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Psalm 119:105 Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path

When was the last time that you went for a walk? Ever since you took your first steps, you’ve been walking, some more than others. Some like to walk for their health. Others walk because of their job. Some walk just for the pure enjoyment of being outside in God’s creation. Regardless of the reason you walk or the reason you don’t walk, health experts tell us that we need to do more walking to stay healthy. Walking provides great benefits to our health if we do it consistently. It helps us keep the weight off, strengthens the heart, and helps control blood pressure to name a few. You may know all of that, you may have that knowledge in your head, but that doesn’t mean you will walk any more than you have been. A lot of folks say, “I know I should get some exercise, I should go for a walk,” but then simply sit down again in front of the TV or staring at their phones. Exercise is an individual decision and it is not enough to just want to go for a walk. You actually have to do it. You are free to walk or to sit still, but the decision you make will affect your health.

I think you know I am talking about more than physical fitness. I have some advice from God’s Word on spiritual fitness and it involves walking in the Word of God. “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” God invites you be in his Word every day, assuring you that he is with you to guide and lead you. What a great opportunity our Heavenly Father gives to us by giving us His Word. We don’t have to wonder what he is thinking or wonder about his nature or desires for our lives and this world. We can hear our Father’s heart directly from him in the gift of Scripture.

Health experts say that walking 30 minutes can make a huge difference in your health. What would happen to your spiritual life, to the life of the church, if those who loved the Lord would spend 30 minutes a day walking in the Scripture? As followers of Jesus, we need to have that daily time with Him in His Word, taking advantage of the opportunities we are given to study His Word in Bible Studies, small groups, through personal devotions or whatever works for you.

A friend who had knee replacement surgery was told me that the thing she wasn’t prepared for afterwards was how weak her entire body would be. After being confined to a bed, her muscles weakened from not being used. Without walking on a regular basis, it is amazing to see how legs that once worked well can now only hang there helplessly. With therapy and determination, the muscles can be strengthened and useful again.

In many Christians lives, they have been sitting too long without being active in the reading of the Word of God. They have become stuck in their spiritual growth.  And because they are stuck in their spiritual growth, that spills over to other aspects of their lives. In fact, some have wandered from the faith. They fail to apply the teaching of God’s Word in their lives and as a result they have become spiritually unhealthy. As the church, one of our tasks is to build up the Body of Christ to true spiritual health so that we might be better equipped to reach those outside the church.

Walking daily in the Word of God can empower you to serve your fellow human beings with the love of Jesus. That Word calls us to remember who we are and to show us the error of our ways. For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) You and I need to know the truth so that we walk in the right direction. While most of us don’t like to be corrected, correction is beneficial. Think of it like going to a doctor for a checkup. He may listen to your heart and say, “I do not like what I am hearing.” If your doctor said that to you, would you want to know what the problem was? Or would you rather not know and remain ignorant of the problem inside of you?

God’s Word is what we need to walk in the right direction in our lives – Sharper than a two edged sword! Perhaps some are not in the Word because they do not want to hear what the Word has to say to them. The Word penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joint and marrow. That is an amazing statement.  The Word of God judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart of man—your heart and mine.  It cuts through the baloney of life and lays it out on the table.  Here it is. That is how the Word of God in the law does its work. It exposes the disease of sin, so that the healing can begin with the Gospel. Without that exposure, the sin can fester, grow, and lead to death. But when brought to the Light of God’s News in Christ, the healing begins.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. His Word is the lamp and light every day because He knows the pathway that I am on, He sees the snares and things that would trip me up along the way, He sees the detours that would tempt me to turn aside. I need His Word in my life to keep me walking in the light and in the truth. Sometimes that truth convicts me because it points out the sin in my life, yet I need to hear it. That Word of truth calls me to repentance, reminds me of the truth of a Friday that we call Good on which Jesus died for my sin, and just as importantly reminds me the victory won on Easter was for me. I can walk in the truth that Jesus’ blood was shed for me so that life now and life forever with him is assured.

So how much or where do you walk? It depends on how healthy you want to be. Do you need to change the way you walk in God’s Word? Change is not always easy. We need the help of the Holy Spirit to change our poor habits of walking in God’s Word for good ones. When a child is learning to walk, there are many times he or she falls down and then gets up again. But there is a determination to get it right! Maybe you have fallen down in the study of the Word. Now is a great time to get up again. The more you practice, the better you will become by the strength that God provides.  Part of learning, however, is falling down and getting up again.  Do not be satisfied with where you are!

I believe that as the Children of God called to be His very own through baptism that we truly have a desire to hear from our Father. Our struggle, like many things in our life, is that we have the best intentions and plans until it actually comes down to how to begin that walk. Start with small steps. It would be great if everyone would spend 30 minutes in God’s Word every day this week. It would be awesome to spend 210 minutes this week with God. I am sure it sounds good to you, too. But I also know it might be a little overwhelming, so let’s start with some small steps by saying 5 of the 7 days this week you are going to spend 5 minutes with God in His Word. 5 minutes for 5 days this week. Give it a try.

1 Timothy 6:6-12   But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.  But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.  Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses

Have you ever noticed that a newborn child at rest can sleep through just about anything? The phrase “I slept like a baby” is used to describe a peaceful, contented rest. When a baby is sleeping you can pick up its little arm and it is limp. Let it fall back to the mattress and there is hardly a ripple in the child’s sleep. That kind of total rest gives us a picture of contentment. It is a life that has very little, but is content with what it has. The older a child becomes, the more restless the sleep becomes. The older we get, the more we become concerned about life, what we have and what we don’t have. That is why Jesus warned  “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15) Paul was preaching the same message when he wrote godliness with contentment is great gain.

There are two universally recognized truths in the passage above.

1. We brought nothing into this world
2. We can take nothing out of it.

Let’s examine these truths through the lens of the Law. I came into this world with nothing, and I leave with nothing. That means all I have is the time in-between to make my mark. I have to do something to make myself important, to prove my worth, to make myself special so that others can see beyond my nothingness. I have to talk a good game, win friends and influence people. If I work at it hard enough, perhaps I can convince others that I am worth something. If I can amass enough stuff here on earth, maybe, just maybe, I will find peace and security and contentment. And who knows, maybe I can take something with me?

A farmer took his pastor on a tour of his land. The man was very proud of what he had and what he had accomplished. As they drove over the vast expanse of land that this man owned and worked, the farmer said, “Reverend, I am as good and as God-fearing a person as the next fellow, but are you going to tell me that God did all this without my help?” The pastor was quiet for a moment before he said, “Ask me that again in 100 years.”

You brought nothing in and you take nothing out. If all we had was the message of the law, we would be pretty desperate people – never happy, never satisfied, always worried.

But let’s take a moment now to consider these two truths through the lens of the Gospel message, the Good News of Jesus as our Savior. If we bring nothing into this world, that is ok, because all we need is already here: Jesus Christ and the eternal life that is ours in him. God loved us enough to let Jesus come to pay for sins and redeem us from everlasting death. Knowing Christ and Him crucified and risen again transforms my nothingness into wealth and a peace that passes all understanding. God takes my nothingness and turns it into a life with purpose. The purpose of our lives as disciples of Jesus is described in this passage as being to “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” Take a moment now to reflect: Are those the things you are pursuing, or are your pursuits determined by what the world says you should have? Which would be better for you: A bigger house and a newer car, or more righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

When you stop to think about what is truly important in your life, it is much easier to be content with what you have while you are here. The biggest blessing that we have, and one that so often is taken for granted, is the forgiveness and life and salvation that God has given us in Jesus Christ. How often do we say, “Oh, yes, I’m a Christian, I’m a believer,” and fail to recognize the awesome thing God has done. He loved me, a nothing, who brought nothing into this world and will take nothing out of it, enough to want to make sure that I would not have to suffer the eternal consequences of my actions. God loved all people so much that He wanted to provide a way to let us escape the punishment our sins deserve. That love led Him to send Jesus to take our place in punishment and death. When Jesus died, it was to pay for your sins and my sins. When Jesus died, it was to let you off the hook. And by His rising again on the third day, Jesus has guaranteed that you have access to eternal life with God. This world is not all there is. It is not even the best there. That is yet to come. And you have a free pass to get in through your faith in Jesus.

“We can take nothing out of this world.” When heard from the perspective of the Good News of Jesus as Savior, that is not a scary prospect. We brought nothing in and we take nothing with us, but it all belongs to God anyway. And if we are going to be with Him, why do we need to take anything with us? The one who gives us all we need here has gone to prepare a place for us there.

Sometimes when I am striking a deal with someone they will say, “I can live with that.” You’ve probably heard it too, maybe even said it yourself: “I can live with that.” It is a statement of acceptance and satisfaction, and to some degree, contentment. Maybe the kind of contentment you need to have in your life, the godliness with contentment that Paul describes, is to remember what God has already done for you and given you in Jesus Christ and remind yourself “I can live with that.” It actually goes way beyond that. You cannot live without what Jesus has done for you with His perfect life, His death in your place and His victory over the grave. But try to remember these things Jesus did and say to yourself: “I can live with that.” The more you can remember that, the more you are going to be living that godly life that is content with what God has done for you in Christ.

I am content! My Jesus ever lives, In whom my heart is pleased.
He has fulfilled the law of God for me, God’s wrath he has appeased,
Since he in death could perish never, I also shall not die forever.
I am content! I am content!
(Lutheran Worship #145 stanza 1)

I have been involved with and a supporter of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League since I served my first congregation in Oklahoma. I made it a point to attend the meetings of our local society as well as the Spring and Fall Zone events each year. My wife, Cheryl, has been even more involved with this organization on every level. We love the heart and purpose of the LWML – sharing God’s love in Christ with the world.

I tell you that to set the stage for this. Cheryl and I had a policy: We don’t volunteer each other to do things. It took us almost 20 years to come to this agreement, but we learned the hard way that we should not volunteer the other without checking first. After we had come to this agreement, my dear bride was serving on our LWML zone. About 10 days before the Spring Event, right after I had finished the labor-intensive Lenten and Easter services, she said, “Oh, by the way … I said you would have the opening devotion for the Spring Workshop.” There was a bit of blood in my mouth, I was biting my tongue so hard. After all, we had an agreement. But I calmly asked, “What’s the topic?” Her reply was, “I don’t remember!”

I was reminded of the little boy who had just heard the story of how God made Eve from the rib of Adam. He came home the next day with a serious look on his face. His mother asked what was wrong, and he said, “My side hurts. I think I having a wife!”

What follows is the devotion I used at that LWML event back in 1999:

Once upon a time, a perfect man and a perfect woman met. After a perfect courtship, they had a perfect wedding. Their life together was, of course, perfect. One snowy, stormy Christmas Eve, this perfect couple was driving their perfect car along a winding road, when they noticed someone at the side of the road in distress. Being the perfect couple, they stopped to help. There stood Santa Claus with a huge bundle of toys. Not wanting to disappoint any children on the eve of Christmas, the perfect couple loaded Santa and his toys into their vehicle. Soon they were driving along delivering the toys. Unfortunately, the driving conditions deteriorated, and the perfect couple and Santa Claus had an accident. Only one of them survived the accident. Who was the survivor?

The perfect woman survived. She’s the only one who really existed in the first place. Everyone knows there is no Santa Claus and there is no such thing as a perfect man.

**** Women stop reading here, that is the end of the joke. ****

**** Men scroll down further ****

So, if there is no perfect man and no Santa Claus, the perfect woman must have been driving. This explains why there was a car accident.

By the way, if you’re a woman and you’re reading this part, this illustrates the point:
There is no perfect Woman, either. They don’t follow instructions.

About this time, some of you may be wondering if there is a point to all of this. I assure you that there is. Yesterday I did find out that the theme for today has to do with looking to the light. There is a song by Michael Card that has the refrain, “Open your Bible and look toward the light.” So that is what I want to do now – point you to the light.

Romans 3:10-12 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

Paul is quoting from several OT references: Psalm 14:1-3, Psalm 53:1-3, Ecclesiastes 7:20. He is reminding us of something we remind ourselves of each day: No one is perfect. We are all sinful. We don’t seek God, but rather hide from Him. That is our sinful human nature at work in us. We hear the admonition:

Matthew 5:48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

And we know we have not accomplished it. Paul admitted that of himself in Philippians:

Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

So then why are you ladies here on a Sunday afternoon? In know some of you may be wondering that yourselves about right now! But the Good News is that there is something other than our sinful nature at work in all of us: The Spirit of God has worked faith in our hearts, leading us to know the forgiveness and new life that Jesus accomplished through His death and resurrection Thanks be to God! You have made that forgiveness and life your own through faith. The Scriptures speak of the perfection of Christ being put on you.

Colossians 1:28 We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.

That is how I want you to begin today. Set aside any pretense of perfection or superiority that comes from within yourself. For the time being, lay down the problems and distractions that would keep you from hearing the message God has for you here today. With humility and gratitude, let this afternoon be a time when we all “Open our Bibles and look toward the Light.”

We are not all the same. As obvious as that may be, we sometimes fail to recognize that reality. I am reminded of that every time I travel. Whether it is international or just in different parts of this country, you find differences in food, customs, speech, behavior and values. Of course, you don’t have to travel to come to this realization. There will be differences right where you live as well. We are not all the same.

That is not a bad thing. There has been an International “Celebrate Diversity Month” since 2004. It is good to recognize differences that exist between people, including those with whom we disagree. And there are going to be differences even among people with whom you agree. Scripture speaks of this.

Ephesians 4:11-16  11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Let me point out two things from these passages.

• Unity In Christ – Scripture speaks of us being many parts of one body.  We are joined together with a common life, the life that Jesus has given through His death and resurrection. And so there is no doubt as to where the life comes from, we are called the Body of CHRIST, and He is the HEAD. We, then, along with believers across time and across the planet, are all the varied parts of the body. The Body needs all the different parts to be whole. True, a body can survive without a kidney or an eye or a limb, but it will not be everything it was meant to be. It is necessary and important for all the parts to be there.
• Each part does its work – In addition to being there, the parts of the body need to do their job! That is just as true for the Body of Christ, believers. A malfunctioning parts disrupts and harms the rest of the body. God made us all different because we have different functions. Some are better suited for some tasks than others. But we all have our jobs.  We are different parts of the body of Christ, the one who has paid for our sins with His life and rose again to give us eternal life. We all have a job to do for Him as a part of His body.

I know that the world’s view of Celebrating Diversity tries to tell us that all views and belief systems are equally valid. That is not what I am advocating. As a follower of Jesus, I believe what He said:

John 14:6  “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

But I have also been led by Scripture to understand that in spite of our differences, we are all the same in some ways:

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

And because of that Christ died for all (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). Or as John put it:

1 John 2:2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

You need to be able to look at every other person in the world and understand that he or she is someone for whom Jesus died. And John confirmed that in sharing the vision that was given to him by God.

Revelation 5:9 And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

Revelation 7:9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

Every nation, tribe, people and language. I celebrate that diversity already. And I look forward to seeing it with my own eyes when Jesus takes me to be with Him in the place He already prepared.

Over the years, I have officiated at more than a few weddings. A big part of weddings is family gathering together. It is one of the times when a large number of people related to each other will gather for a happy event, a celebration. Many times at such events I will hear someone say, “We should get together more often.”

I remember one wedding I attended over twenty years ago. Both the bride and the groom came from large families. Throughout the service and the reception, family was mentioned quite a bit. The bride was welcomed into the groom’s family and the groom was welcomed into the bride’s family. They talked about being part of the same family.

As I considered all of this, I was thinking about how a person becomes part of a family. The natural way is to be born into a family. But how do you become part of a family if you were not born into it? There are two ways: you marry into the family, or you are adopted into the family. And it hit me: the Bible uses both of those images to speak of how we become part of God’s family. We marry into it, since the church is called the bride of Christ. And we are adopted into it, God graciously choosing us to be His own.

Due to the problem of sin, we are not rightfully a part of God’s family. In fact, the Bible tells us that we are by nature “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3). But God wanted to get us into His family where we belong, so He did everything necessary to make that happen. He promised to do it and He kept that promise.

Romans 9:8 In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.

Galatians 3:7 Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.

1 John 3:1-2 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

Ephesians 1:4-5 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—

The Father promised to make us His children and did it by sending His only begotten Son to be the one to pay for sin and conquer death. When we hear and believe His promise, we get the benefit of everything Jesus did. We have forgiveness. We have life now and forever. We have the certainty of God with us now and us with God forever.

What a great family. We should get together and celebrate more often.

Singing has always been part of my life. God blessed me with a strong, deep voice, and I love to sing. I don’t claim to be a great singer, but it is something I thoroughly enjoy. While I sometimes sing by myself, I prefer to do it with others. The blending of voices is sweet music to my ears.

Most of the singing I have done in my life has been to praise God. It is a natural part of my life as a follower of Jesus. We have so much for which to be grateful, especially the gift of salvation that Jesus earned for us, so we want to offer our thanks and praise to Him. We should praise God with our entire being, and singing is a big part of that praise. Scripture speaks of it often.

A while back I compiled a collection of Scripture passages that encourage us to praise God with singing. It doesn’t matter if it is a brand new song or an ancient hymn. Use your voices to sing God’s praise. Take some time today to read through these passages.

Exodus 15:1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord: “I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.

1 Samuel 18:6 When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with tambourines and lutes.

1 Chronicles 15:16  David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brothers as singers to sing joyful songs, accompanied by musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals.

Psalm 33:1-3 Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.

Psalm 95:1 Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Psalm 149:1 Praise the Lord. Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints.

Acts 16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

Ephesians 5:19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

James 5:13 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.

Revelation 5:13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”

It doesn’t matter who does the singing. When it reaches God’s ears, all He hears is our praise. Sing to the Lord!

Psalm 13:6 I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.

My mom’s dear friend Lois died this past week. They were both widowed and each other’s companion for many years. I know this is a difficult time for mom and the family of her friend. But they do not grieve as those who have no hope. Lois was a fellow believer, a follower of Jesus, one who knew that Jesus lived and died and rose for her. We have confidence that she has received the crown of life that Jesus won for her. But it still hurts.

I was thinking about that, I read Psalm 118.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.” Let those who fear the Lord say: “His love endures forever.” In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them off. They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them off. They swarmed around me like bees, but they died out as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off. I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things! The Lord’s right hand is lifted high; the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!” I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done. The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death. Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. O Lord, save us; O Lord, grant us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you. The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

There is a lot of hope and comfort in there. I’d like to highlight a few of the promises we have from God in this psalm.

The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.

Fear is natural when we think about death, when we think about life going on without a loved one with us any longer. It will be different. There will be tears. It will be lonely. But there will also be smiles and laughter as we remember. And even though that loved one is gone, God is not. He remains. He is constant. He is with us every step of the way, no matter what. To the very end of the age.

The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation

We need strength in our lives. There are so many things going wrong all the time. There is always some “wrong” that causes stress and demands our attention. That is why you need to draw on the strength of the one who said He would never leave you or forsake you. You don’t have the power to face the problems that come your way. But God does, and He makes it available to you. That is why we sing His praises. eHe

God became your salvation by keeping His promise. He said He would provide the solution to our sin, our separation from Him, and He did that by coming down here Himself. When Jesus was born of Mary as one of us, He came for the expressed purpose of saving. He would live without sinning and offer His life of perfection on the altar of the cross as payment for the sins of the world. He declared His work accomplished as He died by proclaiming “It is finished.” He died and was buried. But wait, there’s more. He rose from death on the third day to share His victory over death with everyone who believes in Him. He has become our salvation.

I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done.

Every believer needs this confidence: I will not die but live! That is what Jesus did for the world. That means He did it for each of you. And that is too good to keep to yourself. We need to tell others what the Lord has done.

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

This is true even when someone dies. The message of Easter does not change. Because He lives, we will live also. And this confidence we have in Jesus allows us to acknowledge that He is always in control, He is always with us, and He will one day welcome us into His presence in heaven.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Numbers 6:22-27 The LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, `This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: ` “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.” ‘ “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

You have heard these words hundreds if not thousands of times, most often in the context of the end of the worship service. Many of you look forward to hearing those words so you can go eat lunch or get home in time for the kickoff. Let’s think about the significance of this blessing, hopefully strengthening the impact these words have on you each time you hear them.

A phrase that catches my attention when I study this passage is So they will put my name on the Israelites. That is something we normally associate with baptism. God’s name is put on you when you are baptized, and each worship services begin with a reminder of those words: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. But according to this passage, the blessing that Aaron and his sons are to speak is another way of putting God’s name on you. So each week we begin and end worship putting God’s name on those assembled. It is a reminder of who you are.

And think about that name. When you think about God, you usually think of Him as God, or you may think in terms of Father, Son and Spirit. In the Old Testament, He told Moses He had a name, I AM, a name that is usually translated in English as LORD, as it appears in today’s passage. That name that was to be kept holy. The Jews revered that name so highly that they were afraid to say it aloud, lest they speak it carelessly and break the commandment that forbids speaking His name in vain. That attitude is vastly different from people today who rattle off “Oh my God!” time after time without ever thinking about what they just said.

That name that is to be kept holy is used in this passage three times. A three-fold reference in Hebrew was a common way of emphasizing your point. But I am convinced it was no accident that God referred to Himself three times. I believe He was giving man a glimpse of how He would reveal Himself to be Triune, three persons, one God, Father, Son and Spirit.

The LORD bless you: God’s Name is who He is. Since God is the only source of blessing, His Name placed upon you is an indication of blessing. The concept of bless has to do with giving you something good. A good and full life comes from the loving and faithful nature of our God, and there is no blessing apart from being in a relationship with the one true God. God is the one who gives life.

and keep you: The word used for keep means “watch over” or “exercise great care.” The LORD, who is the source of all life, will also preserve and take care of that life. His watchful and vigilant eye is on you. He is looking out for you and your best interests.

the LORD make his face shine upon you: A literal translation of make his face shine upon you could be “The Lord’s face light you up!” A shining face was a way of speaking about favor and good will. Divine protection is ours because God does not frown upon us, but let’s His light shine. God was recognized as being the source of all light throughout the Old Testament, as in this passage from Isaiah: The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the LORD will be your everlasting light. (Isaiah 60:19)

and be gracious to you: God’s grace is His choosing to be kind to people who don’t deserve it. God’s grace led Him to allow Adam and Eve to live outside the Garden even though they were deserving of death. God’s grace spared Cain after he had killed his brother. God’s grace picked sinful Noah as the instrument to preserve His creation. His grace chose sinful Abraham to be the father of the chosen people. His grace chose sinful Paul, changing him from a persecutor of Christians to a preacher of the Good News. His grace to YOU led you to faith and gives you what Jesus earned for you so that you will not have to be punished eternally for you sins. His grace includes all other good things He gives, but it is primarily that He chooses undeserving sinners to be His people.

the LORD turn his face toward you: This part of the verse has been translated a number of different ways. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you or The LORD look upon you with favor. It is very similar to the previous verse. “Countenance” and “face” are synonyms, and the Hebrew word is the same in both verses. The most literal translation here would be “The LORD lift up His face to you.” This would be the opposite of turning His face away from you and rejecting you. Instead, the LORD accepts you, He looks upon you with favor. Another way to think of this is that God is smiling on you.

and give you peace: God puts His peace on you. The word for peace is SHALOM, which does not mean peace as in the absence of war, but inner peace. It is speaking of the tranquillity that comes from being in a proper relationship with God, the one who places His name upon you.

May you take to heart the tremendous blessing you have each time you hear these words, each time His name is put on you.

One more story from our recent trip to Virginia. One day we took a day trip to our nation’s capital to see the Museum of the Bible. The couple traveling with us, Larry and Sally Krueger, are friends with the Chief Curatorial Officer of that Museum, Jeffrey Kloha. I knew who he was but had never met him. He agreed to meet us and spent over an hour giving us a personal tour. He took us through the History and Archaeology of Ancient Israel exhibit, and then took us to the fourth floor, the History of the Bible, a display of everything from ancient to modern texts and a plethora of things in between. He pointed out things we would never have noticed on our own. It was very informative. After he left us, we spent a few more hours wandering around on our own, which was not enough time to take it all in.  www.museumofthebible.org

However, this being only the second time I was in D.C. (the last time was more than 50 years ago), we wanted to see other things, too. We walked to the National Mall, saw the Capitol and the White House from a distance, walked to the WWII and Korean War memorials. We also walked to the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial. The memorials to these leaders were special to me because all of these men were people who shared Scriptural truth as part of their message. Much of that was pointed out at the Museum of the Bible earlier in the day. Some of it was etched in stone at their memorials.

I know each of those men were sinners like me. I know there are arguments about their beliefs and their actions. But listen to how they used their platform to share the truth of God’s Word.

“It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.”  George Washington

“You do well to wish to learn … above all, the religion of Jesus Christ [in our schools].” George Washington

“I have always said, and always will say, that the studious perusal of the sacred volume will make better citizens, better husbands, and better fathers.”  Thomas Jefferson

“I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man.  All the good of the Savior of the world is communicated to us through the Book.”  Abraham Lincoln

“My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”  Abraham Lincoln

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.”  Martin Luther King, Jr.

I pray that our nation will continue to be a place where we can freely share the message of the Savior of the world. People seem to be getting further away from the values and truth of God’s Word. They all need to hear about and be shown the love of God in Christ, which rescues from sin and death and the devil. Pray for this to happen in our nation and throughout the world. And be an instrument of God to make it happen.