Stories of God's Grace Devotionals

Welcome to our chronological journey through the letters of the apostle Paul. In preparation for the devotional postings that follow this one, please read 1 Thessalonians, chapters 1–3.

Thessalonica was a large, thriving port city and the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia. It was the center of wealth and influence, and as such experienced much corruption and immorality. In today’s world, it might be called “sin city.”

It never ceases to amaze me that little more than 20 years after the death and resurrection of Christ, the apostle Paul was providing advice (in his letters) to congregations and church leaders on how to live a Christian life and how to serve as pastors and lay leaders. His advice still speaks to us nearly 2000 years later. With that in mind it becomes very clear why Jesus so dramatically touched and transformed Paul in the Damascus Road encounter. He knew what Paul’s role would be in building His Church.

In his absence from the Thessalonians, Paul sends Timothy to Thessalonica and later receives a very encouraging report of the faith and perseverance of those he left to build the church. In chapter 3, he expresses his joy and gratitude for their faith and love, but he does much more.

Despite the environment in Thessalonica before Paul and Timothy arrived, the evidence based on Paul’s letters is that the people of the church at Thessalonica were gloriously transformed. For them the Hellenistic creeds were no longer applicable. Increasingly the people were able to act in faith, trusting not only God but also each other. They developed the capacity to care for one another, and their earlier tendency toward self-interest, materialism and natural physical drives and passions were replaced by new values and new desires.

Many of us are curious and confused by eschatology (i.e., the Second Coming, the last judgment or the end times). In that regard, we are not unlike the first-century Christians of Thessalonica, and we should probably take heed of Paul’s words and advice in chapter 5.

Welcome to our Epistles of Paul series. For the next few days we’ll be exploring Paul’s letter to the Romans. Your thoughts and comments are welcomed.

The overall theme of Paul’s letter to the Romans is God’s plan of salvation and righteousness for Jews and Gentiles alike.

Today’s devotional reading focuses on Romans 1 and examines issues of identifying with sin and how it can provide glimpses of God.

It is difficult at times for us to admit that we are sinners. And we are often warned against using broad generalizations that may not always apply.

Chapter 4 reminds the Romans that God’s unmerited, undeserved gift of grace comes not from adherence to the law or from our good works but rather simply in response to our abiding faith.

This devotional reading of Romans 5 looks at Paul’s way of harmonizing the Old Testament with the New.Please take some time to read and respond. Bless you all for participating in this process.

This chapter provides much fodder for contemplation, debate and discussion. It is a very strong declarative by Paul on how we should live our lives after being declared innocent or righteous by God.

Chapter 7 of Romans can be very confusing if we read selected verses out of context. Please join me as we explore issues of temptation and sinful transgressions.

This devotional reading looks at Chapter 8 and continues to examine how we may live a more righteous way of life, free from the constant reminders of our sinful nature.

This devotional reading focuses on two of the most frequently quoted verses of the entire New Testament – Romans 8:28 and Romans 8:38-39.

This devotional looks at Romans 9 and examines the sovereignty of God and who will be saved. Please take a moment to read and respond. I am interested in hearing your thoughts. God bless.

The extraordinarily good news was, and is, that every individual — Jew or Gentile — can be saved simply by his or her faith in Jesus Christ.

If you have ever puzzled over the apparent differences in the characterization of God in the Old Testament versus the New Testament, this devotional reading (and the series as a whole) can provide clarity and understanding.

The real source of strong relationships with others must start with a strong relationship with the Lord.

I invite you to take a moment to read, reflect and reply to this devotional. It is a delicate balance between the role of the church in establishing what constitutes moral or immoral behaviors and the role of authorities in governing such behaviors.

Chapter 14 focuses on how Christians treat each other within their community of faith. In this chapter, Paul is addressing the very real human tendency to judge or criticize others, even among fellow believers.

Today’s reading focuses on Paul’s closing comments to the Romans. Please take some time to read and reflect. Let me know your thoughts on this reading and the series.

Our new devotional series focuses on Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. This important letter still serves as wise guidance for our churches today, almost 2,000 years later.

Divisions in the church are just as damaging today as they were in Paul’s time. In this devotional, Paul emphasizes Christ’s centrality to the Christian faith of the Corinthians.

In this devotional, we see that salvation comes from faith in Christ and His resurrection and not from supernatural signs, which the Jews valued, or the wisdom, which the Greeks valued.

In this Bible study, we learn that human wisdom comes from knowing God’s mind, which comes from the Holy Spirit within us.

In this devotional, we learn a powerful lesson from one of Paul’s letters to the Corinthians: that we are all united as part of the temple of Christ, so none of us should boast about human leadership or argue over non-essential elements of doctrine or who is a better leader.

In this devotional, we learn a powerful lesson from one of Paul’s letters to the Corinthians: that we are all united as part of the temple of Christ, so none of us should boast about human leadership or argue over non-essential elements of doctrine or who is a better leader.

This devotional addresses sexual immorality within the church community in Paul’s time and the detrimental influence that boasting about such behavior can have on the community of new believers.

In this passage of Scripture, we learn to balance our freedom of choice with Paul’s reminder that our bodies are temples of Christ and that sexual immorality is an affront to Him.

This devotional debunks the popular myth that the Bible espouses male dominance and the subordinate role of women in marriage. Paul views marriage as a partnership of equals.

Today’s posting is about Paul’s deep concern for the idol worshipping taking place in polytheistic Corinth. The historical context of ancient Corinth may be quite different than today’s society, but the message remains applicable today — more than 20 centuries later.

We continue to cover Paul’s teachings on the role of women in the church and in worship, with passages from his first letter to the Corinthians that are often misunderstood.

consider Paul’s teaching in chapter 12 on the nature of spiritual gifts. Each of us has such gifts. As we recognize Christ’s enormous sacrifice on the cross, we should contemplate our own gifts through which we can serve Him as a member of the body of Christ in advancing the Kingdom.

On Easter Sunday, I thought it would be appropriate to post chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians in its entirety. This chapter is often referred to as the “love chapter” and is easily recognized as perhaps the most popular biblical passage to be recited at weddings.

A topic that divides many Christians today is the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues. We can gain clarity on this matter by reading Paul’s views with an understanding of the context of the worshipping practices at the time in Corinth.

This passage of Scripture is filled with hope about the glorious new life and spiritual bodies God will give us in the afterlife.

Today’s devotional is the last one to focus on First Corinthians. Paul ends this letter with a lovely and hopeful declaration that we will ultimately be raised imperishable and that death will be swallowed up in our victory.

Today’s devotional is on 2 Corinthians Chapter 1 and looks at the comfort God can provide to those who suffer.

This passage of Scripture demonstrates the powerful strategy Paul used to motivate the Corinthian church —by expressing love and confidence rather than criticizing.

This post introduces you to the book of Galatians. There is much joy in this chapter because it reveals that the way to salvation is no longer through following the law but rather through Jesus Christ’s atoning death on the cross.

In this devotional, we start with Galatians Chapter 1. The opening chapter of Paul’s letter to the Galatians takes on a much different tone than many of his other letters.

In this passage of Scripture, we learn about Paul’s conversion to Christianity and his courageous public testimony of how it happened. Many of the people who heard his story were not receptive to the possibility that he could have received revelations directly from Christ.

This devotional examines the most compelling biblical story of a faithful response to God: Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his only child, Isaac, because God asked him to.

This devotional explains how the law was our guardian until Christ the Redeemer came and ensured us of His grace through faith.

In this devotional, we explore the concept of God adopting us as children and preparing us to receive His holy grace.

This devotional describes the “acts of the flesh,” which we can resist if we live by the Spirit and thereby enjoy the “fruit of the Spirit.”

In this passage of Scripture, we learn that as Christians, we are to restore (or mend) one another gently, with kindness and love, rather than pointing out sin in a judgmental way.