Military Devotion – September 15, 2023

Devotion based on 1 John 3:20

See series: Military Devotions

Sometimes, the easiest person to lie to is ourselves.

Too often we convince ourselves to believe things that deep down we know are not true. Usually, this is to escape facing truths that are unpleasant. We may decide we really don’t need to keep that dentist’s appointment. Or, an extra helping of ice cream doesn’t matter. And it won’t hurt to forget about exercising.

It’s just as easy to overlook our faults and minimize the seriousness of our failures. “Everybody does it!” “No one will notice!” “So what?”

With these excuses, we can try to justify everything from littering to stealing. There is hardly a limit to the lies we will tell ourselves to avoid guilty feelings.

But deep inside of us, there is a voice that calls out, “Liar!” We call that our conscience. It’s the law of God written in our hearts. It can be ignored. It can become weakened. But it has been placed there as a blessing.

We might compare it to a nerve in our jaw. If we did not get a toothache, we might never realize there was a problem with our tooth before it was too late.

If our conscience was not there to bother us, we might not know we were defying the law of God before it became too late. We need that warning written in our hearts. It helps us keep from lying to ourselves.

But what if our heart is lying to us?

In this setting, we aren’t talking about the muscle that pumps blood through our physical body. Instead, we are referring to the center and source of our whole inner life with its thinking, feeling, and wanting. We might describe it by saying, “This is who I am!”

The Bible’s first mention of our hearts carries these tragic words. “The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5).

That’s in contrast to what we learn about our Creator’s heart. “The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain” (v.6).

The pain in his heart was coupled with love so great that he was willing to pay the price to cover the evil in our hearts. When the Holy Spirit worked saving faith within us, he gave us what he had promised. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you” (Ezekiel 36:26).

Yet, on this side of heaven, the evil side of our nature remains with us. We are reminded, “The sinful mind is hostile to God” (Romans 8:6).

What action can be more hostile to God than trying to convince a child of God that he is separated from the love of God?

The warning is clear. Our natural heart, our sinful heart, can lie to us. It can falsely condemn us. The accusation comes from deep inside. It can strip away our joy. It can lead us to despair.

In his epistle, John warns against a fake faith, an empty faith. He tells us, “This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother” (1 John 3:10).

Those can be frightening words. Could we be a child of the devil instead of a child of God? Are we someone who “does not do what is right”? Of course! We know we sin.

Our heart can condemn us with these words if we let it. But that is not the final word.

Scripture declares, “Our God is greater than our hearts!”

He knows what’s in our souls. “He knows everything.”

That’s what the apostle Peter went back to. Yes, he had boasted that his faith was greater than that of any of the other disciples. Yes, he had claimed that he would die rather than deny Jesus was his Savior God.

And yes! Regarding Jesus, he did tell the servant girl, “I know not the man!” Then backed it up by cursing and swearing it was true.

But afterward, when face-to-face with the risen Jesus, he answered the question “Do you love me?” by saying, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you” (John 21:17).

God is greater than our fears. Greater than our weakness. Greater than an accusing heart. He sees the faith that is in our heart of hearts. His forgiveness is greater than our weakness.

Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me” (John 10:14).

Thus, we can say, “Be still, my soul! The Lord is on thy side!”

Military Devotion – September 1, 2023

Devotion based on Mark 16:8

See series: Military Devotions

We wonder how this could happen. What were they thinking? What was wrong with them?

Hadn’t they heard the angel say that Jesus had risen from the dead? Didn’t they realize that this was Easter—a day that would be greeted with joy by millions for thousands of years?

How could they? They had been knocked in the head by trauma. They were in a state of shock.

Just a week ago they had been part of a joyous parade celebrating the glory of Jesus. They had joined in the hosannas. They had watched their leader and teacher ride into the capital city as if he were a king. Many were expecting he would now set up his throne and rule on earth as the Messiah. The golden age was coming! They were sure of that. It was Sunday.

By Friday, the sense of triumph had turned to terror.

These women had followed him from Galilee. They had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover with Jesus and his disciples. They were horrified to learn that he had been arrested on Thursday night and already sentenced to death by Friday morning.

They stood weeping near that cross as the darkness came at midday. They saw the blood. They heard his cries. They watched him die.

They stood there almost alone. Only John, of all the disciples, waited with them. Then, he left too. He had to take the mother of Jesus back to his own home. The rest of the former brave disciples were trembling behind locked doors.

It was these women who then walked with some strangers to the grave Jesus would be laid in. They touched his cold and bleeding body. They felt obligated to prepare him for burial. There was no one else to do it. It was their duty. It tore at their hearts.

Then the Sabbath sundown interrupted them. They had to wait for an entire day before they could complete their mission. Saturday was spent with heavy hearts, and the Sunday sunrise would bring them renewed pain. Once again, they had to handle the body of the one they had loved and believed in. Now he was the dead Jesus.

While heaven erupted in the hallelujahs of victory on that day, angels were deployed to let humans know what had happened. Death had been conquered. Life eternal for the citizens of earth had been won. We wonder if the angel hardly contained his excitement when he reported to the women, “He is not here. He is risen!”

Instead of breaking out in words of praise and joy, the women panicked. “Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.”

Warriors who have been faced with confusing, conflicting scenes have a name for it. They call it the fog of war.

Commanders who thought their troops were winning a battle later learned it was a devastating loss. Soldiers who were certain they were in a losing fight, later learned of their victory. Those who live in the fog of war cannot see clearly.

The problem is they only see a small part of the big picture. They draw conclusions from fragments that prove misleading. They need someone else, someone who knows the full story, to tell them what really is happening.

Shocked emotions give us fragmented intel. They focus on the horrible pieces and fail to show us the complete picture.

They repeat and repeat the painful as if that is all there is. It leaves us in our own fog of war.

The followers of Jesus spent the entire first Easter day in bewilderment and fear. When night fell, and the travelers who had seen Jesus on the way to Emmaus returned to Jerusalem, they were still trembling behind locked doors.

It wasn’t until Jesus passed right through those closed doors; it wasn’t until Jesus came to see them that they came to see what had actually happened.

He lifted the fog. He cleared their heads. He proved he was still with them, and the battle against sin, Satan, and death had been won.

A mind-shocking, soul-shaking experience can bring any person into the proverbial fog of war. It may feel weird, but it is not uncommon. Maybe we should even expect it.

Maybe our minds will be stuck in that fog for a long time. But our souls need not be.

In Word and sacrament Jesus comes to our souls, drives out fear, banishes trembling, and brings us the same message that he delivered on that Easter night: “Peace be with you!” (John 20:19).

That’s all we need.

If we are at peace with God, we need not fear the fog of war.

Military Devotion – August 18, 2023

Devotion based on Haggai 1:5,6

See series: Military Devotions

The wisest and richest man looked back over his accomplishments and declared, “Meaningless! Meaningless!” (Ecclesiastes 1:2).

If King Solomon, who had achieved so much in life, came to that conclusion, what is the average person to think? What if we aren’t trying to accomplish anything big? What if we are only trying to stay one step ahead of disaster? What if we never seem to get ahead in life—no matter how long or how hard we try?

What if it seems we have become friends of futility?

The starting point is the answer to the question, “Where does success come from?” The common answers range from “Working hard!” to “Just plain luck!”

The real answer is: “From an unseen hand!”

For every lucky lotto winner, there are thousands of losers. For every hard-driving workaholic who succeeds, there are the many who declare bankruptcy. Further examination reveals that even the winners and the successful are not guaranteed happiness or contentment. The refrain, “Meaningless! Meaningless!” keeps ringing in one’s ears.

Then, there is the story Jesus told of a man who said to himself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”

Should he be called a success? God called him a fool, saying to him, “This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”

The lesson is: “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:18-21).

The Lord God is the unseen hand involved in every success and failure. He makes this very clear when he tells us, “I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things” (Isaiah 45:7).

The prophet Haggai was writing to the people of Israel who had returned from the Babylonian captivity. One of them wrote, “When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.”

They knew the unseen hand behind this deliverance. They announced, “The LORD has done great things for us and we are filled with joy” (Psalm 126:1-3).

But they were not filled with thanksgiving—at least, not for long. When they got back to their homeland, the Promised Land, they turned their attention to themselves and their needs. They tried to better themselves. They worked long and hard. They built their houses.

They forgot that the house of God was still lying in ruins. Solomon’s magnificent temple had been trashed and demolished by the invading Babylonians. The released and returning captives gave it little thought. It was forgotten amid the rush to rebuild and succeed.

But not forgotten by the one who had told Solomon at the dedication of the first temple, “I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there” (1 Kings 9:3).

The Lord God had big plans for the new temple. “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty” (Haggai 2:6).

Jesus, the Son of God was going to preach and teach in this new house of God. Thus, its glory would be greater. “The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty. ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty” (Haggai 2:8,9).

Those returning captives placed their own wants higher than what God wanted. They ended up with empty pockets. The houses they built? The wealth they acquired?

Now dust. Now ashes. Now in someone else’s hands. Now it means nothing. Now, as they lie in their graves, it’s all meaningless. They were friends of futility.

The Lord God placed our salvation as the highest priority. He still does. We end up with glory and riches beyond what Solomon could have dreamed.

We will have that forever.

We have a friend better than futility.

What a friend we have in Jesus!

Military Devotion – August 4, 2023

Devotion based on Psalm 25:11

See series: Military Devotions

My namesake is the apostle Paul. There are others with that name in my family line, but my mother made sure when I was very young that I would know exactly whom I was named after. No doubt, there are also many others named after this well-known Christian leader.

Some people are named after other heroes of faith. Peter, Deborah, and Esther are on the long list of such special names. But at the top of the list is a name that is often overlooked, yet it is the most important of all. If that name is not there, nothing else matters.

Those who have put their trust in the one who has bought them with the blood of Christ are named after the LORD of all. That may surprise us for his name is special. His name is holy. His name represents everything he is and everything he has done. It dare not be misused.

He has stated, “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols” (Isaiah 42:8).

How is it then that sinful mortals can carry the name of the eternal, almighty God?

Therein lies the greatest news of all time and the heart of the Bible’s message.

It starts with the matter of iniquity. That’s where David begins in this psalm. He announces, “To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;” then he explains why, “in you I trust, O my God” (Psalm 25:1).

He quickly asks the Lord to remember something important. “Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old” (verse 6).

Just as quickly, he begs God to forget something. “Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways.”

Then he returns to the basis of his plea for mercy: “According to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD” (verse 7).

That’s a familiar concept for God’s people. It reminds one of the often-used table prayer, “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endures forever” (1 Chronicles 16:34 KJV).

The mercy of God is the answer to human iniquity. The Bible defines iniquity in many ways, such as, “do wrong,” “transgression” and “miss the mark.” But the most common term is “sin.” David hit the mark when he confessed to the LORD, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight” (Psalm 51:4).

David admitted to doing evil. That should have been a death sentence. It is written, “The soul who sins is the one who will die” (Ezekiel 18:4).

Why didn’t he? Why wasn’t he delivered to the gates of hell? When David confessed to adultery and murder, he was told, “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die” (2 Samuel 12:13).

How can that be? The answer is found in David’s namesake. He was called the Son of David. He carried the name Jesus. The apostle John wrote by divine inspiration, “I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name” (1 John 2:12).

The God of free and faithful grace assures us, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1).

At our baptism, we were named as his child and assured our sins had been washed away.

We still are so named. They still are washed away. We are blessed.

Already at the time of Moses, he gave his people the opportunity to have the name of the LORD placed upon them. It frequently happens in our time at the end of our worship services. The pastor raises his hands and declares,

“The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace.”

The LORD explained the reason for this benediction. “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them” (Numbers 6:27).

We walk out of worship with the very name of the Savior God placed upon us. We walk away with our sins forgiven. We walk forward in life, wherever our path may take us, as redeemed and richly blessed children of the heavenly Father.

When we pray, “Our Father who art in heaven,” he hears us. He knows us. He loves us. He blesses us.

We bear his name.

He is our namesake.

Military Devotion – July 21, 2023

Devotion based on 1 John 3:16

See series: Military Devotions

It’s not suicide. It is not the taking of our life. It is the willingness to lay down our life to enable someone else to live. It is an act of love.

Most Americans give little thought to the possibility. Those who wear the uniform of the U.S. Armed Forces must.

Sometimes, the prestigious Medal of Honor has been won by someone who held off enemy firepower all alone so others could escape the killing zone. Some of them threw themselves on live grenades to save the lives of others. It was always a willingness to lay down one’s life for the sake of another that made the difference.

One does not need to be in the military to do this. It also happens in civilian lives. The apostle John reminds us, it especially can happen in Christian lives.

American Christians have been called pampered Christians because of the freedom of religion clause built into the founding documents of our nation. This has been a buffer against persecution. Not all Christians around the world enjoy that blessing. The very early Christians certainly did not.

Looking past the illegal execution of Jesus, we see Stephen stoned to death because of his testimony about Jesus. We hear of Christians being scattered by persecution shortly afterward (Acts 11:19). Next, we are shown Saul of Tarsus hunting down Christians and delivering them to authorities for imprisonment—and worse. Saint Luke continues by reporting that King Herod had James, the brother of John, “put to death with the sword.” It disturbs us to further hear, “When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also” (Acts 12:3). Angelic rescue squads were dispatched to save Peter’s life.

One might have thought the powerful Roman government would have intervened to protect Christians. Instead, Christianity was declared by Rome to be an illegal religion. This fueled the fires of persecution. The city of Rome became the record holder for the number of Christian martyrs.

Modern tour guides at the remains of the famous Roman Coliseum deny it was the staging ground for Christians to be executed by soldiers and wild animals in front of cheering crowds. But ancient records seem to tell a different story. A Roman historian, Tacitus, tells of the time that Emperor Nero blamed the outbreak of a deadly fire in Rome upon Christians. Blood flowed in the streets and in the coliseum as a result. There is a report of Christians being covered with tar, tied to posts, and set afire to serve as streetlights as Nero drove his chariot by them.

Historians may debate the authenticity of some records, but it is certain that to be a Christian for some 300 years after the death of Christ was to live under the threat of death. The words of John were remembered and repeated. “And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” Some would die so others might live.

Should we remember and repeat those words today? Persecution against Christians is happening in many places of our world. Even American Christians have noticed the increase in resentment and opposition to the Bible and those who stand by it. The tide seems to be turning against those who follow Christ as Lord and Savior. Only God knows what this will lead to.

It is that same God who bids us look beyond this life to see where the path leads. It is the Good Shepherd who invites us to follow him even through the valley of the shadow of death. He has set the prime example for us. We are not only to be concerned about ourselves. We are here to serve and support others.

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.”

That mental picture should always be in our rearview mirror. We shudder to think what would happen to us if that had not happened. We smile at the thought of the sun rising over the empty Easter grave. We peer through the fog of this life to catch glimpses of the rays of glory showing through from the future life.

We weigh everything in life on the counterbalance of the gift Jesus gave us with his death. Our pain and hardship? Doesn’t move the scale at all with Gethsemane and Golgotha on the other side. Earthly wealth and honor? Not worth comparing to eternal glory. Loss of life? It will never happen for soldiers of the cross. When the earthly battle is over, those in service to Jesus are immediately transferred home. They never really die.

So, how will we use the short span of time before we are called home?

Serving God. Serving others.

Even if it costs our lives.

Military Devotion – July 7, 2023

Devotion based on Psalm 15:4

See series: Military Devotions

It’s painless to do the right thing when it doesn’t cost us anything. It’s easy to keep our word when there are no negative consequences. It’s different when doing the right thing makes us pay a price. If it is going to hurt, we are tempted to look for an easy way out.

That’s not what our God expects of us. That does not gain his favor. But that doesn’t mean it’s always easy for us to do the right thing. An incident in the life of Joshua gives us an example.

Jericho had been breached and destroyed—except for Rahab and her family who had been promised safety. Nearby Ai had also been obliterated, by the command of the LORD. The same prospect was before all the people who inhabited the land of Canaan.

The LORD had told the Israelites, “When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places. Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess” (Numbers 33:51-53).

There was more. “You must destroy all the peoples the LORD your God gives over to you. Do not look on them with pity and do not serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you.”

The inhabitants of Canaan knew about this. The reports had come to them of the powerful works of the LORD and the battles Israel had won in the wilderness. The siege of Jericho showed what other cities in Canaan could expect. The Bible reports, “They devoted the city to the LORD and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys” (Joshua 6:21).

Leaders of many Canaanite tribes warned their people and prepared them for war. But one tribe took a different approach. The Gibeonites decided to trick Israel into thinking they were not from Canaan but from a faraway country. “Make a treaty with us,” they asked.

When Joshua asked, “Who are you and where do you come from?” they told the story of how in a distant country they had heard all the Lord had done in Egypt and the wilderness. So, they decided to pack up their possessions to meet with the Israelites and join them.

As evidence of this, they showed their moldy bread, dried-out and cracked wineskins, and worn-out clothes and sandals. They said, “These were new when we started out.”

Significantly, we are told, “The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the LORD.” Using their own judgment, they took the next step. “Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath” (Joshua 9:14,15).

Three days later, they learned the truth. They had been deceived. The Gibeonites were Canaanites who were to be driven out or killed, just like the rest.

The Gibeonites explained, “So we feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this. We are now in your hands. Do to us whatever seems good and right to you.”

Now what? Israel could have said, “You lied! Our oath is not binding.” In fact, that is what most of the Israelites wanted to happen. But their leaders answered, “We have given them our oath by the LORD, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now.”

The people of Israel were not just another tribe on the earth. They were the people of God. They bore his name. What they would do would be a reflection upon him. The decision was made. They would not go back on their word because the God of all never goes back on his word.

We are told the result. “So Joshua saved them from the Israelites, and they did not kill them.” They were made servants of Israel as “woodcutters and water carriers for the community and for the altar of the LORD.” Therefore, “And that is what they are to this day” (Joshua 9:26,27).

That was the right thing to do! They had been reminded, as are we: “But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands” (Deuteronomy 7:8,9).

It hurt the LORD to keep his promise to rescue us. He had to watch his Son die.

Why should we hesitate to do what we know he expects of us? Why should the question of cost enter the decision? Why would we want to do anything that tarnishes his honor?

We bear his name before the world. Let us do so gladly and faithfully—even when it hurts.

Military Devotion – June 23, 2023

Devotion based on Philippians 4:7

See series: Military Devotions

To defend that which is weak. To strengthen that which is strong. To guard that which is precious—that is our calling whether in uniform or not.

Those who have sworn to defend the United States “against all enemies foreign and domestic” have assumed a serious responsibility. Special training and weapons are used to equip them for this special task. We pray for their safety and success. But there is more to the picture labeled “Guarding.”

America has more than once undertaken efforts to win the hearts and minds of those who might join with our enemies. The hope is they will become emotionally connected to our cause when we win over their hearts. If we can win their minds, their thinking and goals will be aligned with our plans and programs.

If we can gain the hearts and minds of people, they will become our allies, not our enemies.

Sadly, our enemies also know this. If they would win over our hearts and minds, we would become their allies. But we do not want to become partners with such as the Taliban. We try to keep fellow citizens from being deceived by false claims and promises. We call that being brainwashed. We do not want them to give up their American freedom to become slaves to some oppressive ideology.

In 1775, Patrick Henry asked his fellow patriots, “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?” His answer has been echoed in speeches by generations of his countrymen: “Forbid it Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

At the time of the apostle Paul, the Israeli people lived under the oppressive thumb of the Roman Empire. He was an advocate of freedom. He risked his life to bring others into freedom. He lost his life in the battle against tyranny.

But among his many writings, we find no calls for war against Rome. Instead, to the Roman Christians he wrote, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established” (Romans 13:1).

If Imperial Rome wasn’t the enemy he warned against, what was? We can call it the Evil Empire, for evil is at its heart. The fallen angel, Satan, is listed as its commander. Its fighting force was made up of only rebellious angels, at first. But soon humans joined those ranks.

The sinless Son of God rescued us from this superpower of wickedness. But we remain at risk of being recaptured. Evil fights to reclaim us. The bite of Satan, who appeared to our first parents as a snake, is still deadly. So is the poison of his allies. It can induce Christians to turn against one another, and finally rejoin those who reject the Savior God.

But evil cannot reclaim the heirs of salvation by force. Satanic legions do not have that kind of power. However, sadly, those in the kingdom of light can renounce their citizenship. They can desert Christ and rejoin the ranks of the doomed and damned.

Why would they do this? Because they want to. Why would they want to? Because, tragically, the powers of darkness have won their hearts and minds.

What can keep that from happening? What will give us the strength to overcome any inclination to embrace the enemy of all that is good and right?

We have the answer. It has been written down in Holy Script for everyone to see. The required power lies in the peace of God.

This is the peace the Bethlehem angels sang of. This is the peace Jesus bought with his holy blood. This is what he was speaking of when he told his followers, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).

Neither wishful thinking nor fierce determination is enough to survive the hellish attacks of doubt and fear. We cannot guard ourselves against such powers. We cannot guard others. Mortals are not strong enough to hold on to this peace. We need help.

We need to call in the one who is, “our trusty shield and weapon.” We need the one to whom belongs “the kingdom, the power, and the glory.” We need the Lord God.

The British poet, Kipling, rebuked his people for thinking they were strong enough to guard themselves by reminding them of their frailty. He wrote they were only, “All valiant dust that builds on dust.” To the Lord he confessed, “and guarding, calls not thee to guard.”

We will not make that mistake. We will not forget to pray to the Lord to guard us.

Will we?

Military Devotion – June 9, 2023

Devotion based on 2 Corinthians 4:6,7

See series: Military Devotions

“God is light; in him there is no darkness at all,” (1 John 1:5) the Bible proclaims. We are only beginning to glimpse the significance of this statement.

Light has played a crucial role in life since the beginning of time. The first command recorded in Scripture is, “Let there be light.” The response was immediate. “And there was light.” The Lord let light burst forth upon the waters covering the earth that was yet formless and empty.

It might take us a while before we say, “Wait a minute! The sun, moon, and stars were not in existence yet. That didn’t happen until the fourth day. Where did this light come from?”

The answer is, “It came from God, himself.” Later, he would place the light bearers into the sky. First, light must be created. It’s another thing to make instruments that will continue to send out the light. We can call them luminaries.

Shortly afterward, we are told, “And God saw that the light was good.” Indeed it is. Light is the fundamental condition for all organic earthly life. Without light and the warmth that flows from it, plant, animal, and human life could not continue to exist on this earth.

The great importance of light for all physical life is underscored in Holy Scriptures by the very fact that light is used in a figurative sense to designate him who is indispensable for all spiritual life. Christ says of himself, “I am the light of the world” (John 9:5).

So then, it might startle us to hear, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts.”

Can that be? Are we the bearers of God’s light just as the sun, moon, and stars are? Are we luminaries to planet Earth?

Yes.

The heavenly bodies show forth God’s physical light. The people of God shine forth his spiritual light by their words and actions glorifying their Creator and Redeemer. One light is essential for life here and now. The other light is essential for life here and forever.

Our light reveals the glory of God that was given to mankind by Christ, the Savior.

That means we are important! That shows we can offer a critical service to the rest of the human race. We must do so—just as the sun must deliver its life-saving light to Earth. The only way the sun could stop doing that is if it lost its light—if that star died.

What about us? When might we no longer shed light upon a dying world? Wouldn’t it be when our faith died? When the light of God no longer shone in us?

That’s true! It’s sad—but true!

The apostle Paul, who was one of the greatest missionaries, who brought the light of the gospel to so many people, reminds us that we are frail. We possess the greatest treasure in all the world, but that treasure is carried in fragile containers.

We are not the Great One. We are not the Rock of Ages. We are not the glorious God.

We are jars of clay.

“Dust you are,” the Creator said. That applies to us now as much as it did to our first parents.

We can easily be broken into pieces. We can lose the light. The precious treasure of forgiveness of sins and life everlasting can slip from our grasp.

But not from the hands of the Lord of life! He has placed this treasure into our frail frames to demonstrate that the power of the gospel is not from us. We are reminded, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

Not to us! Not to us!

To God be the glory!

We are honored to serve him as mere jars of clay.

We must join in the song of the children, “This little light of mine. I’m going to make it shine!”

Military Devotion – May 26, 2023

Devotion based on 1 Kings 19:11-13

See series: Military Devotions

“Come Holy Spirit, renew our hearts, and kindle in us the power of your love.”

Thus, we invite God the Holy Spirit to come into our lives to revive and inspire us. We remember the time he came upon the crowd in Jerusalem. He appeared with the sound of a violent wind and tongues of fire. As a result, each person in a crowd with sixteen different languages heard the words of the others in his own native language.

This was firepower from heaven.

It might lead us to expect a dramatic display of power whenever the LORD goes into action. That’s what happens when humans unleash firepower. The exploding shells cause shock waves. Flames and smoke rise into the sky. The burst of power does not go unnoticed.

But now, along with Elijah, we are taught the arrival of heavenly firepower is not always dramatic or even visible. Sometimes, it comes as gently as a whisper.

The prophet had recently witnessed an amazing demonstration of divine firepower. He had challenged 450 prophets of the idol, Baal, to a test. Two altars with two sacrifices, each with dry wood, were set up. “You call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the LORD,” Elijah told them. “The god who answers by fire—he is God!”

All day long, the Baal worshipers begged their idol to light the fire. Nothing happened.

When it was his turn, Elijah ordered water to be poured onto his altar and firewood again and again and again. Then he prayed, “Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God.”

We are told, “Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench” (1 Kings 18:38).

That’s the kind of response we like to see from the Holy One in heaven. That’s like the Pentecost miracle in Jerusalem. But that seldom happens. Probably none of us have ever seen something like that. And yet, Jesus has promised us that the Holy Spirit would be with us.

Why doesn’t the Holy Spirit show himself to us so we can be assured of his powerful presence?

Could the answer be that he does not want to? Is it that simple? Could it be that he does not need to? Might it be that he knows best how to carry out his soul-stirring, life-saving work?

Yes.

The dramatic demonstration did not assure Elijah for very long. Shortly afterward, he is in a cave very depressed. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life” (1 Kings 19:4).

Not what happened outside of himself, but what the Holy Spirit would do inside of him was the critical work. There is where faith lived. In his soul dwelt the hope and joy that could overflow into his daily life.

No explosions, no fireworks, no drama—the Holy Spirit comes to human hearts as softly and gently as a whisper.

Sometimes, we may see evidence of God at work in our lives. When we look back in time, we may detect that it was during some of our worst days that his power was poured out in the greatest way.

Jesus once said, “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough” (Matthew 13:33).

Not as exciting as a violent wind. Not as obvious as flames appearing from heaven. But just as real. Just as certain. The Holy Spirit brings to us firepower from heaven.

We sing to our Savior God, “Come not in terrors, as the King of kings, but kind and good, with healing in thy wings.”
May God the Holy Spirit visit us with his love!

Military Devotion – May 12, 2023

Devotion based on Isaiah 63:1-3

See series: Military Devotions

The warrior travels down a dirt road so typical of the Middle East. Just as typically, people come to watch. But it is not a convoy. No troops follow him. He comes alone from Bozrah, the enemy stronghold. It is a strange sight. Stranger yet is the stain on his clothing. Is that grape juice? No, it’s blood. Is he wounded? No, this is the blood of his enemies.

Who is this? Who is this a picture of? The question is not left in doubt. This is the Savior of Israel. We know him as Jesus. This is Jesus victorious. This is the Jesus who took on the enemies of God and his people—and stomped them!

When we think of the victory celebrated at Easter, we tend to forget what it meant to his defeated enemies. We forget that fallen angels and humans had taken their stand against God. They disrespected and rejected him. They waged war against the Lord of creation and those who serve him.

The Holy One is a just God and loving God. But he is also the LORD vicious in judgment.

The triumphant Jesus reminds us that no one was with him when he defeated sin, death, and the devil. None else was qualified to undertake this mission. He didn’t need help! Of his enemies he says, “I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my wrath.”

Good thing we get to see this. We need to hear these words. The enemies of God give the impression that they rule; that they are strong; that they are winning the war of life and death.

It’s a lie! The war is over. They have been beaten. They have been stomped!

Then why doesn’t it seem like it? Because they are still allowed to dwell among God’s people. They still serve a purpose in God’s plan. Somehow, in some way, their existence is to the benefit of God’s people. We’ll leave all those mysterious details in God’s hands. We just dare not believe their lying propaganda.

Lies and propaganda have long been tools of warfare. History shows many times they have been effective. In 1945, about 100,000 civilians died when Americans attacked Okinawa. It is reported that most of these were deaths by suicide. There is a horrendous video of a woman throwing her baby over a cliff before jumping to join it in death. Then more adults follow. Recently, Reuters carried the words of a woman who survived those days. She said, “Four of us tried to commit suicide with one hand grenade, but it did not go off.”

Why this senseless carnage?

Japanese propaganda had convinced them that death was better than falling into the hands of the Americans who tortured, raped, and killed those who were captured.

The lies were believed.

No propaganda effort was ever as successful as the one churning out lies from the pit of hell. If it is not telling people there is no God and sin is not serious, it is trying to convince others that there is no hope for them because of their grievous sin.

These lies are not to be believed. Jesus warns us about Satan, “He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

We need not fear his power. It is the triumphant Lord who proclaims,

“Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10)

We live now in the aftermath of God’s victory. There still is some sniper fire. The defeated enemy still tries to put on a brave face. Still makes threats. But it’s all over. The columns of the enemy are being marched in an endless line into the eternity of dark despair. Meanwhile, the line of the faithful sets its course for the bright shores of glory.

They follow the One with the bloodstained clothes.