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Devotions

“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS June 2016

Date / Verse / Reading / Comments

Jun 1TLH 128 Acts 10:30-48 Jesus Christ, His death, and His resurrection are for the benefit of all people.

Jun 2 WS 743 Psalm 8 Man is given authority over creation (Gen 1:26), and Christ is given authority over all (Mt 28:18). Lord, how great Thou art!

Jun 3 WS 783 Psalm 23 When the Lord leads, goodness and love shall follow.

Jun 4 TLH 428 1 Samuel 17:1-50 There was no sword in the hand of David, but he trusted God’s “sword” and God delivered.

Jun 6 TLH 418 James 2:1-13 Sinning against any part of God’s Law is a sin against all of it. Pointed out  here are sins of partiality and of evil judgments.Read More »“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS June 2016

The Benefits of Belonging

There is no doubt about it, there are a lot of lonely people in this world. Whether people are missing a loved one, have lost one, or haven’t found one; the ache of being alone can be overwhelming. Our God, in His infinite wisdom, knew it wasn’t good for Adam to be alone, so He created a marriage covenant for him with the perfect partner, Eve.

God had a plan when He put Adam and Eve together in the Garden of Eden. He intended for family members to belong to each other, and to support, discipline, teach, and learn from each other. In our family relationships, we can feel accepted, despite our faults. Family members love each other enough to point out one another’s mistakes for the purpose of correction.Read More »The Benefits of Belonging

“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS May 2016

TLH = The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941; WS = Worship Supplement 2000; [ ] = Biblical Events Noted

Date / Biblical Events Noted / Verse / Reading Comments

May 2 TLH 33 Joshua 4:1-9 It is important to remember from generation to generation what the Lord
has done.

May 3 TLH 167 Luke 23:1-46 Pilate could not find any reason Jesus should die, but in the end the
Heavenly Father did.

May 4 TLH 447 Joshua 6:1-27 Six days of marching while nothing happened. They had to trust that on the
seventh day God would make good, as He said.

May 5 [The Ascension of our Lord] WS 757Luke 24:1-53He is risen and shall reign forever and ever!Read More »“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS May 2016

Making Promises You Can’t Keep!

DEVOTION – CONFIRMATION

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5).

One thing you certainly learn as a parent, if not from other areas of life, is that you shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep. I’m not saying promises one doesn’t intend to keep, but promises one simply can’t keep. Often we do this without realizing that we are doing it. Other times we may be living in a bit of denial; we hope to keep the promise, we think maybe we could figure something out so that we might keep the promise, but in actual fact we simply are not able to keep the promise that we made. So it is that we learn a hard lesson in life, and may even warn others who promise to do things for us, “Don’t make promises you can’t keep!”Read More »Making Promises You Can’t Keep!

“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS April 2016

TLH = The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941; WS = Worship Supplement 2000; [ ] = Biblical Events Noted

Date Biblical Events Noted Verse Reading Comments

Apr 1 WS 775 Numbers 23:1-26 Balaam and Balak found themselves unable to work against the power of
God’s Word.

Apr 2 WS 780 Numbers 27:12-23 God sees to it that His people do not go without a shepherd. He still sees to
it today.

Apr 4 TLH 337 Numbers 30:1-16 In Israel then, as among us now, vows and promises are to be taken seriously.
God does not want us to break our word.Read More »“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS April 2016

“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS March 2016

TLH = The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941; WS = Worship Supplement 2000; [ ] = Biblical Events Noted

Date, Biblical Events Noted, Hymn Verse, Reading and Comments

Mar 1 WS 786 Leviticus 2:1-13 Yeast, a picture of sin, was to be avoided in offerings (1 Corinthians 5:6-7). Salt, a picture of love, was to be added (Colossians 4:6).

Mar 2 WS 751 Leviticus 5:14-19 Even if we sin unintentionally, we are guilty and in need of the forgiveness Christ gives us.

Mar 3 TLH 390 Leviticus 9:7-24 Aaron made atonement for himself and for a the people, a foreshadowing of Christ’s great work as our High Priest.

Mar 4 TLH 381 Mark 7:31-37 What a beautiful confession: “He has done everything well.” He has done everything perfectly, in fact.Read More »“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS March 2016

Luck Has Nothing to Do With It

“If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith”

(1 Corinthians 15:13-14 NIV).

“Good luck! And, by the way, there’s no such thing as luck.”

This was the parting comment a Christian friend made to us as he prepared to climb into his van and return home from the Sunday morning service. We knew what he meant. It was his way of encouraging us to remember that our lives aren’t guided by blind chance. We have an almighty Lord Who is at our side every moment, Who controls all events in the lives of His believers for their good.

Someone might ask, “What’s the guarantee of this?” A good answer (short but sweet) is, “EASTER!” We celebrate Easter with gusto and a multitude of hallelujahs because we know it is our heavenly Father’s assurance that the One Who died on the cross, Whose body was laid in the grave, also arose triumphantly. He is now orchestrating all happenings in the world at large and in our personal lives so they help us to attain a blessed end.

What would your life be like if the angel’s message, “He is not here, He is risen!” were a fairy tale? Then everything you believe about Jesus would be a mirage. The wall of sin that separated you from your God would still be there. Death would be pursuing you as an invincible foe. Your hope of heaven would be a delusion. The devil would have reason to celebrate, for it would mean he had scuttled Jesus’ mission as mankind’s Savior . . . IF the events of Easter didn’t happen.Read More »Luck Has Nothing to Do With It

The Emmaus Transformation

“And they said to one another, ‘Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?’” (Luke 24:32).

Usually it is easy to tell.

There are the telltale signs that readily reveal a person’s frame of mind. You watch the youngster out in the winter cold shoveling the sidewalk. From the slouch of his shoulders to the doing-as-little-as-possible attitude, it is easy to conclude that he would rather be anywhere other than where he is. His negative attitude radiates through his lackluster actions.

On the other hand you might witness the retiree out in the summertime flowerbed. You hear her humming, see the hint of a smile playing about the corners of her mouth, while her hands busily make quick work of removing those stubborn and unwelcome weeds among her petunias and roses. You easily surmise that she is happy to be improving the appearance of her property.

Yes, it is usually quite easy to tell. A downcast—perhaps guilty, sad, or disappointed—frame of mind will be as readily obvious as a mindset of joy, happiness, forgiveness, or new life.Read More »The Emmaus Transformation