Pious Bob

By Robert Halsey Pine “I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.” (1 Corinthians 9:16-23 NRSV). I have been guilty of trying to please everyone, of trying to be all

By Robert Halsey Pine “Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But among you there are some who do

By Robert Halsey Pine “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies.” (2 Corinthians 4:1-12 NRSV).

By Robert Halsey Pine “Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you endure; they will all wear out like a garment. You change them like clothing, and they pass away…” (Psalm 102 NRSV). As I prepare to write this devotional

By Robert Halsey Pine “When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. “ (Luke 24:13-35 NRSV). These two disciples on the road to Emmaus walked with Jesus, talked

By Robert Halsey Pine “…And he has a name inscribed that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called The Word of God…On his robe and on his thigh, he has a name inscribed, ‘King of kings and Lord of lords.’” (Revelation 19:11-16 NRSV). The

By Robert Halsey Pine “Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-13 NRSV). Paul keeps reminding us that because we do not know all things, we

By Robert Halsey Pine St. Paul reminds us in his letter to the Galatians how to live in our complicated world: “For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the things written in the book

By Robert Halsey Pine “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” (2 Corinthians 11:21b-33 NRSV). Was Paul willing to testify against himself? I guess that some Christian testimony and witnessing is just that. It’s telling a story about one’s self that shows a weakness and how God has

By Robert Halsey Pine “The work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done.” (1 Corinthians 2:14 – 3:15 NRSV). The foundation has been laid, and that foundation is Jesus Christ. Paul

By Robert Halsey Pine “Therefore I urge you to take some food, for it will help you survive; for none of you will lose a hair from your heads.” (Acts 27:27-44 NRSV). A centurion and some soldiers were taking Paul to Italy to appeal his case before the emperor. Paul had warned the sailors in

By Robert Halsey Pine “No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:1-13 NRSV). St. Paul

“See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves…When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time;

“And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.” (1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 NRSV). The church in Thessalonica received a good review from Paul,

“But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (1 Timothy 6:6-21 NRSV). In Paul’s

By Robert Halsey Pine “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person–though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for

By Robert Halsey Pine “Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed…Therefore, my beloved, be

By Robert Halsey Pine “But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.” (James 2:14-26 NRSV). I’ve heard this debated hour after hour and year after year. Does faith or works save us? The apostles

“And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms…But Peter

By Robert Halsey Pine “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me. The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” (Luke 10:16-17 NRSV). One of the greatest feelings that a person can have

By Robert Halsey Pine “Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should

By Robert Halsey Pine “Praise the LORD! How good it is to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.” (Psalm 147 NRSV). We expect a lot from God. He watches over us, He heals our broken hearts and His power and understanding is awesome. This psalm

“Then Paul answered, ‘What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.’” (Acts 21:1-14 NRSV). As a Warrior for God, Paul makes General Patton look like a sissy. Paul has his critics both

By Robert Halsey Pine “Then all the city was aroused, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut.” (Acts 21:27-36 NRSV). Paul was committed to preach the Gospel in the temples no matter how much he was rejected and no matter how

By Robert Halsey Pine “What then should we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet, if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet”…So the law is

By Robert Halsey Pine “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God–not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand

By Robert Halsey Pine “We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.” (Romans 14:5-12 NRSV). Most of us live too much

By Robert Halsey Pine “Jesus said to them, ‘The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that

By Robert Halsey Pine “Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if

By Robert Halsey Pine “Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, ‘I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.’ The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king