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I had a different devotion prepared for today that I set aside to speak of the incredible act of evil that took place yesterday. A young man who unashamedly spoke out for his beliefs, especially his faith in Jesus Christ, was gunned down during an outdoor speaking event in Utah.

Charlie Kirk was a polarizing figure in our society. Those who were comfortable in their sinful choices and lifestyles would shout obscenities at him. But he remained steadfast in his positions based on God’s Word, and encouraged them to consider his point of view. And someone who disagreed with his beliefs and positions decided to silence him by taking his life.

I have and will continue to pray for his family, his wife and his young children. I know they are grieving, and it will be difficult in the days ahead., But I am convinced that they will not grieve as those who have no hope. Charlie knew Jesus as His Lord and Savior. Whether you agreed with his political positions or not, he put his faith in Jesus and has received the crown of life that belongs to all those who trust in Christ. He is with his Lord. I pray that his friends and family will hold on to that comforting assurance in the days to come.

1 Thessalonians 4:13–14 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

While he will be missed, he will not soon be forgotten. And the message that he shared about God’s love in Christ will continue to be shared until our Lord returns.

As I was reflecting on this, a song came to mind that speaks of martyrs who were killed for their faith in Jesus. Here are some of the lyrics:

Now the years have come and the years have gone
And the cause of Jesus still goes on
Now our time has come to count the cost
To reject this world, to embrace the cross
And one by one let us live our lives
For the One who died to give us life
‘Til the trumpet sounds on the final day
Let us proudly stand and boldly say
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb.

 You can listen to the song here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Jl7pbiKnlc

Lord Jesus, may the family of Charile Kirk feel your presence and loving embrace as they mourn their loss and celebrate his gain. As your people face the evil all around, give us the courage to boldly speak of you and your love to a world that so desperately needs to hear it. Thank you for earning our forgiveness and offering it freely to everyone. Amen.

Isaiah 52:13–15a See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness—so will he sprinkle many nations…

 Last weekend Cheryl and I led a retreat under the theme “Blood and Water Flowed.” We shared how the things that flowed from the pieced side of Jesus at the crucifixion were used throughout God’s promising and foretelling and carrying out His plan of salvation.

So will he sprinkle many nations. Sprinkling with hyssop, using water and blood, is mentioned repeatedly throughout the Old Testament. In terms of cleansing and purification.. Here a a few examples:

• Leviticus 14:5–7 Cleansing some one healed of Skin Disease – Water and Blood
• Numbers 8:5–7 Ceremonial Cleansing of Levites, priestly tribe – WATER
• Numbers 19:16–21 Cleansing those who touched Dead Body – Water
• Exodus 29:21 Consecration of Priests – Blood

Psalm 51:7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.    

David’s repentance in Psalm 51 mentions hyssop, which was used to sprinkle, but he doesn’t say where it was blood or water or both. It really doesn’t matter, though, because we know, as did David, that the cleansing and purification comes from God!

Blood, recognized as a synonym for life, was used to rescue and was necessary for forgiveness. Remember how God’s people were spared from the tenth and final plague in Egypt.

Exodus 12:22 Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. Not one of you shall go out the door of his house until morning.

The blood of the Lamb marked the homes of God’s faithful and the angel of death passed over those homes. Jesus is the ultimate Lamb of God, whose blood covers all those who put their faith in Him, assuring them of cleansing, pardon, forgiveness, peace and eternal life.

Not too long ago, a good friend of ours was bitten by a copperhead. Her husband was out of town, but another friend took her to the hospital where she was given antivenom. She had a painful recovery, partly because she waited a while before seeking medical attention, but she did recover.

I just recently discovered that in the United States, the antivenom used for a pit viper snakebite (rattlesnakes, copperheads and water moccasins) is a purified product know as CroFab. It is made using sheep blood. Here is the process:

1. A non-lethal dose of venom is injected into a sheep.
2. The immune system produces an antibody targeting the venom.
3. Blood is collected from the sheep.
4. Plasma containing the antibodies is separated and concentrated and purified.
5. This purified plasma can be given to treat a snakebite.

This life-saving medical marvel made me think of how the Blood of the Lamb of God is what saves us from the Serpent. When Adam and Eve went against God’s plan for their lives, listening to the Serpent, wanting to be like God, and doing the one thing God told them not to do, the venom of sin entered their lives and gave them a death sentence.

But God the Father had a solution. He took that “venom” and put it on His only-begotten Son. It wasn’t just a small dose. He put all the sin of everyone in the world on Him. If was a fatal dose. And Jesus took it. He poured out His blood through His suffering and crucifixion, and it was the cure for sin.

Hebrews 9:22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

1 John 1:7 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.

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.

The production of antivenom is a wonderful reminder that the blood of the Lamb of God has provided us the cure we need for our sinful condition that leads to death.

Many will endure a lot of needless pain and suffering because they don’t take the cure that God freely offers them. We need to make sure we keep telling this Good News so that people will hear about Jesus, put their faith in Him, and get the cure we have already received.

As I write this, Cheryl and I are waiting for a flight home. This weekend we were privileged to lead the women of the Rocky Mountain District Lutheran Women’s Missionary League Retreat under a theme developed by Cheryl: “Blood and Water Flowed.”  We had a fantastic time and I hope the ladies in attendance did as well.

While we enjoyed doing this, we are both worn out right now. It is a joy for us to share and study God’s Word with others, but it is also physically draining when we are the main presenters. We are ready to return home for some rest and relaxation and recuperation.

A passage from God’s Word that occurred to me has the phrase “that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” God encourages us to rest, as He did in the commandment that tells us to Remember the Sabbath day. Jesus also gave the example of going off by Himself to pray.

I decided to look up the passage and see the context in which those words were written. Here it is:

Acts 3:19-20 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.

While physical refreshment is good and necessary, what this passage describes is even more important and desirable – SPIRITUAL REFRESHMENT. When we repent and turn from our sins, trusting in what Jesus did for us through His life and death that paid for all sins, we have refreshment. We have the certainty of forgiveness now and forever, as well as the guarantee of eternal refreshment in the presence of our Lord because of what He did for us. That is a refreshing message.

By the time you read this, by God’s grace we will be home again and back to our regular day to day life, living the life God has called us to live in Christ. Hopefully there will be a time of physical refreshing before we set off on our next adventure and get worn out again!

But I am so grateful that God strengthens and sustains us with the guarantee of the spiritual refreshment we have in Christ.

On a recent trip to the Texas Gulf Coast I stayed at Mustang Island State Park in our travel trailer. About two years ago we traded our old camper in for a smaller one. The old one had a canister water filter inside the camper under the sink. The new one just uses an inline filter on the hose outside. While cleaning my garage, I found two unopened and unused filter replacements for the canister type filter. So I took them on this trip hoping to give them to someone who could use them.

I walked around the park one afternoon with those two filters in my hand. I knocked on 9 different camper doors. Only five of them answered. I explained that I had some unused filters and asked if they used this kind. The first four did not. The last one to answer was a young dad and I saw four young kids with him. He said he could use them so I gave them to him and said, “God bless you and have a good day!” It felt good to share something useful with someone else.

As I was walking back to my camper, I realized I was wearing a shirt from a fraternal organization that said “Live Generously.”  This was a newer one, so it didn’t have the cross superimposed over the heart like the earlier ones did. I liked the old shirts so much better. The cross explains where my efforts to live generously come from. I don’t try to live generously because a fraternal organization gives me a shirt telling me to do so. I do in response to the tremendous love and generosity of our God, love displayed in sending Jesus to the cross to pay for the sins of the world.

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?

In Christ I have atonement, reconciliation, forgiveness, life and salvation. And then God gives me “all things” on top of that. How can I keep that to myself?

1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.

God has shown His love and generosity to us. We need to show it to others.

A dad had his two pre-teen boys come to him and ask if they could go to an R-rated movie with their friends. The dad said no, saying he didn’t want them exposed to the nudity and violence that was in the film. The boys protested, “There is only a little bit of that. Everyone is talking about what a great movie it is. Please, please can we go?” The dad remained firm in his decision. The boys pouted and went to their rooms, slamming the doors behind them.

The next day the dad made a batch of brownies. The wonderful aroma filled the house. He dusted the top of them with powdered sugar. He sliced them and put them on a serving platter. They looked gooey and delicious. Then he called the boys to the kitchen.

There were about to dive into the brownies when the dad stopped them. He said, “This is a very special batch of brownies. I need to tell you about them before you eat them. They look and smell wonderful. But I added an extra ingredient. After I had all the normal items in the mixing bowl, I added a small scoop of dog poop to the batch. It was only a little bit. You probably won’t notice or taste it. But I assure you it is in there. So, how many brownies do you want?”

The boys both had a look of horror and disbelief on their faces. They said they would pass on the brownies.

The dad when on to explain that allowing a little bit of filth into our minds is no different that a little bit of dog poop in our brownies.

Is a little bit of sin in your life acceptable? Leaven is often used in Scripture to describe what sin does in a person’s life. It keeps us from being the Unleavened Bread God would have us be.

1 Corinthians 5:6–8 (ESV) Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

When Jesus died, it was to pay for all sin, to save you from your sin, to give you forgiveness and life everlasting. Those who know and believe this are grateful to God for what He has done. So why would you want to let ANY sin back into your lives?

Dear Lord, remind me of the tremendous gift I have because of your life and death and resurrection. When I am confronted with sin, remind me to not let it get a hold of me. Give me the strength to resist temptation and strive to live as your “unleavened bread.” Amen.

Someone once observed that the grass may be greener on the other side, but it still needs mowing. I guess it is a matter of your perspective.

Here it is early September, and the grass is still green at my house. I just mowed it again yesterday. Usually by this time of year it is yellow or brown and brittle, barely growing at all. Not because of the changing season, but because of extreme heat and a lack of rain.

However, this year we have not only had an abundance of rain, but it has come at regular intervals and not all at once. That is very unsual for us in this area. So I don’t mind the extra mowing late in the year. In fact, it reminds me just how blessed we are.

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

I think those words are a good reminder. When you stop and consider just how blessed you have been in your life and how blessed you are right now, you have reason to be content. Those who live in the United State have a significantly higher standard of living than most of the world’s population. Even the poorest Americans have a higher income level than the global middle-income standard. We are blessed.

Even with all our material wealth, that is not the main source of my contentment. My contentment comes from knowing what Jesus has done for me. One hymn writer did a good job of summarizing this thought.

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!

I am content! My Jesus is my head;
His member I shall be.
He bowed his head when on the cross he died
With cries of agony.
Now death is brought into subjection
For me by Jesus’ resurrection.
I am content! I am content!

I am content! My Jesus is my light,
My radiant sun of grace.
His cheering rays beam blessings forth for all,
Sweet comfort, hope, and peace.
This Easter sun has brought salvation
And ever lasting exultation.
I am content! I am content!

I am content! At length I shall be free,
Awakened from the dead,
Arising glorious evermore to be
With you, my living head.
The chains that hold my body, sever;
Then shall my soul rejoice forever.
I am content! I am content!
(Lutheran Service Book #468)

There was a time many years ago that I listened to “talk radio” on a regular basis. I seldom do so these days, but I remember one host who regularly used wordfs from Scripture as a catch phrase on his show. He would talk about an issue that was not going the way he thought it should be and then say: “ Let Not Your Hearts be Troubled.”

That is sound advice for everyone, no matter where you find yourself on the political spectrum. Panic won’t help anything. This phrase is sound advice because it comes from God.

John 14:1–3 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

John 14:27 (NIV84)  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 16:33 (NIV84) “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

That phrase was spoken by our Lord several times to His disciples on the night that He would be betrayed and handed over to those who would put Him to death even though He had done nothing wrong. Jesus spoke these words to His followers knowing what He was about to endure for us.

Later that same evening, Matthew describes the struggle Jesus endured in the garden.

Matthew 26:36–38 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

Jesus tells the disciples not to let their hearts be troubled and then we read that He is sorrowful and troubled! Is Jesus being hypocritical here? Is this an example of someone telling us “do as I say not as I do?” Absolutely not! Jesus tells us not to be troubled because that was one of the things He would do on our behalf. He lived a perfect life for us. He endured hardships and pain and suffering and sorrow and troubles for us. He carried the weight of all our burdens on Himself as He went to the cross and overcame them all through His death in our place. That is why He encourages us “Let not your hearts be troubled.”

“In this world you will have trouble.” While we will have trouble in this world, all because of sin, we are reminded that Jesus has overcome that for us. We have more than this world. We have peace with God and the assurance of eternal life. Jesus gives us His peace. And Paul affirms this is ours:

Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

This is not only a hope for the future. It is a present reality for believers. We have peace with God now. He earned that for us. Through faith we grab hold of what He offers.

Let not your hearts be troubled.