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“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS May 2018

Date Verse Reading Comments

May 1 TLH 59 2 Samuel 7:1-16 God promised David that his throne would endure forever, a promise that was ultimately fulfilled in Christ, the greatest King of all.

May 2 TLH 524/LSB 691; Psalm 52 The wicked may boast, but in the end those who trust in God’s unfailing love will flourish.

May 3 TLH 602 Jeremiah 29:1-14 Jeremiah comforts the exiles with the good news that they would be delivered. He comforts us with the good news of our eternal deliverance.

May 4 WS 724 Mark 15:21-32 If Jesus had wanted to save Himself, He could have come down from the cross. But He wanted
to save us.

May 5 WS 780 2 Corinthians 4:5-12 We may be weak, but the Word of God we proclaim is certainly not!Read More »“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS May 2018

Pause, Consider, but Then Move Forward

COVER STORY – ASCENSION

Ascension is actually not our holiday, is it? Not really. It belongs, for the most part, to our Lord Jesus. Think of it. If you were Jesus, wouldn’t you be eager to return to heaven to be with your Heavenly Father and to exist in the perfect bliss of paradise—especially if you knew from personal experience what that place was really like?

Clearly. Who wouldn’t want to be there right this minute? The Apostle Paul certainly agreed. In his letter to the Philippians he said, “If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” (Philippians 1:22-23 ESV)

The Ascension was therefore the day Jesus got to go home—victorious!  It was Jesus’ great day as He returned to the glory and bliss of His Father’s side in heaven.

That’s not to say that there’s nothing in the Ascension for Christians.

The word the Bible uses to describe how the disciples stood staring off into space is the same one it uses to describe how the children of Israel stared at the glowing face of Moses when he came down from Mount Sinai (2 Corinthians 3:13), and how Stephen stared at the vision of angels when he was being stoned (Acts 7:55). Clearly, this event was absolutely amazing to those who witnessed it. Who knows how long the disciples stood there, or how long they would have stood there had the two men dressed in white not arrived? The angels asked the same question anyone walking up to a similar group today would ask: “Why do you stand looking into heaven?” The angels obviously knew the answer, so with the question they offered both an explanation and a promise—and in that explanation we learn the promise that the Ascension of our Lord Jesus holds for us: “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11 ESV)Read More »Pause, Consider, but Then Move Forward

Honoring the Christian Wife and Mother

DEVOTION – MOTHER’S DAY

“Husbands, likewise, dwell with them [your wives] with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker
vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of  life, that your prayers may not be hindered.”
(1 Peter 3:7)

Mother’s Day is a big and special day across America. If you’re thinking of having Sunday brunch on Mother’s Day, be prepared for a long wait to get a table. Cards will fly out of the local card shops, and mothers across America will all be told that they are the very best mother of all. Then Monday comes and everything goes back to normal. Mothers will once again be taken for granted, or worse, verbally abused by spouse and children who can’t find the car keys, the homework, or the article of clothing that is needed right at the moment. We hope this doesn’t describe Christian homes, homes that are blessed with the loving presence of the Lord Jesus!Read More »Honoring the Christian Wife and Mother

“On Christ’s Ascension I Now Build” TLH Hymn 216

A HYMN OF GLORY LET US SING (THIRTY-FIRST IN A SERIES)

“On Christ’s ascension I now build/ The hope of mine ascension.” (verse 1)

When Christ returns on Judgment Day, you, along with all believers, will ascend bodily into heaven, to be forever with Him where there is no sorrow, no tear, and everlasting joy.  This fundamental Christian doctrine is scorned by many “modernists” as “pie in the sky bye and bye”—mere wishful thinking.  However, our confidence in this truth is unshakably founded on the inerrant Word of God and confirmed by the historical fact of Christ’s Ascension.

In John 14:2-3, Jesus tells His disciples, “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”  When the resurrected Jesus later visibly ascended into heaven, that historical event—witnessed by the apostles—confirmed His promise.  Josua Wegelin (1604-1640) provides an additional reason for our assurance.  He writes, “For where the Head is, there full well/ I know His members are to dwell/ When Christ shall come and call them.” (verse 1)Read More »“On Christ’s Ascension I Now Build” TLH Hymn 216