Weekly Devotion

Faith is learned and grows out of experience. We have faith because God first imparted it to us. He gave us the ears to hear Him, the eyes to see Him, and faith to trust Him.

Watching our son become a Christian man before our eyes was one of the most powerful things I’ve ever seen. He and a friend were sponsored to attend a faith event called “Chrysalis” by their cross-country coach. We knew, even then, that their coach was so much more than a coach.

I had no idea what I would write about this week, but “Hesed” kept popping into my head. While doing background reading for the devotional, I wondered where this thought came from. Where did I see the reference to Hesed?

“I have always known of God but not of His grace. I’m a sinful man saved by grace.” As with most of us, he had to learn what grace means through experience, not by reading about it.

Unlike human love, which can be conditional on behavior or circumstances, God’s love is unconditional and relentless. It persistently pursues us through all our trials. Despite its perfect nature, God’s love is not afraid of being complex or confusing, but within its complexity always lies a purpose.

False teaching is far more dangerous than none at all. As a second-grader, my teacher told my Mom I had an “intellectual disability.” Google it; they called it something else when I was a kid.

Bible reading is unlike reading anything else digital or in print. You can read a passage 49 times, but for the 50th time, you’ll encounter something you’ve never seen before.

It was all fascinating to me, even though I have believed in a true God for as long as I can remember. One dull Saturday morning (if there is such a thing) I was skateboarding alone and walking back up a hill, and it hit me…

My first thought was Mary, Mary, and Salome, while resolute in their faith, probably didn’t expect that encounter upon entering the tomb.

The question Jesus asked Andrew and John is one we should all answer honestly. What am I seeking? What am I looking for and desiring in Jesus? Jesus’ questioning went beyond a mere inquiry about their physical presence and probed into their deeper intentions and yearnings.