How Did He Do That?

Jesus fed more than five thousand people using the five loaves of bread and two fishes the apostles had with them.   This miracle is repeated many times in churches throughout the world. People bring their offerings to the church, and the church then uses them to nurture souls, educate the young, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, comfort the afflicted.  

What would have happened if the disciples had refused, and told Jesus they were not going to share because the food they had was barely enough to feed just them?  All those people would have gone hungry.   We bring our offerings in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us. By offering a portion of our resources, we are able step outside ourselves and touch the lives of others.  


Ebenezer Scrooge from Dickens’ Christmas Carol was a character who cared only for his own bottom line.  We’re all familiar with how well that worked for him.  God doesn’t want us to be like Scrooge. God wants us to have a heart for others. If you are someone who is Scrooge-like when it comes to giving to God’s work, perhaps this is the year to turn things around. This Sunday we consecrate our promises of giving to our church. Why not step outside yourself and pledge to make a difference in the life of the church and the lives of others?

Gracious God, give me the courage to do what you’ve called  me to do, and help me do so with a willing and joyful heart.  Amen.

What Does God Require?

Everything we have comes from God and God wants us to respond with thanksgiving; God wants us to respond with praise; God wants us to respond with good works, and God wants us to respond with inward devotion.  We are called to be active members of the body of Christ, but we are also called to be a part of the soul of the body as well. 

Micah, the prophet, tells the Israelites that good works without a good heart means nothing to God.  God wants the inward sacrifice as well as the outward one.  Micah tells us that God wants us to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God.”  [Micah 6:8]  Combining those three things as well as living in a giving, and caring way is a recipe for a truly successful life: a life that is pleasing to God.

As Lutherans, we believe that we cannot earn our salvation, that it is a gift of grace freely given to us through the sacrifice of Jesus.  However, just because it is ours to claim, doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t respond to this gift by sharing of our time, talent and resources, and nurturing our inner spirituality.  It is time well spent.

Gracious God, we are grateful for all of the blessings you’ve given us.  Help us to respond with willing and joyful hearts. Amen

To Everything There is a Season

Living in Minnesota, we get to experience four completely distinct seasons.   As one season gives way to the next, the landscape changes and the way we experience life changes.  There are seasons in our lives as well: infancy, childhood, youth, adulthood, middle age, and old age.  Through all the chances and changes of life, as believers, we are comforted by knowing that God walks with us through it all.

The writer of the book of Ecclesiastes in chapter three tells us that there is a season and a time for every matter (purpose) under heaven.  Read this chapter and realize that every life has the destiny for good times and for bad times:  “a time to be born, a time to die; a time to dance, a time to mourn; a time of love, a time of hate; a time of war, a time of peace….”   When we experience loss and hardship, we ask God, “Why is this happening to me?” And the response comes back, “To everything there is a season.”  We don’t know for sure if God has predetermined our lives, but we do know that “all things work together for good for those that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose.” [ Romans 8:28]   so no matter what trials you are going through, know that God is there with you, through it all, and be comforted by the love, grace and mercy that is God.  

Holy God, stay by me this day and every day, through the good and through the bad, and help me to trust in you completely for all things.  Amen

Jonah and the Whale

The story of Jonah and the whale is probably one of the best known stories in the Bible.  God asked Jonah to do something and Jonah didn’t want to do it.  Jonah tried to escape from God and you know how well that went.  In the end Jonah did what God wanted and behold…it was good all around. When God speaks to us, it is in our best interest to listen and obey.

How do you listen to God’s voice?  How do you know that it’s God speaking to you?  The only way to listen to what anyone has to say is to be quiet and give that person your full attention.  The best way to do that is through daily devotion because the most common way God speaks to us through the Word. As you read, something in the reading will touch your heart.  That is the Holy Spirit bringing something to your attention that you need to hear. It might not happen every time, but it will happen often enough. After you’ve read, spend some time reflecting on the message.  In your prayer time, take some time to be silent…to listen.  God also speaks to us through music, through the beauty of nature, through the love of family and friends. How do you know what you experience is from God?  The message will be full of  grace, love, light and truth.

Gracious God, help me to spend time with you each day, and help me to listen to what you are saying to me. Amen.

Courage

We live in frightening times.  Not since the Great Depression has our economic situation been so perilous.  Terrorists threaten our country and almost every other country on earth, and it seems as though we are in the midst of a holy war.  God calls for us to be strong and courageous; trusting God in all things. The Bible is full of examples of people in dire straits, people who trusted in God and persevered.

When we are faced with uncertainty, it is important to turn to God’s Word for promises of reassurance. There we can find words of hope and comfort. We can find peace for our troubled hearts. God promises to walk in front of us, beside us, and behind us as we journey through life. We are not to bury our heads in the sand, but we are to move forward, confident our ultimate companion is with us. 

There is no promise that we will not encounter hardship, no promise of easy passage, only the simple promise that God knows us; that God has a plan for our life; that God loves us and that nothing we do can separate us from that love.

Gracious God, help me to feel your presence in my life. Help me to draw closer to you and to trust in you in all things. Amen

Who? Me?

God has put a calling upon your life. Most likely our first reaction is no, not me. I’m unworthy to be called by God. I don’t have the “right stuff.” If God can see the potential in you, why can’t you see it? When God calls you, trust that you do have what it takes to accomplish God’s purpose.  

When Israel was looking for a new king, God sent Samuel to Bethlehem to see Jesse’s sons to choose the new king from among them. Seven of Jesse’s boys went before Samuel, and none of them were the one. Those that Samuel thought to be the best suited to be king were rejected. God said to Samuel, “the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." [1 Samuel 16:7]

What we take to be the model for success can be all outward appearance--all frosting and no cake. God looks at our “best heart.” God sees the potential in you and it’s up to you to trust that God will provide you with the tools you need to do the job.

Gracious God, give me the faith to move forward in your call, and equip me for service for the glory of your kingdom. Amen.

Choices

Today, it seems like the “still, small voice” of God is drowned out by our way of life. We are so busy trying to maneuver through our day that it is easy to lose sight of the truly important thing. We are all so busy trying to do our best, yet it seems that we can never do enough, and God becomes lost in the day- to-day static.  Are we prioritizing rightly?

In modern America, we are bombarded with choices. Just go to the market and pick any category: coffee, laundry soap, deodorant, shampoo… you name it and you can see that you have a lot of product to choose from. How about the choices on your television? There are hundreds of channels to choose from…a blessing and a curse. It’s the same with many things we deal with. How do we know which is the best choice?

After the death of Moses, the Lord said to Joshua, “Choose this day whom you will serve.”  [Joshua 24:15]  We have the same choice to make: serve God or serve the world. This choice can be made as you go about your day. In the choices you make, ask yourself whom you are serving. Remember, you can be in the world, but not of the world.

Gracious God, guide my steps this day. May  you be a part of every word I say, and every choice I make. Amen.