Pious Bob

By Robert Halsey Pine “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us. Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who

By Robert Halsey Pine “For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue–a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” (James 3:1-12 NRSV). The tongue may be the greatest repository of sin in man. It is

By Robert Halsey Pine “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” (Matthew 12:22-32 NRSV). They brought to Jesus a man possessed of the devil who

By Robert Halsey Pine “Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-58 NRSV). St. Paul ends his long discussion about life after death with these words of guidance and encouragement to the Corinthians.

By Robert Halsey Pine “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word…May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.”

By Robert Halsey Pine “He said to them, ‘Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to the mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.’” (Matthew 17:14-21 NRSV). Jesus shouted out

By Robert Halsey Pine “You have dealt well with your servant, O LORD, according to your word. Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments. Before I was humbled I went astray, but now I keep your word. You are good and do good; teach me your statutes…The law of your

By Robert Halsey Pine “Now faith is the assurance of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.” (Hebrews 11:1-12 NRSV). Faith is our confidence in

By Robert Halsey Pine “Then one of the seven angels…came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’” (Revelation 21:9-21 NRSV). We all belong to The First United Wife of the Lamb Church. The angel showed John the radiant “holy city of Jerusalem coming down out of heaven

By Robert Halsey Pine “…For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14 NRSV). The tax collector in this parable prays, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” The Pharisee, of course, builds himself up, as he prays to God. Being humble before God is where we

By Robert Halsey Pine “So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I

By Robert Halsey Pine “And he said, ‘I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, The LORD…But,’ he said, ‘you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.’ And the LORD continued, ‘See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on

By Robert Halsey Pine “An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he

By Robert Halsey Pine “You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my

By Robert Halsey Pine “But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:17 – 4:7 NRSV). Tell it like it is, Paul! Does anyone really believe that his or her citizenship is in heaven? If our citizenship is in heaven, why are

By Robert Halsey Pine “And I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, ‘The work is great and widely spread out, and we are separated far from one another on the wall. Rally to us wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet. Our God will fight for us.” (Nehemiah 4:1-23

By Robert Halsey Pine “Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me; to those who go the right way I will show the salvation of God.” (Psalm 50 NRSV). We have so much to be thankful for. You say, “I don’t have anything to be thankful for. Everywhere that I turn, I am a victim.”

By Robert Halsey Pine “Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all day long. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is always with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your decrees are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts.

By Robert Halsey Pine “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:7-15 NRSV). Forgiveness is at the center of everything. Our Christian heritage comes out of the forgiveness of our sins through the death

By Robert Halsey Pine Jesus uses His stories to reveal life to us and how we should understand it: “What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not;’ but later he changed his mind and went.

By Robert Halsey Pine “And he said to him, ‘Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death!’” (Luke 22:31-38 NRSV). We are just like Peter was in his situation with Christ when the end was near. We are sometimes reluctant to let people know that Christ is in our life. After

By Robert Halsey Pine “When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’” (Mark 12:28-34 NRSV). A scribe asked Jesus, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus had just made several Sadducees speechless in a discussion that they thought would put down the idea

By Robert Halsey Pine “Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret – it leads only to evil.” (Psalm 37:1-18 NRSV). David really got me on this verse. In many of his psalms he talks about wrongdoers and evil people and how they will not prevail over the righteous. Here he slips in one aimed

By Robert Halsey Pine “Keep up your courage! For just as you have testified for me in Jerusalem, so you must bear witness also in Rome.” (Acts 23:12-24 NRSV). The Lord was near Paul as there were those plotting to kill him in Jerusalem. Jesus was telling Paul that he’d better get used to rough treatment

By Robert Halsey Pine “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:22-33 NRSV). Jesus said this to Peter as Peter’s fear caused him to sink into the water. Seeing Jesus walking on the water Peter asked to come with Him. Jesus commanded him to come but the strong wind frightened Peter and he began

By Robert Halsey Pine “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants…” (Matthew 11:25-30 NRSV). With this statement, Jesus takes the mysteries of God’s kingdom out of the reach of the wise. Infants better understand these mysteries.

“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.” (Luke 22:39-51 NRSV). Jesus has taught us so much. As He prays these words in the Garden of Gethsemane, He teaches us that in our praying to God we must pray that, “… not my will but

By Robert Halsey Pine God’s mission was coming to fruition: “And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:1-13 NRSV). John baptized Jesus and as He came up out of the water, the Holy Spirit came down on Him. John was baptizing people as repentance

By Robert Halsey Pine “I know your works; you have a name of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God. Remember then what you have received and heard; obey it

By Robert Halsey Pine “I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever; with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.” (Psalm 89:1-18 NRSV). The psalmist begins with praising God. Later in the psalm he complains to God and wonders when God is going to intervene and restore the House of