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Psalm 68

Psalm 68 praises the God of Israel for his mighty acts of deliverance throughout the history of His people. It speaks not only of His awesome power, but also of His love, His compassion and His care.

I don’t know how many times over the years I have heard people complain about being afraid of the God of the Old Testament, because it speaks of Him carrying out vengeance and destruction. But have you read how God’s people describe Him? I hope you will take time to read all of Psalm 68 today.

The early church understood this psalm as a foreshadowing of the resurrection, ascension and rule of Christ now and His ultimate triumph on the last day (Ephesians 4:8–13). I can understand that when I read verse 20.

Psalm 68:20 Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.

We get an escape from death. It comes from God. We will still have an earthly death, which is a painful separation from this world and hurts those who are left behind. But we have a victory over death that Jesus earned for us.

I had a good friend die of a heart attack this past Monday, just one week after my mom died. I had visited with Him in church on Sunday. We were going to go do a clean up job together on Wednesday and then go fishing together on Saturday. But instead he got to go to heaven and we are left to grieve. But, as I reminded you last week, our grieving is different that those who do not believe in Christ, those who live without hope.

Psalm 68 reminds us of the goodness of our God, “… A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,  … God sets the lonely in families.”  He is concerned about us in our present state, and has provided us an eternity with Himself by His redeeming work.

Psalm 68:35 You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!

Our God is an awesome God!

 

 

 

 

Psalm 682025-10-16T20:31:32-05:00

Follow Directions

Yesterday’s message “Read the Instructions!” reminded me of a test that I was given when I was in the fifth grade. I was in a multi-grade class of 5th and 6th graders, and our teacher gave this test to everyone. It was similar to this:

  1. Read everything carefully before doing anything.
  2. Put your name in the upper right-hand corner of this paper.
  3. Loudly call out your first name.
  4. Circle the word NAME in sentence two.
  5. If you have followed directions carefully to this point, call out “I have.”
  6. Draw five small squares in the upper left-hand corner.
  7. Put an “X” in each square.
  8. In your normal speaking voice, count from ten to one backwards.
  9. Sign your name under the title of this paper.
  10. Put a circle completely around sentence number seven.
  11. Put an “X” in the lower left-hand corner of this paper.
  12. Draw a triangle around the “X” you just put down.
  13. On the back of this paper, draw a picture of your house.
  14. Loudly call out, “I AM NEARLY FINISHED. I HAVE FOLLOWED DIRECTIONS.”
  15. Draw a rectangle around the word “corner” in sentence six.
  16. On the reverse side of this paper, add 8950 and 9805.
  17. Put a circle around your answer, and put a square around the circle.
  18. Punch three small holes in the top of this paper with your pencil point.
  19. Underline all even numbers on the left side of this paper.
  20. Now that you have finished reading everything, do only #1 and #2, put down your pencil and sit quietly at your desk.

I will admit that in my eagerness to get it done, I did not follow the directions. Only one or two students did, and they were trying hard not to laugh out loud at the rest of us. Our teacher drove home an important message that day: Be careful. Make sure you are following directions before you do something. And be sure you have all the information you need before proceeding.

This is critical in our lives as followers of Jesus. We need to understand the whole  counsel of God. He has shared with us everything we need to know in His Word. But often times we don’t read it or remember it or follow it. And don’t rely simply on what you see others doing. They may not be following the directions properly. Read the Word for yourself. Dig into it. Meet with others to discuss it and grow in your understanding of it. And try to live according to it in grateful response to knowing that God has given you what you don’t deserve: forgiveness and salvation for Jesus’ sake.

John 6:28–29 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

 

Follow Directions2025-10-14T07:23:42-05:00

Read the Instructions!

(Today’s devotion is much longer than usual, but I hope you will find it worth the read,)

MATTHEW 9:35-38   Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” 

Once there was a rich and powerful, yet also very kind and generous landowner, who hired people to work on his farm. He told them their job was to plow the fields. He promised to provide them with everything they needed to get this job done, and also promised that once they had finished, they could retire to live in his huge mansion forever. So he gave all of his workers an instruction manual. He and his manager had written the manual when the farm first started and was very successful. He stressed that it was very important that they read the manual carefully, because it contained all the information they would need to get the job done. Then he commended the workers to the care of his capable and talented manager, who was always available to them whenever they needed and requested his help.

At first, the workers read the manual diligently, and rarely did a thing without seeking the manager’s help and guidance. They did their job well and accomplished much. But, as time went on, the workers were so anxious to get into the field that they rarely even glanced at the manual or consulted the manager before they went to work. They reasoned, “Who has time to sit and read when there is so much work to be done?” Instead, they would head straight for the plows, grasp the chains attached to them and begin pulling the plows through the fields.  It was very hard work! A few of the laborers became discouraged and quit, but most of them kept on pulling the plows because they were so devoted to the landowner, and because they looked forward to the retirement plan so much. But the work was difficult and slow! Occasionally the foreman would conduct an evening exercise class to help the workers develop bigger muscles. These helped a little, but as soon as a worker developed more strength, they would pair him with one of the weaklings. This only led to more discouragement, because that would just slow him down and he would have to pull a bigger share of the load.

This went on for quite a while. Then, one day, one of the workers decided to read the entire instruction manual carefully. It had been a long time since anyone even looked at the manual. As this worker read, he discovered something wonderful. The manual said that the landowner had an unlimited supply of tractors available to anyone who asked for one. All the laborer had to do was approach the manager and ask for one–just ask! He was so excited that he immediately approached the manager and asked for a tractor. The manager replied, “Sure!  I’ll be glad to give you one right now.” And He Did!!

That very afternoon the worker on the tractor went out into the field and plowed dozens of acres of land. When the other workers learned what he had done, they were amazed, so they asked him how he had done it. He told them all he did was read the instruction manual and did what it said–ask for a tractor. Most of them doubted his story. Some of them said that he was a fanatic. Others said that he was crazy, or that he had been hitting the sauce too early in the day. Some even got angry with him and said, “You really think you’re something special, don’t’ you?”

This worker didn’t understand the resentment of the others. He got frustrated that no one would believe him. He said, “I’m not special. I didn’t do anything by myself. All I did was what it said in the instruction manual. I asked for a tractor, and the manager gave me one immediately, and my work was made much easier.”

The others shook their heads in bewilderment, and then went back to pulling their plows under their own muscle power. Why? Most of them thought they had to be “extra good and worthy” to even ask for a tractor. They felt they must earn the right to ask for one. Others felt the work was supposed to be hard, tiring and draining, because the retirement plan was such a good offer. Just a very few of them ever bothered to read the instruction manual, and those who did figured that the tractors were a special gift intended only for the very first workers. Who knows, maybe someday all of the laborers will read the instruction manual, believe what it says, and ask the manager for a tractor to help them do the work he has asked of them.

Jesus often spoke to His followers in parables, and that is what I have been trying to do today. Let’s examine the symbolism here:

  • You and I are the laborers
  • God is the landowner who promises the reward
  • The manager is Jesus Christ
  • The field is the world, ripe for harvest
  • The Holy Spirit is the powerful tractor
  • And the manual is the Scripture, with all of God’s powerful promises.

Does this parable ring true in your life? There are a great number of dedicated Christians who want to put their hands to the plow for the master. They remain faithful out of love and loyalty to Jesus, knowing that He has provided the retirement plan of eternal life. And all too often they try to live their life without the benefit of having read the manual. They say, “If all else fails, read the instructions!”

All else will fail! You must read the instruction manual. It is only in the Bible that you will find the joyous message of how Jesus came to earth to snatch you away from the clutches of sin, death and the devil. It is only in this manual that you will discover how the salvation won by Christ for all men can be made your own. Only the Bible tells you that marvelous promise of God: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.

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!”

Read the Instructions!2025-10-14T07:22:26-05:00

Oxymorons

Mark 10:35–45 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.” When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Oxymorons: Words that people put together that really shouldn’t be put together. Oxymorons are words that contradict each other, yet are used in the same breath, right next to each other, and somehow we make sense of them. For example, when you try something on in a store, you might say, “It’s a little big.”

We use oxymorons all the time:

freezer burn
Jumbo Shrimp
Live Recording
Same difference
Tight Slacks
Pretty Ugly
Almost Exactly
Constant Change
Awfully Good
Civil War

Even though the words are opposites, somehow we understand what is meant when they are put together. In fact, some of them make very good sense to us even though they are contradictory terms.

That is the way Jesus is speaking to His disciples in the passage above:  … whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. Even though the terms contradict, we understand what they mean. Greatness in God’s Kingdom comes through Service. High placement by God is given to those who don’t try to elevate themselves. And it is all put into proper perspective when we look at Jesus Christ. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

So much of our faith seems to be contradictory or paradoxical. The way God has made Himself known to us is not what you would expect. Who would have expected the Almighty and all powerful and all-knowing Creator and Ruler of everything to become a man? Not only that, who could have guessed that He would choose to be born in the humblest of surroundings, live an ordinary life, facing hardships and struggles each day? And who could ever have guessed that the way we would best know and understand God would be through an instrument of torture and pain, a place of execution, a crude, rugged cross?

The greatest news you will ever hear comes to you in an oxymoron: crucified and risen. It does not make sense to put those terms together, and that is why the world rejects this message. It just doesn’t happen. But in the case of Jesus, it did. It makes sense when you put the power of God into the equation. Yes, Jesus was put to death for our sins. But an even greater “yes” is God’s raising Him again to let us know that sin has been paid for, death has been defeated, and life eternal is a free gift to all who trust in Him.

Jesus did everything for us. He was a servant. While we were sinners, He died for us. Even though we lived as His enemies, He reconciled us to Himself (Romans 5). It all appears so contradictory, but it is true. We can live with these oxymorons because we have been led to faith. In gratitude for the Savior’s dying love we will try to follow His example, being servants to one another.

 

Oxymorons2025-10-14T06:07:54-05:00

Not Lost!

Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

In the week since my mother received her crown of life, I have received a multitude of messages and condolences and hugs and words of encouragement from my friends. I want you all to know how much my family and I truly appreciate your kindness shown to us. The heartfelt concern and care has been a tremendous blessing to all of us.

One of the ways people express their sympathy at a time like this is to say, “I am sorry for your loss.” I have said it myself more times that I can remember over the years. And the sentiment is understood. It is an appropriate and accurate expression of the way we feel. We have “lost” mom in the sense that she is not here among us, we cannot see her or have a conversation with her or laugh with her or hug her again on this side of heaven.

As I heard those words “I am sorry for your loss” over the past week, I was thankful for the love I felt from the people saying them. And I am grateful that God also spoke to me loudly and clearly and reminded me that mom is not “lost.” We know exactly where she is. She is with her Savior, in the place He prepared for her, because she believed that He paid for her sins and defeated death for her.

As one who has now “lost” both of my parents, I prefer not to think of it in those terms. I am sure there will be times in my grief that I feel that way, but I would rather focus on what a gift it was to have them both. I cannot imagine not having had them in my life and the tremendous blessing they were. They loved me and cared for me. They taught me about Jesus. They showed me His love and grace and mercy and forgiveness in my life. They will always be with me because they are part of who I am. And I rejoice knowing that I have not lost them. I know where they are and that I will see them when I am privileged to stand before the Lamb on His throne.

Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Not Lost!2025-10-14T06:06:32-05:00

Roll On

Yesterday we held a memorial service for my mom at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Dallas, Texas, the congregation where she was a member for more than half a century. It was a wonderful service in which everyone present was pointed to the hope that we have because of what Jesus did for us through His life and death and resurrection. It was a message I needed to hear and I am grateful for all those who attended to remember mom, support our family, and worship Jesus.

My family moved to Dallas in the summer of 1966 so dad could serve that congregation as their pastor. I was going into the 3rd grade. Shortly after we arrived, the congregation broke ground for the sanctuary. It was completed and dedicated the following year. That house of worship was constructed in such a way that there was a large hill outside the entry to the Narthex, which sloped down to a courtyard. My siblings and I were among the first to roll down that hill even before the grass started to grow on it. Later, my own children would do the same when we visited there. After the service yesterday, we had a reception for all those present, and I watched and listened as my grandchildren were laughing and rolling down that same hill, getting grass stains on their clothes and having the time of their lives! Generations of youngsters have done that now. It gave me a new slant on the passage, I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” (Psalm 122:1 ESV).

But watching my grandchildren roll down that hill reminded me of another passage as well.

Amos 5:24 But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!

Just as a flowing river brings life-giving water to plants and animals and people, so the message of God’s justice and righteousness needs to flow in order to nourish otherwise perishing souls. We go to worship and take our children to worship to hear and be built up in the Good News of who Jesus is and what He has done for us. While they enjoy rolling down that hill, the message of the righteousness Jesus earned and gives to us will roll on through the ages and generations as God’s people share it in their places of worship, their homes, and their daily conversations.

Cheryl and I brought our grandchildren to our house last night. We will take them to Sunday School and Worship with us this morning so we can all hear and rejoice in the message of Jesus and his love. We need to make sure this message will “roll on” to the coming generations.

Roll On2025-10-12T06:28:54-05:00

Knowledge

1 Corinthians 2:1–5 When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.

A few days ago Cheryl and I were watching a movie together. I recognized one of the actresses and asked Cheryl what her name was. Cheryl took out her phone, asked Google who played the role in this movie, and instantly had an answer. It also listed all the other movies and television shows she in which she appeared.

Knowledge is good. We have an incredible amount of information available to us in an instant, more than we can ever hope to retain. And that is a blessing. Google (and other search engines) say that you can have all the knowledge in the world. But we have to be careful with it. Sin entered this world because the Serpent tempted the woman with having the knowledge that God had (Genesis 3:1-7). Many in our world today are convinced they do not need God because they “know everything.”

Johannes Kepler was a brilliant mathematician and astronomer. He had studied to be a Lutheran minister, but did not pass a theological interview. So he focused on using his talents in science, resolving to do so in light of his Christian faith. Recently, a friend of mine shared this Kepler quote with me: “Science is the process of thinking God’s thoughts after Him.”

Science does not replace God. It reveals what God has done. It shows the miracle of His creation with all of its intricacies and beauty and order. But science cannot show us God’s ultimate love. That was done on a cross, where God Himself suffered the consequences of sin for everyone, dying the death we deserve. An empty tomb on the third day adds to the revelation of His love, ensuring victory over death for everyone who believes in Jesus as his or her Savior.

That is why Paul said, “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”  That is the knowledge everyone needs to hear and accept and in which they should place their trust. That is how you receive the forgiveness and life and salvation Jesus already earned for you.

 

Knowledge2025-10-10T07:53:20-05:00

Graveside Service

“We now commit this body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him to subdue all things to Himself.

 May God the Father, who created this body, God the Son, who by His blood redeemed this body, and God the Holy Spirit, who by Holy Baptism sanctified this body to be His temple, keep these remains to the day of the resurrection of all flesh.”

Today we will place my mother’s remains in her grave, next to my sainted father’s remains. It will be a day filled with emotion. Words similar to the ones above, which I have spoken myself at least a hundred times over the years, will be said again. And we must face the fact that she is no longer here with us. Tears will flow. Sobs will be heard. Emotions are part of the way God made us, and there is nothing wrong with them. They are how we express the feelings inside of us.

Emotions can be an expression of our faith and part of our worship. But they are not the BASIS of our faith and worship. Our faith is based on who God is and what He has done for us. Our faith is based on what God has told us in His Word, the certainty of His love and the forgiveness He offers to everyone for Jesus’ sake. It is all about what He has done for us, not what we do or don’t do. That is why I requested the following words to be read at the committal service:

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.

We do not grieve as those who have no hope. Our hope is based on Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, who paid the price for all sin, rose from death, has prepared a place for us with Him in eternity, and is coming again to take all the faithful to be with Him. Encourage each other with these words.

Graveside Service2025-10-09T18:31:16-05:00

Was Blind But Now I See

Luke 7:18–23 John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?’ ” At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found
Was blind, but now I see.

This past Monday my mom got to see Jesus face to face. The Monday before Cheryl and I had driven to Dallas to have lunch with her and she seemed to be doing well. But now she is doing so much better!

In the few days she was hospitalized, she had some fear and anxiety. Even though believers know they have eternal life, death is still an enemy. My siblings and I all reminded her that she belonged to Jesus. He paid for her sin, claimed her through Baptism, and was with her always. And now she is with Him.

As I was thinking about this, I remembered a video I saw of a two-year-old girl who was born blind and deaf. She was able to come to the United States to have surgeries that restored her sight and her hearing. The video shows the doctor taking off her bandages after her eye surgery. Her mother was holding her as she fussed and screamed, uncertain as to what was going on. After a moment she opened her eyes and saw for the first time. There was a mixture of awe and confusion and wonder. Then she saw her mother, threw her arms around her neck and hugged her. Mom had always been with her, but now she saw her face to face.

I believe that is what it is like to go through the portal of death. Fear and confusion enter the picture. And then we see Jesus. The passage above has Jesus assuring John that He is the promised Messiah. He fulfilled the prophecies of bringing physical healings, but He had come to do so much more. “… the good news is preached to the poor.” That Good News was proclaimed by the angel to Joseph before our Savior was born:

Matthew 1:21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

He did that by living a life God’s Law demands of us, without sin, and offering that perfection to pay the price our sin deserves.And then He conquered death for everyone. Faith in Him claims that victory as your own, an unmerited and undeserved gift from our loving and gracious God.

Jesus lives! And now is death
But the gate of life immortal;
This shall calm my trembling breath
When I pass its gloomy portal.
Faith shall cry as fails each sense:
Jesus is my confidence!
(Lutheran Service Book #490 stanza 5)

You can see the video I mentioned here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnYKe21uNzc

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Was Blind But Now I See2025-10-09T05:15:11-05:00

Keep Your Fork

I shared this story many times over the years at gravesides and memorial services.

There was a woman who had been diagnosed with cancer and was told she only had three months to live. Her doctor advised her to start making preparations to die. She contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what she wanted to be wearing. The woman also told her pastor that she wanted to be buried with her favorite Bible.

Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the woman suddenly remembered something very important to her. “There’s one more thing,” she said excitedly. “What’s that?” came the pastor’s reply. “This is very important.” The woman continued, “I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.” The pastor stood looking at the woman not knowing quite what to say. “That shocks you doesn’t it?” the woman asked. “Well to be honest, I’m puzzled by the request,” said the pastor. Here is the explanation the woman offered.

“In all my years of attending church socials and functions where food was involved (and let’s be honest, food is an important part of many church events, spiritual or otherwise) my favorite part was when whoever was clearing away the dishes of the main course would lean over and say ‘you can keep your fork.’ It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming. When they told me to keep my fork, I knew that something great was about to be given to me. It wasn’t Jell-o or pudding. It was cake or pie. Something with substance. So I just want people to see me there in my casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder ‘What’s with the fork?’ Then I want you to tell them: ‘She knew something better was coming, so she kept her fork.’”

The pastor’s eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the woman good-bye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She KNEW that something better was coming. At the funeral people were walking by the woman’s casket and they saw the pretty dress she was wearing and her favorite bible and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over the pastor heard the question “What’s with the fork?” And over and over he smiled. During his message, the pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. The pastor told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either. He was right!

The reason we know something better is coming is not because of who we are or what we have done. It is all because of Jesus. Good Friday was good because that horrendous suffering Jesus was willing to endure was on our behalf. The sinless Son of God was willing to bear the sins of all people and make full payment for them by allowing Himself to be crucified in our place.

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.

And then on the third day, He burst from the tomb in triumph over sin and death, opening heaven for all who will believe in Him. Through faith in Jesus, we know something better is coming.

The next time you reach down for your fork, let it remind you that, for Jesus’ sake, there is something better coming. Keep your fork. The best is yet to come.

 

Keep Your Fork2025-10-03T18:30:21-05:00

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