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Isaiah 65:24 Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.

God sent some rain our way yesterday. Not as much as we needed, but He did send some. For that I thank Him.  The clouls and showers kept the temperatures more than 15 degrees cooler than yesterday for most of the day. For that I thank and praise Him.

Have you ever noticed that when people get what they have asked God to do for them they say, “God answered my prayer!” What they mean is “God answered my prayer in the way I wanted Him to answer.” I’ve also heard people say “God didn’t answer my prayer,” when in fact He gave them an answer they didn’t want to hear.

The reality is that God hears and answers every prayer offered with faith in Jesus.

1 John 5:14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

When we offer up our prayers in faith, we can be confident He hears and answers them. Every single one. The problem is we don’t always acknowledge Him when He says “No.”  But that is a legitimate answer. So is “Not now” or “wait awhile.” Paul recognized a “No” he received from God to His petitions.

2 Corinthians 12:8–9a Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

God, a loving Father, is going to answer in the way that is best for you. Sometimes it will be what you request. Sometimes He will say no. Sometimes He has something better than you asked for in store for you. He knows how to give good gifts.

Luke 11:13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

You know from God’s Word how giving God is. He already gave you His best when He sent Jesus. He has given you the payment for your sin so that you can have eternal life, starting today. Forgiveness is a reality in your life for Jesus’ sake. And God does not stop there. He invites you to come to Him with your wants and desires in Jesus’ name.

Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

Prayer is a simple thing. It is talking to God and making your requests known to Him. He will answer. It may not be the answer you are seeking, but it will be the answer that is best for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:17–18 pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

I thank God for yesterday’s showers. I will continue to implore Him to give us relief in the form of more rain. I know He will answer in His time and in the way that is best for me.

One of the volunteer activities I really enjoy is working with Habitat for Humanity. I’ve been doing that for quite some time, but even more so since retirement. On a recent build, I was up on a ladder taking a measurement for a guy on the ground, and it was 19 5/8 inches. I made a comment, “that’s the year I was born.” The guy on the ground had a shocked look on his face. He said, “No. Really?” I said, “Yeah, 1958.” The other guy said, “That means I’m older than you!” He was surprised by that. I wasn’t sure how to take that!

A few minutes later, when I was back on the ground, we continued the conversation. He said he would soon be 65 years old. I told him that was a good thing, to which he replied, “The way I look at it is that I’m that much closer to being dead.” My immediate response was, “Oh, I don’t worry about that.” Again, he had the shocked look on his face, but it soon turned to a smile. You see, he knows I’m a Christian. We’ve had many conversations about that. I openly share my confidence that Jesus paid for my sins and I know I’m going to heaven because of what He did for me. I try to make it part of my everyday conversations.

Colossians 4:2–6 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Sometimes I do that well. Others times not so much. At the LCMS Youth Gathering in Houston last week, it was about a fifteen minute walk from my hotel to the convention center where I was volunteering as one of the people who answered the gathering helpline calls. Most times I walked down that street, the same woman was sitting or sleeping on the same sidewalk bench. One morning I was walking briskly to the 7 a.m. shift and she looked at me and said “Good morning.” I replied, “Good morning to you.” I had put a cold soda in my backpack that I was taking to my shift, but I said, “Would you like something cold to drink?” She eagerly accepted it and said, “God bless you.” My response was “God bless you, too” and I hurried off to my shift. A couple of minutes later, I realized I did not make the most of that opportunity. I should not have been in such a hurry to keep going. I should have had more of a conversation with that lady and offered to pray with her. I should have made sure she knew I gave her that soda in Jesus’ name and that she knew that He loved her and died for her, too.

Father, thank you for bringing me to know and believe that Jesus is my Savior and giving me the certainty of life and forgiveness. Help me to proclaim that message clearly as I should in my day to day life. Help me to fill my conversations with grace, your grace, so that I can make the most of every opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus. In His most holy and precious name I pray. Amen.

Romans 10:8–17 (NIV84)  “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

My wife taught Preschool for a number of years. She will tell you that the parents of preschoolers have no secrets. Their children tell their teachers everything they hear their parents say and everything they see them do. One day in the middle of class a student of hers said, “My daddy likes to dance around the house in his underwear!”  That was an image she did not want to have in her head.  She also heard about the “bad words” parents would use. Those children were watching and listening, and then they shared what they knew.

As a disciple of Jesus, someone who believes that He is your Savior, you need to be aware that the world around you is watching and listening. They are looking for inconsistencies, chinks in the armor, evidence that you are no better than they are. And they won’t have to observe long before they see those things. We understand that we live under grace and mercy, that we have forgiveness for our sins and failings, but the world around us does not have that understanding.

I’m not saying that it is okay to sin. It is not. God hates sin. Always. He does not want anyone to do it. Ever. And that is why we strive to live a new life. You and I understand that the burden of all our sin was placed on Jesus on that cross. He bore that weight and paid our penalty so that we could have forgiveness. We believe in Him so that we will not perish but have eternal life. Someone shared that message with you, you heard it, and by the power of the Holy Spirit you believed it. It is now our task to share that message with the world around us. You need to share what you know to be true.

While those around us are watching and hoping to see us slip up, they are listening. That is why we need to be sure to share the message that was shared with us from God’s Word. Be sure to give God praise and glory in your conversation. Paul reminds you here: For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.  When you speak your faith that saves you, others will hear it. It is the message they need to hear so that the Spirit can work through the Word in their lives. A few verses latter Paul affirms:  faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

Remember that you are being watched. People are listening. Strive to live the New Life to which you have been called. And share the reason for the hope that is in you:  Jesus Christ, crucified and risen!

Happy Birthday, Rachel! My oldest daughter turns 40 today. That is a sobering thought. Wasn’t I just 40 years old the other day? Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not complaining about being older. If I hadn’t grown older I would not have had the joy of being “Papa” to my grandchildren!  I try to see each day God gives me here on earth as a blessing and an opportunity to live for Him.

Sure, I have my share of physical ailments that come with age. Some of them are visible and noticable, some are not. I try not to dwell on them because I trust God’s promises. He has already shown me that He can be trusted. He sent the Savior He promised immediately after the first sin. He kept that promise in Jesus, who gave Himself for the sins of the world, including mine. I have the absolute certainty of forgiveness, and that changes the way I look at every day God gives me here. Read over these promises.

2 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

Isaiah 46:4 Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

God renews and sustains me when I listen to His Word and reflect on all that He has done for me in my life. I know my Savior, but I also recognize God’s gracious provision. Good old Martin Luther wrote about it this way in his explanation of the First Article of the Apostle’s Creed.

I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life.

That is a great reminder or God’s ongoing care for me. That has been true my entire life. And while I remember the past, I endeavor to not idealize the “good old days.”

Ecclesiastes 7:10 Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions.

It is up to me to make today good. I do that when I remember I am a redeemed child of God and try to share that message with the people I encounter. That is our responsibility as followers of Jesus.

Psalm 71:18 Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.

God help us all to declare God’s Good News to the next generation.

Again, Happy Birthday Rachel. We will see you soon. I pray God blesses you with many more and I will enjoy every one I get to see as well.

Today is the final day of the LCMS Youth Gathering “In All Things.” It wraps up with a morning worship service in Minute Maid Park, and then everyone starts making their way home. Well, almost everyone. Some of the Planners will be here another day answering the help line, packing up things and all the other stuff that goes with putting on an event this size.

There have been so many Christ-centered presentations and moments that the participants were a part of and are now taking home with them. They have been reminded that God is IN ALL THINGS, including the brokenness and hurts and depression and hard times they will go through. It is a message we all need to hear over and over again, and I’ll probably be sharing some of what I heard in the days and weeks ahead.

Last night I was listening to one of the speakers, I was reminded of Psalm 31.

Psalm 31:9–16 Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak. Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors; I am a dread to my friends— those who see me on the street flee from me. I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery. For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side; they conspire against me and plot to take my life. But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me. Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.

The Psalmist speaks of things that are a reality in our lives: distress, sorrow, grief, anguish, affliction and terror. Just because you have faith in Jesus, you are not exempt from these things. In spite of all this, the Psalmist speaks words of trust and confidence. “My times are in your hands.” No matter what is going on in your life, God is in control and God is with you. In all things, good and bad, God is in control and He is with you.

You have this assurance because He speaks it over and over in His Word. And in His Word made flesh.  Jesus came to be one of us to take our place in punishment, earn our forgiveness, and open heaven for us. He did that by dying on a cross and rising again in victory on the the Third Day.

Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

God not only is with us IN ALL THINGS, but through Jesus He gives us ALL THINGS we need.

Let that thought go with you in everything you do today.

A man arrives at the Pearly Gates and Saint Peter welcomes him. Peter explains, “Let me tell you how this works. It takes a 100 points for you to get in. You give me an accounting of your life, and I’ll tell you how many points you get.  The man begins by saying, “I was married to the same woman for 57 years and was completely faithful to her. I was a good husband, father and provider for my family.”  Peter replied, “Excellent, that will get you two points!”  The man was a little surprised at the small value placed on that, but he continued: “I was a faithful member of my church my entire life. I always tithed on all my income and was active in service through my congregation and church body.”  Peter again said, “Very good. That gets you one point.”  The man was more concerned now, but he went on with his accounting. “I volunteered at the local homeless shelter every week. I helped at least once a month at the food pantry to distribute items. I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity to help build homes. And I served on the board of Family Promise to provide a helping hand to families in situational homelessness.”  Peter said, “That is wonderful. One more point.”  The man was flustered and replied, “One point? At this rate the only way I’ll ever get into heaven is by the grace of God!”  Peter smiled broadly and said, “Come on in.”

I like that story because it reminds me of an important truth. The good deeds I do are not the cause of my salvation, but a response to it. My forgiveness and life, both here and in eternity, were earned by what Jesus did.

2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

I don’t have it in me to accomplish what needs to be done for my salvation. Jesus took my place, paid my penalty, and defeated death and the devil for me.

Ephesians 2:8–9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

When I stand at the pearly gates, it will not be a list of my deeds and what I have done that earns my forgiveness and entry. All I have to say is “I believe Jesus already paid my entry fee.” And then you will be with Him.