1 Thessalonians 4 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence            After three chapters of greetings, reports and blessings, the apostle Paul finally gets into the substance of his letter in the fourth chapter of the book.  His primary exhortation to the Thessalonians centers on the theme of sanctification or holiness in the everyday lives of believers.  He not only asks them to walk with and to please God, but he urges them to do so and…

1 Thessalonians 3 by Pastor David Groendyk   One of the reasons Paul writes this letter is because he is being viciously slandered for having fled the city of Thessalonica after planting this church. Today’s chapter is Paul’s most explicit defense of his own actions in having left this church. Paul reports that he is indeed extremely concerned about the church and loves them, so much so that he actually sent one of his co-workers,…

I Thessalonians 2 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson             I love the letters to the Thessalonians.  God, through the pen of Paul, is telling us what godly ministry is.  The Spirit shows us through godly leaders and apostles, but primarily though the life of our Lord Jesus, how to be a faithful servant of the Lord.  One of the reasons why I love this letter is the depth and richness of this truth, and how…

1 Thessalonians 1 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence            The apostle Paul first visited the city of Thessalonica on his second missionary journey with his faithful coworker Silas and his young protégé Timothy.  In Acts 17, Luke informs us that Paul and Silas preached in the Jewish synagogue there for three consecutive Sabbaths before some of the Jews became jealous and caused a riot in the streets after a number of devout Greeks began to…

Obadiah Devotional by Pastor David Groendyk   The intended recipient of most of the prophetic books from Isaiah through Malachi is Israel. Not so with Obadiah. The intended recipient of the book of Obadiah is the nation of Edom. (Jonah and Nahum are the other prophetic books intended for a non-Israelite nation, in case you’re curious.) We know next to nothing about the prophet Obadiah himself, except that his name means “servant of the Lord”.…

Amos 9 Devotional Pastor Mark Hudson                 The Bible is such an interesting book.  All this book seems to be is a stinging rebuke to the nation of Israel.  Yet there are messages of hope.  Depending on who you interpret v. 12 of Amos 3, you might find hope there.  See also Amos 5:4, 6, 14, 15, 24; 7:2, 3, 5, 6.  But in this chapter we see the hope that was hinted at in…

Amos 8 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence            In this second vision from the Lord, Amos sees a basket of summer fruit that signifies that the day of God’s judgment has finally arrived; the end has come.  Instead of passing by Israel or passing over (hence “Passover) them, the Lord will pass through them bringing forth his mighty arm against them because of their sin.  The scene is described as a complete slaughter with dead…

Amos 7 by Pastor David Groendyk   Amos 7 begins the final section of this book. In this section are a few different visions of Israel’s coming destruction. The first half of today’s chapter describes three distinct visions that God gives Amos. It’s interesting to see that God actually relents from Judgment #1 (locusts in vv. 1–3) and Judgment #2 (fire in vv. 4–6). But Judgment #3 is firm and fixed; it will surely happen…

Amos 6 Devotional Pastor Mark Hudson Some things just don’t go together: Sunshine and rain, lawnmowing in January in Michigan, loaded guns and small children.  But when it comes to genuine faith, self-complacency and faith in Christ are two bad combinations.  They do not go together.  Yet, this is exactly what we find in Amos 6.  Amos is a hard-hitting writer and speaker.  He would not have made a good t.v. preacher. Amos was not…

Amos 5 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence                Out of all nine chapters in the book of Amos, verse twenty-four of chapter five is the most quoted and well known by far.  These famous words, “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream,” are given as the second solution to Israel’s half-hearted worship in the sanctuary and moral quagmire in their society.  The first solution, as usual, is to seek…

Amos 4 by Pastor David Groendyk   God continues his indictment of Israel in today’s chapter. Verses 1–3 further describe the way that the rich were taking advantage of the poor. Amos seems to be specifically singling out the wealthy elite women in Israel for their oppression of the poor, but the analogy extends to the whole of Israel. They had become like over-indulgent, feasting cattle—plump, lazy, and demanding. Have you heard the phrase, “If…

Amos 3 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson                 The key verse in Amos 3 is verse 2, “You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”  If you understand this verse, that insight will help you understand the Old Testament.  Hebrews says the word of God “is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit,…

Amos 1 by Pastor David Groendyk   Many of the minor prophets (the books of Hosea through Malachi) are unfamiliar territory for us, Amos included. The prophet Amos was a shepherd by trade (see Amos 7:14–15), which is actually quite important. He emphasizes the fact that he was not a “career prophet” or a “professional prophet” and that, therefore, he wasn’t merely going to preach and prophesy what the people wanted to hear. He had…

Mark 16 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson             You probably have some notes in your Bible about Mark 16:9-20,  something to the effect that some of the earlier manuscripts do not include 16:9-20.  What does that mean and why are those verses still in the Bible?  To begin with, there are close to 5,000 manuscripts of the New Testament scattered around the world.  That means there are sections of copies the New Testament that help…

Mark 14 by Pastor David Groendyk   As you read this chapter, you ought to find yourself filled with anger, pity, and sadness. The complete failure of the people around Jesus stands out to me. The people around the dinner table scold the woman for her gift (vv. 4–5), Peter and the disciples fall asleep three times after Jesus asks them to pray (v. 37), Judas and his crew sell out Jesus (vv. 10–11, 43–49),…

Mark 13 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson             This is a rather difficult passage to be dogmatic about.  So here are some observations about the text that may help you understand this passage.  First the questions of the disciples sets the context.  “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!”  Jesus response in v. 2 is directed to the temple and then in v. 3, Mark writes that he sat . . . “opposite…

Mark 12 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence              With the changing of the guard again politically in January, believers will be asking new questions pertaining to our submission to state government.  There is nothing new under the sun; the Church has been grappling with these types of issues for two thousand years.  Thankfully, in our life time, these questions have never centered on the possibility of the shedding of blood due to our identification with…

Mark 11 Devotional by Pastor David Groendyk   As Jesus enters Jerusalem just a few days before his death, one of his great concerns is to identify, judge, and purge dead religion from Israel. It should cause us to reflect on our own spiritual state and examine ourselves for the signs of true faith. The fig tree (vv. 12–14, 20–26) Jesus passes ought to have been filled with figs. Although it wasn’t the season for…

Mark 10 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson                 This chapter is the last in chapters 8-10 of Jesus heading to Jerusalem.  This is a rather long chapter with 52 verses.  The topics range from divorce and remarriage, children and receiving the kingdom, the rich young ruler the difficulties of being wealthy and going to heaven, the cost of the cross, sitting on the right and left hand of Jesus, and healing a blind man.                …

Mark 9 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence              Three times in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) it is recorded that Jesus had warned his disciples that he was intentionally going to Jerusalem where he would be delivered into the hands of men, suffer, be killed and on the third day rise again, but each time the disciples did not fully grasp his intention.             But Mark, particularly, lays out these recurring passages back…

Mark 8 Devotional by Pastor David Groendyk   Besides Jesus’ death and resurrection, Mark 8 is the most pivotal chapter in this book. The entire book swings like a hinge on verse 29. The lead-up to verse 29 reinforces Jesus’ supreme authority and the fact that so many people do not quite understand who he truly is. After repeating his miracle of feeding thousands of people with very little food (vv. 1–10), Jesus has back-to-back…