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 Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 4:20 am
Devotional Reading for:
1/11/2008
Associated Scripture Readings:
Philippians 4:10—20
Psalm 23
Biggest and Best
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. Exodus 20:17
We’re always looking for something bigger and better. A bigger house. A better job. A flakier crust. Whiter whites and brighter colors. Driven by dissatisfaction, we swim in an ocean of marketing, which promises to make everything new and improved.
God’s best gifts to us are never as flashy as the world’s. We look for Him in sunsets and mountain peaks, and He is there. But He is not there to save us.
God brings salvation in the mundane, not the majestic. Baptismal water is not filtered and labeled and bottled in colored glass. Even when it comes straight from the tap, it saves us. Not because it’s clarified, sterilized, and fluoridated, but because Christ has promised it. Jesus feeds us bread and wine in His Supper, not caviar and champagne. Yet in that bread and wine, He comes to us in His body and blood, delivering forgiveness and eternal life. We know and believe it because He said so.
Coveting bigger and better things is what we do, because we are sinners. But by His Word, Jesus delivers the biggest and best thing of all: a perfect life and death and resurrection, accomplished for us.
Heavenly Father, who gives us all things freely, fix our eyes and hearts on Jesus, the one thing needful for our salvation. Amen.
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 11:04 am
Cool, Cooler, Coolest
Jacob limped because his hip was sore.
God was sore because Jacob was trying to be hip without Him.
Today we think we must be hip to soar.
And we're sore at those who are not hip.
Yet God's message remains the same -
If we're truly hip to Him, we soar.
If not, we become sore from trying to be hip without Him.
(See Genesis 32 for the entire story.)
Know It!
God made you in His image, and He wants you to have a healthy, positive self-esteem. He also wants you to remember, though, that everything you have and are and will be is a gift from Him. When you dare to think you've got it made in your own strength, you're in danger.
Read It!
Romans 12:3; 1 Corinthians 4:20; 2 Corinthians 5:16; Philippians 2:3-8.
Pray It!
Jesus, it's sometimes easy for me to forget You are the reason I'm good at the things I excel in. I get caught up in the accolades from those who love me, and often start to think I'm pretty cool. Please forgive me. Deep inside, I know I'm nothing without You. Help me to keep You in the Lordship position of my life.
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 11:57 am
Devotional Reading for:
1/12/2008
Associated Scripture Readings:
James 1:13—17
Psalm 10
No Enticement in Christ
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his . . . servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s. Exodus 20:17
The business world has created a new occupation: the corporate headhunter. Employers, seeking to lure the best employees from competitors, hire headhunters dedicated to the task.
The Tenth Commandment speaks to our relationships with others. It condemns employers who entice employees from other businesses, sports coaches who entice players from other teams, and even little old ladies who covetously coax the neighbor’s cat with a saucer of milk.
When we are tempted to entice others, we are being enticed ourselves. The devil tempts us to covet relationships because he seeks to destroy our relationship with God. He would lead us away from the truth: that Christ, in perfect relationship to the Father, suffered and died for the world’s sins, and that Christ, in perfect relationship to His Church, applies that forgiveness to all who believe. Our heavenly Father gives us every good and perfect gift for both bodily and eternal life, that we may live contentedly in His keeping.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who exist in eternal and perfect relationship to one another, increase our faith in Your work to save us through Christ. Amen.
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Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 8:15 am
Making Good Out of Bad
Good things really can come from past mistakes! Take a quick peek at the following people who refused to allow their failures to dictate their future.
• Erle Stanley Gardner got suspended from high school when he drew a cartoon of the principal on one of the school's walls. He later became an attorney and practiced law for 20 years. He also created the fictional lawyer Perry Mason and the successful TV series revolving around his activities. Erle eventually wrote 129 detective novels that sold more than 300 million books!
• One April Fool's day, Jimmy Carter ditched school and went to a movie with friends. The principal punished him by spanking him and refusing his right to graduate as his class valedictorian. Jimmy Carter married another class valedictorian, Rosalynn Smith, and became Georgia's governor in 1970. In 1976, he was elected the 39th president of the United States.
• Christopher Columbus misfigured his calculations on the size of the globe and the width of the Atlantic Ocean and ended up discovering the island of San Salvador in the Bahamas (which he thought was in the Indies), Cuba (which he thought was in China) and the Dominican Republic (which he miscalculated to be in the Far East). Talk about being off! But he later made three more voyages to the New World and finally discovered Central and South America.
• In 1975, Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard University. Later that same year, he established Microsoft Corporation. He then designed the software to run personal computers and became the richest man in the world!
• Orville Wright was expelled from the sixth grade for misbehaving at school. In 1903, he (and his brother Wilbur) invented the world's first power-driven airplane.
• Thomas Monaghan knew all about going in circles. He spent many of his younger years in an orphanage. He was later placed in a variety of foster homes. He eventually enrolled in college, and dropped out. He enrolled in a Catholic seminary, and dropped out. He eventually went to seminary, but dropped out. He also spent a few years serving in the marines. In 1960 he borrowed $900 and purchased a filing pizza parlor in Ypsilanti, Mich., with his brother James. A year later, Thomas traded a VW Beetle for his brother's half of the company. That company became Domino's Pizza which now boasts more than 5,200 restaurants.
So does this give us permission not to take life seriously? No. But we do serve a God who has the power and desire to make good things happen from our mistakes and failures.
Know It!
God not only wants to celebrate your victories, He also wants to share your failures. When you blow it, are you tempted to simply give up? Or do you take your mistakes to God and ask Him to work in spite of?
Read It!
Deuteronomy 20:3; Joshua 1:5-9; Isaiah 51:6
Pray It!
Lord, I get so down when I blow it! And it seems as though I blow it a lot! But if you could do great things through people in the Bible who failed, that proves You can still use me. Take my failures, Jesus, and use them to bring glory to Your name.
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Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 1:47 pm
Devotional Reading for:
1/13/2008
Associated Scripture Readings:
Matthew 3:13—17
Psalm 113
The Jordan’s Muddy Water
For thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Matthew 3:15
Today the Church recalls the Baptism of Jesus, who stepped into the Jordan River without sin of His own to be washed away. John, who had been baptizing repentant sinners, thought it absurd. He asked Jesus, “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” (v. 14).
In Jesus’ answer, we glimpse Baptism’s power. Jesus did not say His Baptism would symbolize spiritual cleansing or would be merely an example for others. Instead, He said it would “fulfill all righteousness” (v. 15).
Jesus stepped into muddy water that day. But the water was not merely muddy with dirt churned up from the riverbed; it was muddy with the sins of the world. Jesus’ Baptism stained Him with the mud of our sin. He carried that stain to the cross.
Because Jesus’ baptismal water was muddy, ours is clean. Because the water stained Him, it washes us. In our Baptism, we are united to Him. We are buried with Him. We will rise with Him. He has fulfilled all righteousness for us.
Lord, daily remind us of our Baptism in water made clean for us by Jesus’ righteousness. Amen.
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 2:55 pm
So How's it Goin'?
OK, we're approaching the end of January. So this is a great time to ask, “How are you doing with your New Year's resolutions?” You were challenged with the devotion on January 1 to make some resolutions. Maybe you did; maybe you didn't. If you haven't made a resolution, it's never too late. You can do it right now.
If you've already made some resolutions, how are doing at keeping them? Wouldn't it be great if there was some kind of strategy to help you keep your resolutions? Let's create a strategy right now, and spend the next few days zeroing in on living it out.
But let's make it easy. We'll use the alphabet to focus on an A to Z strategy for keeping those resolutions. Ready? Let's dive in!
A: Accountability. Make yourself accountable. There's always power in numbers.
B: Bring your friends into your resolution. For instance: Want to lose weight? Get a friend to exercise with you. Trying to stop watching so much TV? Do something with a friend during TV time.
C: Call. Be willing to call for help. A change in lifestyle isn't always easy. It's OK to ask for help.
D: Discipline. Change requires discipline. And discipline isn't fun. It's also hard work. That's why you need accountability.
E: Exclude deterrents from your life. If you have a problem looking at dirty magazines, it wouldn't be wise to hang out by a magazine stand. If you're trying to lessen your sugar intake, remove the stash of candy that's left over from Christmas.
F: Find others who are willing to make the very same resolution you're making. Again, there's strength in numbers. Encourage each other. Of course, this requires being open and a bit vulnerable - which brings us back to accountability.
G: Give your resolution to God. Go ahead and admit you can't do it on your own. You need a supernatural power to help you keep this resolution. God wants to empower you with His strength.
Know It!
God takes resolutions seriously, and He want you to take yours seriously. Several people in the Bible made important resolutions. Let's take a look at some biblical resolutions right now.
Read It!
Psalm 17:3; Daniel 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:2.
Pray It!
Dear Jesus, I'm sorry I haven't always taken my resolutions seriously. I realize I can't keep these pledges on my own. I need Your help. Empower me to keep that which I've promised.
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Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 10:58 am
Devotional Reading for:
1/14/2008
Associated Scripture Readings:
Matthew 6:25—34
Psalm 148
God, the Father Almighty
Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink. Matthew 6:25
Sunday dinner is a complicated production in our family. My mother hovers over the stove, never daring to step away. If she leaves the food unattended, she knows it will burn.
God is even more intimately involved in His creation. He did not make the world on a whim, only to let it play out on its own in the distance. He lovingly upholds all creation—even small birds and tiny wildflowers—providing everything it needs day by day. His loving hand guides history for His purpose. From the beginning, God has been fulfilling His plan for the world. His work of salvation and grace through Jesus is not plan B, but was and is God’s good and gracious will for us from the start.
The reformer Martin Luther explains God the Father’s work, in part, this way: “He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life” (Luther’s Small Catechism, p. 15). This is true even when we fail to recognize and thank God for His gifts. God sends rain on the just and on the unjust alike. Mercifully, He even sends salvation to sinners like us.
Heavenly Father, defend us against all danger and protect us from all evil, out of Your fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in us. Amen.
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Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 2:23 pm
Devotional Reading for:
1/15/2008
Associated Scripture Readings:
Hebrews 2:9—18
Psalm 119:137–144
Jesus Christ, His Only Son, Our Lord
Therefore He had to be made like His brothers in every respect. Hebrews 2:17
This time of year, many of us are tempted to break our New Year’s resolutions. We even may forget the reason for making these resolutions in the first place.
If we cannot keep the resolutions we made to ourselves, how much more feeble are our efforts to keep our resolutions to God? We are so sinful and corrupt that our temptations often give way to sin before we even realize we have been tempted. We turn our backs on God, even as we fiercely resolve to follow Him.
God did not create us that way. Though sin corrupts us from conception, our created human nature is not, in itself, corrupt. We know this because of the perfect human nature of our Brother, Jesus. He was like us in all ways, even knowing temptation, but without sin.
Thanks be to God, Jesus’ life was different. He lived a life of holy resolve in the face of temptation: resolve to follow the will of His Father, to go to the cross for the sins of all people, to help us in every time of trial and temptation, and to cover and envelop us in His righteousness and purity forever.
Lord Jesus Christ, we thank You that in Your flesh, You overcame sin and death, so that we, in our flesh, might live with You for eternity. Amen.
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Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 5:32 pm
Still Resolved?
Let's keep plowing ahead with our A to Z strategy on how to keep our New Year's resolutions. Remember, God doesn't expect you to forge ahead on your own. He desires to work with you. Aren't you glad He's not saying, “I'll check on your next year at this time to see how you did.” But rather, “I'm proud of you for making some important resolutions. Let Me help you keep them. I want to strengthen and empower you.”
H: Hold on! There's an old saying, “When you've come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” Guess what! There's a lot of wisdom in that. No one said making this lifestyle change would be easy . . . or even fun. When it gets tough, simply hold on tighter to the promises God has given you in His Word.
I: Iron sharpens iron . . . which brings us back to accountability. Don't dismiss the power of allowing someone to hold you accountable with your new resolution.
J: (Yep, this one's taken from an old NIKE commercial.) Just do it! Quit thinking about it. Stop talking about it. Just DO it!
K: Kvetch. (What in the world is that?) It's actually in the dictionary, and it means “to complain habitually.” Don't do it! If you're going to whine and complain about how hard it is to keep your resolution, you've got bigger problems than keeping your resolution.
L: Live it! Make your resolution a part of your lifestyle - not simply a promise you hope you can keep on your good days. Live it out!
M: Mean it. Don't make a resolution just to make a resolution. Mean what you say and say what you mean! Back your words with action. Make a lifestyle change.
N: Never give up! You may blow it. That's OK. That doesn't mean you have to stop and wait till next year to try again. If your resolution is to exercise consistently, and you miss a day, don't beat yourself up. Talk with your accountability partner and keep going.
Know It!
The most powerful resolutions you can make are ones that glorify your heavenly Father. An incredible resolution King David made is found in Psalm 101:3. What specific changes in your life will you need to implement in order to make King David's resolution your own?
Read It!
Psalm 101:3; Psalm 1; John 21:15-17.
Pray It!
Oh, Jesus! I really want to be all You call me to be. Sometimes, though, I fall so short. Thanks for never giving up on me! Please help me not to give up on myself.
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Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:13 am
Devotional Reading for:
1/16/2008
Associated Scripture Readings:
1 Corinthians 2:1—16
Psalm 139:7–10
I Believe in the Holy Spirit
These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:10
Detectives know it’s important to solve every crime as quickly as possible. As time elapses, the trail becomes cold. Witnesses die and evidence disappears.
That could have happened to the historic case for Christianity. The witnesses who walked with Jesus died long ago. The physical evidence of Jesus’ birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension is gone as well. But Jesus promised to send a greater witness than these: the Holy Spirit.
As with all good eyewitnesses, the Holy Spirit doesn’t talk much about Himself. After all, jurors need to know the facts of a case, not personal details about the witness himself. So the Holy Spirit testifies of the things we need to know. He does so in the Word.
By the Gospel of Jesus, the Holy Spirit calls us to repent of our sins and believe in our Savior. He enlightens us with the gifts of Word and Sacraments. He sets us apart in holiness, and He keeps us in the true faith. Because of the Spirit’s good work in us, we steadfastly confess that Jesus suffered, died, and won eternal life for us through His death and resurrection.
Holy Spirit, testify to Christ’s work for us, that we might trust in Him alone for our salvation and respond with lives of faith and love. Amen.
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Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 1:38 pm
A New Day Is Here
By: Matthew Bacchus
Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Psalms 30:5
2008 is known as the year of new beginning. I believe some of us just want to have a new day. Some of us in 2007 had bad days. We had some bad night seasons and we thought the night will never end. Some of us have been through some stuff that cause us pain, cause tears to come down your face. Hurt that seems unbearable. One thing you must understand is that before morning comes, there is night. So you will have night seasons. It will be a time where you wonder is God is still here and with you. But he is with you no matter what. 2007 was known as the year of completion meaning God was completing the work he was doing in you. Now that he has completed the work in you and doing what he has to do in your life. You can now enter your new day, your new beginning. You will understand why you went through what you went through in 2007. God want to take you to another level, you have completed your work in 2007 and now he will take you higher in 2008. Do you believe that? Enjoy your new season, enjoy your new day. I will leave a song with you that we sing in our church. It goes like this. God will do a new thing in you. God will do a new thing in you. Whatever you ask for. Whatever you pray for. Nothing is deny said the lord, nothing is deny said the lord. God bless you.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 10:55 am
Devotional Reading for:
1/17/2008
Associated Scripture Readings:
Romans 8:14-17
Psalm 103
Father Knows Best
Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven . . .” Matthew 6:9
On the old television show Father Knows Best, Robert Young’s character always shared words of wisdom with his children. They relied on him not only because he was wise, but also because he loved them. After all, a wise father doesn’t do his
children any good if his advice isn’t motivated by love for them.
When Jesus taught us to pray, He told us to address God as “our Father.” The way we address God is important because it describes our relationship to Him.
According to Jesus, God is not a long-distance
dispenser of wisdom. He does not exercise His power capriciously. He is not an authoritarian taskmaster who is waiting for us to appease Him. God’s wrath has been appeased already in the suffering and death of His Son.
Jesus came and lived among us because our heavenly Father, who sent Him, is lovingly disposed toward us. Because of Jesus’ perfect life and obedient suffering and death, our Father’s anger is spent. Because we have been baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection, we come to our Father in the name of Jesus, the Son. For Jesus’ sake, the Father treats us as His dear children, eager to give us His gifts of salvation.
Dear Father, remember Your promise to give us, Your dear children, the gift of eternal life because of Your Son, Jesus. Amen.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 6:47 pm
How Full is Your Grace Tank?
By: Thomas Bartel
How Full Is Your Grace Tank?
Nearly everyone I know has a personal MySpace on MSN. For those of you not familiar with MySpace, it's a personal website that you can customize to share your unique personality and to show the world your style, photos, likes, dislikes and a host of other facets of your life. Some of the MySpace sites I have seen are pretty interesting and have all sort of techno wiz artistry, photo slide shows and Blog boards with all kinds of subjects being addressed. Even most of the leading Christian recording artists have a MySpace setup, as a unique way to reach out to their fans and have a converstation with them in a secure and easy fashion.
As in most things, there are always those who might take advantage of others through the use of the messaging, email, comments section, or message boards features. I have a friend who fell prey to another user who sent her some pretty sexullay explicit and unwelcome messages. The question facing us at that point is how do we respond as Christians to those individuals. When I think about how Jesus would respond, I have to go to 1 Corinthians, verse 16:14 to be exact, where He tells us to "Do everything in love." Wow, talk about challenging our character. That's a pretty serious command for us to follow up on. So just how do we do that?
The answer, I believe is found in the Book of Colossians. Paul exhorts us in verse 12:9 "But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." If we have a good, strong relationship with Christ, his power will give us the strength we need to give others the grace they need, just as Peter writes to us in 1 Peter 5:5.
"All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." We are to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God and love others as He loves us, just as it states in 1Jo 4:19 "We love because he first loved us."
So, the next time someone throws you a curve ball, return it with a homerun full of God's love. It might just be what that individual needs in their life, to send them to the One who loves us the most and gives us His saving Grace.
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Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 5:53 am
Devotional Reading for:
1/18/2008
The Confession of St. Peter
Associated Scripture Readings:
Matthew 16:13-20
Psalm 106:1-12
Confessing the Truth
Who do you say that I am? Matthew 16:15
After months of investigation, a detective on a high-profile case may see a confession as an answer to prayer. But if it’s a false confession, the detective is no closer to solving the case.
Today the Church remembers the confession of St. Peter: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v. 16). Peter’s confession was true, but not merely as if he were a witness recalling the details from a crime scene. Rather, Peter confessed the truth Himself, Jesus Christ. In recognizing Jesus for who He truly is, Peter demonstrated and declared what the Church has always confessed: that Jesus is the Son of God and our Savior from sin and death.
Upon hearing Peter’s confession, Jesus did not congratulate him for his strong faith. That’s because Peter’s faith, like ours, was a gift. “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you,” Jesus said, “but My Father who is in heaven” (v. 17). Peter simply said back the words God first gave him. Faith is a gift from God. Our confidence, like Peter’s, is not in our confession or in our confessing, but in Him whom we confess: the Christ, the Son of the living God, our Savior.
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us the words to confess Christ Jesus, Your Son and our Lord. Amen.
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Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 10:08 am
When Life Suddenly Changes
The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. (NIV)
Genesis 39:2
The last that we left Joseph, he was sold by his brothers to Midianites who in turn sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials. Joseph was 17 years old. But, The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered. When Potiphar saw that the LORD was with Joseph and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes. Joseph was put in charge of Potiphar's household, and was entrusted to care for everything his master owned. As a result, God blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.
All seemed to be going smoothly until the well-built and handsome young man caught the eye of Potiphar's wife. As she tried to seduce him, Joseph held firm and did not sin against either God or his master. Eventually, Potiphar's wife falsely accused Joseph and he was sent to prison. But, God was consistent. While Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. Joseph was put in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because he LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did. (Genesis 39:22-23)
Joseph stood out among many. It was evident to others that God was with him granting him success in all he did. Although Joseph had been betrayed by his family, sold into slavery, and falsely accused and imprisoned, he kept his eyes on God. He entrusted his circumstances to the One he knew was in control.
How do you handle life when you have been betrayed, sold out, falsely accused or "imprisoned" by your circumstances? Do you go through the "woe is me" pity party? Do you chronically complain to all who will listen? Do you get bitter with the life you have been dealt? Or do you like Joseph entrust your life, your circumstances, and your future to the One who is in control? It's not easy. But, trust the One who sees all. . .who knows all. . .who holds the keys to the future. . .who never wastes any of our experiences. . .who has His Kingdom purposes prevail. . .and who loves you enough that He sent is only Son to die for you so that you can spend eternity with Him. We may never understand our circumstances, but we can choose to trust the One who is in control.
Written by Marji "Mike" Kruger
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