Thursday, July 29, 2004
Psalm 32:5-10
In my Bible there is an exclamation point drawn next to verse six. I remember why, too. My dad's prayer breakfast had an ongoing argument about whether or not dogs went to heaven. My dad was on the pro side. I was reading my Bible one day and saw "you save humans and animals alike, O Lord," and knew he'd want to see that verse.
posted by Susanna King 6:33 PM
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Psalm 72
This psalm was written for a king (which king, I'm not exactly sure). The psalmist asks God to bless the king and names some of the reasons why this man is a good king. I find verses 12-14 interesting because they praise the king's compassion for the needy. How many of our modern-day rulers would be described by those verses? It makes me think about what's really important in a leader.
posted by Susanna King 6:08 PM
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Matthew 27:32-44
I wonder whatever happened to Simon of Cyrene, the man who helped Jesus carry his cross? I imagine that at the time he was not happy about being forced to do that work, and I bet he would've been surprised to know that his name would be known for that work hundreds of years later. It makes me wonder what onerous tasks I might perform that could be hugely important without my knowing.
posted by Susanna King 6:18 PM
Monday, July 26, 2004
Matthew 20:20-28
Jesus tells his disciples that greatness comes from serving others, not from exercising power over them. Can you imagine how it would turn the world all topsy-turvy if more people lived like that?
posted by Susanna King 11:36 PM
Saturday, July 10, 2004
Romans 10:14-21
This passage is pretty straightforward: People need to go out and teach the gospel so that others might hear and believe. Paul writes that if those who have heard God's message still don't believe, that's their own problem. I think that places an awesome responsibility on those who are going "out to all the earth" to talk about Christ, to get the message straight and to be clear and believable.
posted by Susanna King 10:10 PM
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
Romans 9:1-18
Verse 16 makes me think of the saying, "to be at the mercy of God." Though in that phrase "mercy" sounds like a synonym for "whim," this passage from Romans describes God doling out mercy not according to whim, but according to a long-term plan.
posted by Susanna King 10:22 PM
Tuesday, July 06, 2004
Romans 8:31-39
I like the writer's take on this passage, that as the Body of Christ we are called to make sure that others don't get separated from the love of God.
posted by Susanna King 6:00 PM
Saturday, July 03, 2004
Matthew 22:23-40
Even though most of this passage is about resurrection, I'd like to mention that verses 37-40 are where Jesus himself gives the Two Commandments.
Jesus tells the Sadducees that resurrected people are "like angels," in that they don't marry. This makes sense: you wouldn't go starting a family in heaven when everyone there is your family.
posted by Susanna King 10:53 PM