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TITLE: Doors
DATE: June 30, 2019 TEXT:. John 10:9-10 - ESV - I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed. Are there things that people do that get your goat? You know, I’m talking about miniscule things which make you overreact? I just had one. Pam and I were returning from the Lumber Yard. We had to make a left turn onto a busy thoroughfare. No problem, the corner has a turn signal which provides for a safe maneuver. Not everybody gets through, but if the people pay attention to the light change, a half-dozen or more cars can move on You saw the problem there, didn’t you? We were in line, .2nd in line to make the turn. The light changed. The light changed but the car in front of us sat. And sat. And sat............. And that’s when I ever-so-gently bumped my horn. The head of the driver in front of me snapped up, and his car got going just as the light turned to red. And there I sat. Moments of my life crept by, never to be recovered. Well, at least it was only moments. It wasn’t an hour... or eight hours. Now, I didn’t pick that eight hour number at random. You see, eight hours is how late a Pakistani International flight was when they tried to fly from Manchester, England to Islamabad. These people lost eight hours of their lives because a lady decided she wanted to hit the washroom before they took off. The stewardess mentioned the seat belt light was already on...but the lady knew where she was going. Sort of. She opened the door to the loo....but it wasn’t the door to the loo. It was the emergency exit door which triggered the emergency slide to deploy, which meant, according to regulations, everyone had to get off the plane...along with their luggage. Some of the passengers were allowed to get back on the plane. Some, but not all. Without the emergency chute, the number of passengers traveling had to be reduced. The rest of the passengers traveled later. I feel sorry for those folks.... the people who won’t ever get those hours back, and the airline who won’t ever get back the thousands of dollars it will cost them to replace the plane's slide. Now this devotion can find application in any number of ways. For example:
Any of these might work, but I prefer to let the words of Jesus set the tone. He said He is THE door. Not A door; not one-of-many doors. You may believe all doors are the same and that all of them will get you to where you want to go... but you would be wrong. There is just one door to heaven and Jesus is it. The Lord of life Who has given His life for us; Who sacrificed Himself and then defeated death via His resurrection is the only way to receive forgiveness and a welcome into heaven. THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, the door of this world may look the same but they are not. Help the world’s sinners see, acknowledge and believe in what You have done. In Your Name I pray. Amen. The devotion for today was inspired by various recent news articles. For further reading you may wish to go to this address: . https://www.newser.com/story/276308/she-went-to-use-the-toilet-she-opened-the-wrong-door.html and the article written by Jenn Gidman he music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html
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TITLE: Trust
DATE: June 29, 2019 TEXT:. Proverbs 3:5-6 - ESV - 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed. Today The Daily Devotion is giving a test of five questions. You won’t be graded. Ready? Here we go:
So you’ve finished the test. Congratulations! How did you do? Oh, sorry, I forgot to give you the answers. Here they are: the answer to question #1, about the color of Coca Cola being green, was: True. In order to save time, the answers to all of the questions, one through five, were: “True.” Now if you were being graded for this test you would be filled with righteous indignation at the injustice of such a test. Some would say: “How can you expect us to know all of that stuff. It’s ridiculous. It’s unfair.” Others would say, “You made it all up.” And I could say “No, I saw it on the Internet, so I know it’s true” Which ultimately leads us to two great questions: “Whom do you believe? and Whom will you trust?” Devotioner have you ever watched one of those TV courtroom shows? Of course you have. No matter which one you pick, the form is always the same.. Two people come in, stand before the judge and tell their stories. Theoretically those stories, covering the same sets of facts, should match. They never do. They contradict each other from opening sentence to concluding summary. The judge seems to be able to figure things out right away, but most of us are left pretty much confused. We wonder, “Whom can I believe; whom can I trust?” We make our judgments based on such irrational things like, “I don’t like the way she smiles.”, or “He’s got two earrings in each ear. I think he’s lying.” Whom do you trust? Whom will you believe? Did men walk on the moon? I wasn’t there, nor were you. We’ve been told that the ozone layer is disappearing., the earth is warming. Is it? I don’t know. Which takes me to the simple tooth which says, “God is the truth and He tells the truth. He can’t help Himself; He can’t be bribed to tell a lie. Which is why, when He tells us there is salvation only in Jesus, we believe him and give thanks that it is so. HE PRAYER: Dear Lord in a world of conmen, liars and tricksters, I give thanks I can trust You absolutely, completely and for eternity. This I pray will always be in Jesus’ Name. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: Living Life
DATE: June 28, 2019 TEXT: Psalm 118:24 ESV 24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Recently a pastor wrote me about a man in his congregation who was celebrating his 100th birthday. During the party, a friend came up to the centenarian and said, "Fred, I congratulate you on this wonderful milestone. The only thing I regret is that you won’t be around to celebrate your second hundredth.” Apparently it was an idea the birthday boy hadn’t thought much about. He grew silent for a bit as he pondered what had been said. Then he broke into a big smile and replied… “Well, maybe so, but if I were you, I wouldn’t put much money down on that bet. After all, I just might be around for my 200th. The truth is, I’m feeling much stronger starting my second century than I was when I began the first.” Bravo! The truth is, nobody knows what their future will hold. Most certainly there will be joys and sorrows, sad days and glad days. The only thing of which we can be absolutely certain is that the Lord is in control and the Savior Who has won the last and final victory for us has promised to be by our side. Those are truths in which each of us should believe. After all, numerous philosophers have pointed out you can't change the past; and observing the lives of those around us enforces the idea that we don’t know what tomorrow will bring or if tomorrow will come at all. All we can do is say "the Lord has given me this day; He has given me the strength to enjoy it or to survive it, or to come home to be with Him in paradise forever. Whichever way things turn out, I will put this day into the hands of the Savior Who gave His life so that I might be blessed with an abundant life now and a perfect life in the everlasting hereafter. In John 10:10 He said that was one of the reasons He had come. It seems to me that if more people adopted that viewpoint most of our worries about the future could be put to rest, and the regrets of the past would be forgotten. We would be able to live our lives saying, “this is the day the Lord has made.” THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, each day that we can wake up and live in Your love is a gift. Help me appreciate Your presence, Your grace, Your Son. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: No Sin = No Confession
DATE: June 27, 2019 TEXT: 1 John 1: 8-9 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! 45 years ago, when I graduated from the seminary and was installed in my first parish, Saturday mornings were set aside to hear private confessions. For two months I waited, and for two months nobody came. When I asked my Elders “why?”, they replied: “Pastor, people are watching to see whose car is parked in front of the church. If the gossips see a car there on Saturdays they know the owner is confessing some big sin. Nobody wants the town to know they’ve got a big sin.” From then on, private confession was come when you want. Some time ago, the Archdiocese of Washington rented time on the radio, posted placards on buses and subways; and sent out 100,000 brochures to tell their membership about a program they called “The Light is On for You.” The program is designed to get people back into the confessional. For those who have forgotten how to confess, every church member was given a card with step-by-step instructions. For those who haven’t been able to make regular confession times, every church was scheduled be open on Wednesday nights. I hope they have better luck than I did. . For a number of reasons getting people to make private confession is a difficult proposition. Ours is an age where some churches do their best to avoid any mention of sin, guilt, confession or absolution. Naturally if there is no sin, there is no need for confession At the same time we must admit out free-wheeling (im)morality has produce nanny folks who think absolution from a Pastor or Priest is totally ineffectual and unnecessary. Adf to that the folks who believe confession is an antiquated relic from the middle ages Of course there are always many who feel God has no right to convict their consciences of anything. In spite of what some people believe, the Lord Jesus came into this world to save us from our sins and the condemnation which those transgressions had produced. To minimize those sins, to pretend they are inconsequential is to lessen the sacrifice the Savior made for us. Scripture is clear: ‘if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.’ We need to remember, as did the Psalmist, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17) Maybe Luther said it as well as any when he wrote in the Small Catechism: “What sins should we confess? ANSWER: Before God we should plead guilty of all sins, even those we are not aware of, as we do in the Lord's Prayer; but before the pastor we should confess only those sins which we know and feel in our hearts.” Then, having made our confession, we should rejoice and believe the Savior Who tells us, ‘I have come to save you from your sins. You are forgiven.” THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I confess to you all my sins and iniquities; that which I have done and left undone. Humbly I ask forgiveness, and rejoice that because of Jesus that forgiveness is already complete. For what He has done, and Your good grace, I give thanks. In the Savior’s Name. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: Good Sports
DATE: June 26, 2019 TEXT: Ephesians 6:12-15 – ESV - 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! I’ve just been listening to some of the criticism directed against the American Women’s soccer team. You’ve probably heard how America, ranked #1 played against Thailand who were ranked #34. When the final whistle blew all kinds of records had been set.
Although America’s girls went and comforted the losing Thailand team, they also had celebrated every one of their goals. And that made for a lot of celebrating. Critics say the Women should have pulled back; that the Coach should have put in 2nd and 3rd stringers’ that they shouldn’t have spent so much time congratulating and encouraging each other. The team’s detractors felt it was unworthy of good sports and demeaning and embarrassing to the Thailand team. Now I could be wrong….and I really might be…but it seems that nowadays it’s no longer acceptable to win. When my father came back from POW camp after WWII, he was welcomed as a hero and the members of his bomber who went down with the plane were patriots who made the supreme sacrifice for freedom. But I noticed there was no such celebration or sentiment for Viet Nam.. nor was there the desire to win as there had been before. The same could be said for other wars, battles, conflicts and police actions in which we have been involved. When I shared this with a friend, he said, “But aren’t Christians supposed to do unto others as they hope would be done to them.?” He has a point and I can’t argue against it. But I will say, when I fight against someone in a war or play against them on a field or court I want them to bring their best…. And I expect to bring my best. If I am correct that is what the Lord had in mind when He made the first promise of the Messiah in Genesis 3., you remember when He talked about bruising his heal and crushing your head. In that battle between good and evil; God and Satan there would be no quarter asked or given. That’s why St Paul says: “We fight not against flesh and blood,” Yes we contend against principalities and powers of darkness. We would be helpless, crushed and defeated if it were not for our champion, the sinless Son of God the Messiah, whose life was lived; Whose life was given so we might be awarded the ultimate victory: forgiveness of sins and salvation freely given. THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks for the victory which has been won for me by the Savior. All that He did has defeated sin death and devil and given me forgiveness and eternal life. May I always realize Whose side I am on and that there should never be an attempt made to compromise with evil. This I ask in the Savior’s Name. Amen The devotion for today was inspired by various recent news articles. For further reading you may wish to go to this address https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/11/sports/uswnt-thailand-score.html and the article written by Andrew Keh for the New York Times] The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html ITLE: Getting Kicked
DATE: June 25, 2019 TEXT: Matthew 10:32-33 – ESV - “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. “But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Israel Folau is one of the world’s greatest, and highest paid, Rugby players in the world. Not so long ago, in an Instagram post, he shared a Bible verse about homosexuality being a sin and urged his fans to be turned toward Jesus. For his writing Folau was accused, and found guilty, of a high level breach of his contract. That means he could be released from his contract and, possibly Rugby. Without knowing what is in Folau’s contract, I can’t say if he was fairly, or unfairly treated. I don’t feel the same way about the flack being received by another Rugby player, Samu Kerevi. On Resurrection Sunday Samu posted this on Instagram: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 Thank You Jesus for dying on the cross for me. I love you Jesus.” That beautiful witness was read and some said it was cut from the same bolt of cloth, the imagined-hatred cloth, as the comment on homosexuality. So strong were the voices of the critics, that Samu felt compelled to write: “I apologise to anyone that I have offended in giving praise to our God on a weekend that we take off to celebrate his Sacrifice for you and I,” On Tuesday, Samu added: “To be clear I’m not apologizing for my faith in Jesus Christ my Saviour, God will always come first in my life and many other professional rugby players.” No matter how you cut it, it would appear that there is a movement to silence the religious thoughts of Rugby players. Understand, we’re not just talking about what might be considered controversial topics… we’re referring to the Gospel in its most concise expression. I rejoice that these fellows are taking a stand. May they set an example for all of us. As one player wrote:“ “Seriously Might as well sack me and all the other Pacific Islands rugby players around the world because we have the same Christian beliefs….I will never apologise for my faith and what I believe in….” THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, persecution can take on many different forms. I pray for Your people all around the world who suffer for their faith. Grant them strength and a powerful reliance in their Redeemer Who alone can save.. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. The devotion for today was inspired by various recent news articles. For further reading you may wish to go to this address https://www.christianheadlines.com/contributors/michael-foust/rugby-star-apologizes-for-i-love-you-jesus-easter-post-after-backlash.html?utm_source=blueconic&utm_medium=contentrec: and the article written by Michael Foust The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: False Advertising
DATE: June 24, 2019 TEXT: 1 Corinthians 10:31 – ESV-- So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. That’s the claim which ‘Sin City’ has been making about itself for a goodly number of years. It’s a claim which they take seriously in the gambling community which tries to do everything glitzier, gaudier, and more garishly than anywhere else. Oh, I should tell you, the claim isn’t true. Not anymore Some time ago the faithful folks from the Amish communities around Millersburg, Ohio took something from Vegas. If that line doesn’t make you curious, nothing ever will.. Now, lest you imagine rows of bearded men and bonneted women standing before the slot machines and breaking the bank at the Blackjack table,, let me explain. I have to begin by telling you the record for the world’s biggest buffet, a buffet of 510 dishes, is held by the city of Las Vegas. Maybe I should say “was held by the city of Las Vegas.” On Saturday the Amish, with the help of area restaurants, bakeries and home cooks held a buffet of 600 dishes and shattered the record which was set last year at the Las Vegas Hilton. Once again God’s Davids had brought down the world’s Goliath. Only this time, rather than using a stone and slingshot, the Lord’s representatives cooked up Hungarian sauerkraut soup, garlic mashed potatoes, sweet potato soufflé and corn casseroles. As one of the organizers of the event said, “We might not have glitz and glamour of Vegas, but we know how to cook.” When I first read that story I smiled and got a bit of laugh at the last line. Then I remembered the words to the old hymn which says, “Let none hear you idly saying, There is nothing I can do, While the souls of men are dying And the Master calls for you. Take the task He gives you gladly, Let His work your pleasure be; Answer quickly when He calleth, "Here am I, send me, send me!" When the hymn-writer composed those lines, I’m sure he didn’t have a giant Amish buffet in mind; but I’m equally sure that he knew the Lord has given each of His people a gift which can be used in His service. For the Amish of Ohio, God’s gift is cooking and they’ve used that aptitude to raise tens of thousands of dollars to feed the poor. I like that… they understood what St. Paul was saying when he wrote “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do to the glory of God.’ That’s a good directive for all of God’s people. We ought remember: whether we’re working, or playing, or making a dish for a giant buffet, it should glorify the Lord Who sent His Son to save us. When God’s work is our pleasure, the Christ is lifted up for all to see. THE PRAYER: Dear heavenly Father, You have given me a gift. That skill may not be sensational or stunning, but in its use I can show my appreciation for all the Savior has done for me. Send Your Spirit upon me so that I, with confidence, may say, “There is something I can do.” In Jesus’ Name. Amen The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html ITLE: Commitment
DATE: June 23, 2019 TEXT: John 5:39 - ESV- 39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Recently Pastor Wayne Cordeiro of New Hope Christian Fellowship in Honolulu, Hawaii went to China to hold a Leadership seminar for believers. It was a risky venture for the minister.
Amazingly, the threat of a prison sentence didn’t seem to bother the event’s participants. Maybe that is because of the 21 people who came to the conference 18 of them had already been imprisoned for their faith. In the course of the instruction, two things became evident. The first thing which became apparent was they didn’t have enough Bibles to go around. When the Pastor told the group to “Turn to 2 Peter 1”, he saw one of the ladies loan her Bible to a friend . Even though the lady was without her Scripture, she still participated in the discussion. During a break the impressed Pastor talked to the lady about her ability to quote passages at length. She explained: “When she was in prison people smuggled pages of the Bible to her. These pages she committed to memory. It didn’t take too long before she had memorized entire books of the Bible,” “Amazing”, the pastor said. “Not at all”, responded the lady. In prison you have a lot of time, but not much to do. There are many Chinese who have spent their prison time and have memorized the entire Bible.” At the end of the conference, many who attended asked him to pray for them. “And what shall I pray?”, he asked. They responded, “Ask the Lord to make us more like you,” The pastor declined to do so, Maybe you, like the Chinese, would like to know what he said. If so, here goes….
The pastor spoke the truth. I can remember my Confirmands howl when they had to memorize 1 Bible verse each week. They made me feel like the inquisition For the most part I wasn’t.. On the other hand, we have a Savior Who gave His life, His all to save us. We who still have relative freedom of faith should make use of the opportunity to show our thankful hearts to the Redeemer. How did Luther say it: thank and praise, serve and obey Him.” THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, Your followers live in many different circumstances and situations. Yet, in all those places Satan still besets them. Send Your Holy Spirit to keep us all safe and sure as Your saved and thankful-hearted children. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen. The devotion for today was inspired by various recent news articles. For further reading you may wish to go to this address https://www.christianheadlines.com/contributors/mikaela-matthews/imprisoned-chinese-christians-memorize-entire-bible-they-can-t-take-what-s-hidden-in-your-heart.html: and the article written by Mikhaela Matthews The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: Unknown
DATE: June 22, 2019 TEXT: Isaiah 43: 5-7 – ESV - Isaiah 43:5-7 - 5 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Did you ever wonder, if you went missing, whether anyone would look for you? Maybe it’s just wishful thinking on my part, but I hope my wife might, at least for a few hours, try to find me. Now the reason I bring this up is because some time ago the Washington Post carried an article about a man whose body was found more than 30 years ago. The body was found, but that’s about all. Nobody knows who he is, where he came from, what his dreams and goals were or any of the other millions of details which make and shape a person. Almost as an afterthought the article mentioned nobody has ever claimed him It’s not that there weren’t any clues to the man’s identity. Experts were able to ascertain the murdered man was between 24 and 40 years of age. He was wearing a wedding ring inscribed with the name Lucy and the date of their marriage engraved into the gold. He still had his Seiko watch which carried a date written in Spanish. When he was found he was wearing blue-jeans and a T-shirt which said, “Someone went to Florida and all I got was this lousy T-shirt.” The man also was wearing a crucifix. The Richmond, Virginia coroner’s office knows a lot of things about the man… they just don’t know where he belongs. It’s not that they haven’t tried to find this man’s family, others who might still be looking for him, or those who were close enough to him to mourn his death. A forensic artist has drawn his picture; the medical examiner has had a sculpture made in the man’s likeness. The man’s image has been shown to the local Spanish-speaking community and to Central and South American embassies. Still, after a third-of-a-century the murdered man remains unnamed, unrecognized and unclaimed. He is like the unknown soldier, except, for him there is no wreaths, no honor guard, no marble tombstone, no visitors and no nation to respect his sacrifice. I’m afraid there are many people feel they also have been forgotten. If you are among those who feel none would mourn your life, or miss your passing, rejoice. You have a Lord Who says, “Fear not, for I am with you.” Those words assure us that everyone who has been given faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior will never be forgotten, can never be unloved. The Christ’s suffering and sacrifice upon Calvary’s cross, the victory of His open tomb says we are not just remembered, we have been redeemed. Consider that thought for just a moment: the Lord Who has made us, has also redeemed us. We will not; we cannot be forgotten. THE PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, today I give thanks that You did not just make me and forget me. You sent Your Son into this world to redeem and save me. In Your unmerited and unending love, I find peace and comfort. For this, in Jesus’ Name, I praise You. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: Always True
DATE: June 21, 2019 TEXT: Hebrews 13:8 - ESV8 - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! The story is not true, but it ought to be, for it deals with truth. It begins in the court of King Solomon who decided to have some fun with his most trusted aide. The great King said, “Benaniah, for Benaniah Ben Yehoyada was the man’s name, Solomon said, Benaniah, there is a ring which I need you to bring to me. Benaniah said, “If this ring can be found, I shall most certainly find it. But how will I know which is the right ring?” Solomon said, “This ring, while not magic, represents truth… a truth which will make the happy man sad and the sad man happy.” Now, Solomon was the wisest man in the world and he knew that finding this ring was impossible since such a ring did not exist. But Benaniah did not know this and he began to search. For- almost a year he searched. Sadly he found nothing and returned to Jerusalem to make his report,. As h entered town he passed an old man sitting in a jewelry shop. With nothing to lose he asked, “Good sir, have you ever come across a ring which can rob a happy person of his happiness and bestow that singular gift upon the person who is sad?” Without a word, the old seller took a plain gold ring from his small selection of goods and scratched three Hebrew letters upon the ring. Gimel, zayin, yud which stands for “Gam zeh ya’avor” If your Hebrew is a bit rusty, that means… well, I’ll let the story tell you. That night Solomon greeted his adviser saying, ““Well, my friend, have you found that which I requested?” Solomon smiled. He smiled until Benaniah reached into the folds of his robe and produced a small cloth-wrapped package. The package was unwrapped and the ring inspected. Solomon’s smile vanished. He understood the abbreviation: “Gam zeh ya’avor”, means, “This too shall pass. “It brings hope to those who are beset by troubles and to those who are overly-secure, there is the knowledge the pendulum swings. This, too, shall pass. Look at the mountains and know that the day will come when they will be washed away. Look toward the heavens and know those great suns will someday exhaust their fuel and grow dark. Perhaps you wonder if there are exceptions. There are but you will need to look to the Lord to find them. Here are just a few of His exceptions:
Because God can be trusted and relied upon we are given hope. Our confidence in our forgiveness is a sure thing; our trust that heaven’s doors are already open to us is a reality. These things are real because our Savior’ love is the same yesterday, today and forever; His invitation remains the same yesterday, today and forever; our forgiveness is the same yesterday, today and forever. THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, the world around us, along with everything in it, will someday pass away. As that is the case, may we put our trust in that which is beyond corruption: in Your love Your grace; Your Son. It is in His Name we pray Amen, The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: Raccoons
DATE: June 20, 2019 TEXT: Luke 17:17-19 – ESV - Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Outside my back door is a bird feeder. Holding about ten-pounds of seed, this is a large, well-stocked bird feeder. Understand, it is not a squirrel feeder nor is it a raccoon feeder. In truth, I do not like footing the feed bill for the multitudes of ravenous squirrels who hang around; nor do I relish being the host for the cute-as-can-be raccoons who have been responsible for destroying most of my other bird feeders. Which is why this bird feeder outside my back door is equipped to give those unwelcomed and unwanted trespassers a small electric shock. Understand, this shock isn’t strong enough to paralyze or permanently hurt or harm, maim or murder. It’s got just enough of a tingle to make the furry interlopers feel it’s not in their best interest to stay. At any rate, outside my back door is a bird feeder. In the last two years I have made sure this feeder is always well stocked and has never gone dry. In truth, my feeder has provided a smorgasbord of seed, a never emptied treasure trove of tasty treats for the cardinals, finches, sparrows, woodpeckers, nuthatches and other winged friends who regularly, almost religiously, help themselves to the unearned bounty which I have provided for them. Now, you might think that, every once-in-a-while one or two of those feathered freeloaders might feel some kind of obligation to stop their feeding for just a second and say, “Hey, Reverend, thanks a lot for what you’re doing here. We just want to let you know your efforts have not gone unnoticed or unappreciated.” A person might think that would happen, but it hasn’t. Not once, not once in these years have any of those birds said a word of gratitude. They haven’t come to my window and tapped out a word of thanks in Morse Code. In the Disney cartoons birds are friendly little beasties who are not above doing the dishes or cleaning the cottage or helping with housework. So far that hasn’t happened to me. I’m not above telling you this scarcity of appreciation, this shortage of thanksgiving wears pretty thin. I wonder, ‘What do I have to do to prove myself? What? Will these birds ever get it; will they ever figure out I’m there to feed them; to help them; to care for them? What do I have to do to get through to them?’ Quite probably those are the same questions which God has been asking about unappreciative, ungrateful, unthankful humanity. The truth is we should be better than my birds, squirrels and raccoons, We have seen our sin-blackened souls and we know the punishment which awaits. Knowing that God’s Son, our Savior, has run interference for us, carried our sins to the cross and died our death, we should be more than thankful. We should be eternally indebted to Him Whose life was given to save our souls. THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, the Psalms say, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.” In our Savior we have seen that steadfast love. Now, may our thanks be similarly steadfast. In His Name I pray. Amen. TITLE: Job Requirements
DATE: June 19, 2019 TEXT: 1 Corinthians 15:21–22 – ESV - 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. Do you remember the old song about going out to the ball game? How did it go…”One…two… three strikes you’re out at the old ball game.” That sentiment about having numerous strikes is pretty American and can be applied to many different aspects of our lives.
But it is not that way all over the world, It is certainly not that way in the upper echelons of North Korea’s government. Let me explain. Most of you can remember back to February of this year when the US and North Korea came together for a summit meeting. The hype and hope advertised before those meetings was not realized in the final outcome. The discussions broke down and all the hoopla ended with leaders and nations pointing their fingers, and the blame at each other. Those who were of a positive philosophical bent began to dream of what they might do to make thing better next time. For them the failed summer was only “strike one.” But, as I said, things weren’t that way in North Korea. A South Korean newspaper reports:
Of course it’s not near as bad as being executed because it is part of your job, is it? Nobody would ever apply for a job which demanded that you forfeit your life if you wish to be successful. Of course that is exactly what our Lord and Savior Jesus did. Humankind had rebelled and the original relationship between the Father and His children had been shattered. If hope and salvation was to be restored it would be necessary for the Christ to take our place under the Law.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, You died so I might live. Accept my heartfelt thanks for Your great sacrifice. :In Jesus’ Name. Amen. The devotion for today was inspired by various recent news articles. For further reading you may wish to go to this site: https://www.newser.com/story/275894/report-north-korea-executed-envoy-after-failed-summit.html? utm_source=8at8&utm_medium=email&utm_content=1636949006617206506&utm_campaign=20190531 and the article written by Rob Quinn for Newser,: The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: What I Deserve
DATE: June 18, 2019 TEXT: Romans 6:23 – ESV - 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Life isn’t fair. I’ve said it; my children have said it; my grandchildren say it and I imagine you do too, We get upset at fate, we get upset at karma, kismet, fortune and destiny. We even get upset with the Triune God. That’s right, not even the good and gracious, Triune God escapes humanity’s challenge: How many times has He not heard: “It’s not fair! Lord, when are You going to be fair? When are they going to get punished and when am I going to get what’s coming to me?” Now I don’t know if it’s any comfort for you to know you’re not the first to ask these questions of the Lord. In the Old Testament, afflicted Job wanted to know, (21:7-13 excerpts) “Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power?... Their houses are safe from fear,…They spend their days in prosperity…” The author of Psalm 84 (84:3-6 excerpts) asks, “O Lord, how long shall the wicked… exult?... They crush your people, O Lord,…They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless.” Even the martyrs in the book of Revelation (6:10) want to know: “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Folks in the Bible, you, me, we all want to know, “When am I going to get what’s coming to me?” And this is where we run into a problem. The problem is: if God were really going to give us what we’ve got coming, we’d be sunk, doomed, theologically speaking, we’d be damned. Now I’m pretty sure you think you’re a pretty good person, at least most of the time. Most of us consider ourselves to be fine fellows, great gals, individuals who lead pretty good lives. You should know, there’s a problem with that kind of thinking. That’s because the Lord, when He judges people, doesn’t compare us with each other. He compares us with Himself. Now in contrast to people you may be great; next to God you are a stinker. The long and short of it is this: if you are a sinner, and you are; if you are a sinner you will be punished. Do you want to know what you’ve got coming to you? The Lord will tell you: “The soul who sins shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:20) Does that seem unfair to you? Probably. Most of the world says, “Hey, that’s not right. The good ought to get good stuff for what they do and the bad ought to be punished with bad stuff. The worse the sinner, the worse the bad stuff.” If that’s what you’re thinking, you might be pleased to know God agrees with you. God thinks: ‘If you are a sinner, you will be punished and if you are a bad sinner, you will be punished more.’” My friend, we are sinners punishment is what we’ve got coming to us. Death is what we deserve. And that’s about as discouraging and depressing a message as I can stand. Thankfully, a prediction of punishment and pain is not the end of this message. It’s not the end because, in the midst of all the bad news, I’ve got good news. Good News. That’s what the angel called Jesus when the Son of God was born in Bethlehem. “Fear not”, the angel said, and then he explained why we don’t have to be afraid. He continued, “I’ve got good News of great joy which is for all people. Unto you is born a Savior, Christ the Lord.’ THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks for Jesus the good News, my Savior. I rejoice that in Him I have been given not what I deserve but what I need. May I share this Divine truth with others who really don’t want what they have coming.. This I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: I Don’t Get It
DATE: June 17, 2019 TEXT: John 3:17 ff - ESV - For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. I detest the three words “I don’t know,” Those words leave me feeling helpless and ignorant.
Now, to be fair, Dr. Husel has just been charged with those crimes. He has told the court that he is “not guilty”, and he hasn’t had a trial yet. For that reason we can’t state for sure that he gave fatal doses of painkillers to end some of his patient’s lives. That being said, there are still people who are trying to figure out why this happened. Some have wondered, “It is possible those people were dying or in unending pain, and he had mercy on them.” ANSWER: No, that’s not the case. A number of the deceased might have improved with the right medication. Some have thought he is just a bad doctor and over-prescribed medicine by accident. Those kinds of accidents do happen But not 25 times. If a Physician makes a fatal mistake he is not likely to repeat that error again and again. The more I think of the case the more confused I become. No matter how I look at the facts which have been shared in this case, there is nothing which makes sense. Why would a man who had pledged his life to saving lives do the exact opposite? I don’t know. Of course that confusion is as nothing compared to the conundrum in which I find myself when I try to understand why the Lord Jesus Christ would invest His life in saving those who hated Him, despised Him, lied about Him and repeatedly did their best to murder Him. I can’t conceive of a love so great that it would motivate the Heavenly Father to do anything other than allow us to suffer and die for our disobedience After all, it is not as if the punishment for sin was a surprise. he Lord had been upfront when He told us to stay away from the forbidden fruit. He had been totally honest when He explained what would happen if we were to disobey. Indeed, the only thing He didn’t explain was how He would reach out to the disobedient and invest His Son’s life reclaiming the condemned souls of the disobedient. I don’t understand why God would do this, but thankfully I don’t have to understand. All I need do is believe. And that I will gladly do THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, Your love and grace is beyond human comprehension. But that doesn't mean it is beyond our appreciation. Grant us hearts which are thankful for the Savior and our salvation In Jesus’ Name. Amen. The devotion for today was inspired by various recent news articles. For further reading you may wish to go to this sitehttp://time.com/5601464/ohio-doctor-charged-murder-painkiller-overdoses/ : and the article written by Kantele Franko on Jube 5 for Time,: The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: Where You Belong
DATE: June 16, 2019 TEXT: John 14:1-3 – ESV - “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! I would like to take credit for today’s devotion, but I can’t. That’s because, as you will see, the devo really isn’t mine. It belongs to a lady who was a member of my congregation. It’s her story, but I have her permission to share it. Now, I know many of you have said an earthly "farewell" to loved ones and you may not feel victorious or completely comforted. To you death still may seem final, frightening and cold. If so, let me tell you this mothers story which was first shared with her son. The boy’s beloved Grandpa had just died and the lad, quite understandably, wanted to know more about death. The mother explained, "Honey, do you remember, when you were a very little boy, how you used to play hard all day?" Yes, he remembered that. "And, do you remember that when night came you were too tired even to get undressed? Do you remember how you would just lay down wherever you were and fall asleep?” He remembered doing that, too. “ And do you remember”, mother asked, “how, in the morning, much to your surprise, you woke up and found yourself in your own bed in your own room, where you belonged?” The boy nodded and said, “I used to fall asleep in front of the TV.” Mom commented, “Yes, you did, but in front of the TV is not where you belonged. You know, when you fell asleep, daddy came and with his big, strong arms, he picked you up and tucked you into bed.” She paused for a second and continued…. “Death is like that. We're tired and we fall asleep, just like Grandpa did. When we do, Jesus comes and He picks us up and takes us to where we belong. We fall asleep and we wake up in heaven. Jesus does that, because He loves us." I don't know if that little boy understood everything mother said to him that day; I don’t know if he remembered; but I did. I pray you remember, too. I pray that those of you who mourn remember that when Christians fall asleep, Jesus, with His nail-pierced hands, comes and takes us to where we belong. I pray all of you believe it, because, sooner or later we will touch someone with our passing or we will be mourning the death of a family member or friend. Because that is so, I place before you the Savior. Believe on Him who by His life, suffering, death and resurrection has conquered death. Believe on the living Savior. That way, when you die, you will wake up where you belong… THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, death comes. It comes for family and friends. Someday it will come for me. I give thanks that because of the salvation Christ has won, I don’t have to look at death’s coming all alone. Jesus will be with me and He will transform death from something to be feared into the door which leads to eternal life in the mansion our Savior has prepared. May this be my great comfort when death comes. In Jesus’ Name. Amen The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: Continuing Commitment
DATE: June 15, 2019 TEXT: Galatians 2:16 (ESV) - 16 yet we know that a person is not justified[a] by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, Christ is risen! Is risen indeed! In 1961, President Kennedy quoted Edmund Burke as having said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” It was a great quote, but Burke didn’t say it. The fellow who really came up with the idea was a fellow named John Stuart Mill. Way back in 1867 Mill had said :“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” It appears to me that h the schools in Dayton, Ohio must be teaching that concept of commitment to the youngsters entrusted to them. Let me share a story which is making Dayton feel pretty good about themselves. The story began when the Ku Klux Klan announced they were going to have a Rally in Dayton. Now there may have been a time when that might have succeeded, but not anymore. The Dayton police got things organized and controlled in a big way. The KKK would be fenced off from everybody else. The triple—K would be confined to the Courthouse square and 350 officers were assigned to help protect anyone who might happen to need protection. Well the day of the rally came and a grand total of 9 KKK and their supporters showed up On the other hand three were somewhere between 500 and 600 people there to protest the KKK and their message. Not necessarily known as an organization of peace the local Black Panthers were present telling the KKK that they weren’t welcome. I’m pleased to share there were no battles; nobody was beaten; nobody was accosted. About the only group which lost significantly was the city of Dayton itself. Plans and preparations for the event cost the city about $$650,000. City Commissioner Darryl Fairchild said, “There is a great crowd of people down here on Main Street. This is probably Dayton at its best.” Mr. Fairchild might be right. I do know that this day good turned out in numbers to take a stand against bad. But what will happen next time? How many of those anti-KKK’ers will stay hone because they believe no hoods are going to show up? And what will happen the next time and the time after that, and after that? In the future you can be sure the numbers of the good guys will dwindle and the number of folks who are displeased with good will grow. There is only one way to win this kind of contest: Good needs to make a greater commitment than bad. That’s a scenario which doesn’t happen often. Most certainly it came to pass when our Savior walked this earth. There was never a moment when He relaxed; never a time when He cut corners. If we were going to be saved He simply had to have a greater commitment to our redemption than did those who were striving for our damnation. He won, and because He did all who believe in Him as Savior will not perish. THE PRAYER: Lord may I always do my best and give my all in standing up for the right and proclaiming my Savior Who gave His life to save mine In His Name Amen. The devotion for today was inspired by various recent news articles. For further reading you may wish to go to this site: http://time.com/5596103/kkk-rally-dayton-ohio/and the article written by Tara Law for Time ,: The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: Loving the Unlovable
DATE: June 14 2019 TEXT: Galatians 5:14 - English Standard Version - For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. Every once in a while an off-beat news article catches my attention. That was certainly the case some years ago when I came across an Associated Press story which told of a new bridegroom who was in prison. It was an article I clipped. At first the man had my sympathy. A jail is not the place a new husband wants to spend his honeymoon. When I read the article, my sympathy stopped. It stopped when I found out James Olwine, who had been married in Las Vegas just a few days before had , used his car to run over his wife. The article told how the Salt Lake Couple, who were still on their honeymoon, had argued. That wasn’t a shock. Arguing is not unusual for a couple who are still discovering each other. The article then related how the very upset bride had stepped out of their car. That’s not unusual either; many people who are arguing find it wise to take some times to cool off. What was unusual was the fact that the groom then drove off the road and hit his wife with their car. Although the article never listed the reason for the argument, the groom’s reaction seemed to be more than a little excessive. Repeatedly the Bible tells us to love our enemies. Scripture wants us to know that while most people are content to love those who love them; Christians are to love those who dislike and hate them. That can be a difficult thing to do. On the other hand, loving your enemies can sometimes seem easy when that action is compared with the task of loving those who ought to be closest to you. Looking at the life of our all-loving Lord, a person might wonder how Jesus managed to keep His patience and keep loving His disciples. For three years those twelve men had walked with Him; heard Him preach; watch Him perform miracles, and listened to His parables. Even so, they seldom understood their Rabbi. When they were threatened by a storm on the Sea of Galilee, the frightened disciples challenged, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38b) What a thing to say to the Son of God Whose entire life was being spent to save humankind from eternal death and damnation. Who could blame Jesus if He had fired those twelve disciples and started anew with an fresh bunch of followers? Who would be upset if Jesus had stopped loving those men who tried to keep little children from His blessing; who fell asleep when He asked them to pray; who refused to believe the women who told them of His resurrection victory? Sometimes it’s hardest to love those who are closest to us. But that is what Jesus did, and it is what He asks His forgiven followers to do as well. Love your enemies, yes! But, following the example of the Savior, also love those whom the Lord has placed into our circles of friends and family. THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, I repent of the many times when I should have been Your witness, but wasn’t. I regret the many times when the Holy Spirit wished to draw me closer, but I wouldn’t. Most of all, for the fact that You continued to love me, in spite of me being me, my thanks. May I do the same for all those around. In You Name. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: Some Serious Shopping
DATE: June 13, 2019 TEXT: Ps 145: 8-10 – ESV 18 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. 20 The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. Speaking on The Lutheran Hour taught me there are some very real advantages and disadvantages to having an unseen audience. For example, when I was preaching in the parish, I could see when the sermon was putting people to sleep; or when the words were hitting home (that’s when the wives would give their husbands an elbow in the ribs.) Being on the radio it’s impossible to know when a hundred thousand folks have pushed the button, or turned the dial to another station. You can understand if I say that’s frightening. Almost as frightening as a report put out by the Southern Baptist Convention which says that many protestants, displeased with their pastors and parishes are going God shopping. The article said most of these folks joined a new church because their old congregation
How sad. Now if you are among the many who are going “God shopping”, please allow me to share a few thoughts.
The bottom line is this: we don’t need a god Who is created in our own image. We don’t need a church which tells us what we want to hear. We need a congregation which clearly calls us from our sins… which shares the Savior’s story of salvation… which assures the troubled of God’s forgiveness. That’s a church worth joining… and supporting. That’s a place where the pastor and people need us to encourage them. That’s a church where God can find us. THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, for Your love, Your truth, Your fellowship of the faithful, I give thanks. Send Your Holy Spirit upon my pastor and congregation so we may be pointing others to the greatness of You grace. In Your Son’s Name I pray it. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: Running Toward or Away From
DATE: June 12, 2019 TEXT: - 1 Timothy 6:11-12 - English Standard Version - 1 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. Chickens. I like chickens as much as the next man. I like chickens in soup, barbecue and casseroles. I don’t like chickens in my bedroom, living room or bathroom. Unfortunately, according to an article carried by Reuter’s News Service, people in rural Egypt have a custom of keeping chickens in all of those rooms. It’s a custom which has lead to problems. You see, some Egyptian chickens have avian influenza, the disease which you and I know as the bird flu. Each year dozens of people contract that deadly illness. Now the people in rural Egypt are not fools. They know the bird flu is nasty business. That’s why, when they see a bird get wobbly and rubbery, they get rid of the birds. They don’t have the birds checked… they get rid of them. Some put their chickens in a sack and drown them in a nearby irrigation canal; some get rid of the diseased birds in different ways. None of the ways are sanitary; none will keep the flu from spreading. It’s a dangerous practice. Of course you might sensibly ask: “Why don’t the people do the smart thing? Why are they putting themselves and their families at risk?” Good questions. There is an answer. The answer is: because. When I asked, “Why?”; their reply was: “Because…because it didn’t seem dangerous; because it was exciting; because I knew I could handle it.” They gave a lot of different “because” answers, but they all boiled down to: “I wanted my will, not God’s will.” Sort of sounds like the excuses Adam and Eve made after they got caught gnawing on the forbidden fruit, doesn’t it? You might want to know that God has a solution to temptation. He says, “flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.” In other words, God is saying, ‘Don’t bother to see how close you can get to temptation before you get messed up; don’t see how long you can play with it before it burns you. VERY loosely paraphrased, God is saying His people, the ones who know Jesus as Savior should lead a life in which they run like the dickens from the bad stuff, and run as fast as they can for all the good the Spirit wishes to give. To that end, we pray: THE PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father; sin, Satan and the world have put together temptations which have my name on them. They have worked hard to find those things which will draw me away from You. Send Your Holy Spirit upon me that I may flee from them and follow the Savior Who conquered all temptation so I might be forgiven and saved. In Your Son’s Name, I pray. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: For Us
DATE: June 11, 2019 TEXT: Romans 5:7-8 - English Standard Version - 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed! What do a construction worker (Wesley Autrey) have in common with a semi-historical movie? (300) If you don’t have an immediate answer, let me tell you their stories. First: Wesley Autrey. Wesley Autrey is the hero who jumped onto the path of a subway train to save a man who was suffering a seizure. When Autrey realized he was going to be unable to get the man off the tracks before the train rolled over them, he threw the man down and covered him with his own body. The train did stop… but not before two cars went over the men who were lying in a pool of muddy water. Autrey, a Navy vet, summed up his willingness to risk his life to save another person with the words, “I saw someone in distress and went to his aid," . Second: the movie: 300. 300 is the fictionalized story of an ancient battle which was fought at the Greek pass of Thermopylae. You don’t have to remember, or be able to pronounce that name. You only need to know that in this ancient battle 300 Spartan soldiers, with the token help of soldiers from other city-states… managed to stand off a massive Persian army which was trying to invade Greece. 300 sings the praises of the Greek heroes who were willing to sacrifice themselves to save their country. A construction worker and a Greek army. They are people from different centuries and continents; but they are united in this: they were willing to die so someone else might live. Now you might think that I am going to compare these people with the Savior. I’m not. I can applaud a man who was willing to sacrifice himself for a stranger, and I can understand why soldiers might give their life for the freedom of their country. On the other hand, it is impossible for me to understand why Jesus would die for those who hated Him. Saint Paul said it: “God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus died for those who rejected Him; who lied about Him; who beat Him; spit upon Him; whipped Him and nailed Him to Calvary’s cross. Even more, Jesus died for you and me. His is a sacrifice that will be found nowhere else in all of the history books. It is simply not normal, or natural for anyone to love an enemy like that. Still, that is what Jesus did. Isaiah said it (53:5) “But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.” For this love, God’s redeeming love, we give thanks. THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, for Your suffering and sacrifice I owe You an eternity of praise. May I give it gladly. In Your Name. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along: on three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: Pretty Good
DATE: June 10, 2019 TEXT: Ephesians 2:8-9 - English Standard Version -8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. The man died and found himself before St. Peter. Peter asked, “Was Jesus your Savior?” The man hedged his words a bit. He replied, “Well, not exactly my Savior. On the other hand, I did go to church when my relatives got married or buried, so it’s not as if I didn’t know Jesus. On the plus side, I was a good neighbor and the kind of guy who helped out in the community.” The man relaxed a bit when Peter, who was examining the report of the man’s life, commented, “Yes, I can see that. Your folder has a long list of charities.” Peter asked, “Can you think of anything which might prohibit your entrance into heaven?” Not knowing the completeness of the information in his file, the man decided to keep a low profile. He joked, “Well, I wasn’t a saint, but who is? I’m about the same, maybe a cut above most. I took a few things from the office, but nothing big. You can’t exactly call that stealing, can you? I wasn’t always honest on my taxes or with a policeman or two who pulled me over, but those things are pretty normal.” Then, knowing he had already said more than he intended, the man shut up. Peter commented: “Frankly, I’m impressed. For someone who didn’t have Jesus as Savior, you did better than most. If it didn’t cost you anything, you helped others; you were a good guy, the kind of person people counted on.” Then the time for a verdict had come. Peter spoke, “As near as I can tell, your situation is black and white. What I’m going to do is give you directions to a really hot place, but we’re not going to call it hell. You will stay in this really hot place for a very, very long time, although we’ll refrain from calling it eternity.” “But why?” the man asked. “You said I did good. What went wrong? If you send me there, you’re going to send a lot of other people there, too.” Hearing that, St. Peter shook his head and sadly said, “My friend, you still don’t understand, do you? All I do is help people realize the desire of their heart. If Jesus was their Savior, they will want to be with Him. Jesus has answered that longing of their hearts and made preparations for them to stay in heaven. On the other hand, if people feel they have no need for Jesus as their Savior, He will allow them to spend forever in a place where His love and grace will never intrude.” Those words concluded the interview. Now although that story is fictional, those last words of Peter accurately describe what will, someday, happen to all of us. The last day, the day of the Lord is coming. Now, if we try to get into heaven on our own; if we have had no use for Jesus, we will be forever lost. Yes, souls will be lost without faith, but that is not what God wants. The Triune God does not want anyone to end up in hell.. Before we were born, the Lord wanted to save us from ourselves. To that end, He sent His only Son into this world to take our place. This Jesus did successfully. And now, by God’s grace, all who believe are rescued and saved. THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, for the wrongful things I have done, I most certainly repent. For all the gracious things You have done to save me, my thanks and praise. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: I'm Fine
DATE: June 9, 2019 TEXT: Hebrews 3:13 - English Standard Version - 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. Unexpectedly, Christa Lilly woke up and told her mother, “I’m fine.” What sounds like an every-day occurrence, wasn’t. You see, in November of 2,000 Christa suffered a heart attack and stroke which put her into, what the doctors call, a “vegetative state.” For you and me that means Christa was unresponsive and unable to communicate. Then, for a brief period of three days, Christa woke up. The doctors couldn’t explain why, but Christa woke up. She ate cake; she gave an interview with a local news station; she saw her twelve-year-old daughter and her three grandchildren. She also told visitors, “I think it’s wonderful. It makes me so happy.” Then, after three days, Christa slipped back into her coma-like state. Having heard Christa’s story, let me ask: “What would you do if you were her in her situation?” Think about that for a moment…
I wondered, “What would I do; what would I say if God gave me such an opening?” Then I realized: God has given me that time; He has given me such an opening. Now, like Krista, none of us knows how much time we have. We don’t know if we will see the end of this day, or dawn tomorrow; but we do know God has given us this time, right now. And what will we do with this gift of God? The writer to the Hebrews makes a suggestion: “ …exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today”. Knowing that sin wants to harden our hearts and turn us from the Savior, he urges all Christians to make the most of every day… encouraging and strengthening each other in the Savior. Encouragement is what our sons and daughters need to hear from their Christian parents. Strengthening for today, and every day is what parishes are looking for from their pastors; what wives and husbands need to hear from their spouses. Jesus has given us today… let us share Jesus, His grace and love with those whom today will bring into our lives. THE PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, my limited vision cannot see what this day will bring and what tomorrow may offer. I cannot predict what will happen. I only know this: You have given me salvation through the Savior. Today may I share that Gift and encourage others whom I see. This I ask in the Name of Jesus Who strengthens me. In His Name. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: You’re Worth Dying For
DATE: June 08, 2019 TEXT: Romans 5:6-8 – ESV - For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed. During the Presidency of Jimmy Carter an attempt was made to reinstate the registration for the draft. Yes, I know I'm showing my age when I say I remember that time. Most vividly I recall a picture which was featured in many newspapers around the country. It showed a young student who was attending Princeton University. He was not especially conspicuous other than for the sign he was carrying. The placard read: "Nothing is worth dying for." From the favorable looks of the people who surrounded this young man, it seems many others shared his opinions .I wonder if, as the years passed, they came to any different conclusion.
As a Christian, I am most thankful that Jesus did not agree with that student's political or personal philosophy. On the contrary, He believed and He lived, the exact opposite. Following the plan set into motion by His Father, Jesus sacrificed Himself because He thought WE were worth dying for. He lived having successfully resisted temptation from Satan and the world. He died without having ever committed a sin, yet when He hung on the cross the limitless sins of humankind rested there with Him. All this Jesus endured, because He believed we were worth saving; because we were more precious than life. Which is why we remember with respect and honor the sacrifice He made for us on Golgotha’s crest. It is also why we rejoice in the victory of resurrection Sunday. We praise Him because His sacrifice has been accepted and all who follow the Christ have been forgiven of their sin and rescued for eternity. THE PRAYER: Dear Jesus, You and Your Father believed I was worth dying for. Today, I remember Your sacrifice on the cross and I offer you my deepest thanks. Now, by the Holy Spirit’s direction may I live for the One Who died for me. In Your Name, Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: Saving Everything
DATE: June 7, 2019 TEXT: Psalm 136 – ESV - Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. 2 Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. 3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever; Yesterday the local news carried the story of the estate sale of a lady who was a saver. Now they might have said the lady was a hoarder, but the collections and groupings of things she cherished, and there were many of them, were organized and well kept. Her home was clean, albeit every room was considerably cluttered and over-stuffed. All of which explains why the news seemed amused when they shared that the sale was scheduled to run for three full days. The truth is, this lady is not unique. There are a lot of people who like to save.
There are even a few people who would like to save everything. Which, of course is something you just can’t do. You see, some things are unsavable. What kind of things? Well, things like air. You can't save air. You can't save enough air in your lungs to last you for a week or two. If you doubt me, try it. Take a deep breath and hold it for as long as you can. You might last a minute. Not many of us can manage three minutes. Somewhere before the five minute mark, all of us would be panting for breath. And air isn’t the only thing we can’t save. Food fits into that category. You can't eat enough food today to hold you for the next six months. You can’t save everything. Some things need to be supplied regularly or you die. Which may be the Lord’s way of reminding us that we need Him. If we could eat enough food and breathe enough air and save enough money to hold ourselves for six months, we just might decide that we were totally independent of God. But we can’t do those things. The fact of the matter is that just as a healthy person needs a continuous supply of air, and a regular supply of food, so a healthy soul needs continuing fellowship with God. Thankfully, although good air is increasingly rare, there is an abundant supply of the Lord's love to go around. Today, I encourage you to breathe deeply of God's love. You can't exhaust the supply. There is always more for you. PRAYER: Father, thank you for reminding us that we need You for the food we eat, the air we breathe, the salvation we are given. Keep us from pride and a self-assured independency which says, “we don’t need You.” This is my prayer which is offered up in the Savior’s Name. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: Prime Authority
DATE: June 6, 2019 TEXT: Romans 13 -ESV - 13 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Years ago I heard of two preachers who were arguing a fine point of theology. Neither one of the two would give an inch. That’s why, after an hour, one of them proposed, l “I think we are just going to have to go our separate ways, holding on to our opinions. Don’t you agree?” The second preacher said, “I agree. You believe your way, and I’ll believe God’s.” Although the story is an oversimplification it is a pretty good explanation of the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. You remember, the one about how the government isn’t supposed to make up any rules restricting an individual’s religion. There are any number of other areas touched upon in that Amendment as well, but for our purposes that is enough. It’s important because recently, in Texas, a municipal government tried to do just that. That is, they tried to penalize a company for its religious views. That’s right, in March, the San Antonio City Council voted 6-4 to exclude Chick-fil-A from putting a restaurant into the airport. That is a pretty tough thing to do and you would expect the Council had some pretty good reasons for proceeding this way. Well, all I can tell you is that Chick-fil-A was being judged because they support some pretty bad organizations. That is correct, Chick-fil-A was being punished because they had, in the past, supported:
All of which helps to explain why the Texas government is considering a bill. It is officially called SB1978, but unofficially it is known as “the save Chick-fil-A bill.” If everything continues on as expected,, by the time you read this, the bill should have been accepted by the Congress and signed into law by the Governor. I guess it’s just one more example of a government trying to make sure that Christianity and the followers of the Savior behave. No, let’s change that. It’s another example of a government trying to say God is wrong in what He says and needs to be set straight. Somehow, someway, it’s not good enough that the heavenly Father sent His Son into the world to seek and save the lost. Because Jesus successfully kept the law for us; because He managed to reject every and all temptations; because He suffered and died to pay the price for our transgressions, anyone who is brought to faith in Him as their Savior is rescued from sin, death and devil. As I said, for some people, somehow, someway God’s complete love is not enough and the Savior’s work of redemption leaves something wanting. And that’s sad, because no government has ever been empowered to remake God in their own image. THE PRAYER: Dear Lord ,we pray that governments may know and respect the boundaries of their authority. And may the authority of the Holy Spirit be free and able to accomplish all that You wish in saving souls. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. The devotion for today was inspired by various recent news articles. For further reading you may wish to go to this site https://www.christianheadlines.com/contributors/michael-foust/save-chick-fil-a-bill-passes-texas-house-banning-religious-discrimination.html: and the article written by Michael Foust of Christian Headlines. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html |
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