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Devotional Reading for:
2/21/2008

Associated Scripture Readings:
Romans 5:6-11
Psalm 25:1-13

Certain Redemption

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Romans 5:6

He lay exhausted in the hospital bed, but his nervous hands wouldn’t stop fidgeting with the cord to the call button. Finally, he sighed heavily and voiced his thoughts: “See, Pastor, it’s like this. I’ve done some awful things in my life. Now I’m going to die soon, and here’s what I can’t get past: how can I be sure that God isn’t going to hold my sins against me?”
I get these calls now and then, as people from all over are airlifted to the trauma center in our town. God in His grace raises these questions in the minds of those who are dying or simply troubled by guilt. Today’s
reading holds the answer: while we were still weak, sinful enemies of God, Christ died for us. Since God loved us so much that He gave His Son for us while we were His enemies, how much more will He help us (and not forsake us) now that we are His beloved children, redeemed by His Son!
Beside that hospital patient, I point to the crucifix that hangs in every patient’s room. There’s the proof—God’s Son died on the cross for our sins. If God has redeemed you at the cost of His own Son’s blood, He won’t hold your sins against you, not now or ever.

Thanks be to You, O Lord, that I can be certain You do not hold my sins against me for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Devotional Reading for:
2/23/2008

Associated Scripture Readings:
Mark 12:1-12
Psalm 72

A Nonsensical Parable

Finally he sent him to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” Mark 12:6

Today’s text is a fitting follow-up to yesterday’s, but it doesn’t make sense. Consider the wicked tenants who reason that the vineyard’s owner will give them the land if they murder his beloved son! That simply isn’t rational. Yet that same old Adam is at work inside you and me, persuading us that God will give us heaven even if we continue in sin and thus mock His Son’s death to set us free. No wonder St. Paul writes, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1–2). The tenants’ thinking is irrational. But we can understand it, because it’s in us too.
To me, the lord of the vineyard is even less sensible: what kind of man, after seeing his servants beaten and killed, would send his beloved son to confront the tenants? That doesn’t make sense at all—unless the Lord sends His Son for the sake of the tenants, not for Himself. As this season of Lent moves on toward Easter, marvel at the Lord’s love for you. Jesus’ cross was no accident, but His own premeditated sacrifice to set you free from sin. Make sense? Maybe not. But by it you are forgiven, and His vineyard is yours forever.

Thank You, Lord, for Your undeserved mercy. Amen.

What's In Your Headphones?

“Hey, Matt! Whatcha listenin' to?” asked Jeremy as he matched his friend's stride in the parking lot after school.

“It's an old Usher CD.”

“My Way”?

“Yep,” Matt responded. “You know your Usher!”

“Yeah, I used to have all his stuff.”

“Whaddya mean . . . used to? You get ripped off?”

“No,” Jeremy said. “Nothing like that.”

“Well, what?” Matt pressed.

“Last year I got really serious about my relationship with God,” Jeremy said.

“Yeah . . . so?”

“So I started to think twice about the stuff I was listening to.”

“I've been a Christian for three years,” Matt said. “But what's that got to do with the music I listen to?”

“A lot. It took me a while . . . but I finally began to realize that the more I listened to junk that went against God's holy nature, the more it began to affect me in a negative way.”

“Ah, Usher's not that bad,” Matt said.

“Hey, in that one album alone, he brags about putting his hands in certain places with a woman; he boasts to another man that he's having sex with his woman; he advocates playing with guns and using cocaine and even rationalizes rape.”

“OK, OK. I get your point. But he's not as bad as Limp Biskit or Korn or Marilyn Mansen or-”

“Come on, Matt! That's like saying stealing's not as bad as murder. Sin is sin.”

“I never thought about it that way,” Matt admitted.

“Hey, I can you tell you first-hand that since I stopped listening to junk that God doesn't want in my head, it's made an incredible difference in my life!”

“Yeah?” Matt said. “How?”

“Well, for one thing, I'm not so negative any more. Or angry. And my relationship with Christ has skyrocketed.”

“Yeah, but . . . I love music. If I give this up, what am I gonna listen to-my parent's collection?”

“That's what worried me too, at first,” Jeremy said. “But, Matt, I've found every single sound I loved in secular music is also available in Christian lyrics.”

“You're kidding. It can't sound as good!”

“I'm not kidding! And a lot of it sounds even better!”

“I don't know any of those groups. I don't even know what to shop for.”

“I've got an hour before I have to get to work. Let's stop by the Christian bookstore.”

“Yeah, but CDs are expensive. I don't wanna plop down $15 on some group I might not like.”

“The Christian bookstore has a play station. You can actually play a CD and listen to it before you buy it. That way you don't end up with something you don't like.”

“What are we waiting for?” Matt said. “Let's go!”

Know It!
God wants you to fill your mind with things that reflect His holy character. Ever heard the saying, “Garbage in/ garbage out?” It's true. Whatever you put into your head will eventually come out in your lifestyle.

Read It!
Philippians 4:8; Colossians 3:17; 1 Thessalonians 4: 1- 5; 1 Thessalonians 5:22-24.

Pray It!
Lord, I don't always think seriously about what I listen to. I'm sorry. I want to fill my mind with things that help me draw closer to You. Help me make any changes You want me to make in my music collection.

Devotional Reading for:
2/26/2008

Associated Scripture Readings:
John 9:1-16
Psalm 97

Something for Nothing

Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” John 9:3

In this world, you don’t get something for nothing. The Pharisees figured that heaven worked the same way: if you put in enough good behavior, then God would save you. That’s why the blind man in the text was so vexing. “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” (v. cool many asked after Jesus healed him. It couldn’t be; that man had nothing to give. He’d been blind since birth. Why would Jesus help someone with nothing, with all these upstanding, hardworking Pharisees around?
The answer is foolish to the world: it’s because Jesus came to help those with nothing to give. Those Pharisees idolized their behavior, expecting their deeds to earn salvation. The blind beggar, on the other hand, knew he had nothing to give; he could only be given to.
Remember this when it’s time for Confession and Absolution. A Christian confession is not “I’ve done enough good that You, Lord, should carry me the rest of the way.” That’s trying to buy grace. No, confess the truth: “I’m a sinful beggar who has nothing to give—but, Lord, You’ve promised to forgive me for Your sake!” So He has, and so He does.

Grant us, Lord, to confess our poverty so that we might always rejoice in Your riches. Amen.

In Just One Day

Betcha didn't know that in the United Staes . . . in just one day . . .

• 25,000 people realize lice have made a home in their hair.

• 69,000 gallons of mouthwash is gargled by people wanting fresher breath.

• People buy 190,000 wristwatches.

• 364,000 wild animals around brought into America.

• One million dollars is spent on tuxedo rentals.

• Chairs, sofas, beds and mattresses are the cause of 1,200 people being injured.

• People eat 6.5 million gallons of popcorn.

• Two-hundred-seventy-five thousand pounds of yarn are purchased.

• Tweny five children are involved in accidents with coins.

• Lots of children stay home from school due to a head cold-164,000 of them, to be exact. And 137,000 adults miss work using the same excuse.

• People spend $12,000 on dental floss.

• Enough soft drinks are consumed to fill a 530-foot Coke bottle. (That's 23 million gallons of soft drinks!)

• Ten tons of colored aquarium gravel is purchased.

• People take 21 million photographs.

• Five thousand pounds of candy is consumed.

• Golfers make 110 holes-in-one at golf courses around the nation.

• Teeth are brushed with 550,000 pounds of toothpaste.

• People swallow 575 bushels of aspirin.

• 75 acres of pizza is eaten - enough food to stretch across 60 football fields.

And . . . betcha didn't know . . . that if you'll read three chapters of the Bible every single day and read five chapters every Sunday, you will have read the entire Bible in just one year!

Know It!
God wants His Holy Word to saturate your life. Don't allow your Bible to collect dust or simply be used as a bookend. Pledge to read it consistently! Carry it with you wherever you go. When you have a few spare minutes, read a couple of Scriptures. Wouldn't it feel great to have read the entire Bible? It's not impossible. You can do it! Start today.

Read It!
Psalm 119:105; Matthew 22:29; Luke 8:16; 1 Timothy 4:13; 2 Timothy 3:16.

Pray It!
Dear Jesus, help me to understand Your Holy Word when I read it. Speak to me through it. Teach me Your ways, and help me memorize Scripture so I can share it with others who need Your touch.

A Real Hero

Stephen was the first martyr of the Christian faith. (A martyr is someone who dies for their faith. Many people have labeled Cassie Bernall and Rachel Scott-of the Colombine High School massacre in Littleton, Colo.,-as modern day martyrs.)

Most Christians remember Stephen for being stoned to death. He was also a good administrator and a powerful orator. And it was his oratory that invited his death. Stephen knew Jesus Christ was who He claimed to be-the Messiah, the Son of God. And he just couldn't keep quiet about it. He desperately wanted those around him to experience forgiveness for their sins as he had. He was burdened for his community and his people. He wanted them to know the true joy that only God can give.

So he talked about Jesus. A lot. In fact, he talked so much, he made his listeners angry. You see, he didn't just talk fluff. He also called sin by its rightful name: Sin. The court panicked at the thought of their evil deeds being exposed. So they had him stoned.

Can you imagine dying by having people throw sharp stones and rocks at you? It was an excruiating death. Yet, as he was dying, he prayed for the forgiveness of those who stoned him. Even in his last moments of life, he was concerned about the needs of others.

And to those who knew him, that was no surprise. Stephen made it a habit to help those in need. He was one of seven leaders chosen to supervise distributing food to the poor. He also served as a deacon in the church and took his responsibilities seriously. Because Stephen had fulfilled small assignments with excellence, he was prepared for the bigger assignment-that of giving his life for the gospel.

What kind of risks have you taken to be a follower of Christ? Are you willing to die for Him? How about living for Him . . . day by day by day?

Know It!
God wants you to speak out for Him, but He also wants to use your lifestyle. Do your actions reflect Him?

Read It!
Acts 6:3-8:2.

Pray It!
Lord, I realize that before I can give my life for Your sake, I first must live my life for Your sake. And compared to Christians around the world who are being tortured for their faith, I really have it pretty easy. Strengthen me, Jesus. I want the courage to live for You . . . and if necessary, to die for You.

Thursday February 28th

Forever Woods

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. Isaiah 40:8

We’re near the end of February and close to winter’s end. By this time, I’m cabin-fevered, waiting for the sunny days and blooming flowers that herald spring. Unfortunately, the accompanying pollen wreaks havoc on my sinuses. But then summer comes and the desert heart sets in. The grass withers and the flower fades.
My allergies are no more than a nuisance, but they preach an undeniable truth: my body’s vulnerable and it’s only a mater of time until I wither and fade away too. That’s the fate of all who live in a sinful world. Sooner or later you have to face up to it and it’s a haunting, undeniable truth.
Here’s another undeniable truth: the Word of our God stands forever. He confirms that death is inevitable in this world. Death is the wages of sin not just part of some cycle of life. But God doesn’t stop there. This Word stands forever too: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). Terrifying though death may be, it’s not the end of the story. God has the final Word, and His Word of life for you stands forever. Jesus died to make it so.

Lord, grant us, even in the face of death, the certain hope of everlasting life for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

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Friday February 29th

Never Out of Time

Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people and God Himself will be with them as their God. Revelation 21:3

Today is Leap Day, the day added to the year to keep the calendar on track. I went to school with a girl born on February 29th. The year I turned twelve, some argued that she was only four, because her birth date had made the calendar just four times. It must have annoyed her. But I wonder what happens when she’s seventy-two and can claim to be only eighteen? That’s not so bad.
We human beings like to play with age and time, eager that it fly or begging it to slow. Time may be a friend or a tyrant. Perfect moments are few and treasured. That’s why God’s promise of eternal life is so comforting: its’ not just a perfect moment, but an eternity in God’s presence, where we’ll dwell with God.
You’re not there yet. You’re still in a world of clocks and deadlines. But God already dwells with you. Jesus Christ became flesh to live in time and die on one day in history, for your redemption. Now He dwells with you in His Word and Sacraments, delivering His grace and promising that eternal life is yours. Because He dwells with you, you are certain that you’ll dwell with Him forever.

No mater how many are out days, O Lord, let Your kingdom come among us. Amen.

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Devotional Reading for:
3/1/2008

Associated Scripture Readings:
1 Corinthians 10:6-13
Psalm 6

The Way of Escape

With the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

Radon is an odorless, poisonous gas that invades homes from the ground beneath. High concentrations of this gas can be life-threatening. That’s a small picture of a far greater enemy we face as Christians. The devil, the enemy hidden behind the scenes of life, poisons the
attitudes we hold, the life we live, and the relationships we have, with temptation and sin. The sin that follows temptation is life-threatening to us, not just for this world, but for the world to come.
Jesus came to make a way of escape for us. He did not seek a way of escape for Himself. He resisted every temptation, even the temptation to come down from the cross to save Himself. He stayed the course. He destroyed the works of the devil. He broke Satan’s power through His cross and resurrection. He made good for our sins. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrigh-teousness” (1 John 1:9). Now He strengthens us against temptations. He helps us through His Word. He listens when we pray. He gives grace to help in time of need. He is our way of escape.

O God, help me escape the temptations of life through Your grace and power; in Jesus’ name. Amen.

A God-Sized Void

Back in the 1800s, the Winchester rifle was the weapon of choice among cowboys, lawmen and outlaws. In fact, it was used more than any other rifle. Because of the widespread use of the weapon, the Winchester family became quite wealthy. Mrs. Sarah Winchester dabbled in the occult, and consulted a psychic who informed her that her family’s rifles had brought a curse on her that would torment her the rest of her life.

Mrs. Winchester desperately wanted to escape the curse, so she came up with an idea. If I can confuse the ghosts of those killed by my husband’s rifles, she thought, I’ll be safe from harm.

To confuse the ghosts, she turned her San Jose, Calif., farmhouse into a mansion. She hired a construction crew to work on her house every single day until she died in 1922.

She had builders make doors open into walls, create secret passageways, construct stairs that led to nowhere, and built upside-down pillars and posts. Because of the constant building, this house going nowhere ended up with 52 skylights, 13 bathrooms, 40 staircases, 10,000 windows, 47 fireplaces and 2,000 doorways.

Have you ever felt as though your life resembled the Winchester Mansion? Simply going in circles? Living in a confusing maze? Okay, I’m on the right track now, you may think . . . until your hallway leads you right into a wall. Ah, finally! This is the staircase that will take me where I want to go, you muse . . . until it takes you to a dead end. Oh, but this is the door I meant to open . . . and once you’ve gone through it, you’re simply facing an upside-down fireplace.

You’re not alone. Every human being in the world is looking for direction . . . answers . . . and meaning. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s normal. You see, each one of us was created with a void in our soul. It’s a big hole that needs to be filled before we’ll truly be complete. The problem is that most of us are looking in the wrong places. Like walking through a maze that leads nowhere, you probably know people who are trying just about anything to fill the void in their lives.

“I thought a fast car would make me happy,” Alan says. “And I guess it did for a month or so. But after the newness wore off, I was still empty inside.”

Brianna says, “I just wanted to be loved. I thought by giving myself to Eric, I’d feel complete. But now I feel used, and I’m still missing something.”

“I went through elementary school with very few friends,” Charlie recalls. “So when my family moved and I had a chance to start over, I decided to do whatever it took to be popular in high school. Know what? It definitely wasn’t worth it. I feel so guilty because of the stuff I’ve done just to get attention from those around me.”

Know It!
Each of us was created with a God-shaped void in our lives. That means the only One who can fill the emptiness is God Himself. Drugs, sex, racism, nothing else fills the hole except God. He’s the only One who fits exactly inside that void. Has He filled the void in your life?

Read It!
Exodus 15:2; 2 Samuel 22:3; Psalm 13:5; Psalm 118:14; Isaiah 12:2.

Pray It!
Jesus, thank You for being able to fill the emptiness in my life. Thank You that I do n’t need to look anyplace else for fulfillment, for You are it! Take complete charge of my life and fill the void in my soul.