Daily Devotional

I have enjoyed reading the Psalms as we read through the Bible this year. The Psalms were written for several occasions. Some were songs written to express the deepest of emotions, such as fear, worry, shame, and joy. Others were written to help the faithful worship God in the temple or while on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Psalm 9 was written to express thanksgiving to God. The purpose of this Psalm is to express praise to a God who has done marvelous things for God’s children.

From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia.

I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
through all generations.

In the book of Matthew, we read one of the great stories of our faith. Jesus and the disciples are in a boat on the Sea of Galilee when a storm suddenly appears. Jesus was resting, and it did not seem to bother him. The disciples, on the other hand, were starting to worry. (This story always caught my attention as the fishermen from Galilee were more nervous than the carpenter from Nazareth.) As their fear grew, the disciples went to Jesus and said, “Lord save us! We’re going to drown!” (Matthew 8:25)

The Apostle Paul is responsible for most of the books that make up the New Testament. Throughout these 11 books, Paul articulates his deep understanding of the Christian faith. These writings give the church much of its theological and practical foundation. Paul takes on topics such as the meaning of the law, salvation, death, the sacraments, grace, and so many more. His teachings influenced the church then and now.

In his recent sermon, Rev. Josh Attaway taught us about Koinonia Farm. This farm was founded in Georgia by Clarence and Florence Jordan. The purpose of Koinonia Farm was to bring people together and live under the teachings of Jesus, just as the early church did in the Book of Acts. Koinonia Farm has been doing ministry since 1942.

Hurricane Helene has caused untold devastation across the Southeast United States. Helene made landfall in Florida, which brought strong wind, a large storm surge, and significant rainfall across parts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The initial storm and the flooding that resulted from Hurricane Helene resulted in the death of 232 people, with over one hundred still unaccounted for. Search and rescue operations are still underway as another hurricane has formed in the Gulf of Mexico. I hope you are praying for the people in the path of these storms.

Jesus was always willing to share a meal with the people of the community in which he was preaching. Sometimes, it was a meal with his disciples, sometimes with friends. On some occasions, the meal was with large crowds, while other times, it was with a small group of strangers in the home of a new friend.

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

How lovely is thy dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, yea, faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.