdom of heaven. From this we learn that one should be careful of the lure of wealth (see Matthew 13:22). This passage does not suggest that wealth is wrong,… Read more about Palm Sunday
First Corinthians 16
Monday, March 23 1 Corinthians 16:1-4 “Now about the collection for God’s people” The collection to which Paul refers formed a major enterprise of his third missionary journey. Significant numbers of Jewish Christians in Jerusalem were impoverished, and Paul spent substantial energy raising funds from various Gentile churches in Asia and Europe to… Read more about First Corinthians 16