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Devotions to help you Think about God’s Word and Apply it to your Lives.

Death

Almost every Sunday in worship services there are prayer requests for the family of someone who has died. The congregation where I served most of my ministry was across the street from a public cemetery, and I saw graveside services being held almost every day.

Death is a reality. We get reminders of that from the media and in our personal lives. We would rather not think about it too much, but when death strikes close to home, we have no choice but to confront and deal with it.

How do you deal with death? You will have to do so sooner or later. And I’m not just referring to the death of others. We all need to face our own mortality. Ready or not, death comes for us all.

So what is the answer? I hope you will turn to the only one who has the solution, and that is God. In His Word, he tells us repeatedly that He has taken care of the problem of death. And that is why each time I conducted a funeral or memorial service, I made every effort to point those present to the promises God makes in His Word.

It was sin that brought death into this world (Genesis 2:16-17), but God has provided the solution in Jesus. He came to take our punishment so that we would not have to die eternally (John 3:16).

In just a few weeks we will celebrate the victory over death that Jesus accomplished for everyone. That celebration is not limited to Easter. It is a daily reality for those who put their faith and confidence in Christ.

While we still have to contend with physical death as a consequence of sin, it is not the end. Those who believe that Jesus is their Savior have the assurance of forgiveness for all sins and the eternal life that He earned for you. We can joyfully and confidently echo the words of St. Paul:

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  1 Corinthians 15:55-57

The victory Jesus accomplished is given to you through faith. May the joy that the Risen Christ brings fill your hearts! He is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! (Yes, I wrote and said that during Lent!)

Death2022-03-18T10:14:51-05:00

Role Models

Some of the people I see on television and online have me shaking my head. Many of the “celebrities” that young people admire are not very good role models. On top of that, most television programs and movies depict lifestyles that are in direct conflict with God’s Word, but their sins are portrayed as normal and acceptable.

Rather than bemoaning the fact that kids today “don’t have anyone to look up to,” what if each of us would focus on being the man or woman of God you have been called to be? Give them someone to someone to look up to and emulate. The key is to do it in love, showing them, as Paul put it in 1 Corinthians, a “more excellent way”  (1 Corinthians 12:31).

It is not something we can do on our own. It is all God’s doing. He gives us the desire and the power to live in keeping with His will. When you know and believe that Jesus has already paid for your sins, you strive to conform your life to His will. When God forgives you, He is always urging you to “Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11).  His Spirit gives you the strength and resolve and ability to live that new life.

David went out to face Goliath and said,

“All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” (1 Sam 17:47)

Give me that confidence today, Lord, so I can live for you! I know I often fall short and have not lived as I should or set a good example for others. Thank you for forgiving me. I also know that it is not by my strength or power that I can be the person you have called me to be, but by your Spirit. Fill me and use me today. Amen.

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 2:22-23

Role Models2022-03-17T21:24:03-05:00

New Beginnings

Last year a friend and member of the congregation I used to serve as pastor contacted me. He was opening a new business, and most of his employees would be members of his family. He was determined to run his business in keeping with his faith in Jesus. To that end he was going to have a devotion with all his employees before their first opening. He asked if I would help him with that, so I wrote down a few thoughts to share with him. I’m sharing those with you today.

Stewardship takes the attitude that God is the owner of everything. We are but managers/caretakers/stewards. How does this apply to your new company?

Colossians 3:23–24 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

As those redeemed by Christ, we should have a different attitude and do things differently.

Romans 6:13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.

Trust in the Lord throughout this venture, and He will guide and direct you

Proverbs 3:5–6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Strive to give all the glory to God in what you are doing

1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

As you go into the next phase of this venture, this new beginning, I think this old hymn imparts a lot of wisdom:

With the Lord begin thy task, Jesus will direct it;
For His aid and counsel ask, Jesus will perfect it.
Ev’ry morn with Jesus rise, And when day is ended,
In His name then close thine eyes: Be to Him commended.

Let each day begin with prayer, Praise, and adoration;
On the Lord cast ev’ry care, He is thy Salvation.
Morning, evening, and at night Jesus will be near thee,
Save thee from the Tempter’s might, With His presence cheer thee.

With thy Savior at thy side, Foes need not alarm thee;
In His promises confide, And no ill can harm thee.
All thy trust do thou repose In the mighty Master,
Who in wisdom truly knows How to stem disaster.

If thy task be thus begun With the Savior’s blessing,
Safely then thy course will run, Naught thy soul distressing.
Good will follow everywhere While thou here must wander;
Thou at last the joy wilt share In the mansions yonder.

Thus, Lord Jesus, every task Be to Thee commended;
May Thy will be done, I ask, Until life is ended.
Jesus, in Thy name begun Be the day’s endeavor;
Grant that it may well be done To Thy praise forever.

Hope this helps all of you in some way.

New Beginnings2022-03-13T18:51:11-05:00

New Songs

O for a hymn that I can sing,
That I have sung before!
A tune within a narrow range
And words I can ignore!

If it were written past 1910,
Or in a minor key.
‘Tis not the will of Mighty God
That it be sung by me!

Some folks feel that way. They have a strong preference for a certain style of songs to be used in worship. Someone shared these letters written to pastors with me a while back.

Letter #1:

“I am no music scholar, but I feel I know appropriate church music when I hear it. Last Sunday’s new hymn – if you can call it that – sounded like a sentimental love ballad one would expect to hear crooned in a saloon. If you insist on exposing us to rubbish like this – in God’s house! – don’t be surprised if many of the faithful look for a new place to worship. The hymns we grew up with are all we need.”

Letter #2:

“Was it the organist’s idea or yours that our peaceful worship service was shattered by that new hymn last Sunday? The music was sacrilegious; something one would expect to hear in a den of iniquity, not a church! Don’t expect me even to attempt to sing it next time!”

Letter #3

“What is wrong with the inspiring hymns with which we grew up? When I go to church, it is to worship God, not to be distracted with learning a new hymn. Last Sunday’s was particularly unnerving. The tune was un-singable and the new harmonies were quite distorting.”

The first letter was written in 1865 about the hymn “Just As I Am.” The second letter was written in 1874 about “I Love to Tell the Story.” Letter #3 was written to a pastor in 1890 about the hymn “What A Friend We Have In Jesus.”

The more things change, the more they remain the same. I see posts on social media saying we don’t need anything other than the hymnbook. What do you think about the changing musical styles in church? We can all have our musical preferences. Nothing wrong with that. But dismissing the worship of others for not reason but “you don’t like it” does not seem very Christ-like to me.

Isaac Watts, considered the Father of English Hymnody, created a storm of controversy in the early years of the 18th Century when he started writing “human centered” songs like… “When I Survey The Wondrous Cross”!

I have shared many times that I appreciate a wide variety of music genres. I especially appreciate people today who are sharing Scriptural truths through their musical compositions.

Six times in the Psalms it speaks of singing NEW SONGS to the Lord (33:3, 40:3, 96:1, 98:1, 144:9, 149:1). Similar verses are also in Isaiah and Revelation. I pray that the church will continue to do just that until our Lord returns.

I treasure and value the rich musical tradition of Christianity. I am also grateful for those who are using their gifts and talents to produce new songs of faith and hope for believers today. As long as the songs are sharing the truth of God’s Word, pointing people to Jesus as the only source and hope of forgiveness and life everlasting, speaking of His death to pay for sin and His victory over death for everyone, what exactly is the problem?

New Songs2022-03-12T12:45:17-06:00

Vision

The first 28 years of my life I had perfect vision. Like so many things, I took it for granted. Then one night at a high school basketball game I noticed that I couldn’t see the scoreboard as clearly as it used to be. All of a sudden the road signs were not as crisp and distinct as they had always been, especially at night. So, reluctantly, I started wearing glasses. I remember reading the description of Moses and being envious:

Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak… (Deuteronomy 34:7).

My prescription changed little over the next twenty years. Then, around the time I turned 50, I noticed that I was having trouble reading while wearing my glasses. It didn’t bother me too much, because when I am at my desk I don’t wear my glasses. I can read and work at my computer better without them. But that didn’t help when I was leading worship. In order to see the people in the pews clearly, I needed my glasses. To read the lessons or the liturgy, I had to take them off. You know where this is heading – bifocals! I was even more reluctant to take that step, but I did, and the adjustment did not go well. I tried contact lenses and several different pairs of glasses and tweaking the magnification power. I finally had a pair that I could live with.

About ten years later there was another development. I had a torn retina in one eye and a detached retina in the other. Immediate surgery on both eyes. The torn retina was fixed easily with laser surgery, basically “welding” it back in place. The right eye was another story. Seven surgeries over the next year. While I did not lose my sight in that eye, I don’t see well enough to read with that eye. There are several “dead spots” in that eye and corrective lenses do not help. And it will not get any better. It is better than no vision, but if my vision in both eyes was like that one, I would not be able to drive safely. I am extremely grateful to our gracious God that my left eye has taken over and allows me to function almost as well as I did before this latest affliction.

It is amazing how much attention we give to our vision. Surgeries, implants and corrective lenses solve many problems, but not all. And there are more severe vision troubles than poor eyesight. Diseases and injuries leave people in a world of darkness where there is no vision at all. In my ministry I spoke to several people with eye diseases and they shared the terror they felt at the possibility of losing their sight. I now know how they felt.

There are multiple instances in the Gospels of Jesus healing the blind, restoring their physical sight. I cannot imagine the joy that would be experienced by one who could not see suddenly having sight. And yet even greater joy belongs to those who have been given spiritual sight.

Even if I lose my sight in one or both eyes, I will still see Jesus. By the grace of God, I have seen my Savior with the eyes of faith. His love is a reality in my life. I know that He lived, died and rose again for me. That gives me the assurance that I will one day enter His presence and see Him face to face and live with Him forever. With perfect vision.

We live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7

Vision2023-11-24T09:00:08-06:00

Confession

Yesterday Cheryl and I attended worship with my brother and my mother at her home church. As we were going through the confession of sins in the service, something I have done literally thousands of times, a familiar unease came upon me. Confessing my sins honestly before God makes me uncomfortable.

Over the years, I have heard lots of other folks, especially people who were not used to liturgical worship, object to the ritual of admitting that we are ”poor, miserable sinners.” They didn’t like it. And I understand their reticence. It is something none of us wants to do.

As uncomfortable as it is, it is necessary, and it is therapeutic. Maybe it would help to think of it in those terms. Anyone who has had joint surgery or an injury has to go through physical therapy. I know several physical therapists, and I have been through it myself. It hurts. It is uncomfortable. You can come up with all kinds of excuses not to do it. However, if you don’t you won’t get better. With the pain and discomfort of the therapy, healing and restoration comes. It is for your own good!

So it is with confession. Through the necessary discomfort and pain of admitting our sin, and by virtue of the faith we have in Jesus as our Savior, we hear the announcement of sin forgiven and life everlasting. We are reminded that the offering of His perfect life as payment for the sin of the world was our payment for sin. We are healed and restored and empowered to live for Him.

Jesus told a story to show us the attitude we should have when we confess our sins.

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”   Luke 18:9-14

Lord, keep me from arrogantly thinking I don’t need to confess my sin. Give me the attitude that readily cries out, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” that I may go home justified, rejoicing in the righteousness that is mine for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Confession2022-03-13T19:25:41-05:00

Rejoice

The Epistle reading for the Second Sunday of Lent is oftenr Romans 5:1–11, a text I used for a sermon while I was still at the seminary. There is a lot of significant truth in the passage. I’ll just share a few observations today.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.

The main teaching of Christianity is that we are declared not guilty by God as a gift that we receive by believing that Jesus is our Savior. It is the only way to be made right with God. God’s Law shows and convinces us that we are sinners who deserve to be punished for our sins. We need to recognize our fallen, broken status. God already knows that is true. He sees our corruption even more clearly than we do. And He does not say, “It’s okay, don’t worry about it.” It is a big deal, not something that can be overlooked or ignored. And the reality is that God’s justice demand that someone has got to pay for your sin.

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Someone had to pay, so God said, “I’ve got this.” He pays the bill. That what sending Jesus was all about. He came down here to take our place, take our punishment, pay the penalty, and give us a free pass. It was very costly, a payment we could not make on our own, so Jesus just paid the price for us. That is why we have peace with God.

And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

That peace is ours no matter what else may be going on. A personal tragedy or illness. Family or relationship problems. Rioting and pandemic. Uncertainty about the future. Rising fuel prices and war in Afghanistan. These are part of our present reality, and in all of these we find comfort in the peace that we have with God. I’ll let Paul have the last word today.

9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Rejoice2022-03-13T08:29:55-05:00

Joyful Giving

Over the years Cheryl and I have been very involved with the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML). They are all about sharing Jesus with their words and actions. A big part of what they do is pool their resources to support mission work locally, statewide, nationally, and around the world. They have been doing this for 80 years.

A primary source of the funds they raise is through their “Mite Boxes.” The history of this can be found here: https://www.lwml.org/mites  Through their state and national conventions, they give away millions of dollars every year to support the mission of letting people know that Jesus died for their sins and rose again to give them victory over death.

The idea of the mite box is to put your loose change in it every day, then take it to church every month to add it to what others have collected. Many churches have a large mite box in their building somewhere so that people can deposit their mite offerings easily. We have such a box at Grace Lutheran in Denison, Texas.

I was standing in the narthex after Bible Class and before the late service one Sunday, greeting those coming and going. A first grader named Azaria ran up to me with a huge smile on her face. In her hands was the children’s mite box I had given her two weeks earlier. Our LWML society provided them for me to distribute during my children’s message on LWML Sunday.

I told the children about some of the mission projects LWML was currently supporting and said that they could help share the love of Jesus with others by giving their mites and offerings. It was not about how much they gave, but that they gave with a joyful heart.

And now here stood Azaria, her face beaming and a mite box crammed full of coins. She held it out to me, but instead of taking it from her, I led her to that large mite box in the narthex. I helped her open her box and empty it into the larger box, reminding her that those coins would help more people hear about Jesus and His love. Then I closed her mite box and gave it back to her.

Azaria’s eyes were huge at this point. She took her mite box back and said with obvious excitement in her voice, “You mean I get to do it again?” And off she went.

It is that kind of joyful giving that has enabled the LWML to fund so many mission projects around the world. Lord, give us all a heart like Azaria had that day!

Joyful Giving2022-03-11T18:06:44-06:00

Lenten Wonder

Daily chapel services were part of my life as a student at Concordia Lutheran College in Austin. I still remember a line from one of Professor Richard Dinda’s sermons as we entered another Lenten season. He said, “We now find ourselves in the pits of the church year.”

I think many of us can relate to that sentiment. Lent is a sober and somber time of reflection that many people would just as soon skip and get on to Easter. But hold on for a second. We need this reminder. Lent points us to our own sin as the reason for Jesus coming to this world. Lent tells you Jesus loved you enough to pay for your filth and guilt that would keep you out of heaven. Lent is an exposition of just how vast God’s love for you is. That love was shown in Jesus’ life, suffering and death to ensure you could be forgiven.

I was in that mindset many years ago when God led me to write the following song. I hope the lyrics will help you through your Lenten journey this year.

Lenten Wonder

I’ve often wondered, Lord, at all that you’ve done
Into this world of sin you sent your Son.
And even stranger, Lord, you did this for me:
You sent your Son to Calvary.

Jesus the Lamb of God, He took my pain,
The one who knew no sin for sinners has been slain.

 I’ve often wondered, Lord, oh, can it be true,
That a poor wretch like me could be loved by you?
Love that could not be earned gave this gift free:
You sent your Son to Calvary

The nails, the cross, the spear, wounds that He bore,
He suffered these that I might live forevermore

I thank and praise you, Lord, that through faith I’m saved
To sin and death I am no longer enslaved
Jesus who went to die on Calvary He rose again in victory.

I thank and praise you, Lord, that by grace I’m saved
Of sin and death I am no longer afraid
Jesus who went to die on Calvary He rose again in victory.

Lenten Wonder2022-03-08T16:06:48-06:00

Prepared

In the Summer of 1989, I was on a mountain side outside of Denver with our Youth Group. We were a part of the LCMS National Youth Gathering “Blessed in the Journey.” As we were sitting in an outdoor amphitheater called “Red Rocks” waiting for a concert to start, a hailstorm broke out. There were only two exits to the amphitheater, and one road down the mountain. It was awful. People were screaming and running. As soon as I saw what was happening, I gathered our group, told them all to hold hands and stay connected. We huddled together to keep warm. Ambulances coming up for those seriously injured blocked the only road out, so we were standing in the cold night air, soaking wet. After several miserable hours, we were finally able to start loading people on buses. Our group got split up at that point. Two of them were taken to hospitals for hypothermia. I stayed until all the buses were loaded, sending Cheryl back with the rest of the kids. It didn’t really hit me how serious and life-threatening it had all been until I had rounded up the kids from the hospitals and everyone was safely back at our hotel.

We had a service at our Church a few months later that the Youth led, sharing with the congregation their experiences at the Youth Gathering. The young man who talked about that night said, “Pastor was one tough dude. He took control and kept us all safe.” That made me feel pretty good. I had acted bravely, with courage.

In the Summer of 1995, I was with my family in Colorado. My in-laws have a Cabin near Lake City. The picture at the bottom of my website is taken from the front porch of that place. We went down into Lake City one day to do some shopping. A lady in one of the shops, which was actually the front room of her house, was talking with my oldest daughter about churches and mentioned that she had been raised a Lutheran. Rachel told her I was a Lutheran pastor and she immediately told me that she was from the old Augustana Synod of the Lutheran Church, but was part of the Presbyterian Church in Lake City because that was all there was. “Besides,” she said, “if it weren’t for Luther, we’d all still be Catholic.” I wasn’t sure of the point she was trying to make, so I just smiled and said, “Well, maybe so.”

I’m not sure what that lady heard when I said that, but I had no sooner said those words than she lit into me like I’d just killed her cat. “Who do you think you are? You’re no better than us? Why do you think you’re any different? I’m right, you know I am.” and so on, her voice getting higher and sharper the longer she went. My first thought was, “I’m on vacation. I don’t need this!” and then I thought, “Does she really think this will get me to buy something here?” As soon as she would let me speak, I tried to find a common ground, assuring her that I believed that anyone who trusted in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting would be saved. After all, that is what the Bible says. She looked at me kind of cross-ways, I wished her a nice day and hurried out of there.

As I thought about it later, I wondered where her rage came from, but I also wondered why I was so eager to get away from there. It was a far cry from the approach Luther took to the opposition he faced: HERE I STAND. It is so much easier to back down or make a quick exit or to never even assert yourself to begin with. In that situation, I didn’t display courage when I needed to.

…in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect… 1 Peter 3:15

I was caught off guard. I gave an answer, but I wasn’t courageous about it.

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love. 1 Corinthians 16:13

I was glad I displayed courage at Red Rocks. I asked God to help me display the same kind of courage in being His witness.

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:6

I try my best to be ready and prepared to tell others about my Savior. And I know He will be there to help me as the opportunities arise.

 

 

 

 

 

Prepared2022-03-08T15:56:12-06:00

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