The Priesthood of Believers: God’s Choice
Tension was running high. The air was thick with anticipation. On the one hand, 250 men, censers in hand, burning incense, ready to prove their worthiness to serve the Lord. On the other hand, a…
Devotions
Alive to Righteousness
“For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).
We live in a world where we are encouraged to live for ourselves. We are supposed to find whatever it is that makes us feel fulfilled or happy, and go for it. We are to be proud of how we live and what we have done. “To one’s own self be true!”
“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS July 2016
Date Verse Reading Comments
Jul 1 TLH 322 Psalm 143 Confessing our failure to do God’s will, we trust both in His mercy and in His future guidance.
Jul 2 TLH 526 Psalm 3 Protection and deliverance come from the Lord.
Jul 4 TLH 577 2 Samuel 18:28-19:4 David’s love would have given his life for sinful Absalom. Jesus’ love gave His life for all poor sinners.
Jul 5 TLH 234 1 Corinthians 2:6-14 God’s “secret wisdom” is the Gospel, revealed by the Spirit, which no human mind could have
figured out for itself.
“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.
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.
“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!
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!”
“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.
“Lord, Teach Us How to Pray”
Do you need your tire jack? Of course you do! If you get a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, you are going to be glad you have that tire jack. We use our…
“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.