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On October 10, 1999, the American cable network A&E started counting down a list of the 100 most influential people (good or bad) of the millennium, from the year 1000 up through 1999. It was compiled by a group of 360 journalists, scientists, theologians, historians, and scholars from all over the world.

Do you know who was first? It was Gutenberg, the German printer who invented movable-type. Second on the list was Sir Isaac Newton, who contributed to physics, math, and the far reaches of the universe. Do you know who was third? Martin Luther. The guy who wasn’t a scientist, who never led an army, ruled a country, or painted a masterpiece. And it was not just the folks at Biography that felt this way about Luther. TIME Magazine put Luther in the second position of 100 most influential individuals of the last millennium. Here are some of the things he did:

• He stood up to the anti-Scriptural and misguided teachings of the church in his day.
• He gave people the Bible in their own language.
• He promoted education for everyone
• He wrote music
• He influenced almost every aspect of religious and secular life.

But here is something Luther did not do. He did not want people to call themselves “Lutheran.” In 1522, Luther, in his own colorful way, wrote:

“I ask that men make no reference to my name and call themselves not Lutherans but Christians. What is Luther? St. Paul would not allow Christians to call themselves Pauline or Petrine. How then should I, a poor evil-smelling maggot sack have men give to the children of Christ my worthless name?”

Luther had a way with words, didn’t he? And he took that position because, above and beyond everything else, he used the Bible to point people to the grace of God which is found only in Jesus Christ, God’s Son, the world’s Savior. Luther pointed out that the Bible wanted lost and sinful souls to realize that when the Holy Spirit gives them faith in the Savior, there is forgiveness and life eternal. That is why the Reformation is so significant. It is all about sharing Jesus.

When we celebrate the Reformation and the way God used Luther to restore the truth of His Word, we are not pointing people to Martin Luther. We are pointing people to Jesus. And it isn’t about our size or our strength. It is about what God can do. That was the reminder He issued through Zechariah when His people were given the daunting task of rebuilding the Temple after the Babylonian Captivity:

Zechariah 4:6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.

As the ones who have the Reformation as part of our heritage, we need to trust God’s power at work in us as we continue to point others to Jesus as the only hope for a fallen world. It is all about Jesus. He alone is our hope for life and forgiveness and salvation.

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you. Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem. Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

This Psalm was David’s cry for mercy after being confronted with his sin of murdering Uriah the Hittite so that he could have Bathsheba for his own wife. David had a man killed so that he could have his wife. David admitted his sin, owned up to it, and pleaded for God’s mercy. This psalm is an earnest admission of guilt. David didn’t try to pass the blame. He acknowledged that he was a poor, miserable sinner, one who deserved nothing but punishment from God. But his words also show that he knew God had promised mercy for Jesus’ sake. Sure, this was long before Jesus had been born, but David believed God’s promise of a Savior. He talks about the salvation God gives. He knew that Good News was for him.

You and I have the same evil in our hearts that led David to sin. Jesus spoke of that in His Sermon on the Mount.

Mark 7:21-23  For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man `unclean.'”

A point Jesus was trying to make is that people spend more time worrying about things OUTSIDE of them while the problem is in our own HEARTS. We are more concerned with appearances than we are with the sinful condition of our hearts. Sprucing up the outside while ignoring the inside would be like spending all your time polishing and waxing your car, but never servicing the engine or changing the oil. Or it is like putting a new coat of paint on a house that has been infested with termites. The outside may try to hide what is inside, but it is still there. Evil resides within us, in our hearts. We need clean hearts. We need to cry out with David, Create in me a clean heart, O God.

God does that, He gives us clean hearts. It is not our doing, but God’s. When you do the kind of soul-searching David did in that Psalm, when you recognize your sin and admit it to yourself and to God, when you have put your faith in Jesus, the Good News of the forgiveness God accomplished through Jesus will be most meaningful to you. Since Jesus has paid the price for sin with a perfect life and an innocent death, God gives those who believe in Him clean hearts.

The heart is the heart of the matter. As is your heart, so is your life. To live the life God desires, you must have a clean heart. That happens when you cling to the promises God has made in His Word. Jesus died to wash away the stain of sin from your heart. Jesus rose again so that you might live in purity before God. He has washed you so that you might respond to God with the actions that come from a clean heart.

Our continued prayer needs to be that God would cleanse and change our hearts to enable us to live a new life as His children.

One way to view God’s Word is as a love letter to you from your Father. I came across a compilation of Scripture passages (some of which are paraphrased) from years ago entitled “A Letter from Your Dad.”  I don’t know the who put this together, but I thought it was well done and worth sharing.

My Child,

Before I formed you in your mother’s womb, I knew you. When you were woven together in the depths of the earth, My eyes saw your unformed body. I created your inmost being; I knit you together in your mother’s womb. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, and you are created in My image.

I did this so that you would reach out for Me and find Me, for you are not far from Me.  When you seek Me with all your heart, you will find Me!

In me you live and move and have your being. You are My child! All the days ordained for you were written in My book. I know the number of hairs on your head!

You have relied on Me since your birth and you can rely on Me forever. Do not fear, I am with you. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

If earthly fathers know how to give good gifts to their children, how much more will I, your heavenly Father, give good gifts to My children? I lavish my love on you! Every good and perfect gift comes from above, coming down from Your Father of Lights. I do not change like the shifting shadows. I have no turning. I am the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

I long to give you the desires of your heart. I know the plans I have for you! Plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future. I can do immeasurably more for you than you can even ask or imagine.

I carry you like a lamb close to my heart. I am closest to the brokenhearted and those who are crushed in spirit.

Nothing can separate you from My love, the love I have given to you in my Son, Jesus. Neither life, nor death, nor angels, nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation can separate us!

Come home to me. Come home! For I rejoice more over one sinner who comes home than over ninety-nine righteous people! Come home and I shall throw a big party!

I will live with you. I will be your God and you will be my child. I will wipe every tear from your eye. There will be no more mourning or crying or pain.

I love you with an everlasting love,

Your Dad

1 John 4:7–11 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

There is a profound truth in this passage that we all need to get a hold of: He loved us first!  And wrapped up in that is the understanding that love in its purest form is His love for us, not our love for Him!

John 15:9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me.” 

You may never have picked up on this before, but think about the sequence here. First the Father loved Jesus; then Jesus loved us; then we are commanded to love one another.

1 John 4:7 …for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” 

If everyone who loves has been born of God, then we were transformed by His Love – which came first – in order to even know who He is!  His love for us is what allows us to know Him and be born again!

1 John 4:11      “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. “

Since God so loved us…He loved us first! That is empowers us to love each other. Why is this important? Why is it significant? What difference does it make who loved whom first? Understanding this gives us a clear understanding of who we are as Christians. It would be impossible for us to keep the command “love one another” unless we first understood that we are God’s adopted children, dearly loved by Him from before the day we were born, and constantly being molded into His image.  If we did not believe that, we would never find the encouragement, the strength, or the will to attempt to love our own friends and families, much less our enemies!

1 John 4:10: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

God’s love is so profound that He would pay the tab for our sins. Jesus came to be the sacrifice for our sins. He came so that we could have life now and life forever with Him. His love is immeasurable, beyond our comprehension, so vast that it covers everything, and it is everlasting!  He is our loving Father.

1 John 4:11      “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. “

About 30 years ago I found an old cassette tape in my dad’s things. The source was not identified, but it was someone who received a phone call from. That was the inspiration for a sermon I delivered years ago, which I have edited and updated for today’s devotion. It is a bit longer than most, but I hope you enjoy it.

Hello? Yes, this is Mike. Who is calling? Heaven? Is that you, Gary? No? It really is heaven? Why, yes, I’m a Christian? Operator, this ain’t a collect call, is it?

Hello? Yes sir! Yes sir! I’m thrilled to death you called, I truly am. Well, yes sir, it’s good to hear from You. You haven’t heard from me for awhile? You know, its funny, but just last night I was going to pray. Yes I was. My wife and I were laying in bed, listening to the television, watching Monday Night Football, and I told her that as soon as the game is over, I’m gonna switch off the set, say my prayers and go to sleep. But you know, we set the timer on the TV, and I got so tired that I was asleep before that game ended. It’s not that I didn’t want to pray.  I was so tired I just went plum off to sleep, Lord. But I tell you what I’m gonna do – I’m gonna do better. I’m gonna start tonight. I’ll say my prayers tonight whether I need to or not!

Sir? Yes sir, I go to church! I sure do! Every Sunday, well, almost every Sunday. I’m a faithful church member. Yes sir. Did I go last Sunday? Yes sir, I sure did! What did the preacher preach about? Well … he preached about … uh … it was on … he referred to Matthe… uh … Isai… uh, no, that was a couple of months ago … let me see … Sir? Did I go the week before? Well, you know, I can’t make it every week, Lord. I’d like to, but I can’t go every week. After all, I work hard all week, and I need a little time for myself on the weekend. And that partcular Sunday was so pretty that I went … what’s that?  Oh! You know where I went. Yes sir. I caught two stripers and four crappie.

What’s that? Yes sir! I’m a good steward. Now, by that, you mean tithing, giving to the church? Yes sir, I’m a real good steward. Yes sir, I give to the church. Every Sunday! What? Well, yes sir, every Sunday that I go. Am I growing with the church? Yes sir, I sure am. Just last Sunday I gave $5 more that I did the time before that! Sir? Well, yes sir, that’s right, there wasn’t change for a twenty in the collection plate when it came by me last Sunday. How’s that? What do you mean I’m not a faithful steward? Lord, I gave over $500 last year! And after all, I … sir? You mean do I understand what stewardship means? I … it means that everything I have belongs to You, and you want me to give the first 10% of everything back to you. Well, Lord, I tell you, right now you kinda got me in a bind. It’s gonna be kinda hard to give any more right now…yes sir, 10%. But I told you, I gave over $1000 last year! How much did my wife and I make last year? Was it over $100,000? Yes sir, it sure was. But I guess you already know that, don’t you? What percent is that? Less than 1%. Boy, you are good at math!

Let me tell you, Lord, I understand what you’re asking for, but let me explain. You see, if I don’t pay my mortgage, they’ll take my house. If I don’t pay my utilities, they shut off the water and the power. I’ve got to keep making payments on my boat, or they’re gonna come take it away. And then I’ve got a few medical bills I need to pay, as if those doctors need anymore money!  Now once I get all those things paid for, and then put my kids through college, I figured I’d start tithing then. Yes sir! If I don’t pay for those things, we’d have to do without! What? Well, if I don’t pay my tithe, nothing happens, right? Pardon? Where did I get all this stuff from? Who gave it to me? Nobody gave it to me, Lord. I worked hard for all I’ve got! What’s that… oh, yes, if you want to get technical, I guess it does all come from you … 10%? Well, Lord, if I don’t make my boat payment, they’re gonna come and get it, and then I won’t have it!  … If I didn’t have a boat payment, maybe it would be easier for me to tithe? Yes sir, I guess it would. You think maybe I have my priorities mixed up? Well, yes sir, maybe I do.

What’s that? Am I involved in my church? You bet I am. Yes sir. I’m very involved in my church. Every time somebody comes by here to tell me there is something going on at that church that shouldn’t be, I’m the first one there to jump all over that preacher and tell him what I think! Yes sir! Sir? Oh, that ain’t the way to do it, huh? Well that’s the way most of ‘em do it! Oh, this is a person to person call, just to me, huh?

Well, yes sir, I help out in the church when they ask me. Well, no, not every time they ask me. When was the last time I helped out at the church? Uh…well … let me see … oh yeah, I remember now. I stopped by at the church to see if I could borrow the preacher’s chain saw, and he had to go get it and I sat and answered the phone while he went and got it for me. That don’t count, huh? Yes sir.

Oh, yes sir, I read my Bible. Yes sir, —I sure do. I love my Bible. When was the last time? Well, sir, I believe it was, well, … well, you know, Lord, every time I go to church, the preacher reads it, and he reads to us right from the Bible, and I mean, after all, ain’t that the same thing? He’s reading it to me. Yes sir, I’m supposed to read it, too. Yes sir.

Well, no, Lord, I don’t go to Sunday School. I told you earlier, the hours I work, I like to sleep in a bit on Sunday … what’s that … well, yes, I do get up early if I’m going fishing … I suppose I could wake up early enough to go to Sunday School if I wanted to. Yes sir. But I make my kids go. Yes sir, they go. I see to that. Uh, one of the people from the church picks em up and brings em home again. Yes sir, I’m a good influence on my kids. Never in this home do we do or say anything that wouldn’t be a good influence on our children. What’s that? What did I say when I got my thumb caught in the screen door? You heard that, did you? Well sir, its just like I tell my kids, “You don’t do as I do, you do as I say!”  Yes Sir! That ain’t the way?

Do I give you the praise? Yes sir, I sure do. Just the other day, when I was 30 minutes late for work and slipped in without the boss seeing me, I said, “Thank God, I made it again!” Yes sir, I always give you the praise. What’s that? That’s not what you had in mind? That’s not keeping your commandments? Well, Lord, ain’t the commandments in the Old Testament? Aren’t we living in the New Testament? Read my Bible and find out? Well, I kinda figured that while I was talking to you, you might kinda bring my up to date on things. What’s that? By following your commandments I show you my gratitude? Well, yes, that does make sense.

What? Oh, no, Lord, we don’t gossip. No sir, we don’t do that. We don’t say anything about anyone unless we’re absolutely sure it is true. Yes sir! And then we only tell our closest friends our neighbor’s faults, and we tell them not to tell anyone else, even if our neighbor is no good. We tell them that it is just between us and should go no further. Oh, you know about that.

How’s that, Lord? I need to go to church more? I need to pray more? I need to be a better steward?  I need to live my faith? Yes sir. I believe I understand. Even if I’m giving my 10%, I’m not doing anything special, I’m not giving you anything that doesn’t already belong to you. I’m just paying a debt of gratitude. What’s that? Did I ever stop and figure out at 10% how far behind I’d be with you? No sir, I don’t believe I’d like to know that. What’s that? You won’t hold that against me? Oh, yes, I know, you promised that Jesus took care of all that.

How’s that,? That’s the main reason you called? You want to make sure I understand how much you love me? Well thank you, Lord! I love you, too. What do I think your love is? How would I describe your love? Is that a trick question, Lord? Oh, it’s not a trick question, and its not hard. The answer is easy? I guess the answer would be Jesus. Yes sir. I remember what I learned about Him. You loved me enough to send Him down here to take care of all the sin I’ve done. Yes sir, I believe that. And I believe that His death really did pay for my sins. Yes sir, I believe He rose again from the dead.

You know what, Lord? I think I know where you’re going with all this. When I remember all that you’ve done for me … well, I’m gonna do better. I will do better. Yes sir. I guess I haven’t considered all the blessings you’ve sent my way. Yes sir, I know that it’s a blessing to be able to worship you in this country without violating man-made laws. Yes sir, I realize that you must love me to have given your Son to die on a cross for me. I want to thank You for that, Lord, and I’ll tell you what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna start doing better. I’m gonna rededicate my life right now. I’m gonna quit talking about my neighbors. I’m gonna start tithing my 10%. I’m gonna go to church on Sunday. I’m gonna go to Bible Class, and I’m gonna take an active part. I won’t have to take anybody’s word about what’s going on in the church, because I’m gonna be there myself! Yes sir! And I’m gonna pray more, talk to you more. And it would be nice to hear from You more, Lord! What? Oh, that’s why You had those guys write down Your Word, so I could hear you talking to me all the time?  I understand.

Uh, Lord, if I’m gonna do better, I’ll need your help. You will? Thank you, Lord. Yes sir. And it’s been good talking to you, too. I’m glad you called. OK. Bye now.

What’s that dear? Who was on the phone? You’d never believe me if I told you. No, it wasn’t a wrong number. Boy, did He have my number!

In 360 AD Julian became Caesar. He was the nephew of Constantine the Great who “Christianized” the Roman world. However, Julian wanted to re-establish pagan worship in the Empire and became known as “Julian the Apostate.” He openly persecuted Christians and took away all the rights they had gained under Constantine.

He accused the Christians of trying to obtain followers by bribing the sick. He wrote, “These impious Galileans give themselves to this kind of humanity (the sick) as men allure children with candy, so they … bring converts to their impiety. Now we can see what it is that makes these Christians such powerful enemies of our gods. It is the brotherly love which they manifest toward strangers and towards the sick and the poor.” Julian did not care for the Christians at all, faulting them for being kind and loving.

However, he had been educated in Athens alongside a dedicated Christian by the name of Agaton. Agaton was spared persecution, even being given a position in Julian’s court. Of course, he was constantly teased by Julian for his beliefs. One day, in front of a large group of wealthy Romans, Julian asked, “Agaton, how is your carpenter of Nazareth? Is he finding work these days?” Agaton smiled and answered, “He is perhaps taking time away from building mansions for the faithful to build a coffin for your Empire.” Less than two years later, Julian lay dying with a Persian arrow in his chest. He had led his troops in an attempt to take over the ancient Persian Empire. He grabbed a handful of dust, red with his own blood, threw it up and cried, “You have conquered, Galiliean.” The Roman Empire has long since crumbled into the dust of history. But the Empire of the Carpenter lives on. And He will reign forever and ever.

In the final analysis, Jesus will emerge as the victor. Those who are on His side, those who have placed their confidence in Him will share in His victory. Anyone can be a part of that. All it takes is faith. Believe that His death paid for your sins, put your confidence in Him and not yourself, and you have the forgiveness He earned for you.

God wants the best for you – all of you. His love is powerful, it conquered sins and death so that you could be reconciled to Him. And once you have that, He will not let you go.

Romans 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.