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My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
No merit of my own I claim
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
(LSB575, first stanza)

Do you know where you stand? Hopefully, you agree with the hymn verse above: On Christ, the solid rock I stand! The only reason we can be sure and certain of standing is because we are based on the solid foundation of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Matthew 7:24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Unfortunately, too many people base their confidence on themselves and their own abilities. In Barna Trends 2017, people were asked to agree or disagree with the following statement: The best way to find yourself is by looking in yourself. 91 % of US Adults agreed with that statement.  But what about Christians? How did they respond. 76% of practicing Christians agree. This is a problem. Inward reflection can be useful, but it will not give you the answers you need in life. Those are found only in Christ.

Romans 7:18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.

The answers we need are not found in us, but in Christ.

Romans 7:24–25 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

He has given us the help we need. He rescued us from sin and death and condemnation. By virtue of our confidence in Him, we have the assurance of forgiveness for all sins. That is why we can Stand firm: we stand on the rock solid foundation of  Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:1–6 1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.

We have had the message passed down to us by faithful witnesses. We need to continue to share that message with the world so that future generations will also hear, and by the Spirit’s power, come to faith in Jesus.

On a trip to Williamsburg, Virginia with some great friends, we spent an afternoon in Smithfield walking through their historic district, admiring the homes and looking through the shoppes. One shoppe was a Christmas store. It was filled with bows and Santas, trees and ornaments, plaques and a wide variety of other decorations. It even had sections for Autumn and Halloween decorations. When I got to the very back of the store, tucked away in one tiny corner, I finally discovered a few nativity scenes and wise men and angels. My guess would be that less than 5% of the items in that store had anything to do with why we have Christmas to begin with.

That seems to be the reality in today’s world. Any day now you will start to see (if you haven’t already) the Christmas decorations in the big box stores, grocery stores, gas stations and other places of business. While it is easy to bemoan the marketing of what the world has come to identify as Christmas, I want to challenge you to something else this year. As the world tries to reidentify Christmas as something other than what it is, don’t let that be the reality in your life. As you see the lights and trees and decorations and wrapping paper and lights, let those be your reminder of why we have Christmas in the first place.

Luke 2:8-14 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

This announcement was world shaking. The one born that day was the Promised Messiah. He would fulfill God’s promise to redeem not just the chosen nation of Israel, but everyone. The good news was for “all the people.”  And it was not just a baby boy, but Christ (Messiah) the LORD.  God Himself took on flesh to be our Savior. He would live without sin and then pay for our sin. He would die bearing our punishment. And He would rise in victory to give us entry into life with Him now and life with Him forever.

That is what I’m going to try to remember each time I see a Christmas decoration this year. That is the message I will try to share with others as they speak to me about Christmas decorations. I invite you to do the same. The world needs to be pointed to Jesus, now more than ever.

Psalm 47

Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth! He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet. He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.     Selah    God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. The nobles of the  nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.

Why is it that some things are perfectly acceptable for us to do as Christians, as long as we don’t do them in church? That could open up a pretty big can of worms, couldn’t it? We could talk about any number of things here, but let me narrow it down for you a bit. What I want you to think about today is something mentioned at the beginning of the Psalm: Clapping!

Like many of you, I was raised in a congregation that taught us it was not proper to clap in church. I remember being told that “applause” was not appropriate because it was praising people rather than God. I will admit I sometimes still feel a little twinge when there is applause in worship – and I know some of you feel more strongly than that.

But is clapping inappropriate for worship? Not according to Scripture. Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. It is altogether appropriate for us to clap for God. In retirement I have visited over 50 different congregations. In most of those, including those with traditional worship, applause is a regular occurrence. When someone sings an anthem praising God, why not show our approval and agreement with their message by applauding. We have so many reasons to cheer for our God. Let’s think about some of them in today’s Psalm.

He has conquered our enemies. He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet. Originally, that meant victory over their national enemies. For us, those words from the psalmist mean victory over our enemies, the powers of darkness, death and hell, victory over every evil power that attacks us from birth to burial. We have this victory through Jesus Christ! When He breathed His last He declared “It is finished! I have won! I have defeated and overthrown Satan, sin, sorrow, death, hell and the grave. And to prove it, I will rise from my tomb on the third day.” And he did! So now the victory is ours. All appearances and evidence to the contrary, all sick, sad, suffering, lifeless, confined bodies to the contrary, the victory is ours. In Jesus Christ we have won! And that’s why God deserves a round of applause.

Second, we clap our hands because Christ has gone up with a shout. God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets. He ascended from the grave, but He also went up on that Ascension Thursday to the right hand of the Father. From that position of power and authority the Ascended Lord is doing three things for you.

1. He is preparing a place for you. From there he is also preparing you and your heart to enter the joy of your heavenly home. Everything that happens to you, the joys and the sorrows, the glad and the sad, is a part of the Christ-controlled, Christ-guided preparation for you to join Jesus in heaven.
2. The ascended Christ prays for you. He does what some of us so seldom, so irregularly do for others and for ourselves–he prays for us and for them. He prays for your welfare and courage and commitment and blessing and faith and hope and love and faithfulness. How could the Father ever ignore or refuse such prayers, when he looks at the nail scars in the Savior’s praying hands?
3. Jesus rules for you. That is the central thought and theme of the 47th Psalm. The One who has gone up is the king of the universe. What comfort and hope that gives, to know that things are not as they appear and seem with us and our world, to know and believe that cancer and war and violence and hate and sorrow and death are not in control. They do not rule. Jesus does. Our crucified, risen, ascended Lamb sits on the throne. He rules, bringing joy out of sorrow, good out of evil, victory out of defeat, life out of death. He rules, bringing us through the chaos and calamities of the present to an eternal future of peace, joy and love. And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.

The Psalmist reminds us that He sits on His throne, in peace and calm and quiet and majesty. It’s all under control, folks, our world, our destinies, your life and mine. Christ rules. Christ guides. Christ governs. Christ bring us and our world at last to the divinely intended goal and fulfillment. Then the present nonsense will make sense, the mysteries will be solved, the plan will become clear, the joy will be made complete, perfect and eternal.  Because of this, God deserves our applause.

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Cheryl and I will be co-hosting a trip to Greece next year with Donna Snow:  “Walk in the Footsteps of Paul.”

Links to the registration and brochure can be found at the link below.

https://www.revmattil.org/footsteps-of-paul/

If you want more information, email mike@revmattil.org.

We see division in our lives every day. It may be loyalty to one sports team vs. another. It may be pride in the state or nation in which you live that looks down on others. It shows up in political affiliations. It is a reality in belief systems. Division is part of the sinful, fallen world in which we live. Not just in our society, but everywhere in the world. And the God of creation is aware of the situation. In fact, you can even say He is the cause of division.

Luke 12:49–53  “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Jesus came to bring division? That doesn’t sound right, does it? Didn’t He have the attitude of “Can’t we all just get along?” Wasn’t His birth supposed to bring peace to the world? Was Jesus really advocating divisiveness?

Yes and no. God certainly wants unity. He wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). But He also knew that not everyone would believe in Him and His plan of salvation for the whole world. Jesus said He would bring fire to the earth, hearkening back to the prophet Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 5:14 Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty says: “Because the people have spoken these words, I will make my words in your mouth a fire and these people the wood it consumes.

Jeremiah 23:29 “Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?

Fire is the work of the Law, to expose, judge and punish the sin and transgression that separates people from each other. Part of the message Jesus came to proclaim to fallen mankind was the Law. But He also came as the very embodiment of the Gospel promises. Bearing the sin of everyone on the cross, he was consumed by the fire of the Law in our place, giving us a clean slate. That is why He could say, “How I wish it were already kindled.” He wants the suffering to be done and the rescue to be complete!

John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  

Jesus knew that to accomplish the world’s salvation, He must proclaim the Law so that we can understand just how bad things are without Him. Then He would fulfill the Law for everyone with His perfect life. He was and is the only one who can save and rescue us from our deserved punishment. He did that by taking our place in punishment so that we could be forgiven. He wants you to put your faith in Him.

Yet there is the division. It is difficult to think of the one we know as the Prince of Peace saying: Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. We are divided by faith. Either you believe that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself or you don’t. And that has eternal consequences. Jesus spoke of the division that would take place on the Last Day, when His judgment would be announced.

Matthew 25:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  

This is what will happen to those who do not believe that He is God’s Son and the Savior of all.

There was a similar dividing in the Old Testament at Mt. Sinai when Moses came down and found God’s people worshipping a Golden Calf. There was a division so that not all of them would be destroyed by God’s fire. Moses called the faithful to repent and return to the Lord. Some did. Others did not and suffered the consequences (Exodus 32).

God wants everyone to be saved. Those of us who have been led to faith know that. He is still calling those who do not believe to come and do so. And that is why we need to share the Good News of Jesus with those who have not yet believed.

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Cheryl and I will be co-hosting a trip to Greece next year with Donna Snow:  “Walk in the Footsteps of Paul.”

Links to the registration and brochure can be found at the link below.

https://www.revmattil.org/footsteps-of-paul/

If you want more information, email mike@revmattil.org.

Redefining things seems to be the thing to do these days. And I’m talking about more that just ‘rebranding’ something as newer, bigger and better. There is the mindset that we can arbitrarily change the definition of things to suit our own desires. It has reached the extreme that someone could say, “I don’t care if everyone else calls that color blue. I have decided it is going to be red from now on,” and there would be people who would support him in that belief. It doesn’t matter that there is already a color called red. The will insist that you accept and support their decision to call blue “red.”

You see it happening. Even though God created only two genders, male and female, and instituted marriage as the union of one man and one woman, our society decided to “redefine” marriage. More recently, we have been told that we cannot force our definition of gender on anyone. People can identify themselves any way they wish. Where are those voices that always shout, “follow the science” in this discussion?

Sometimes we joke about it. Like those who say that with the President’s Student Loan forgiveness, their mortgage has redefined itself as a Student Loan. We joke at the absurdity that is being tolerated and accepted as normal.

But I find myself doing more than just joking about such things. My first response is usually to get angry. And I try to tell myself it is righteous anger. Maybe I should get a whip and start turning over tables!

John 2:15 So [Jesus] made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.

But then that “pesky” Holy Spirit starts whispering in my ear again, asking me if I’m looking at them the way Jesus would. Does their sin break my heart and want to help them, or am I just disgusted and want to punish them? I say “pesky” because my sinful, fallen human nature does not want to listen. But He is insistent. And I am reminded that There is only one instance in Scripture where Jesus acted in anger. The rest of His interactions were kind and gentle, and all were motivated by His love. That is what we need to do as well. Speak God’s truth lovingly into all situations.

Ephesians 4:14–18 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. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 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. So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.

One of the things I have come to realize is that this trend of “redefining” things is as old as the Fall into sin. It is men wanting to be God. He is the one that created all things and gave definition to this world. But the serpent tempted the woman to “redefine” what God had said. Adam went along with her, and sin became our reality. With it came our condemnation and deserved punishment. But God promised a solution that only He could accomplish. He would send a Savior to buy us back from sin and restore us. As His plan unfolds in Scripture, He chose to send this Savior through the line of Abram.

Romans 4:17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.

God calls things that are not as though they were. The Creator is the one who can rightfully redefine things.That is why he can call you and me “righteous” because of our faith in Jesus. We know we are not righteous. God knows we are not righteous. But He applies the righteousness of Jesus to all who believe that He died to pay for sin and rose again to open heaven for us. That is the redefining we all need and that we should continue to share with the world around us.

Father, remind me daily of your love that reached out to me to rescue me from death and destruction. Fill me with that love so that I will share this message with the world around me, letting them know they can be redefined as righteous and forgiven as well. Thank you for sending Jesus to do this for me and everyone else. In His name I pray. Amen.

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Cheryl and I will be co-hosting a trip to Greece next year with Donna Snow:  “Walk in the Footsteps of Paul.”

Links to the registration and brochure, along with previous devotions, can be found at revmattil.org.  If you want more information, email mike@revmattil.org.

Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

If you have ever watched a serial television show, one that caries the story line over from week to week, you have witnessed people making a lot of bad choices and decisions. It seems to be the formula for what attracts an audience. Something I noticed a while back is that characters in these stories always ask each other for advice.

Let that sink in for a moment. We see one character make a terrible choice that hurts himself and everyone around him. Then we see another character go to him for advice. People keep asking advice from those who are just as messed up (if not more so) that they are.

The reality is that we are all messed up. Any advice that comes from within us will be tainted, “the counsel of the wicked” and “the way of sinners.” But we have a better place to go. We should not seek the answers from within us, but from God and His Word. We turn to the source of mercy, grace, and comfort, which is Jesus. And if we fill ourselves with His Word and Promises, we have something to offer others that does not come from our sinful nature, but from God Himself.

Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

It is in God’s Word that you will find a message a Law, the way God expects His people to live, a partial revelation of His will for you. It is also in God’s Word that you will find the sweet proclamation of the Gospel, the good news that Jesus has fulfilled the Law for you, paid for all your sin, conquered death for you and opened the gates of heaven for everyone who will believe in Him. That is the completion on God’s good, pleasing and perfect will. He wants you to accept the gift of forgiveness and eternal life.  He wants you to respond to that gift with at life that trusts Him, gratefully strives to live according to His instruction, and shares His promises with others.

When Paul wrote that young pastor Titus in Crete, he started it this way:

Titus 1:1–2 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time…

Paul was describing how those who have come to faith should live, that the knowledge of God’s truth leads to godliness because He has given us eternal life. And he includes this clarifying phrase:  “God, who does not lie…” God always speaks His truth to us, which is what we need to hear. That is why you should go to Him in His Word, and to people who speak His Word faithfully, when you are looking for advice.

P.S.  Yesterday was a great day fishing. Not a great day catching. I’ll try again soon.

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Cheryl and I will be co-hosting a trip to Greece next year with Donna Snow:  “Walk in the Footsteps of Paul.”

Links to the registration and brochure, along with previous devotions, can be found at revmattil.org.  If you want more information, email mike@revmattil.org.

JOHN 12:27-28   “Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say?  ‘Father, save me from this hour’?  No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.  Father, glorify your name!”

Yesterday I wrote about how self-serving we can be if we are not careful. Our sinful nature would lead us to think only of ourselves and not others. But that is not the life to which we have been called as the redeemed children of God. Knowing of our forgiveness, life and salvation for Jesus’ sake makes us want to respond to God’s goodness.

Jesus did not take the ME, ME, AND ONLY ME attitude. He was tempted and struggled with it, but it does not prevail. He had just come into Jerusalem, with all the people hailing Him as their Messiah on Palm Sunday. It was only a matter of days before His cruel execution for the sake of others. He knew what was coming. Just a few verses before the passage above He said “unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds” (12:24). He knew of the impending death, not for His own wrongdoing, but for yours. So He was struggling with the issue of what to do: Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say?  ‘Father, save me from this hour’?  No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour…  Jesus was a man. He had human emotions like you and me. He experienced the feelings we undergo. And when it came time for Him to serve others, what did Jesus say? “I’d rather be fishing? I’d rather be golfing? I’d rather be sailing?”

Even though Jesus was wrestling with what to do, Jesus knew the will of His Father and He wanted to do that. He knew there were difficult days ahead. But did He ask to be excused, saying He would rather be somewhere else? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name! He could have looked ahead at the arrest, the trial, the mockings, the whipping, the humiliation, the pain and crucifixion and said, “No thanks! I’d rather be fishing.” But He did not. He did not because His purpose was bigger than fishing. There is nothing wrong with fishing, but there is a time and a place for everything. His bigger calling was to glorify His Father, and at the same time bring salvation to all who would believe in Him.

You have come to this hour for a purpose as well: to glorify our God and bring honor to his name. Do you find yourself going through life always wishing you were somewhere else or doing something different? How much time do we waste wanting to be somewhere other than where we are? There is so much that you can and should be doing in response to the love of our gracious God.

There was a doctor who lived through the terrible bombing of Hiroshima. He was waiting for a streetcar only a mile away from the blast, but was sheltered by the corner of a concrete building.  Within seconds after the explosion, his ears were filled with the screams of victims all around him. Not knowing what had happened, he stood there for a moment bewildered. One doctor, wondering how he could help this mountain of patients. Then, still somewhat stunned, he knelt down, opened his black bag, and began treating the person lying at his feet. He may not be able to help them all, but he did something, which was better than doing nothing at all. You, too, must do something. Don’t despair that there is so much to be done. Bloom where you are planted, and do something. Do good to those around you. Share your faith. Pray, and give sacrificially to the work of the church. All God asks is that you do what you can with what He has given to you.

God has called each of you to be His own. Not only did He bring you to faith, but He called you to live for Him. The victory that Christ has won for you through His death and resurrection gives you the assurance of forgiveness. But it also gives you the power to overcome your sinful desires of the flesh, the power to live as God’s child. For this purpose you have come to this hour, that you might glorify your Father in heaven. How will you live for Him as you move forward from this point?

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Cheryl and I will be co-hosting a trip to Greece next year with Donna Snow:  “Walk in the Footsteps of Paul.”

Links to the registration and brochure, along with previous devotions, can be found at revmattil.org.  If you want more information, email mike@revmattil.org.

Mark 10:45 “…the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

You have seen bumper stickers that say “I’d rather be flying, sailing, jogging, swimming, fishing, golfing” and the like. For a while there were so many of those bumper stickers it made you wonder if anyone was actually doing what they want to do! Everyone seems to wish they were somewhere else.

We all understand this attitude. Life has duties and responsibilities. Some things are more fun than others. Some things are more satisfying than others. There are lots of times I find myself thinking, “I’d rather be fishing.” In fact, I’m going to do just that tomorrow!

The message of those bumper stickers is “I want to have fun all the time!” We all do. But life is not like that. We are called upon to be responsible individuals in our families and in our communities. There may be some things that we do not like, but we still have to do them. And as the followers of Christ, we need to recognize that God has called us to duties and responsibilities, not just privileges.

The Christian faith is a marvelous thing. We know beyond all doubt that our God has given us the richest treasure imaginable: complete forgiveness for all sin. Our sin had separated us from God and doomed us to punishment in hell. But our loving God intervened to provide the forgiveness we need. He did that by offering His Son to die in our place, making payment for sin, and raising Him again as the victor over death. He came as a Servant. Faith in Him gives forgiveness. This forgiveness entitles us to live in the certainty that we will live and reign with Christ for all eternity. It is a message that should make you feel warm inside, secure and happy.

However, the Christian faith is not a feel-good do-nothing faith. It is not centered in self. Rather, it continually leads its followers to ask, “Where can I serve?  How can I help you?  What can I do to make things easier for you?  What are your needs today?” That is what your faith in Jesus Christ should lead you to ask. But what I so often find is people doing everything they can to make life easier and more enjoyable only for themselves.  They stop at nothing in their efforts to feather their own nests. Some act as though they think God has called them to serve themselves, not others.

This philosophy is espoused by many in our society. This attitude was evident when a lady offered to take care of a six-year-old daughter of a friend, who was leaving town for a few days. On the first morning, the lady prepared breakfast, and brought a big plate of ham and eggs to the table. The little girl said, “My mother always fixes biscuits.” Wanting to be cooperative, the lady returned to the kitchen and made some biscuits. When she brought them to the table, the little girl said, “No, thank you.” “Didn’t you say your mother always had biscuits for breakfast,” the lady exclaimed. “Yes, she does,” replied the six-year-old, “but I don’t eat them.”

Do you get it? I do what I want to do, and I don’t do anything I don’t want to do. If you don’t like it, too bad. Many of us behave just like that six-year-old. We would like to go through our entire lives and do only what we want to do, and what we want to do is be happy, secure and comfortable. This attitude of society has spilled over into the church, and it can be summed up easily: ME, ME, ME, ME.

The attitude of the Christian should be just the opposite of this attitude of selfishness. Our faith in Jesus tells us that God is first, other are second, and we are third. Instead of ME, ME, ME, it should be GOD, GOD, GOD and OTHERS, OTHERS, OTHERS.  We should be living lives that serve others the way Jesus did. It is only after we have seen to the needs of others that we should attend to our own needs. This is quite a contrast to the way most people live. Our sinful flesh would have us consider only our own needs.

Chew on that a while and I’ll have more on this tomorrow.

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Cheryl and I will be co-hosting a trip to Greece next year with Donna Snow:  “Walk in the Footsteps of Paul.”

Links to the registration and brochure, along with previous devotions, can be found at revmattil.org.  If you want more information, email mike@revmattil.org.

Psalm 143 A psalm of David.    O Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief. Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you. The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness like those long dead. So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed. I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah  Answer me quickly, O Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord, for I hide myself in you. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble. In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.

Previously I shared that we had gone over two months at my house without any measurable rainfall. That changed while we were out of town for ten days. Upon our return, I found my five-inch rain gauge was filled to the top and had overflowed. I don’t know if it came all at once, or over several days, but the results were evident. Our pool was filled to the rim, and our pond had come up several feet. While the cracks have not completely disappeared they have closed up quite a bit. Grass that was brown and crunchy when we left had once again greened up and needed mowing. This parched land enjoyed the rain, it soaked it up and responded. Even the few squash plants that I had left were now flourishing and bearing fruit! What a blessing!

I and many others had prayed to God and asked Him for relief. And in His perfect timing He provided it. It is good for me to meditate on that, remembering His faithfulness, all that His hands have done for me in my life. The physical and material blessings are innumerable. The family and friends I have been given are astounding. The gifts and abilities God has given me are immense. But there is something even better than all that.

When I say or sing or think, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits,” there is always one that outshines them all. God has given me the gift of Himself. His love for me and the rest of the world was so overwhelming that He would not be content for mankind to be separated from Him eternally, even though that was our deserved destiny due to sin. Right after the initial sin, God promised to provide the solution. And He kept that promise by coming to this earth as one of us, living without sin yet taking our sin on Himself, and using His perfect life as the payment for the sin of the entire world. Think about what His hands have done in allowing the nails to be driven through them for your sake.

And then He rose from the dead to share His victory over death with all who put their trust and faith and confidence in Him.

I gratefully put my trust in Him and try to follow the way He has shown me to go.

Oh, and thanks again, Lord, for the rain.

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Cheryl and I will be co-hosting a trip to Greece next year with Donna Snow:  “Walk in the Footsteps of Paul.”

Links to the registration and brochure, along with previous devotions, can be found at revmattil.org.  If you want more information, email mike@revmattil.org.