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Devotions

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

Bread of Life February

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

Feb 1 TLH 14 Genesis 45:1-10 Joseph saw clearly how God had overcome the brothers’ evil so that good could result.

Feb 2 [The Presentation of Our Lord] TLH 138 Genesis 48:1-11 God sets the lonely in families. What a blessing for any of us to see our own grandchildren!

Feb 3 TLH 442 Matthew 20:17-28 Let those striving for their own gain first stop to serve others.

Feb 4 TLH 383:1-3 Exodus 1:6-2:10 When His people were in trouble, God raised up His servant Moses to help. Later He would raise up a greater Servant.

Feb 5 WS 728 Matthew 22:23-32 Surely God can raise us from the grave, for He spoke of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as living even though they had died.

Feb 6 TLH 298 Exodus 5:22-6:9 God remembered His covenant even if the people didn’t.

Feb 8 WS 781 Exodus 9:13-35 Pharaoh rejected the LORD in impenitence, but the Word of God produced fruit in others around him (v. 20).Read More »Bread of Life February

When It’s Time to be Uncomfortable

It’s natural to seek a certain level of comfort. I’m talking about getting and being comfortable. People want to be comfortable in their clothing, in their homes, and in their lives. If we become uncomfortable, then we try to make a change of clothing, or the body position that doesn’t feel right, or the circumstances that we face.

How does this tendency square with the Lord’s outlook in Isaiah 66:2? “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.” We can notice definite times when we should never be comfortable. We can’t afford to be comfortable with any of our sins, especially not with an attitude or habit that the Bible identifies as sinful. Each one will have to take stock of his own heart, attitudes, and actions. For example, are we comfortable in looking down on other people? Are we comfortable in letting unacceptable language tumble out of the mouth without a second thought? Are we comfortable in a routine of attending worship, only to sit there inattentive and hear little of what is said? Are we comfortable with a carefree or careless attitude toward the responsibilities that we have as family members or employees or fellow Christians?

There is a real danger in getting comfortable with sin. Regardless of what the sin may be, if we get used to it, we are making friends with a deadly enemy. If we become comfortable with our sin, we let it attach like an anchor that could sink us spiritually. If we get comfortable with our sin, the devil has an open door to chip away at our faith in the hope that it erodes down to impenitence
and unbelief.

Let’s agree on a healthy attitude of being uncomfortable with our sins. In such a state we are then the person described in Isaiah 66, the person who is “poor and of a contrite spirit.” That means that you’re not only aware of your sin, but also broken by its guilt and in desperate need of God’s forgiveness. That person then is the one on whom God looks favorably, to whom He brings His unfailing love, mercy, and comfort. Yes, God will bring His comfort to the spiritually uncomfortable.Read More »When It’s Time to be Uncomfortable

A Long Road to Spring

If  there is one thing to look forward to here in the Midwestern part of our country, it is spring. I can remember long and brutal winters that seemed to hang around forever. I recall waiting with longing for the daylight to lengthen and the temperatures to rise. Everyone seems eager to see that first green shoot come up, or perhaps the first hardy robin to arrive. It’s a time of anticipation and preparation for good things to come.

The Lenten season is a long road of anticipation as well. As far as can be determined, the word Lent comes to us from an Anglo-Saxon word for spring. As early Christians anticipated the coming of Easter in the springtime, they would prepare themselves during this penitential period. Many of the devout would fast during the Lenten season in order to reflect on their sins and the consequences they bring. Read More »A Long Road to Spring