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

The Journey – Part 1

Philippians 4:8-9 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

When I hear or read the word “excellent” I am often reminded of my father. He instilled in me at an early age that you should always put your best effort into everything. It doesn’t matter what you are doing, you should strive to do your best with the abilities God has given you.

However, we all fall short of excellence on a regular basis. That is why knowing and believing in Jesus Christ as our Savior is such a wonderful thing. He was indeed the most excellent of all, living a perfect life and offering that as the payment for every sin. Because you know and believe that, you can rest assured that you have forgiveness and life everlasting. That needs to go with you as you journey through life.

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.  Paul said that, offering himself as an example to follow because he was following the example of Christ. Who do you follow? As you journey through this world, you learn who not to follow. It is probably not a good idea to follow someone who says, “Hold my beer and watch this!” Yet learning comes from seeing and making mistakes. So keep learning from those things. Repent of your sins, take the forgiveness Jesus earned for you, and go on. And follow good examples.

The reason you can be confident following the example of Paul is because he follows Jesus. That is the real source of excellence. Jesus embodied all those words Paul mentioned: true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable. Jesus is all that and more because of who He is and what He has done. He came to live among us, one of us, without sin. And He took the sins of everyone to the cross to make the payment necessary for everyone to be forgiven. You need to have this faith on your journey.

The Journey – Part 12025-06-25T10:41:32-05:00

Do You Know Who You Are?

Imagine sitting by the bedside of your dying father and he tells you that he is not your biological father. He tells you that he and your mother were unable to conceive a child, so they used a sperm donor. What would that revelation do to you?

I have known some folks who went through receiving news like this. For some it was finding out late in life that they were adopted. A couple of those folks were shaken to their core, thinking their entire life had been a lie. Others dealt with the news in a different way. They all have trouble when they first receive this information. There are so many questions they have, some of which will remain unanswered. One individual told me he came to conclusion that it did not change his identity. He had a mother and father who loved him and raised him and cared for him. They shared the good news of Jesus as the Savior of the world and his Savior. His identity was firmly established. He is a redeemed child of God.

He has this confidence because He has listened to the message of God’s Word. He keeps his eyes fixed on Jesus. Because of his faith in Christ, he knows that he is forgiven and part of the family of God. There is no doubt who his heavenly Father is.

2 Timothy 1:12  …Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

1 John 3:1 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!

No matter the issues you are dealing with in your life right now, if you put your trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you have the assurance that you belong to God’s family. You are a forgiven child of God for Jesus’ sake, and nothing in this world can change that.

Do You Know Who You Are?2025-06-25T10:39:13-05:00

Tell Another Generation

On Monday evening here in Omaha, Cheryl had a dinner and a meeting. Because of that, I arranged other dinner plans. A young lady from the congregation where I am a member and that I used to serve as pastor is currently living here. She just graduated from Concordia University – Nebraska as a Director of Christian Education (DCE) and is serving a summer internship here. So I offered to take her out to dinner and she agreed.

I’ve known Abby since she was born. Her parents raised her to know and love Jesus. I led her through the study of God’s Word and Luther’s Small Catechism before she was confirmed in the faith. She felt the Lord call her to church work, so she pursued a course of study that would lead her to this point. Through her college years, she spent her summers as a counselor at Camp Lone Star. Starting August 1 she will serve a congregation in Iowa as an intern to complete her education.

I had a wonderful time at dinner. We talked about what she is doing now and what she is about to start when she goes to Iowa. As part of her summer internship, she will be traveling to Hong Kong to help with a VBS there!

As I reflected on her entering the next phase of her ministry, I realized that she will be sharing and teaching the love of God in Christ Jesus to the next generation. She will fill a vital role of continuing to proclaim the Good News of Jesus as Savior to those who have not yet been born. The only reason you and I heard about Jesus is because so many who went before us made sure to share the message that His life and death and resurrection secured our forgiveness and opened heaven for us. We need to pass that down as well.

Psalm 34:11 Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 11:19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Psalm 78:4–6 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.

The sharing of this message needs to begin in the home, as it did for Abby. But it is also crucial that we raise up more like her who are willing to enter the ministry. We need to encourage our children to consider serving as full-time church worker. We have a shortage of pastors and teachers and DCEs in our church body.

Join me in praying that more would answer the call to be workers in the harvest fields.

Tell Another Generation2025-06-25T10:37:52-05:00

Blessed in the Journey

We arrived safely in Omaha on Sunday evening. Cheryl had meetings yesterday, so I had the day to do what I wanted. I decided to walk to a grocery store to get breakfast items, snacks and sodas for our room. It was a beautiful morning, so I decided to walk. Google Maps said I could walk the 3.7 miles in one hour and fifteen minutes. I needed some exercise, so I went for it.

I walked through the campus of Creighton University, which is beautiful. It was well kept and even had some shade trees every now and then. Next came a neighborhood of well-maintained homes that appeared to have been built around 100 years ago. There were oak trees lining the street that were almost that old.

I got to see lots of flowers, some of which we have growing in our yard back home. Others that were thriving here we have never been able to grow in our beds. The lawns were mostly manicured and nicely landscaped. I was enjoying the beauty of it all.

I started getting a little warm after about 2 miles, and God had a sprinkler system go off to give me a refreshing little shower. There was then a steep uphill walk for about 2/3 of a mile, but it was mostly shaded and God has a nice little breeze blow right on my face at that time. During that time, I had put my phone in my pocket. When I took it out to see how much further I had to go, all the apps had shut down and the screen had a message saying that my phone was overheating. I was glad it wasn’t the owner who was overheating.

The last third of a mile was all downhill. The trip took me just five minutes longer that Google said it would. And I got everything on my list at the store.

I saw God’s gracious provision for me throughout my walk. I simply tried to take it all in and be in the moment. I remembered and thought about the theme of the first National Youth Gathering I attended: “Blessed in the Journey.” Too often in life I have rushed through things, trying to get from point A to point B without enjoying the journey. Yesterday was not one of those days. As I walked I thanked God for letting me enjoy the journey.

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

I live in the certainty that Jesus is my Savior from sin and death. I know He has given me everything I need to be reconciled to God the Father. But He has given me so much more. The ability to walk and see. The chance to enjoy my life and the places I have been. Blessings to numerous to count. I should remember that more often.

I hope you will be blessed in your journey today.

Oh, in case you were wondering, I took an Uber back to the hotel. I was blessed by the A/C in that vehicle and a delightful conversation with my driver.

 

Blessed in the Journey2025-06-23T15:54:09-05:00

Cheerful Hearts

Yesterday we went to McAllister’s Deli after worship to get something to eat on our way to the airport. When I was finished eating, a young man came to our table and asked if I was finished so he could take my plate. I said I was and he grabbed my plate. When he did so the fork on my plate fell to the floor. He didn’t hesitate, but squatted down immediately and picked it up.

After he walked away, Cheryl laughed. Not at him but at us. She noted how quickly he went down and popped right back up again. I saw her point. These days, when I drop something, I ask myself how badly I want it before deciding if it is worth bending over. My knees are getting less cooperative all the time. I don’t kneel down or get down on the ground to work on something without an exit strategy!

After we arrived at the airport, we were waiting in the seats at the gate for our flight to Omaha for the LWML convention. Cheryl was looking over some papers from her backpack, and as if to prove her point, her container of pens and highlighters slid off her lap and fell between the seats. It bounced to an area between the two rows of seats where I could not reach it without getting down on my hands and knees. It was bad enough the first time, but she did it again about 10 minutes later! After the second time I took it away from her and told her she was not allowed to keep that on her lap any longer. We both laughed again.

I thought of these passages.

Proverbs 15:13 A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.

Proverbs 15:15  All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.

Proverbs 15:30 A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.

Proverbs 17:22 A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Cheryl and I have laughed a lot together over the years. I think it comes from the peace and joy we have in our lives knowing Jesus. He is the one who gives us cheerful hearts. Knowing that He did everything we need to be forgiven for all our sin and spend eternity in heaven with our Maker changes the way we face things. Like bodies that are aging.

I’m still waiting for the Good News to bring health to my bones, especially my knees. But I know the Good News of Jesus has given me the spiritual healing I so desperately needed. So I’ll keep laughing with my wife as long as I can.

Cheerful Hearts2025-06-22T23:19:24-05:00

The Funeral of a Pastor

(When my father died over thirty years ago, I wrote down several pages of thoughts that I have never shared with anyone. I decided to share some of those thoughts with you on what would have been his 98th birthday.)

For all the saints who from their labors rest,

 I sat in a packed church for the funeral of the pastor who baptized and confirmed me and preached the sermon at my wedding. The congregation was singing this hymn, but I was so choked up I couldn’t join in. This pastor was also my father, the man who led me to know Jesus and who instructed me in the faith.

Who Thee by faith before the world confest,

 He answered the call of our Lord and made it his life’s work to be a minister of the Gospel. He may not have been the best preacher or the greatest administrator (although I thought he was pretty good), but he was a GREAT pastor. He had a way of sharing God’s comfort and promises with people that was reassuring. There was a quiet, powerful confidence evident from His abiding faith in the one who lived and bled and died for him!

Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest. Alleluia! Alleluia!

 I was praising God that day through my tears even though I couldn’t sing. But it still hurt to lose him from our midst.

O blest communion, fellowship divine,
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine. Alleluia! Alleluia!

My oldest daughter was eight years old at the time. When I told her that her Papa had died, she said, “Oh, I thought something bad had happened!”  Seven-year-old Bethany said what all of us were thinking: “It’s too soon.” But four-year-old Leah reminded us, “He’s hugging Jesus right now.”

 And when the fight is fierce, the warfare long,

He had his share of trials in life, including difficulties in his ministry. But why cancer? Why did we have to watch him suffer? We first heard the diagnosis three years earlier. After a grueling three month regimen of chemo AND radiation and three months of recovery, we had him back. He worked, retired, traveled and was enjoying life.

He and mom spent his last Easter with us, then went with us to West Texas for a BBQ at my wife’s home church. The trip was cut short because he was having dizzy spells. The cancer was back with a vengeance. He had surgery for a brain tumor, which appeared to go well. Afterwards he was in a good mood as I was talking to him. The next day he slipped into a coma. We all spoke to him for the next two weeks not knowing if he could hear us.

I found it difficult to pray with him. I was angry with God. Why did he have less than two years of retirement? It wasn’t fair.

 Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong. Alleluia! Alleluia!

Yes, the reminder that God is in control, that He has already won the victory and that dad was now face to face with his Lord.

The golden evening brightens in the West;
Soon, soon, to faithful warriors cometh rest.

It still seemed too soon. I was 32, dad was 63. I had members of my congregation older than 63 whose dads were still living. But how could I not want him to be in the place Jesus had prepared for him?

Sweet is the calm of Paradise the blest. Alleluia! Alleluia!

The funeral was on a Monday. The day before, all my siblings and our families went to church with mom in the congregation where dad had served in ministry for 23 years. We were all at the communion rail together that day, united with Jesus and with dad and all the saints in that blessed sacrament that assures us of forgiveness and life and salvation.

A hymn sung in that Sunday service was “Blest Be the Tie that Binds” (The Lutheran Hymnal #464). The fourth stanza says:

When here our pathways part, We suffer bitter pain;
Yet, one in Christ and one in heart, We hope to meet again.

More than thirty years later, I still get choked up on some of these hymn verses. But I remember the faith that he had, the faith that he lived by, the faith that he shared. I thank my heavenly Father for giving me an earthly Father who led me to know my Savior. And I thank God for taking dad to Himself after having shared him with me.

The Funeral of a Pastor2025-06-16T06:49:34-05:00

Finish the Race

When our daughter Bethany was in the 7th Grade, she was involved in athletics. She played basketball, volleyball and softball for several years. That first year, because she was already involved in several sports, the coaches asked her to be on the track team. I don’t remember all the circumstances surrounding this, but I remember going to a track meet not knowing what event she would be in. To my knowledge, she had not even been to a practice. The coaches simply recruited her at the last minute. Since we were the kind of parents who went to just about everything our kids did, we went down to McKinney for this track meet, too. After we had been there a while, Bethany came up to us and excitedly announced that she would be running in the 400 meter race. I wished her luck, and we took our place in the bleacher seats.

When the starter’s pistol went off, it was obvious that Bethany had never run a 400-meter race before. She took off like a shot, leaving everyone in her dust. She pulled out to a 25-yard lead on everyone. She was trying to sprint the whole way! She kept that lead for a while, but when she passed the 100 meter point, you could see her starting to slow down. At 150 meters she realized she had made a mistake, and her lead started shrinking as she started running out of gas. At 200 meters, the rest of the pack caught up with her. At 300 meters, she and one other girl were left in the dust of the pack, and I think that other girl had a pulled hamstring. Bethany ended up second to last in that race, crossing the finish line long after the winner. That also marked the end of her participation in Track and Field events. But she did finish the race! And I was proud of her for finishing.

Philippians 3:12-14  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. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus

The author of Hebrews would also have been familiar with ancient athletic competitions when he used the “race” image to speak of our task as Christians.

Hebrews 12: 1b-2a … let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith …

By 7 p.m. on October 20, 1968, at the Mexico City Olympics Stadium, it was beginning to get dark. It had cooled down as well. The last of the Olympic marathon runners were being assisted away to first-aid stations. Over an hour earlier, Mamo Waldi of Ethiopia had charged across the finish line, winning the 26-mile, 385-yard race looking as strong and as vigorous as when he’d started. As the last few thousand spectators began preparing to leave, they heard police sirens and whistles through the gate entering the stadium. The attention turned to that gate. A sole figure, wearing the colors of Tanzania, came limping into the stadium. His name was John Steven Aquari. He was the last man to finish the marathon in 1968. His leg was bandaged, bloody. He had taken a bad fall early in the race. Now, it was all he could do to limp his way around the track. The crowd stood and applauded as he completed that last lap. When he finally crossed the finish line, one man dared ask the question all were wondering. “You are badly injured. Why didn’t you quit? Why didn’t you give up?” Aquari, with quiet dignity said, “My country did not send me seven thousand miles to start this race. My country sent me to finish.”

1 Corinthians 9:24-25 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

In athletics, awards are given to the top finishers in each competition, but in Hebrews God tells us the reward is for all those who finish the race. When we cross the finish line we are declared winners – not because of who we are or what we’ve done, but because the real Winner, Jesus Christ, went before us. And it is not just a participation ribbon. He gives the actual prize He won to each of us – eternal life with Him in heaven. And He shares His victory with you through faith. It’s like someone on one of those awards shows who goes up to the microphone and says, “I’d like to share this award with…” and then they list a bunch of people. Jesus says that of His victory, and it is a valid offer: “I’d like to share my victory with EVERYONE. All who believe in me will share in what I have won – forgiveness and life everlasting.”

Finish the Race2025-06-23T15:54:26-05:00

Grace and Faith

Things don’t always happen according to our plans. We like to make plans for things, but that does not mean they will occur according to our wishes. I remember a couple that went through pre-marital counseling with me the last year I served in full-time ministry. Everything was going well. Their wedding was planned for March 28, 2020 — two weeks after the lockdown/shutdown because of Covid-19. Their wedding venue cancelled. The big celebration they planned with their friends and family could not take place. But they went ahead with the wedding. I officiated in the back yard of the bride’s parent’s house with their family members present. They spoke their vows of faithfulness to each other and we asked God’s blessing on their union. Two years later they had a reception celebrating their marriage and all for their friends and family were able to come!

We all have things we have to deal with in our lives every day. We live in a sinful world, and we will have trouble. Our attitude and our focus will determine how we deal with these difficulties, whether we will mope and complain or remember who is in control and roll with the punches.

While some things are always changing in our lives, some things remain constant. God’s grace is one of those things that does not change. We live in that undeserved kindness that God has showered down on us in Christ Jesus. That is our assurance and confidence.

Paul expressed this confidence to Timothy in his second letter to that young pastor.

2 Timothy 4:6–8 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

God has led us to faith in Jesus, the one who opened heaven for all people through His work of redemption. He bought us back from sin and death to give us the certainty of forgiveness and life and salvation. We have a crown of righteousness in store for us for Jesus’ sake, no matter what this world throws at us.

We need to keep that faith.

Oh, for a faith that will not shrink Tho’ pressed by many a foe;
That will not tremble on the brink Of poverty or woe;

That will not murmur nor complain Beneath the chast’ning rod,
But in the hour of grief or pain Can lean upon its God;

A faith that shines more bright and clear When tempests rage without;
That, when in danger, knows no fear, In darkness feels no doubt;

That bears unmoved the world’s dread frown Nor heeds its scornful smile;
That sin’s wild ocean cannot drown Nor Satan’s arts beguile;

A faith that keeps the narrow way Till life’s last spark is fle
And with a pure and heavenly ray Lights up the dying bed.

Lord, give us such a faith as this; And then, whate’er may come,
We’ll taste e’en now the hallowed bliss Of an eternal home.

The Lutheran Hymnal #396

 

Grace and Faith2025-06-17T12:10:01-05:00

A Thing of Beauty

Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

A while back I wore one of my Texas Aggie shirts to church. I started my college career there, and I am still a long-suffering Aggie fan. Another member, who is not a fan, jokingly said, “That’s the ugliest shirt I’ve ever seen!”  I replied, “Jesus looks at me and thinks I’m beautiful.”

I’m not trying to say God is an Aggie fan. I don’t think He cares that much about which teams win sporting events. But I was dead serious when I said that God sees me as a thing of beauty. That has nothing to do with what I am wearing or my physical appearance. Nor does it have anything to do with me personally. It has everything to do with the one I put my faith and confidence in, namely Jesus.

Isaiah 61:10  I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

That robe comes from what Jesus did for me through His life and death and resurrection.

1 John 1:7–9 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

His righteousness covers my unrighteousness. That makes all who trust in Him a thing of beauty.

A Thing of Beauty2025-06-15T20:37:22-05:00

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