For today’s devotion, check out a newly composed song by mission planting Vicar Anthony Celia. Anthony wrote the song in response to the passing of an incredible young lady…a servant of the Lord who lived to “dance” for her Savior.
You can access the music video through the link below.
All glory to Jesus!
Psalm 103:15-16 As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
I grew up in Maryland and I was able to go back there last month and I saw lots of old friends. Now what do you do when you see old friends that you haven’t talked to in a while? You catch up. You share updates on your life and what is going on with the wife and kids and then you share anything new that has happened at work. You get the picture. The problem I came across was that so many of the friends I talked to were just tired of the routine of life. Nothing overly exciting about work. The spouse and kids are just there. Nothing really new or important has happened. Do you ever feel like this? Like your life really isn’t that great. You are just going through the motions, doing the best you can, doing what you think you are supposed to do. Thinking: Life is hard and then you die.
I came across this verse again the other day and when I first read over it I became a little depressed. Thanks God for confirming what so many of my friends are thinking. Life really isn’t that great. Life really isn’t that special. Our days and our lives are like grass, the wind blows over it and it is gone and noone remembers us at all.
Then God’s Spirit smacked me around and showed me what I was missing. I had skipped the key to this verse, which is we are designed to flourish. Yes, our days are limited. Thank God for that. Yes, one day every believer in Jesus will leave this earth and spend eternity with Him. Thank God for that. But what is life between today and heaven supposed to look like? God says that His plan is for you to flourish. THANK GOD FOR THAT! Do not let Satan lull you into the lie that your life is designed to be dull and meaningless. That is not God’s design. You are a special and amazing child of God and He has made you to flourish.
Dear Jesus. Wake me up and remind me that you have made me and all my days special and meaningful. I am not waiting till I get to heaven to flourish but your plan for my life is that I will flourish with you and for you right now. You are awesome Jesus. In Your name I pray. Amen!
Today’s devotion was prepared by Pastor Mark Schaefer, the site Pastor of Water’s Edge Church in Frisco, Texas. Visit the Water’s Edge website by clicking here.
2 Corinthians 3:4-5 Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.
My father, the late Pastor Ray Kahle, loved playing basketball and was a renowned free throw shooter. He was the Texas State Senior Olympics Champion in his age division one year and on two occasions he placed in the top 10 in national contests. He loved teaching people how to shoot free throws almost as much as he loved teaching people about Jesus. Growing up we had a basketball goal off our driveway. I loved the hours we spent outside practicing, bonding, and having fun. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I heard him say, “Simply pick a spot on the front of the rim and concentrate on slipping the ball right over that spot. There’s no hand in your face, it’s a free shot, so there’s no excuse to miss it.” He wasn’t teaching us to expect perfection of ourselves. On the contrary, my dad was trying to instill confidence in us through a positive reminder of how easy free throws can be compared to other basketball shots. Yet, he also understood how difficult even some pros find it to consistently sink free throws at a high percentage.
Recently, I’ve heard numerous good, well-meaning, Christians tell me how burned out they are in life. They often talk about the stress of trying to balance their families, marriages, finances, work, volunteer service, church, school, etc. I consistently hear some derivative of “I know I’m blessed abundantly, yet I can’t seem to find a way to do everything I’m supposed to do for my spouse, my children, my boss, and FOR God.” These statements are almost always accompanied by visible signs of guilt, embarrassment, and shame along with feelings of failure for not living up to some unidentified expectation of perfection. With sadness, tiredness, and a sense of defeat they often say, “I simply can’t do it all.” These wonderful folks often looked shocked when I respond, “Hey, there’s good news in the bad news. You’re right! You can’t do it!” One man recently responded somewhat begrudgingly, “What? So you think I’m a failure, too?” I smiled and explained to him that I didn’t think he was a failure at all, but that the approach he was using, an approach I’d used many times myself, always results in failure. Like so many of us at times, he was simply trying to do things FOR people and FOR God when in fact we can’t do anything good on our own. I said, “the answer is not in the ‘Fors’ in life, but rather in the ‘THROUGHs.’ You can’t do it, but the God-you team can!”
Scripture is saturated with examples that we can’t do anything good on our own. Yet for many of us where the rubber meets the road of life, we forget this and try to go out with great intentions to do great things For God. We need to remind ourselves often that Jesus himself said, “By myself I can do nothing” (John 5:30). If God in the flesh can’t do anything by Himself without the help of His Father, would you agree with me that it might be advisable for us to admit this more often, too? The Apostle Paul reminds us, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). This amazing concept never ceases to blow my mind! The Savior Himself, the Lord of Lords, lives in us and through us. I firmly believe that more times than not, we miss this teaching and its subsequent implications in their entirety! We’re not going this alone and in fact, we’re never alone! Jesus isn’t just with us; He is alive in us and works through us. Jesus made this point very clear in saying, “I am the vine and you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5) With this understanding, perhaps we can better understand the importance of the “Throughs” in the Bible and the absence of the “for Christ” statements in the Bible. Indeed, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). Through getting this and believing in this Biblical teaching, we can now experience a type of confidence that far surpasses anything that Stuart Smalley could engender within us. Such confidence as this is only ours THROUGH Christ before God.
In closing, imagine yourself walking onto an empty basketball court at a park in your local community. It’s a beautiful day and you’re enjoying shooting some baskets when you hear a voice from the side say, “Hey, do you want to take us on?” You look over and there are two tall, athletic guys you recognize as the stars on the local, excellent high school basketball team. You might think to yourself “you’ve got to be kidding. I’m not in good enough shape anymore to hang with these guys, let alone take them on by myself. I’m just not good enough.” All of a sudden you feel a loving, strong, hand on your shoulder at the same time you hear this unknown person say, “Yeah, we’ll take you two guys on.” You turn around, look up (unless you’re 6′ 6″ or taller), and see a smiling Michael Jordan say, “We can take these guys easily. Let’s have some fun with them.” My hunch is if you know anything at all about basketball, your confidence in yourself and your team’s chances of victory just shot up dramatically.
As Christians, we need to understand in real, tangible ways that we’ve got a power alive in us that is exponentially greater than anything Michael Jordan brings to a basketball court. God is our team leader and He’s chosen us to be on His team. Yes, we can’t do it on our own. But this is good news, not bad news, because we’re part of the God- (Insert your name here) Team. In a sense, there’s no real excuse to miss these “free throughs.” We’re not perfect, but we can be incredibly confident that the God-____ team can do amazing things!
Dear Jesus, thank you for not only dying for me, but for also promising to live in me and through me. Please help me to more deeply understand the empowering implications of the “throughs” in the Bible. For it’s not about me, it’s about you; and yet I’m amazed at how blessed I am that you would choose me to be on your team. Thank you for catching me in your loving net. Please help me to no longer miss these ‘free throughs’, but to confidently bask in the reality that I can do amazing things THROUGH you. Amen!
Today’s devotion was posted by licensed PhD Psychologist (and LCMS layperson) Dr. Peter Kahle. Visit Dr Kahle’s website by clicking here.
Acts 2:7-8 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?
As I am preparing a Sr. High Bible Study on Acts 2, I can’t help but be struck by how I have missed the simple theme of this portion of scripture. As I read about the tongues of fire coming down from the heavens I think, “Wow, that is crazy!” Then I get discouraged because I do not see the Holy Spirit working in my church in a crazy visual way such as flaming tongues.
But what that amazing movement of the Holy Spirit did was very simple. It enabled God’s word to be preached in the native tongue of those gathered around. Yes, it was amazing that these men were speaking in a language that was foreign to them, but it was done for a simple but powerful purpose.
What language are we speaking to the people in our communities? Are we speaking their language? Or are we so stubborn that we would rather be comfortable and speak only the language we have been raised with and are comfortable with? The men in Acts 2 were speaking a new language but telling the same timeless unchanging story of Jesus.
My challenge for all of us is to get out of our churches and offices and learn the language of those around us who do not yet know Jesus Christ. Are our worship gatherings done in a way that the culture around us will understand and connect with? Do we interact with people in a way that isn’t “churchy” but rather real and authentic? What? You are scared or don’t know were to start? Good. Let the Holy Spirit guide you as he guided our first church fathers. I leave you with this prayer:
Father, send your Holy Spirit upon us with tongues of fire so we may speak your love and mercy, through your Son Jesus, to our communities. Help us to speak in a way that helps our friends and neighbors understand the extent of your love for them. Humble us, forgive us were we have been selfish with your good news due to our own comforts, and move us forward to speak your word to your world.
Today’s devotion was prepared by Anthony Celia, a church planter in training at Water’s Edge in Frisco, Texas and an extremely gifted worship musician and songwriter. Check out his website by clicking here.
1 Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.
My sons love to ride bikes with their friends in our neighborhood. Last week my 5th grader came walking back to the house, yes walking, and he was dragging his bike behind him. My son’s leg was bleeding a bit and the bike’s handlebars were twisted and the chain was off. Now I already had a pretty good idea of what had occurred but I wanted to hear the story anyway, so I asked my son “what happened?” “Well dad”, he said, “we were all riding bikes and jumping off curbs and stuff and there was this ledge that I tried to jump off of and I wrecked.” I asked him “Why did you try to jump off the ledge?” and he responded “Well, one of my friends told me I could do it.” I could tell by the look on his face that he already knew that was not a good excuse but I asked him anyway “Why are you listening to that guy?”
We then got to talk about who we listen to and whose advice we follow and who really has wisdom and guidance for our lives. I was able to remind him that many times 0people will try to convince you to do things and think things that are not wise and that Jesus and his Wisdom and Word is where we find the truth for what God has done for us as well as what he desires for us. As I walked away from that conversation I caught myself thinking “When is he going to learn this. I have to tell him over and over and yet he still doesn’t get it. Why does he listen to those other people?” I was drifting into some sort of feeling of superiority too and started thinking how I am glad I am not like that any longer.
This past week God has brought me back to reality. I have found myself in situations and conversations where God had to shake me and say to me “Why are you listening to that guy?” Why do we listen to words that tell us we are not loveable and have no worth or purpose? Why do we listen to words that encourage us to be dishonest and selfish? Why do we listen to words and thoughts that pull us away from our spouses and kids? The “wisdom of this world” comes at us from all directions and we all can be easily deceived into doing and thinking things that are against God’s will for our lives and His creation. How often does God look at me, because He loves me, and says “When is he going to learn this? Why is he listening to that guy?”
I am so easily misled. I need to hear God’s voice. I need to hear Him say that he loves me and forgives me for all the times I have listened to my sinful self and this sinful world. I need to hear God remind me that he has paid the price for my sin through Jesus’ death and that I am part of eternity now and forever because of His grace and power. I need to hear God say He has me and He knows what is best for me, my marriage, my calendar, my checkbook, my today and my tomorrow.
Where is God hitting you right now as He says “Why are you listening to that guy?”
Dear Jesus. Help me to be able to discern what is Your truth. Help me to know the truth of how You feel about me and love me more than anything. Help me to know I am forgiven. Help me to know Your will for my life and reveal to me Your wisdom. Show me where I have listened to the world’s lies and foolishness and help me to make the changes I need to make to be more in line with Your wisdom and plan for me. Thank You Jesus.
Isaiah 40:9 You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’
I was sitting with a famous radio personality one day, just listening. He was recovering from heart surgery. We sat in his family room and he offered me some sugar-free, fat-free cookies. He joked that, with nothing actually in the cookies, they should be invisible. He was wearing an old T-shirt, shorts, and flip flops. This was a normal guy. And he needed Jesus.
At the beginning of my ministry I would get a little nervous about what to say in various situations. Whether it was doing pre-marital counseling or giving the invocation at the high school sports banquet or meeting with an important business person or talking with a notable individual, I wondered what I should bring to the equation.
It didn’t take long to realize the answer. My radio friend brought up a tragedy that took place in his life. He struggled with it. He had questions about God. At that moment, I remembered that I was a person who brought good tidings. I was the person who lifted up my voice with the Gospel in a broken world. I was a person who shouted the news of Jesus over the din of hopelessness and aimlessness in a confused culture.
I was the person called by God not to be afraid.
So, in hospitals and nursing homes, I brought Jesus. To the famous and to the unknown, I brought Jesus. To the important and the ordinary, I brought Jesus. To the old and to the young, I brought Jesus. To the church and to the community, I brought Jesus. With my fellow believers to all people, we brought Jesus-unafraid, purposeful, relentless.
Are you wondering what to do? Are you agonizing over what to say? Dear Good Tidings Bringer, lift up your voice and don’t be afraid. Bring Jesus!
Lord Jesus, you appointed us as Good Tidings Bringers. Cast out our fear. Drive out our indecisiveness. Fill us with your presence so it overflows to all. Amen.
Today’s devotion was prepared by Pastor Mike Newman, one of the mission and ministry facilitators for the Texas District. Check out Mike’s mission journey blog by clicking here.
Matthew 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem…how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.
Jesus drops the Gallus gallus domesticus on Israel and us; otherwise known as a hen or chicken of the female sort. A hen gathers her chicks under her wings for one purpose: to keep them safe from any harm that might come their way with the hope that they may grow to maturity in chicken-hood to keep producing chicks of their own. This has been the cycle since the beginning of creation. The chicken (hen) always comes before the egg (sorry, this is an argument for a different devo). Anyway, Jesus uses this fowl image to share His heart for the children of His kingdom.
The deep, deep desire of our victorious Lord is bring all His children into His forever family, so that all may receive the most precious gift of all - eternity with Him. Jesus was speaking this to those that were once His people, but because of their refusal to receive Him as their Lord and King now remain beyond the wing of His grace and mercy. This breaks His heart just as it continually plagued St. Paul’s heart.
I wonder, does this verse now speak more to those who are outside of Christ, or is the modern application of this passage for those that are “in” Christ and have failed and failed to hear His call upon the church to be His agents in making disciples of all nations? Later in this passage Jesus mentions that as a result of their unwillingness to heed His call their “house is left desolate.”
What percentages of LCMS churches are actually growing their impact on connecting the lost to Christ? What percentages of our churches are quickly shrinking? Which percentage do you think is higher? Hmmm…I still wonder exactly who this passage applies to today…the lost or found?
Jesus, forgive us for being slack in fulfilling your commission to the church. May your Holy Spirit gather us together to have a greater impact on the world in and through your Name. Give us the humility and courage, we desperately need, to be your vessels in sharing the grace, mercy, and forgiveness of the cross with the lost and found. Amen.
Today’s devotion was prepared by Pastor Tim Radkey, the lead Pastor of Hope Lutheran Church in Lubbock, Texas. Visit their website by clicking here.
Psalms 149:4-5 For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation. Let the saints rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds.
How does God feel? How does he feel about you? How does He feel about lost people? It is one of the most important questions of our entire spiritual journey? Does he spend his time feeling: bored; worried; blasé and uncaring; detached; concerned; worried; mad; sad?
Many Christians feel God is mostly grieved and believe it is their fault! Many Christians believe strongly that God is mostly angry with each of us. In some parts of the Body of Christ this sentiment is expressed clearly and openly, but in most quarters it’s inarticulate. It’s one of those under-the-surface, sinister opinions many people hold, but nobody talks about. God is viewed as distant, angry, sitting on the throne and spending the bulk of His emotional energy being disappointed in mankind. No wonder so many Christians and churches have a hard time sharing the Good News of salvation. They don’t really believe it!
But that’s not what the Psalmist tells us. We have a God who takes delight in His people! God does not spend his energy or mighty act of salvation on people He is going to be disappointed in anyway. Instead, Jesus said “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) Our God has vanquished sin and at the heart and core of His being is His desire that every human being on the face of the earth enjoy abundant life both here on earth and with Him forever in heaven.
So - do you take delight in the saints around you as God does? In the very fiber of your being do you believe that God wants all people to share the abundant life you have been given by the God who takes delight in you?
Thanks Father for delighting in me. Help me delight in others the same way that you do. Help me to share the abundant life you have given me so that people all around me might experience being delighted in because of what Jesus has done for me. Amen
Today’s devotion was prepared by Paul Krentz, a mission and ministry facilitator for the Texas District. Check out Paul’s blog on missional thinking by clicking here.
Philippians 3:7-11 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
A hot, freshly brewed cup of coffee while visiting with a friend…
A day on the lake whether the fish are biting or not…
The growth I’ve experienced through hardship and trials…
A clear, bubbling mountain stream on a crisp summer morning…
A God who loves me enough to let His Son die in my place to pay for my sins…
My family: a beautiful, godly wife, three wonderful daughters, two sons-in-law and three grandchildren…
My baptism…
Living in a nation where we enjoy prosperity and freedom…
The chance to receive the Lord’s Supper, sharing in the death of Jesus and fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ…
A home and possessions that far exceed my needs…
Working in my yard…
True friends…
All the wonderful parts of this country that I’ve been able to visit (including Hawaii earlier this year!)…
You’ve all heard the admonition to count your blessings. Most folks do that we observe a national day of thanks. I try to do it more often, especially when we are bombarded with news of economic doom and gloom. I’ve shared a small part of my list of blessings with you here. However, the thing that stands out above everything else is a cross and an empty tomb. That is what puts everything into proper perspective and keeps me focused.
The Apostle Paul wrote “…I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” I’ve found that to be true, and that is why I am eager to share Jesus with others.
Lord, I am grateful for what you have done for me in Christ Jesus and for all you have given me in my life. Use my gratitude to motivate me to share my faith with those who have not experienced your love and mercy in their lives. Let them know Christ and the power of His resurrection. Amen.
Today’s devotion by prepared by Pastor Mike Mattil, the lead Pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Denison, Texas. Visit their website by clicking here.
Isaiah 40:4-5 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
I used to live in the Chicago area. My morning runs meant running across the flat land of northeastern Illinois. I coasted along the smooth terrain, not knowing how easy I had it. Now I live in San Antonio at the base of the Texas Hill Country. It is virtually impossible to find a stretch of flat ground. Up and down the hills I go. The final stretch of every run is a killer uphill on the way back to my house.
Handling mountains and valleys is no picnic.
Even if you’re not a runner, you know how it is. Ministry progress, ministry setbacks. Sharing Christ with someone, seeing Jesus rejected. Attendance is up, attendance is down. Home life is smooth, trouble on the home front. Personal excitement about mission, the cloud of fatigue and depression. Ups and downs. Mountains and valley.
What’s the answer? For my running, it’s strength training. I can’t just keep running. I need help: weights that strengthen muscles and get them ready for the hills. For the missional leader, the child of God, the answer is strength training. You need help: the weight of God’s gracious presence in your life. The root of the word “glory” in the verses above is connected with the idea of God’s “weight,” the “heaviness” of His awesome presence that draws you to Him and changes everything.
For your mountains and valleys, God gives you His gracious and life-giving Word. For your ups and downs, Jesus offers a listening ear through prayer. For your drained and worn spirit, Jesus fills you with His presence in Communion. For your doubts about the hills that lie ahead, Jesus shows you that He conquered every mountain of weakness on Mount Calvary. Heavy stuff. The Glory of God!
And when valleys are filled in and mountains are raised up, you’re in the missional position to have the glory of the Lord shine through you. And all mankind will see it!
Lord Jesus, your glory sustains us and your glory brings life to the world. Rescue us from our weakness and let your hill-and-valley-conquering glory be revealed through us to our families, churches, communities, and to the world. Amen.
Today’s devotion was prepared by Pastor Mike Newman, one of the Mission and Ministry Facilitators for the Texas District. Check out Mike’s devotional website by clicking here.