Psalm 116, Romans 5:1-8 My Bible records Psalm 116 as “Thanksgiving for Recovery from Illness.” The Psalmist here gives thanks how the Lord has healed him from death, distress, and anguish. He says that God has delivered his eyes from tears and his feet from stumbling. Even though he was greatly afflicted he kept the faith. Paul in Romans 5 talks about boasting in hope during suffering. While the Psalmist boasts in God’s deliverance from his illness, Paul boasts in God’s character and love shown in the achievement of the sacrificial death of Christ to bring salvation. Paul tells of the peace we have due to this. Paul goes beyond just remembering God’s deliverance in the past like the Psalmist, but he tells of the good things to come out our of suffering. He even boasts about them. Affliction brings endurance which produces character to which we receive our hope. This is not just an empty wish but is hope that does not put us to shame because God’s love has been poured in our hear...

 Genesis 12:1-9, Romans 4:13-25 In Genesis, the Lord gives a command to Abram, who becomes Abraham, to go from his country to a land God will show him. He is promised that God will make of him a great nation where God will bless them. So, Abram went. This was not an easy task. He had a wife, a nephew, workers, and livestock to bring, yet he went. When God talks to him again at Canaan the Lord promises to give this land to his offspring. So, in response Abram builds an altar to the Lord and continues his journey. “So, Abram went,” is an extraordinary statement. It is free of indecision, self-doubt, or stubbornness and shows radical dependence on God’s word. Paul acknowledges this in our Romans passage where he praises Abraham’s faith saying it was reckoned – made to him as righteousness. He tells of all the factors which would have kept Abraham from believing and following God’s directive. Abram’s age being 100 and the barrenness of Sara’s body did not cause him to doubt. He h...

Luke 24:44-53, Acts 1:1-11 This Sunday was Ascension of the Lord Sunday celebrating Christ’s last words to his disciples before his ascension into heaven. Both of today’s scriptures were written by the apostle Luke. In our gospel account Jesus is doing the talking telling how everything he did fulfilled what the prophets, Mosaic law, and the Psalms wrote. He tells the disciples how they have been witnesses of Christ’s life, his death, and his resurrection – appearing to them after his resurrection. Christ then confirms God’s promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit who they are to wait for. Our Acts account is in Luke’s own voice writing down what he has witnessed at Christ’s ascension. He mentions that they will be Christ’s witnesses but here they will tell it to the whole world. There are two other differences in this account. One of these is a disciple asking when the kingdom of Israel will be restored. To this Christ replies, “It is not for you to know since it’s up to God’s au...