A hub for 52 brief devotional blog posts growing out of Bible passages

TL;DR:
Does God speak to us through His Word? Is the Old Testament relevant today? What lessons does Luke's Gospel offer us? What can we learn from the Psalms? What does the book of Job teach us? These and other similar questions are explored in 52 brief devotional blog posts.

Elderly gentlemen sitting at a table reading the Bible
"Reading the Bible," watercolor painting by Paul Rink, c. 1900 | (Image source)

More classic art masterpieces used as illustrations

Thoughts to live by for a whole year

Inspirational devotional blog posts published in The Standard

These short, reflective blog posts were written to push for personal spiritual growth. The idea was to help people grow in their relationship with God. The articles aim to increase faith, inspire contemplation, and solidify an intimate connection with Jesus Christ.

The Scriptural basis of each blog post came from the Bible passages used in the Faith Connections adult Sunday school curriculum. The blog posts were published in The Standard, a weekly take-home piece published by the Church of the Nazarene. These were written while Barbara and I were serving as missionaries in Italy.

  1. Are we preparing the way for the Lord Luke 3:15-18 -- an experience during a missionary's home assignment
  2. Satan's empty bag of tricks, Luke 4:13-20
  3. The power of the Savior's word, Luke 4:31-36, 40-43; 5:1-6
  4. A live-and-share philosophy of life, Luke 5:17, 24, 27-39; 6:11 -- Being an authentic Christ-follower in a world of diversity
  5. Discipleship doesn't come cheap, Luke 6:40 -- Dietrich Bonhoeffer's rejection of "cheap grace"
  6. God has visited His people, Luke 7:22
  7. Where is your faith?, Luke 8:25
  8. Who do you say He is? Luke 9:18-20
  9. Perfect love, Luke 10:25-28
  10. "Lord, teach us to pray," Luke 11:1-13
  11. First things first, Luke 12:13-34
  12. Does the Colonel have something we don't have? Luke 14:12-24
  13. Wet blanket (or joyless) religion, Luke 15:21-32
  14. From mere religious teaching to real redemptive power, Luke 24:5b-6a
  15. Don't throw your life away, Luke 17:33
  16. And a wee little man was he," Luke 19:1-10
  17. An atmosphere of commercialism, John 1:11
  18. The Antichrist, Luke 21:36
  19. Too sure of ourselves, 1 Corinthians 10:12
  20. Salvation unlimited, 1 John 4:10
  21. "Among all nations . . . with power," Luke 24:49
  22. Who cares 1 John 4:7
  23. "To everyone who is thirsty", Isaiah 55
  24. An active faith, not fatalism, Psalm 121:1-2
  25. Measuring up, Micah 6:8
  26. Get the glory down, Psalm 103:8 -- Phineas F. Bresee's exhortation to early Nazarenes
  27. Single-minded concern for the Kingdom, Philippians 4:19
  28. Trust the instruments, Joshua 1:5-9
  29. Fountain of Youth, Isaiah 40:31
  30. A love that destroys, 1 Corinthians 13
  31. He is my shepherd, Psalm 23
  32. Fountain of joy, Habakkuk 2, 3 -- Deep-seated joy in the midst of bad circumstances
  33. We shall be changed, 1 Corinthians 15
  34. "Non più morte, non più duolo" Revelation 21:4
  35. Where they did not belong, Exodus 1:1-14
  36. What does God have in mind for your kids? Exodus 2:1-15
  37. "I am Who I am," Exodus 3:1-10, 13-15 -- Moses at the burning bush
  38. God's man under pressure, Exodus 5:1-14
  39. Unworthily Exodus 12:1-14
  40. I sing because I'm free, Exodus 14:10-16, 22-31
  41. Another CIA plot Exodus 10:1-9, 20-25
  42. Is God shooting at us Exodus 20:1-11
  43. Watch thief, Exodus 33:12-23
  44. Swimming upstream, Exodus 20:12-20
  45. These hands I give to you, Exodus 24:3-18 -- Short-term mission trip experiences like Nazrene Mission Teams (formerly Work & Witness)
  46. Dancing around a golden calf, Exodus 25:1-9; 31:1-6 -- Ministry at The Lamb's Club in Times Square
  47. Emptiness versus God's presence, Exodus 32:1-14
  48. Blessed . . . Not so . . ., Psalm 1 -- Looking back over the lives of two brothers
  49. Telling tales, Psalms 14:1-3; 15; 16:8-11
  50. Sweet little baby Jesus, Psalms 22:1-5, 23; 24:7-10
  51. Leaning on the everlasting arms, Psalm 37:1-11 -- Alfredo Del Rosso and Earl Lee
-- Howard Culbertson, hculbert@snu.edu

Afterword: How brief devotional blog posts can help us

Devotional blog posts rooted in the teachings and narratives of the Bible can serve as spiritual guides. Building on the narratives and teachings of the Bible, devotional blogs can inspire and uplift us emotionally and spiritually.

Devotional blog posts can provide insights, reflections, and practical applications of biblical passages. Bible-based devotional blogs like these that appeared in The Standard can strengthen our relationship with God. They can deepen our understanding of Scripture and provide the strength and wisdom to live out our faith daily.

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