theStory
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Rss
Read, Reflect, Respond
  • Home
  • Weekly readings
  • Chapter & Verse
  • About
  • Writers
  • Sign Up
Search the site...

Posts tagged "power"

Lord God on My Team!

Psalms Reflection

Have you been the target of venomous words? Have you been the victim of cruel and malicious people? Bullying is rampant in our schoolyards.

Read More power, evil, enemy

The Lord Answers

Old Testament Reflection

Job has suffered without knowing that Satan has been afflicting him. His friends have accused him of being wicked and have told him repeatedly that he is only receiving the punishment he deserves. In fact, they are more than happy to point out to him that he is actually suffering far less than he deserves.

Read More power, storm, theophany, immanence

Then God Spoke …

Old Testament Reflection

As Moses and Aaron made their way back to the top of Horeb the people could hear the ‘sounds’ of God. It seemed to them that they were listening to thunder and they saw flashes of lightning. Whether or not they heard audibly God’s words for themselves is a matter of debate.

Read More obedience, power, awe, Ten Commandments

The Meaning of The Cross

New Testament Reflection

When I see someone wearing a cross, I occasionally ask them what it means. Some respond that it is a nice piece of jewellery while for others it is a good luck charm that will protect them from harm and danger. Others are closer to the truth when they explain that it means Christ died for their sins. In this passage Jesus is nailed to the cross and subjected to humiliation and ridicule.

Read More the cross, suffering, power, weakness

Compassion vs Rules

New Testament Reflection

Leprosy, the law, and loquaciousness—these are just three of the things Jesus was dealing with in this short six-verse story.

The law strictly prohibited anyone with leprosy approaching anyone else.

Read More compassion, power

Seeds

Proverbs Reflection

“Heidi, your shoulders are sagging. Can I help you?” Those words spoken by a colleague were like a healing balm to my soul. Immediately I sat up straight, shoulders back and ready to tackle the mountain of files on my desk. But, I have also had people stand in my doorway and hurl destructive and angry words at me. In the aftermath of those encounters I feel exhausted and dejected.

Read More power, words

“Help me have more faith”

New Testament Reflection

Imagine being one of the disciples in this story. A desperate father pleads with you to free his son from the demon who is destroying his life. You remember Jesus gave you the authority to do exactly this (Mark 6:7). “I’ll do my best,” you say, as you copy what you’ve seen Jesus do. But the evil spirit stays put. You feel terrible. What went wrong?

Read More faith, power, prayer

Faithful in Spite of Everything

Old Testament Reflection

What a wonderful story!

The worst king of Israel had Obadiah as his palace administrator. Obadiah was a man who had respect for the living God. At the risk of his life, he had hidden and fed 100 prophets of the Lord, in spite of the famine which was striking Samaria.

Read More trust, power, spiritual reality

The Upside-Down Kingdom

Old Testament Reflection

This wonderful story has an interesting complexity. Can you see how the same events are seen by the kings on the one hand and the servant girl and Elisha on the other?

Story One: Kings and military. Aram, or Syria, shared a border with Israel, and the two countries had been at war.

Read More power, ordinary people

Dainties and Delight

Proverbs Reflection

We live in a prestige obsessed culture. Popularity and power dominate from high school hallways to reality TV. The daily news and our political processes are saturated contests of prestige. Sports figures, movie stars, politicians, TV commentators are the daily focus. Even in the grocery store checkout line the magazine racks push food and fame.

Read More power, greed, food
  • 1
  • 2


Published by:
banner-scriptunion

Sponsored by:

Deeks Spring 2017

Copyright applies to all non-Scripture content - Copyright © 2017 theStory, Bible Reading League of Canada