Suffered under Pontius Pilate

More than any other name in history, Pilate's name is remembered and repeated.  We don't, however, envy him, because in the creed his name is linked with the blood of God's own Son.  There is the blood seeping through the cloak which was thrown over Christ's whip-torn back.  There's the blood trickling down Christ's face from this thorn-crowned brow.  There's the blood Pilate wouldn't wash from his hands.  Is there any wonder why his name remains as odious memory?

Can any of us say Pilate's name without saying our own? Isn't the guilt of Jesus' blood also on our hands? Wasn't it for crimes that we had done that Christ groaned upon the tree? Thank God His innocent blood has paid for what our hands and feet, eyes and ears, mind and life have committed.  Thank God Peter's words also apply to us.  "You were redeemed...with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect."  (1 Peter 1:18-19)  Again, did you catch the why in Peter's words? The Son of Man humbled Himself and suffered under Pontius Pilate to redeem us.

No longer need we stand before the holy God with our consciences burning and our hope for an eternal future with Him shredded.  God Himself came to earth and put aside the use of His power and glory to redeem us!

Richard Lauersdorf, "As Luther Taught the Word of Truth - Devotions on the Small Catechism," published by Northwestern Publishing House. 

St. Francis wisdom

Do not look forward to what might happen tomorrow, the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and everyday.  Either He will shield you from suffering or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it.  Be at peace, then, put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations and say confidently: The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart has trusted in Him and I am helped...

Well known hymns honestly sung

1. I Surrender Some

2. There Shall Be Sprinkles of Blessings

3. Fill My Spoon, Lord

4. Oh, How I Like Jesus

5. He’s Quite a Bit to Me

6. I Love to Talk About Telling the Story

7. Take My Life and Let Me Be

8. It is My Secret What God Can Do

9. There is Scattered Cloudiness in My Soul Today

10. Where He Leads Me, I Will Consider Following

11. Just As I Pretend to Be

What do you think? There are times when we feel like we're getting shortchanged a little bit by God.  He seems to treat others better than us.  Our friends get a faster answer to their prayers than we do.

And yet, every time we confess the Apostles' Creed, we realize that God has not treated us differently.  He hasn't withheld something that He's given to someone else.  We have the stuff we need for daily life.  The barrier of sin and punishment has been removed by God's Son.  The power to live a changed life, showed with God's blessings is given us by the Holy Spirit.

So repent and forget about the friend who seems to have it all.  You have everything too - in Christ Jesus - forgiveness for all your sins, joy in being in relationship with your Savior God, and the promise of eternal life in heaven.

"My HOPE is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness!"  So is yours!

That was the week that was

At 5 am I walked into the surgical hospital thinking to myself, "We're really going to do this."

I was very calm.  The way all of the planning just came together so easily left me thinking that God was directing all of it - from getting the recommendation for the surgeon, having an opening in his schedule to see me, and finding a cancellation on the surgical schedule so that I could have the surgery on March 24 as opposed to April 7.

The two hour surgery was a success and the pain I'm feeling right now is centered where the surgical incision was made; the unrelenting back pain that only grew worse the past few years seems to be gone.  Praise the Lord!

Got home Thursday afternoon and felt really well, all things considered.  God about six hours of sleep too.  Yesterday, there was a lot more pain from the incision.  Now, it seems that I have some kind of bladder infection.  Running a temperature, unable to sleep or get comfortable.  Driving my dear, sweet wife crazy.

Still, how can I not praise the Lord.  The surgery was successful and the infection is treatable.  I'll be able to get an early jump on my devotional reading and prayers, what with it being so quiet.  And I might even doze off in my recliner for a few hours.

Have a blessed Saturday, my friends!

Doctor, can you fix my back?

Tomorrow at this time I'll be meeting with my surgeon prior to back surgery.  I have been hampered with back problems for awhile.  Like any good thinking guy, I kept putting off getting an MRI and discovering the source of the pain.  Since last December the pain has been unbearable so I finally got the MRI.  I have severe spinal stenosis and, after a variety of unsuccessful treatments, the only real option of relief is surgery.

So, I might not be posting for a few days.  The recovery is expected to be around two weeks.  I'm not sure what that will look like.  But I hope to be up and around soon and reconnecting with you all through this blog.

In the meantime, have a blessed week!

How to read the Bible

The Bible isn't a code to be cracked.  It's about God redeeming sinners through the promised Christ.  Read it like that and you will read it correctly.

Daniel Emery Price

A Wonderful Cross for you and me

 

Dick Randall Memorial Sermon

          Beloved family and dear friends – grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

          Oh, the wonderful cross, the wonderful cross.  It is no wonder that many think us Christians to be weirdos.

          How wonder can an instrument of death be.  Is it wonderful is it to have large nails driven into your hands and feet? Is it fabulous to be stripped of all your clothing and left hanging under a burning sun or freezing cold? Is it marvelous to be the object of jeering and mocking people, come to watch you suffer and die?

          No, in that sense, there is nothing wonderful about the cross.  Being crucified was a horrific way to die.

          But listen to how the apostle Peter spoke of the cross during his great sermon on Pentecost: (Jesus) was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross.

          Here Peter is telling the crowd that Jesus’ death did not happen by accident.  It did not come about because of the Jewish religious leaders planned it or Pontius Pilate approved it.

          It was God’s plan that Jesus suffer death on the cross.  Not because God the Father hated God the Son.  It was because the Father loved you. 

          And Jesus loved you too.  The apostle Paul explained it to the Philippians like this: (Jesus) made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!

          Now, if Jesus had died for nothing, if there was no purpose or reason for such terrible suffering, we could not say one wonderful thing about the cross.

          But look at what the death of Jesus accomplished:

Romans 5:8 – But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

1 Peter 1:18-19 – For you know that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold…but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

          It is not the cross that is wonderful.  It is the One who died on the cross that makes the cross wonderful.

          The death of Jesus assures us that the punishment for our sins, which we should have been made to pay, was instead paid for by Jesus at the cross.  Having removed the sin that would have separated us from God forever, our way to heaven is free and clear through faith in Jesus.  Jesus’ death and the blessings it brings – forgiveness, peace with God, eternal salvation - are priceless and given to us as a free gift.

          That is why we can sing, “The Wonderful Cross.”  And it was Dick Randell that helped me sing with all the joy my heart could muster.

          Now, I am not certain but I think that Dick might have owned every tool known to man.  And he knew how to use those tools.  There was not anything he could not build.  There was not anything he could not fix.

          If you were to look in our music room, you would see the beautiful closets Dick constructed for our choir robes and banners.  If you have ever been in our fellowship hall you would find the first altar our church used.  The one we presently use is a result of Dick’s craftsmanship.

          I will always remember Dick for the wonderful crosses he made.  I am certain that more than one of you here today have at least one cross that Dick made for you.  But there is no cross more majestic or meaningful to me and to those who worship at Life in Christ than the cross that is hanging over my right shoulder.

          Dick volunteered to make this cross, the Life in Christ cross as we call it.  From time-to-time people on the Building Committee saw the cross in progress and told me, “It really is going to be special.”

          I finally saw the cross Dick brought it here to be hung on the wall.  He and some guys managed to set the cross on the front of our lift.  Then, ever so slowly, Dick maneuvered the lift onto a ramp and into the altar area.

          A metal hanger had been placed on the back wall and a notch was cut out on the back of the cross.  Slowly, Dick brought the cross forward until it was resting against the wall.  Then he slowly lowered the cross until hanger and notch came together – a perfect fit!

          Sherri was here with me and we both had tears in our eyes.  Our new church had a beautiful new cross, the Life in Christ cross, built by our carpenter, Dick Randall.

          Some of you might know that there are Christians who are embarrassed by the cross.  Some pastors and church leaders will not have a cross in their sanctuary.  They say that the cross is offensive and a turn off to someone new to the Christian faith.  They reason, “Why scare someone off with something that is a symbol of pain and death?”

          The cross of Christ figures greatly in our hymnody, especially during the Lenten season.  We sing, “Lamb of God, pure and holy, Who on the cross didst suffer.”  Or, “When I survey the wondrous cross, On which the Prince of Glory died.”

          Those hymns, and many others, remind us of the price the Master Carpenter, the Lord Jesus Christ, paid so that we might be free of sin and have eternal life.

          Dick Randall loved his Savior.  It was pure joy to be in this house of worship, among God’s people, enjoying hymns of praise and thanksgiving.  Dick recognized his sin and so he confessed that sin in worship.  And he was comforted by God’s Word of forgiveness and absolution.  Dick was nourished every time he came to the altar to receive the body and blood of the Lord for the forgiveness of sins.

          And the Savior loved Dick and you and me and the whole world.  That is why Jesus humbled Himself and left the glories of heaven.  It is why He allowed evil people to scourge and beat Him to within an inch of His life.  It is why Jesus joyfully carried out His Father’s plan of salvation so that we would not perish but have everlasting life.

          Dick impressed me so much with his courage during illness and suffering.  He was determined to press on with life despite dealing with cancer and dialysis and other ailments.  His positive attitude and the Lord’s blessing kept Dick going when lesser men would have given up.

          Now, Dick is with Jesus.  As Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, so Dick and all the saints will one day rise from their graves, with a new glorified body and a new expectation.  Eternity with Jesus! And knowing Dick, while he waits for the earth shatter, awe inspiring return to the Lord, he is probably looking around for something to build or repair.  The thing is that heaven is not a place for work but for rest.  It is to rest in the arms of Jesus until the Last Day, Resurrection Day. 

          And that’s good news.  You will see Dick again.  You will touch him and talk with him and be filled with a joy that you have never felt before.  And you will do that while gathered around the throne of the Master Carpenter, who took a simple piece of wood and made it a Wonderful Cross for you and me.  Amen.

Where not to find joy

Though sin often brings indescribable pleasure, it gives no lasting joy.

R.C. Sproul

A 100% Gift

Here's something to think about while you prepare for worship today.

You, me, none of us did anything to receive God's grace, so there's nothing we can do to 'keep' it.  It is a gift, 100%.

From "Loving Isaac," page 109

Don't fear the staff; fear the wolf!

I'm reading Katie Schumermann's "The Choir Immortal," a most delightful book about the church and its people who live in small town rural America.  I really appreciated this exchange between Alice, who suspects that she might have cancer and her daughter, Rebecca, who recently suffered a still born birth and is still reeling from that time in her life.

Rebecca sniffed, stepping back and wiping her eyes.  "God will never give us more than we can handle, right?"

"That's not exactly true dear."

Rebecca looked up, surprised.

"People are always saying that, I know," Alice hastily explained, "but God never promises such a thing.  In fact, I suspect He always gives us more than we can handle, that we might turn to Him again and again and again.  We're sheep prone to wander, dear, and the Good Shepherd bops us with His staff to keep us in the fold."

"I'm beginning to fear that staff."

"Don't fear the staff, Rebecca," Alice warned.  "Fear the wolf that would lead you astray."

(page 190)

A thought to ponder

This isn't my thought but there seems to be some truth here: The older you get, the harder it is to lose weight because by that time your body and your fat are really good friends.

Have a God-blessed weekend!

Can you spell quarantine?

Goodbye outside world.  Hello home sweet home.  That's my life for the next seven days.

I'm having back surgery on March 24.  The hospital requires that I be quarantined for the seven days leading up to surgery.

So, I won't be preaching on Sunday.  I'll be worshipping via our livestream service instead.  I'll be working from home but contact with our staff and church community will be limited to texts, calls and Zoom.

This is another example of how the coronavirus has impacted our lives.  I can live with it.  But I don't have to like it.

However, this being stuck at home might give me a little time to do some reading.  I'm about half-way through book two in Katie Schuermann's series of a small town church in rural Illinois.  If you are a fan of Jan Karon's "Mitford" series, you would love Schuermann's books.  I like them because of the way she shows how important the church is to the lives of its people.  Besides getting into the lives of her characters, Schuermann shows how the Gospel makes the difference when people are dealing with illness and loss.  You can order her books through Concordia Publishing House.  Very enjoyable reading, indeed.

The other book I've started is "The Life You Crave - It's All About Grace" by Michael W. Newman.  Newman is a great writer and theologian; this is the second book of his that I've read.  If you've ever wondered, like singer Peggy Lee, "Is that all there is?" then Newman's book is for you.  He takes the story of Daniel and relates it to the lives we all live - messy, confusing, stressful - and shows that God is in the middle of that life with you and it is His grace and love that sees a person through every challenge.

Following surgery, I'm expected to have a two week recovery so I'm going to miss Holy Week services - the first time in 24 years.  But being on the sidelines won't be so bad.  Our Associate Pastor, Chris Crume, has been sharing a series of sermons based on the various locations we connect with the Passion of Jesus.  I'll watch and worship via livestream, looking forward to shouting out to my dear, sweet wife, "He is risen!" and hearing her respond, "He is risen indeed!"  

God bless your day as you look forward to seeing the love of Jesus in action next week.

Alive with Christ

This is a baptismal we saw at a Protestant church we discovered while in Jerusalem three years ago (we were in the Christian section of the city).  In seeing this picture again, I was reminded of something I read from a book by Jason Meyer, "Don't Lose Heart."  It read: Christianity is not about bad people becoming better; it's about dead people becoming alive. 

This is the truth Paul writes about in his letter to the Colossians: When you were dead in your trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ.  (2:13)

How did this becoming alive take place?  Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order than as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.  (Romans 6:4 - NASB).  Then Paul wraps up this teaching in verse 11: Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

In reading the first 11 verses of chapter six of Romans, Paul drives home one point he wants his readers to get - all of this has been done for you and through you in Christ.  There is nothing we can do to bring ourselves back to live; we are dead in our sins.  God uses the waters of baptism to give us the new life Jesus told Nicodemus about.  We are born again.  We are alive to God in Christ Jesus.

How will you live out your new life in Christ today?

Refreshment for the race called "life"

Author Joni Eareckson Tada, in her book, "Overcoming Adversity," wrote about a volunteer at her ministry, "Joni and Friends," named Clay.  He cheerfully packed boxes and stuffed envelopes and just generally offered himself and his time wherever it was needed.

However, Clay's passion is running.  During cross-country season Clay didn't volunteer as many hours of service.  Every hour he wasn't in school, he was out running.  The folks at Joni's ministry would report seeing Clay out running in the wee hours of the morning, piling up the miles.

When she had the chance, Joni asked Clay a question that had been on her mind for a long time: what is the most difficult part of a long-distance run?  She thought it would be the first mile or so as the runner is getting mentally prepared to run a great distance or at the end, when the body is exhausted and you feel like you can't run another step.

Clay's answer surprised Joni.  He told her it was the middle portion of the run, "when you're out of range of those cheering voices at the start and finish lines."  It's that long, grey, middle distance that saps your strength and your will.

Life has been likened to a long distance race.  You might feel like the race you're running feels a lot tougher than you imagined it would be.  A health problem, financial struggle, self-esteem issue or other challenge can all seem like reasons for giving up.

If you're in need of refreshment for the race called "life" take some time to read Psalm 42 today.  Hope in the Lord leads to praise.  Love from the Lord leads to prayer.  Verses five and 11 seem like a refrain worth singing: "Put your hope in God, yet I will praise Him, my Savior and my God."

Put your hope in the Lord!

To cleave or not to cleave?

This afternoon I am performing a wedding, an intimate affair with just a few family members.  I've been thinking about the message I want to share and I've been messing around with the word, "cleave."

It's a word that has two very different meanings.  It can describe the action of cutting or splitting something apart with a sharp instrument.  But it can also mean to stick to something as closely as possible.

In Genesis 2:24, God announces the doctrine of marriage.  He says that the woman will cleave to the man and they will become one flesh.  The Hebrew word for cleave means to stick like two things glued together.  The idea is that they are glued together so tightly that nothing can tear them apart.

God's Word, it seems to me, is that "super glue" that can do that very thing for married couples.  When relying on the Word throughout a couple's life, their love for each other can grow and their attention to the workings of the evil one can have no power over them.

There are so many enemies of marriage today.  A couple needs to be diligent in growing a "sticky" and determined love and commitment to each other.  Fortunately, we have God's "super glue," His mighty and powerful Word to ensure that the bond of love continues to grow and grow.  May our couple rely on God's Word throughout their married lives.

A prayer for forgiveness of sins

Heavenly Father, I confess my many sins and shortcomings. With the publican I say, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." Despite my efforts to do no wrong, my self-examination shows that I have had evil thoughts, I have spoken evil words, and done much else that was wrong.  Forgive all of this through Jesus' blood and merit. I trust in You, because You have said there is forgiveness with You.

Dear Lord, I need Your help every minute of the day. I want above all to do what is right. Begin with my heart, Lord, and fill it with Your thinking.  Make my heart over and help me prefer what You prefer. Make Your desires my desires. Let there be room only for the right thoughts.  Be with my mouth, that when I speak, I say only things You want me to say. Grant that I may help and encourage those around me. Let my hands be Your hands, that what I do will serve others and will be a credit to You.  I ask all this in the name of Jesus.  Amen.

Prayer taken from "Teenagers Pray," page three 

If you had been the only one....

It is often said that if there had been only one sinner in the world, Jesus still would have died for that person.  Martin Luther agrees with that statement.

I discovered in our church library a book about world leaders and Luther is included in the series.  On page 54 I found this Luther quote:

He who wants to be saved should be so minded as if there were no human being but he alone, and that the consolation and promise of God through all the Scriptures concerned him only.

Now that's a good thought to take into the weekend, isn't it? God be with you!

(picture above taken in Wittenberg, Germany at the Luther statue in the town square)

Another Friday Funny

A little girl got to attend a wedding for the first time.  While in church, the girl asked her mother, "Why is the bride dressed in white?"  The mother replied to the girl, "Because white is the color of happiness and it's the happiest day of her life today."

After a little bit, the girl looks up at her mother and asks, "But why then is the groom wearing black?"

Have a great weekend!

CS Lewis Wisdom

God cannot give us a happiness or peace apart from Himself, because it is not there.  There is no such thing.

As quoted in "Pray Big Things," page 27 

God's commitment to you

Do you see how committed God is to you? See it in the blood that drips down from the cross.  See it in the restraint He shows by allowing Jesus to remain on the cross to endure the full judgment over sin.  See it in the way He forgives you anew and grants you a new day every morning.  See it in the way God continues to patiently wait and hope for us to call on Him in prayer.

WELS app, "Daily Devotion," taken from 3/9 devotion 

What we receive in the Sacrament

(The Words of Institution) ingeniously allow Jesus Himself to tell us what He gives in the Sacrament and why He gives it.  (page 52)

He tells us it is His Body and it is the Body given to us.  That would be the same body which was born of the Virgin Mary and was nailed to the cross! He tells us it is His Blood, the Blood that stained the cross and spilled from wounds and wiped out the sins of the world.  (page 53)

Many thanks to William Weedon for his book, "Thank, Praise, Serve and Obey," published by CPH.

We have hope!

 Years ago an S-4 submarine was rammed by a ship off the coast of Massachusetts.  It sank immediately.  The entire crew was trapped in a prison house of death.  Every effort was made to rescue the crew.  Near the end of the ordeal, a deep-sea diver, who was doing everything in his power to find a way for the crew's release, thought he heard a tapping on the steel wall of the sunken sub.  He placed his helmet up against the vessel and realized it was the Morse Code.  He listened carefully and spelled out the message being tapped from within.  The question was, "Is...there...any...hope?"

 That's a question we've asked at least once in our lives, isn't it? Is there any hope for my marriage...for finding a job...for a college scholarship...for an early retirement? Someone has said, "We can live 40 days without food, eight days without water, four minutes without air, but only a few seconds without hope."

 In Psalm 39, David is faced with asking the question, "Is there any hope?" He has been trying to keep a stiff upper lip, so to speak, by remaining silent during a very painful time in his life.  Then he spills out from his heart all the impatience and frustration he is feeling.  But by the time we get to verse seven, we learn that it has been helpful for David to have been honest with the Lord.  He responds with what we might call a "trusting prayer" that is fueled by the hope he has in his Lord.

 God has given us the same hope.  We don't worry about our standing with God because Jesus has made us right and acceptable to our Father.  We don't despair about our future because Jesus has prepared a place for us in heaven.  We don't allow present day problems to consume us because Jesus has promised to never leave nor abandon us.  Romans 15:4 reads, In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  We have hope!

Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me

 God gives me days of gladness

And I will trust Him still, When he sends me sadness

 God is good; His love attends me

Day by day, come what may, Guides me and defends me

 Since I know God never fails me

In His voice I'll rejoice, When grim death assails me

Trusting in my Savior's merit

 Safe at last, troubles past, I shall heav'n interit

"Christian Worship" hymnal, #428:3,4

The Life You Crave

Yesterday, I had my third round of steroid shots for my aching back.  While resting yesterday I started reading, "The Life You Crave," written by pastor/author Michael W. Newman.  I was blessed by reading Newman's "Hope When Your Heart Breaks," which points to Jesus as the one true hope when our hearts are broken over betrayal, rejection, loss, and the other troubles of life.

In "The Life You Crave," Newman writes, "There are times when it is difficult to understand life's struggles and setbacks."  How true is that statement.  In 23 years of parish ministry, I've often had to sit with God's people who have asked me, "Why did God take my wife now?" "He was on the list for a new kidney.  Why didn't he receive one?" My child keeps spiraling down in addiction.  Why doesn't God act? We've prayed and prayed."

"Why" questions are impossible to answer directly.  Who can know the mind of God.  The Bible tells us His ways are unsearchable.  His will and ultimate goals for our lives He does not always choose to reveal to us.  So then, what do we do?

Newman continues to write, "It is during those times that we are called to trust in Him.  C H Spurgeon, a renowned English preacher...is credited with saying, "God is too good to be unkind and He is too wise to be confused, and if I cannot trace His hand I can always trust His heart."

My confirmation verse is Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.

How do you answer the "why" question.  One word - trust.  Believe in God's precious promises.  He forgives sin.  He generously gives us His grace.  He creates a bridge from here to heaven - the cross - which leads us to our promised land.  And He promises to see us through life's struggles and setbacks.  Remember that as you come before Your Lord today.  He promises to hear Your petitions.  And that promise brings hope.

The Friday Funny

A priest buys a lawn mower at a yard sale.  Back home, he pulls on the starter rope a few times with no results.  He storms back to the yard sale and tells the previous owner, "I can't get the mower to start!"  "That's because you have to curse to get it started," says the man.  The priest replied, "I'm a man of the cloth.  I don't remember how to curse."  Explained the man, "You keep pulling on that rope and it'll come back to you!"

Jesus came to save us from ourselves

 I read a wonderful devotion this morning on the WELS App (which you should download on your phone or device right now!).  I want to share it with you.

Jesus once had a notable conversation with some people who expressed faith in Him.  He said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free."  The crowd took offense.  What did Jesus mean, that they would be set free? They had never been slaves to anyone.  But He responded, "Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin." (John 8:31-34)

It's the perfect definition of sin.  Sin is slavery to yourself.

That's why we sin, right? We do things that are wrong because we love ourselves.  We sin because we believe that we will gain some advantage for ourselves.  When we survey the situation and conclude, "This won't benefit me at all," we immediately cease and desist.  Sin is nothing more than self-love, selfishness, self-indulgence.  Sin is all about me.

And that's why Jesus came, to save us from ourselves.  He did that by taking the burden of us and our sinfulness on Himself rather than being selfish and saying, "You fix it."  Even though Jesus had no sin, he foisted on Himself the burden and guilt of the world's sin.  (1 John 2:1-2)  We have forgiveness freely.  Jesus gives us His perfection.  Why? Because He loves us, and everyone.  (1 John 4:10)

But remember why Jesus came? To save us from ourselves! That's why He says that whoever wants to be His disciple, "must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."  God's people don't run back to their selfish way of living after Jesus saves them.  They strive to be selfless toward others just as He has been perfectly selfless toward us.

When we "love our lives" this way - surrendering our selfishness and living in the freedom of a life serving others - we find out what true life is really all about.  It's not about me.  It's all about others.

Delight Yourself in the Lord!

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.  Psalm 37:4

What do you take pleasure in? An Arizona sunset? A Facetime visit from a dear friend? Balancing a grandchild on your knee? Having the entire family at the dinner table for a meal?

Do you know that God wants to have a relationship with you in which you take pleasure in Him?

The psalmist David writes, "Delight yourself in the Lord."  This you can do in so many different ways.  You can take pleasure in being in God's house to receive His gifts of grace...kneeling at the communion rail to feast on Christ's body and blood for the forgiveness of sins...hearing the assurance of God's love as found in the Gospels...celebrating old friendships and making new ones with Christ at the center...being used by the Lord through meaningful service in the church.

A Word from Holy Scripture can bring delight in the Lord.  Lyrics from a great old hymn can produce a feeling of pleasure and contentment as we sing praises to our great and mighty God for His blessings.  To take pleasure in your relationship with the Lord is to give thanks to God for His unlimited mercy and grace.

The verse above comes with a promise - "And He will give you the desires of your heart."  Don't misunderstand - this is not the promise of a blank check with which you can have or do anything you want.  David is simply noting that when a believer takes pleasure in the Lord, they seek to make His will their will and constantly seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that their life is in line with the life that God gives - the new life through faith in Christ.

That's reason enough to delight yourself in the Lord, isn't it?

Why the 10 Commandments?

I saw a clip of a conversation with the comic Woody Allen and the Rev. Billy Graham.  A discussion of the 10 Commandments ensued and Graham referred to them as God's rules.  And that's how most people see the Commandments, whether they are followers of God or not.  The Commandments show us our sin, how we have failed to live the righteous and holy lives that God demands of us.  They lead us to repentance and the seeking of God's forgiveness as we confess our sins and how we have broken God's rules.

But the commandments serve another purpose.  We often wonder, "What is God's will for my life?" The answer is , "Look to the commandments!"  They show us how to live with God and to live with one another.  Pastor and theologian, Bo Giertz, captures very well this use of the Commandments in the quote below:

God's commands aren't there so we know how we can be saved.  They exist so we can help our fellow man and be of joy and blessing to them.

Live today and let the 10 Commandments be your guide, your best way to "fear, love and trust in God above all things."  (The Explanation of the First Commandment from Luther's Catechism).

Regarding the Bible...

 ...all 66 love letters in the Divine correspondence were written by an infinite author without any limits to His wisdom.

Larry Crabb, "When God Ways Make No Sense," page 39