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Defilement before God comes from within, not without!

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When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand: Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.” Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch. Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.” So Jesus said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. Defilement before God comes from within, not without!

King Comfort

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No, this writing is not intended to be a promotion for a bedding or mattress company! Rather, it has to do with Jesus and the comfort He sends from heaven where He reigns as our King.Actually, though, the gospel allows us to go to bed and sleep in peace and comfort (Psalm 4:8)!

The word “comfort” occurs frequently in the Bible as well as in worldly writings. Take Shakespeare, for example. In The Tragedy of King Richard II we find the Queen and others troubled, woeful, and sad (Act II, Scene ii). The Duke of York walks in, and she asks him to “speak comfortable words.” His answer contains a memorable line: “Comfort’s in heaven; and we are on the earth, where nothing lives but crosses, pain, and grief.”

It is a grim line, but it makes one think of heaven and the comfort there.

Yet this comfort is not just a “thing” or a “commodity.” It is a Person! Our Comfort in heaven is Christ Himself. And His Ascension and Session (being seated) provide us with much comfort down here, before we get to heaven.King Comfort

The Festival of The Holy Spirit… A Celebration of Joy

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“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

According to our time-honored custom, we Christians celebrate three main festivals each year during the course of the Christian church year.

At CHRISTMAS we remember how God sent His Son Jesus to our world as a tiny child at Bethlehem that He might serve as our Redeemer from death, hell, and sin. With hearts brimming with joy we commemorate the birth of Christ. The Festival of The Holy Spirit… A Celebration of Joy

God never loses

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Only a fool will challenge the Almighty, and the Emperor of Egypt had to learn the hard way that God never loses a contest. While we shudder as God ravaged Egypt’s economic, civil, and religious life, it does our heart good that God’s will gets done on Earth as well as in heaven. We want to be on God’s side in the winners’ circle.

Let’s watch as Jehovah’s mighty hand won the contest against a foolish mortal who thought he ruled Egypt-land. The EofE (Emperor of Egypt) was a tough fellow, over-confident that he had divine status, and he did not intend to roll over and play dead before a God he did not recognize: God never loses

Strong In Grace We Shall Prevail!

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“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

Please read 2 Timothy 2:1-13

In the final letter to his spiritual son and young assistant Timothy, the apostle Paul encouraged: “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (2 Timothy 1:6).Strong In Grace We Shall Prevail!

Two Mothers Beneath the Cross

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In this world we can expect tribulation. So Jesus informed all His followers.

As the world seeks to celebrate Mother’s Day with flowers and sweet candy, we remember that troubles and bitter sorrow also come with the job. Blessed are all godly mothers who bear their cross with faithful patience.

If we were to ask, ‘Who is the most notable example of this in Scripture?’, who would not think of Mary, the mother of Jesus?Two Mothers Beneath the Cross

Prepared, Called, and Equipped

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At the age of forty years Moses was ready to solve Israel’s problems his way. He saw an Egyptian taskmaster beating an Israelite and killed the Egyptian (Exodus 2:11ff)…and then had to flee for his life!

At the age of eighty a humbled Moses was a shepherd working for his father-in-law when a day came that would once again change the course of his life.Prepared, Called, and Equipped

Fountain of Eternity

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Juan Ponce de Leon (whether he actually searched for the Fountain of Youth or not) will be forever remembered as the man who went on a futile mission. The search for eternal youth, whether in water or in an elixir of life, can seem pretty silly to us. Even the ancient Egyptians practiced the art of mummification in order to supposedly preserve the body for the after-life.

Today people are surely much more sophisticated and far too educated as to believe that such things could be found or thought to work, aren’t they?Fountain of Eternity

Let A Man Examine Himself…

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EXAMINATION!

A word that makes many eighth grade confirmation class students break out in a cold sweat and lose sleep at this time of year.

Those who grew up in the Lutheran Church no doubt remember well their “confirmation examination” when they were publicly questioned on Christian doctrine as summarized in the Catechism. Oh, the racing heart,

the pale face, and the sweaty palms!Let A Man Examine Himself…

Worthless Worship

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Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, Worthless Worship