Tag: DEVOTIONALS

  • HAUNTED BY LEVIATHAN

    Connect The TestamentsIsaiah 27:1–28:29; Luke 9:28–62; Job 6:14–30 Indiana Jones isn’t afraid of anything—until a snake shows up on the scene. Then we hear him mutter, “I hate snakes” and “Snakes, why did it have to be snakes?” Everyone is afraid of something. Even now your greatest fear is probably creeping through your mind—something completely…

  • AT A GREAT PRICE

    Connect The TestamentsIsaiah 25:1–26:21; Luke 9:1–27; Job 6:1–13 It’s easy to be devoted to a leader or a vision when it doesn’t require much of us. In following Jesus, the disciples didn’t have that option. They were called to follow Jesus in difficult circumstances—ones that required them to put their lives on the line. After…

  • PROCLAIMING THE LIGHT

    Connect The TestamentsIsaiah 23:1–24:23; Luke 8:16–56; Job 5:17–27 Many of us wait for precisely the right moment to tell others about Christ’s work in us. Yet every moment is the right moment to speak up for Christ. Every moment is the right time to fully express what Christ is doing in us and through us.…

  • LOVE, PRAISE, FORGIVENESS

    Connect The TestamentIsaiah 20:1–22:25; Luke 7:36–8:15; Job 5:8–16 Our praise for God is often directly connected to accepting and confessing our brokenness. Our capacity to love Him is tied to the realization of how much He has forgiven us. The woman in Luke 7 who anointed Jesus’ feet is described with one phrase: She was…

  • BORROWED IMAGERY

    Connect The TestamentsIsaiah 17:1–19:25; Luke 7:1–35; Job 5:1–7 In the OT, Yahweh regularly explains Himself by using imagery familiar to the time. Sometimes Yahweh even uses images associated with other gods to emphasize that He—and not the gods of other nations—has authority over the earth. This poetic exchange would have served as an intercultural dialogue…

  • DISTORTION

    Connect The TestamentsIsaiah 14:24–16:14; Luke 6:1–49; Job 4:12–21 If attending church and small group or even reading the Bible and praying become activities that we do out of obligation, then we have a bigger problem than we might realize. If our hearts are disengaged, our religious motions and listless obedience serve only as a security…

  • RAISE THE SIGNAL

    Connect The TestamentsIsaiah 13:1–14:23; Luke 5:1–39; Job 4:1–11 The Bible echoes with great battle cries: “Raise a signal on a bare hill, lift up your voice to them; wave the hand.… A sound of the roar of the kingdoms, of nations gathering! Yahweh of hosts is mustering an army for battle” (Isa 13:4). In this…

  • FEELING ENTITLED

    Connect The TestamentsIsaiah 10:20–12:6; Luke 4:1–44; Job 3:17–26 Familiarity breeds contempt, so the saying goes. But the line from Aesop’s fable “The Fox and the Lion” wasn’t meant to imply that we often take those closest to us for granted. Rather, the fox fails to properly acknowledge the lion—the king of all beasts—because he doesn’t…

  • PATTERNS AND PROPHECY

    Connect The TestamentsIsaiah 9:1–10:19; Luke 3:1–38; Job 3:1–16 Luke sees the events surrounding Jesus’ life through the lens of Isaiah. For Luke, Jesus’ life is Isaiah’s prophecy made tangible and complete. Jesus is the anticipated Messiah, prophet, and savior. Even John the Baptist’s role in Jesus’ life is based on Isaiah’s prophesy. Luke repeats the…

  • IN GRIEF

    Connect The TestamentsIsaiah 7:1–8:22; Luke 2:22–52; Job 2:11–13 It’s difficult to know how to respond to people suffering grief. Those brave enough to speak often attempt to rationalize another’s grief with ill-timed theological truths. Those who feel inadequate or awkward about reaching out to grieving people sometimes avoid them altogether. Job’s friends are well known…