Today is a gift.

Yesterday is history...tomorrow is a mystery...today is a gift - that's why they call it the present.

Anon.

Be A Pointer!

In the last analysis, you cannot pontificate but only point.  A Christian is one who points at Christ and says, "I can't prove a thing, but there is something about His eyes and voice.  There's something about the way He carries His head, His hands, the way He carries His cross - the way He carries me."

Your testimony is your testimony.  People can question or challenge or even dismiss your testimony.  But none of that changes the fact of what Christ has done in Your life. 

So be a pointer - point to Jesus.  Tell others how Jesus picked you up and began carrying you in your baptism.  Tell how He saved you and changed your life with the washing of water and the Word.  Tell what He continues to carry you each day of your life - how His forgiveness picks you up when you are down...how His peace lifts you up and enables you to live each day with joy in spite of tough circumstances.  Tell how He has promised to carry you into eternity.

You and I can't change or convert a person.  But the Holy Spirit can do this work through the Gospel.  It's not our job to persuade.  But we can point.  Be a pointer.  Point people to Jesus.

Above quote from Fredrick Bueckner, "Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC" 

Thank God for the little things

We prevent God from giving us the great spiritual gifts He has in store for us, because we do not give thanks for daily gifts...How can God entrust great things to one who will not thankfully receive from Him the little things.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer 

Retirement is good

It's been a little over four years since I left full-time ministry.  It was a good decision.  I was worn out and felt like I wasn't serving the congregation as well as I did when I arrived in January 2005.

For the first year I relaxed.  Played some golf (badly). Worked on my guitar skills (not much improvement) filled in a few times at St. Mark (thanks to Pastor Sheldon).  And while this was going on, my dear, sweet wife and I purchased a summer home in St. Joseph, Michigan.

This gave us a good five months of being with our two daughters and their families.  We loved being near Lake Michigan.  We watched the grandkids play soccer, basketball, junior golf and attended swim meets.  We attended the local LCMS church and discovered an excellent teacher who led the Sunday morning Bible class.  The move also helped us to escape the hottest part of the summer here in the Valley.

While there I made myself available for pulpit supply.  Unfortunately, there were a number of churches in the area without pastors so I had plenty of opportunities to preach.  While I was there, I came up with the idea to offer to preach regularly at Christ the Redeemer in Phoenix.  Soon, I was preaching every Sunday from October to April.  

At the same time I received a call to see if I would teach the Thursday morning Bible class at Church of the Master in Phoenix.  I jumped at the chance to do so.  While in the parish I taught a Thursday evening class at Life in Christ.  But with all the other duties I has as Senior Pastor I often wasn't able to prepare as fully as I would have liked.  Now, I would have all the time needed to teach as I wanted to.

This is where Sherri says I flunked retirement.  And, in one sense, she's right.  Preparing a sermon and Bible study takes time.  But time is what I have.  And since golf wasn't bringing me any enjoyment, having the opportunity to preach and teach in retirement has been perfect.

I thank and praise God that He has been able to use me in retirement.  Now, if He would only do something to help with my golf game!

Top Ten Signs Your Pastor Needs to Work on his Bedside Manner

Top Ten Signs Your Pastor Needs to Work on his Bedside Manner

10) Spies half-eaten sandwich on a tray and asked, “Mind if I eat that?”

9) Spends entire visit on phone getting reports about his son’s T-ball game

8) Asks the nurse if she thinks “The Pitt” is realistic

7) Asks “This illness won’t keep you from giving your weekly tithe, will it?”

6) Complains about how far away from the hospital he had to park

5) Tells worried member, “Relax, most people don’t recover from this surgery.”

4) Asks, “You have a back problem? That’s nothing! Let me tell you about my back problem.”

3) Says, “Dr. Smith is your doctor? I thought he’d been convicted for malpractice.”

2) Tells member, “Wake up! I’ve only got 15 minutes.”

1) Wonders, “Have you made plans for the funeral yet?” 

Grace is greater than sin

 The cost of your sin is greater than you can pay.  The gift of your God is more than you can imagine.

John Jeske
Connecting Sinai to Calvary, page 27

"Nothing Can Separate You from Him"

So come to His table, listening only to His words and receiving what He gives.  All your doing doesn't count against you anymore.  There is none of you, none of your doing outside of Jesus forgiveness.  Nothing can separate you from Him, for He has borne it all and answered for it in your place.  The Lord invites you to His table, family and fellowship to share all His happy good.  This is how much He loves you.  And by this Meal the Lord brings you on your way to that glad feast that is the feast of the Lamb with all His saints.

Saints - that is you and me and all His disciples, the many accounted righteous, whose iniquities He bore, whose chastisement He took, those whom He makes whole by what He did as the sacrifice for sin and by what He gives us to share together at His table.  Amen.

Selected Sermons of Normal Nagel - page 112 

Is Your Pastor Delivering Jesus to You?

I didn't write down where I found this comment from Martin Luther.  Profound in its simplicity...

For the preaching of the Gospel is nothing else than Christ coming to us, or we being brought to Him.

Is your pastor delivering Jesus to you in his preaching and teaching?

Like the apostle Paul, is he resolved to know nothing among you but Jesus Christ and Him crucified? (1 Cor. 2;2)

Does he point to Jesus as the only way, truth and life? (John 14:6)

Does his preaching help you to see Jesus in His humility and glory? (John 12:21)

Helpful, effective preaching always has Jesus as its heart and core.

If your pastor is delivering Jesus to you, thank him.

If not, tell your pastor that you "wish to see Jesus. 

Jesus Christ, our Substitute

From John Jeske's wonderful book, Connecting Sinai to Calvary

Because in our place our substitute lived a life of perfect obedience to the holy law of God, God considers us to be people who have given Him the perfect obedience He demands.  Because in our place our substitute died innocently under God's curse, God considers us to have been punished for our sin. 

I've God the Joy, Joy, Joy Down In My Heart

Author Eugene Peterson has some very interesting observations regarding "joy."  For example:

Joy is not a requirement of Christian discipleship; it is a consequence...it is what comes to us when we are walking in the way of faith and obedience.

All suffering, all pain, all emptiness, all disappointment is seed: sow it in God and He will, finally, bring a crop of joy from it.

So often we believe that joy is something that we must muster up for ourselves.  Of course, we can't produce joy but how often do we fall for the lie that if we do something that makes us feel good (regardless of what God says about it) or if we obtain some new thing, we'll be joyous?

If we care at all about our relationship with God, living outside of His will won't bring a lasting joy.

And stuff can't make us happy.  Stuff breaks down or wears out or falls apart.  How much joy is there in all of that?

Where do we look for joy? Paul wrote to the Philippians: Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!

Our joy is in Jesus.  He puts the bounce in our step, the smile on our face, the joy in our hearts.

Listening to Him in His Word...speaking to Him in prayer...being in His house to receive His gifts...sharing His gifts with the people around us - that is where joy is found. 

We can't produce joy.  Jesus gives it as one of His precious gifts.

Worship the Lord faithfully and serve His people lovingly.  Watch and see if He doesn't fill your heart with joy overflowing!

Top 10 Signs Your Pastor Isn't Prepared For Bible Class

10) Falls asleep during “Drive Thru the Bible” and wakes up to see everyone has gone home

9) Spends an hour showing pictures from his recent vacation to Mexico

8) Tells class: “My dog ate my study notes.”

7) Comes in exactly one hour after class should have started and asked, “Am I late?”

6) Answers every question in class by saying, “Let’s circle back to that next week.”

5) Spends the hour in class asking for help in filling out his March Madness brackets

4) Cuts class 45 minutes early so he can get home and watch “Will Trent”

3) Tells class: “My dog ate my Bible”

2) Announces a new assignment: WWJWOTVITWTVIG (What would Jesus watch on television if there had been television in Galilee)

1) Asks each member of the class, “And what does this verse mean to you?

Looking for cheerful givers

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for the Lord loves a cheerful giver.  2 Corinthians 9:7

Interestingly, the word translated, "cheerful," in the Greek could also be translated as "hilarious."  Such a person is happy to be able to give back to the Lord a portion of what the Lord has blessed that person with in the first place.

A college student who went to Africa on a mission trip told of seeing hilarious givers.  In the church where they worshipped, no offering plates were passed.  Instead, a large metal pot was set up in front of the altar.  On the pastor's cue, the people were invited to give their offerings.  The student said, "The people gave with great, great joy.  They danced down the aisles.  Most only had a few coins to give.  Others put vegetables from their garden in the pot.  It didn't matter.  They were excited that they could give something back to God and His church.  It caused myself to ask, "Do I give my offerings with that kind of joy and excitement?"

I guess it depends on how you look at the tithe or offering you give to the Lord's church each Sunday.  Do you place your offering envelope in the plate with an attitude of "have to" instead of "want to?"  A "have to" giver does so reluctantly or under compulsion.  A "want to" giver does so with gratitude for all that has been received from the Lord's hand - forgiveness, salvation, peace and joy.  These are gifts that can't be bought but are given in great abundance by the God who loves and gave His Son to be Savior from sin, death and hell.

May the Lord help us all to be cheerful giver of our gifts every time we worship! 

Spirit, tomorrow write the preached Word in our hearts

 A prayer from the sainted Dr. Luther:

Eternal God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, grant us Your Holy Spirit who writes the preached Word into our hearts. May we receive and believe it and be cheered and comforted by it in eternity.  Glorify Your Word in our hearts and make it so bright and warm that we may find pleasure in it, through Your holy inspiration think what is right, and by Your power fulfill the Word, for the sake of Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord.  Amen.

From The Lord Will Answer, page 256

Longing for Jesus

Love these words...they're part of a prayer written by Bo Giertz and found in the book, "To Live with Christ," page 660:

Allow my weakness to become a hand that reaches out for You, an emptiness You can fill, a longing that never stops hoping for You.

God is doing His handy work in us

Creation is God's Word.  This is what we confess in the First Article of the Apostles' Creed - I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

But God's creating work is not limited to this world we live in.  His handy work does not end with fields of beautiful flowers or majestic sunsets.  God is doing His best work in each of us.  He has given us life and everything we need to sustain this life.  He gives us the help and protection we need to keep the old evil foe at bay.  He treats us as a loving father who cares for and nurtures His dear children.

As His children we recognize that we disappoint our heavenly Father.  We sin against Him in our thought life, the words we speak and the things we do.  In repentance and faith we come to our Father and express our sorrow over our sins.  We claim the forgiveness won for us by Christ at Calvary.  We ask the Lord to help us live holy and pleasing lives.  This is the prayer of the psalmist David in 51:10: Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Prof. John Burg writes: David is praying for a miraculous act that can be performed by God alone.  His prayer can be answered only through the work of the Holy Spirit, who alone can work repentance, faith and a willing spirit...Because this renewal is never perfect in this life, David prays that the Spirit will keep him steadfast...so he will not fall again.  Let David's prayer be your prayer today. 

What is contentment?

Here's the answer from one of my favorite authors, the sainted Rev. Richard Lauersdorf:

Contentment is not a human production.  It's God's work in us as He keeps our eyes fastened on Jesus.

From As Luther Taught the Word of Truth, page 129 

All this church wants is my money...NOT!

It's a refrain that has been heard through the church ever since there has been a church: all this church is interested in is my money! I don't doubt that there are some churches whose main concern is the almighty dollar.  But that's not the case with many churches and is certainly not the case at the church where I serve.  Not too long ago I came across the following from the great C.S. Lewis.  Read carefully:

The Christian way is different: harder and easier.  Christ says, "Give me all (of you).  I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work - I want you.  No half-measures are any good.  I don't want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree..."

The Lord doesn't want only your money.  That would be too easy.  You could write a check, make a big contribution to the church and be on your way.  No, the Lord wants you! And it's only right that He should feel that way.

Who suffered the punishment for your sins? Who humbled Himself so that you might be saved? Who has removed the shame of your sin and the fear of your death? Who has prepared a place for you in heaven? You know the answer - Jesus!

Jesus wants your heart and your head, your time and attention, your worship and your praise.  When He has you in that way, supporting the ministry of the church will never be a problem...ever. 

God's Great Exchange

 Do you remember these words to one of the great hymns of the church?

Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness
My beauty are, my glorious dress
With these before my God I'll stand
When I shall reach the heavenly land

The hymn writer expresses well the great truth of 2 Corinthians 5:21 - God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

Apart from faith in Christ, the only righteousness we can offer before God the Father is our own righteousness and goodness.  But according to Scripture, "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags" before God.  Our good works are not "good enough" to please God.

Where you and I are powerless to save ourselves, God provides the perfect remedy in His Son, our Savior.  Jesus died on the cross, paying the wages of sin in our place.  In exchange, God has credited the perfect life of Jesus and His death to sin to our account.  This is what 2 Corinthians teaches us - God great exchange!  This is God's free, unmerited grace given to us as a gift.  This is what Jesus was willing to do so that you might "be His own and live under Him in His kingdom."  Praise God for the wonderful things He does just for you!

Remembering Martin Luther

It was on this day in 1546 that Martin Luther was called home to rest in the arms of his Lord and Savior.  In the last prayer that he ever prayed, Luther steadfastly confessed his believe in Jesus Christ.

One of my favorite writings of Luther comes from his exposition on Psalm 147: Work and let Him (God) give the fruits thereof! Rule, and let Him prosper it! Battle, and let Him give victory! Preach, and let Him make hearts devout! Marry, and let Him give you children! Eat and drink, and let Him give you health and strength.  Then it will follow that, whatever we do, He will effect everything through us; and to Him alone shall be the glory.

Ash Wednesday worship takes place at Christ the Redeemer at 4 pm.  The church is located at 8891 N. 43rd Avenue.  Join us! 

God can be trusted

A comforting reminder from John Jeske: God is a compassionate God, who can be trusted.  If He chooses not to remove evil from our lives, He will make it serve our good.

From Sinai to Calvary, page 163, Northwestern Publishing House

A joyful homecoming

I thank You that my mortal day of death is my heavenly birthday, when I will come home and meet You and see You as You are.

part of a prayer from "To Live With Christ," by Bo Giertz, page 612, CPH.

Top Ten Things Never Say To A Policeman

I was paging through some old Homiletics magazines, when I discovered this helpful bit of information.  I doubt that anyone reading this would ever need this kind of advice but, well, you never know.  So here goes...

1) I can't reach my license unless you hold my beer.

2) Sorry, Officer, I didn't realize my radar detector wasn't plugged in.

3) Hey, you must have been doin' about 125 mph to keep up with me.  Good job!

4) Are you Andy or Barney?

5) I thought you had to be in relatively good condition to be a police officer.

6) You're not gonna check the trunk, are you?

7) Gee, Officer! That's terrific.  The last officer only gave me a warning, too!

8) Do you know why you pulled me over? Okay, just so one of us does.

9) I was trying to keep up with traffic.  Yes, I know there were no other cars around.  That's how far ahead of me they are.

10) When the officer says, "Gee, Son...Your eyes look red, have you been drinking?" don't respond with, "Gee, Officer, your eyes look glazed, have you been eating donuts?"

Why read and study the Scriptures daily?

We should ask that through the same Spirit and His grace, by means of the daily exercise of reading and doing God's Word, He would preserve in us faith and His heavenly gifts, strengthen us from day to day, and keep us to the end.  For unless God Himself is our schoolmaster, we can study and learn nothing that is acceptable to Him and helpful to ourselves and others.

Book of Concord
Formula, Solid Declaration
Art. III - Free Will
page 553, para. 16
Concordia - The Lutheran Confessions, CPH

And...if you're looking for a weekly Bible class, why not check out Church of the Master's weekly Thursday morning class.  The class meets at 9:30 am at 2340 W. Cactus Road.  We're currently studying the Gospel of Mark.  Come and join us!

Being a follower of Jesus is a 7-day-a-week thing

Does God care who wins the Super Bowl? I remember Kurt Warner, former Cardinals quarterback's, answer to sportscaster Dan Patrick and it was good - God isn't so much concerned about the outcome of the game as He is about those who call on His name.  Warner opined that it was more important that Christians players, on and off the field, play the game and live their lives in such a way that the give glory and praise to God and are faithful to Him in all the times of their lives.

Warner went on to say that after he won his first Super Bowl. he thought his teams would win even more.  What better way for Warner to continue to testify about the goodness of God.  Instead, his team (the Rams) lost the second Super Bowl game they played in; Warner got hurt and was eventually picked up by the NY Giants; he became the starter but ended up on the bench behind Eli Manning; came to Arizona, started but then found himself on the bench again, backing up Matt Leinhart. 

Through those tough and disappointing experiences that Warner learn that he could still be a positive witness for Jesus Christ.  Because he handled adversity with unwavering faith, Warner heard from folks that his example had helped and inspired them.  Because Warner gave his all to his teams, even when he was not playing, other were encouraged to do the same.  And all the while, his testimony did not change.  It was clear to teammates, coaches, broadcasters and others that Christianity was a 7 day a week thing for Kurt Warner, not something he rolled out occasionally when times were easy and good.

I really appreciated Warner's testimony and it was obvious that Dan Patrick respected Warner for his honesty and his winsome style of speaking on behalf of Christ Jesus.  Christianity is not something we do on Sunday and then sit on a shelf for the the next six days.  Being a follower of Jesus is a 7 day a week thing.  It's remembering that we are His full time representatives.  And it's not a burden being so.  We are in partnership with the God who considered our salvation so important that He gave His one and only Son to be our Savior from sin, death and the devil.  God bless your witness as you share the love of Jesus with others this weekend!

Jesus, your ransom!

Dr. Jack Preus, writing in his book, "Just Words," notes that "Ransom is a word that evokes the marketplace, particularly the slave market.  The ransom was the price paid to purchase a servant or slave from indenture or slavery.  In this passage, Jesus saves that He came to be a servant, not to be served (Mark 10:45).  Jesus is playing all the roles.  He is the servant - perhaps it would be better to say slave - standing in our place.  He is the one who came to pay the price for securing the freedom of those in slavery.  And He is the price paid, the ransom required to secure the slaves' freedom.  Christ is everything in this transaction."

Do we need this ransom payment from Jesus? Absolutely! According to Proverbs 5:22, "The evil deed of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast."  Bondage to sin becomes our condition, our way of life.  In John 8:34, "Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin'."  Unless we are somehow freed from this bondage to sin, our future is bleak; spiritual death and eternal separation from God is the fate we face.

But the apostle Paul brings good news! "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all men." (1 Tim. 2:5-6)  The price to secure your freedom from sin, death and the devil has been fully paid! Rejoice in the Savior who gave His life as a ransom for you!

Hope for those grieving their sins

The Bible assures us that God never punishes His people for sins they have committed.  "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."  But there is a direct connection between sin and death.  Sickness and death are constant reminders that we live in a sinful world, that the perfectedness of Eden is gone, that we personally need a Savior from sin.

Arno Wolfgram - The People's Bible - 1 Kings - page 121 - Northwestern Publishing House 

The verdict on the Last Day ahead of time

"And they lived happily ever after," is the way that most fairy tales end.  But we know that in real life, very few stories end a perfectly happy way.  But then I read the following from Gene Veith's blog on May 12, 2009.  Those who place their faith in Jesus Christ will experience a perfectly happy ending to their life - in fact, we don't even have to wait to the end to begin enjoying what we have right now!

Prof. John Pless quoted theologian Gerhard Forde on what absolution is: "The verdict of the Last Day ahead of time."  In other words, when we hear that we are forgiven in the Gospel, we are "getting the good news of the happy ending ahead of time."  (Pless quote)

A society that rejects divinely created order is in chaos

An insightful and spot-on comment from Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison, President of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."  This simple statement of the Declaration of Independence asserts a God, a Creator, and a self-evident truth.  In our postmodern context, many people no longer accept any such external constraints...It is no longer "self-evident" that marriage should be between a man and a woman.  While this is the most self-evident reality in all of history, it does make sense that the attack on natural law should be most intense over God's crowning creative set, that of creating mankind as male and female.  The postmodern individual will not tolerate limits to personal freedom.  Therefore, any natural knowledge of God must go.  Indeed, God must go! Yet a society that rejects divinely created order (reason!) is in chaos.

From his book, Christ Have Mercy, page 213

No doubts!

 God assures us that when we ask him for something, he will give it to us.  By doubting him, we make him a liar and contradict our own prayer.  By not believing him, we insult God truthfulness, the same truth we rely on him when we pray.  This is why we say the little word Amen at the end of our prayers.  We use it to express our firm, heartfelt faith.  It's like saying, "O God, I have no doubt that you will give me what I ask for in prayer.

Martin Luther, "Faith Alone," January 26

Luther on the value of the Lord's Prayer

Since this prayer has its source in the Lord, it has got to be undoubtedly the highest, noblest and best prayer, for were He to have known of a better one, this pious, faithful schoolmaster, He would have also taught it to us.

From "Lord's Prayer - Commentary on Luther's Catechisms" by Albrecht Peters, page 10 

Giving up the spotlight

As I was reading through Matthew 6 yesterday, I couldn't help but think, "Let it to Jesus to get right to the heart of the matter."  He seems to be asking, "What is your motivation? When giving to the poor or needy, do you want center stage or back stage?"

That Jesus addresses the question of giving to the poor is no accident.  Supporting those less fortunate than you was an important part of Jewish piety.  As Jesus teaches, He assumes that His hearers will help the poor.  The question is not "whether" but "how."

Unfortunately, there were some who gravitated toward center stage so that they could make a big show of their acts of righteousness.  In case you weren't paying attention, a trumpet blast would signal when a person was offering a gift, drawing attention to the person's generosity - center stage!

Jesus calls such center stage people "hypocrites."  From the Greek, the word means "play actor."  Jesus can see right through such folks.  "Man looks on the outward appearance but God looks upon the heart."  (1 Samuel 16:7)  A heart exam of such hypocrites shows that such giving is not to practice piety but to increase popularity.

Instead, the giving that pleases God comes from backstage, away from the spotlight.  Those who give with sincere hearts do not do so in such public places as the synagogue or on the streets.  Instead, giving is done in secrecy.  Without trumpet or fanfare or show.  This is what Jesus is getting at when He says, "Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."

What is our motivation for giving to the poor or helping the needy, both in our church and in the community?

Jesus shows us the way.  Instead of setting up shop in Jerusalem, where He could have really been noticed, the Lord walked dusty trails while helping those He met in the villages of Galilee.  He fed the hungry.  He helped the hurting.  He offered hope to the hopeless.  Finally, He gave Himself as the payment of the sins of the world.  Through faith we receive His gifts of forgiveness, peace and hope.  We look forward to realizing that reward that the Father has for us - eternal life in heaven.

I found the first four verses of chapter 6 of Matthew to be good food for thought.  This week, as I am able, I'll look to take my place...backstage.  Out of the spotlight.  Looking to help, for sure, but doing my best to make sure that God gets the glory and the praise. 

Hope - You Can't Live Without It

It's the thing that keeps us going during the dark night of the soul, the power that keeps us moving forward when we're ready to give up.  It moved Job, who was tested and tried, to confidently write: "I know that my Redeemer lives."  Even as he faced death, it led the apostle Paul to write: "Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day." That's hope - pure and simple.

A favorite verse of my is Hebrews 6:19(a): We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

Writing about this verse, Rev. Richard Lauersdorf has this: "Few things were more important to the sailor in a storm than a good anchor and a good ground for it.  Believers in Christ have both.  They have an 'anchor for the soul, firm and secure.'  Like some anchors whose strong flukes cannot be twisted out of shape, so we have in Christ an absolute strong and reliable hope."

In Christ Jesu we have a safe harbor.  The storms of life, while threatening to us, cannot destroy us.  We flee to Christ.  Anchored in the solid ground of His Holy Word, we can stand firm against the temptations of the devil.  Satan cannot steal our soul.  Christ comeback victory on the third day ensures us of new life now and eternal life in heaven.  As Jane Fryer writes, "Flee for refuge to Him! Take hold of the life He offers you! Live in great courage!  You are His now and forever!" 

Satan's goal?

Reading a great Old Testament survey book written by John Jeske, a WELS pastor and professor.  I really appreciated this paragraph:

(Satan's goal) is to rob us of our thankfulness for God's good gifts.  If it was within Satan's power, he wouldn't let us have a single piece of bread, not a single penny of income, not even a single hour of life.  But since that's not in his power, he'll try to rob us of God's blessings by making us ungrateful and unappreciative of them.

Isn't that what Satan did to the Israelites? They had God's constant attention and protection, they received everything they needed and more from God's gracious hand, and still they grumbled and complained.  God has done the same for you and me.  If an ancient Israelite could be thrust into our world, the Israelite wouldn't believe it - we have so much! Yet, how often are we prone to grumble about the stuff we don't have or the stuff that someone else has? 

Don't fall prey to the devil's evil schemes.  Let this prayer be on your lips today: Oh give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His mercy endures forever!  Amen. 

18 Inches - The Greatest Distance in the World

What's the greatest distance in the world? Not the miles across the Atlantic or down to Antarctica, but the distance between the human head and heart.  Those 18 inches are the most difficult in the world.  Why? Because only God the Holy Spirit can travel them.  Millions hear about Jesus Christ as their only Savior, but only some believe.  The rest shake their heads in rejection or nod in seeming approval, only to go their own ways.  Their ears have heard but not their hearts.

What about me? Can I say with my heart, "Jesus is my Savior whom God raised from the dead?" Can I say with conviction: "His death counted for me.  His resurrection assures my resurrection.  Because He lives, I also will live, body and soul, in heaven some day?" Then thank God the Holy Spirit.  Through the gospel he carried the message from my head to my heart.  My faith is His gift.  Through that gospel He still works when my faith wavers to bridge the distance between head and heart.

The Spirit helps me travel another distance, the one between my heart and mouth.  When Jesus has moved from my head to my heart, then he'll also move from my heart to my mouth.  I'll proclaim gladly what I believe and thank Him for it.  I'll tell others what I believe and ask them to join me.  By God's grace it'll be head to heart to mouth, with the name of Jesus my precious Savior.

Richard E. Lauersdorf
"Together with Jesus - Daily Devotions for a Year"

Northwestern Publishing House 

What is the secret to having joy?

Here's the secret: if we seek joy for its own sake, we will not find it.  If we seek Jesus, we shall be engulfed and inundated by joy, and quite by surprise.

Matthew Harrison
"A Little Book on Joy"

page 9 

The Friday Funny!

 

Today's funny...

One day the pastor came to visit me.  He said, "You know, you're getting older.  Are you prepared for the hereafter?"

I replied, "Sure! I'm ready right now."

The pastor exclaimed, "Really? How is this so?"

I explained, "As I walk through my house each day - whether it be in the kitchen, family room or bedroom - I am always asking myself, 'Now, what am I here after'?"