Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Romans 8:35-37

We are Winners

Not everyone wins in an election. It is the same way in most contests in life—there are winners, and there are losers. Our children often learn this at an early age when they play in little league, flag football, basketball, or some other sport. There is a winner and a loser at the end of each game. If you have ever participated in any type of contest and won, you know the exhilarating feeling that you have had. However, if you have lost, you also know the feeling of having been defeated.

When it comes to the contest of life and our final destiny, the good news for God’s people is that we are winners. Even if things in our lives don’t seem to be going that well, the Bible assures us that God is with us, and nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.

God is for us. He proved it in sacrificing his only Son in our place. He shows it every day as he freely gives us all we need and works all things for our eternal good. He’s with us as he daily forgives us and defends us.

As we encounter personal problems and troubles, as we are faced with our many sins, the fear may arise that the Lord no longer loves us. However, God tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. In him, we win.

Prayer:
My God and Savior, help me face the challenges of my life with the knowledge that you are always with me and that nothing can separate me from your love. Amen.

[Jesus said] “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”
Matthew 13:44

Your Treasure

What do you treasure? Your family? Your stuff? Your teams? Your money? You treasure all sorts of things. Your treasure is what you sink your time into and talk about. It’s what your thoughts turn to again and again. The people you spend time with probably have a pretty good idea what you treasure.

It is certainly easy to see what the man in Jesus’ parable valued. After all, he sold everything he had to get it! He realized that the treasure in that field was more valuable than everything else he had put together.

Jesus told this parable to help us understand that being part of his kingdom, his family, is more valuable than everything else we have put together. Your house won’t last forever. Your car won’t last forever. Your career won’t last forever. Even your relationships won’t last forever. But, the kingdom of heaven will last forever.

So, don’t be fooled. Don’t think that anything or anyone in your life is as valuable as a relationship with your Creator—a relationship only made possible through Jesus and his saving work. Hold on to that relationship more tightly than anything else. Let it be what you sink your time into and talk about. Let it be what your thoughts turn to again and again. You can be sure it will be worth it!

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help me to treasure you and your kingdom most of all. Amen.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28

Good in All Things

How can the Bible say that God works all things for our good? It’s not that we don’t want the statement to be true. It’s just that it does not seem to be true. That little word “all” makes it hard to believe.

How can God work all things for our good when so much badness piles up? Think of the cancer diagnosis, or the lost job, or the car accident, or the sick friend. Take your pick of any awful scenario that has happened to you or someone you care about. How can it be good? Why does God allow it?

Is it maybe because you don’t love God enough? After all, the verse says that God works all things for the good “of those who love him,” and you can probably think of many times when you have not loved God.

Don’t go down that path. It only leads to uncertainty and despair. Instead, focus on how “those who love God” are further described as people “who have been called according to [God’s] purpose.” What a relief! God’s calling was not of your doing or deserving; it was according to God’s purpose. He loves you, and his plan has always been to work bad things for your good.

He did this in the past when he sent Jesus, who “took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4). Jesus knew a thing or two about badness. And yet God worked Jesus’ horrific suffering and death for the greatest good of all: your eternal salvation.

He continues to work all things for your good in the present. Your life is also part of God’s purpose. He is in control and makes sure that everything that happens to you will fit together in a good way. You may not understand the plan, but he does. And in the end, you know that the outcome will be perfect because that is God’s promise.

Prayer:
Lord God, help me to accept your good purpose for me in bad times as well as good. Amen.

“Now, LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
1 Kings 3:7-9

The Wisdom of Service

When Solomon became king of Israel, he had some big shoes to fill. His father, King David, was the most successful ruler in the history of God’s people. David defeated their enemies, expanded their borders, and gave them the security they had only dreamed of. During David’s reign, God was keeping one promise after another that he had made to their ancestors. As a result, Israel had become a prosperous and plentiful nation.

Understandably Solomon was nervous. How could he possibly live up to his father’s example or govern such a great people? But God wanted Solomon to be successful. So the Lord appeared to him and said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you” (1 Kings 3:5).

Solomon asked for wisdom to govern his people. How amazing is that? God offered Solomon whatever he wanted, and he did not use it to serve himself. He used it to serve others.

Would you do the same? Or would the temptation to selfishly use God’s gifts be too great? Sadly, we have to admit that we are often more selfish than selfless.

But, thankfully, Jesus used all his greatness to serve. He even said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Matthew 20:28). So he blessed children, washed feet, taught thousands, and died to forgive the selfishness of all people.

So, your selfish sins are forgiven. And you can look forward, this day, to selflessly serving those whom God chooses to bring into your life.

Prayer:
Lord God, please give me the wisdom to serve the people you have placed in my life. Amen.

[Jesus] told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
Matthew 13:33-35

The Word Works Silently in Hearts

Years ago, I used to watch my mother make bread. She kneaded a big ball of dough and then placed it in a large bowl. She mixed the contents of a small package in warm water and then poured the mixture onto the dough and worked it in. Finally, she covered the bowl with a white cloth and set it in the south window of the kitchen where the sun warmed the dough. It seemed miraculous to me that after a short time the dough started to expand. It pushed up the cloth and sometimes it stretched over the sides of the bowl. Of course, it wasn’t a miracle. It was just the yeast that mom had activated with the water that did its work throughout the bread dough. The yeast worked invisibly and silently, but the results were obvious.

In this parable, Jesus uses the working of yeast in dough to describe the power of God working in people’s hearts through his Word. The Word works silently in hearts, but it is powerfully effective. God uses it to turn our hearts from unbelief to faith in Jesus, to free us from our sins, and to rescue us from eternal death and give us the free gift of everlasting life.

The yeast of God’s Word continues to work in our hearts to help us live more consistently according to God’s holy will. As God’s power works invisibly and silently in our hearts through his Word, the result in our lives will show in what we speak with our lips, how we act with our hands, where we walk with our feet, even what we allow ourselves to look at with our eyes and listen to with our ears. God’s love for us in Jesus that he communicates to us in his Word moves us to gladly live to the glory of God!

Prayer: (from Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal, 469)
Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee.
Take my voice and let me sing always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from thee.

“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 13:40-42

God Will Burn the Weeds in Fire

When you pull weeds out of your garden, what do you do with them? Do you arrange them in a vase and set them in your living room? Do you extract their seeds so that you can plant them next year? Of course not. Weeds, by definition, are plants that you didn’t want in your garden, and you have no use for them. So, when you pull them from your garden, you throw them away on your brush pile or in your garbage can.

In Jesus’ story, when harvest time came, the farmer sent his harvesters into his field. Their first task was to gather all the weeds, bind them in bundles, and burn them.

A time of harvest is coming for this world as well. On the last day of this world’s existence, Jesus will return, accompanied by all his angels. He will send his angels to separate those who refused to believe in him from those who do believe, just as the harvesters in Jesus’ parable separated the weeds from the wheat. Then, he will cast those who refused to believe in him into the eternal fires of hell, where they will experience eternal separation from God and all of his blessings.

This is not the way God wants things to work out for people. God “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). That’s why he sent his Son to live, die, and rise again for all people. Unfortunately, people reject the gifts of salvation and eternal life that God offers them in Christ.

But for those who by God’s grace do believe in Jesus as their Savior, a different, more glorious future awaits. They will shine like the sun forever in the glories of heaven.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, keep me always close to Jesus, my Savior, that I may never lose the blessings that he has won for me. Amen.

“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.”
Matthew 13:27,28

Weeds in This World

When weeds grow in your garden, whose fault is it? On one level, it’s not really anyone’s fault, since weeds simply are a part of life in this sin-cursed world. But at the same time, if you either negligently or purposely allow the weeds to continue to grow, you have no one but yourself to blame when the weeds take over.

“Whose fault is it that there are weeds in the field?” the farmer’s servants, in essence, asked the farmer in Jesus’ story. “We know you planted good wheat seed in the field. So, where did all these weeds come from?” The farmer’s answer was clear and unequivocal. “An enemy did this,” he replied. It was not the farmer’s fault that weeds were growing in his field. He had not planted them there. Rather an enemy who was determined to ruin the farmer’s field had planted those weeds there.

Whose fault is it that there are weeds in this world? In other words, whose fault is it that there is evil in this world? If God is the almighty Lord of all as he says he is, why does evil exist at all? If God truly is truly in control of all things, wouldn’t he make sure that no evil ever entered his world? Isn’t God to blame for the weeds that have invaded his field?

God’s answer to those questions is clear and unequivocal: “An enemy did this.” The Devil, not God, is the one who brought evil into this world. Satan tempted Adam and Eve, our first parents, to sin. And when they sinned, evil entered our world.

God, however, immediately promised to send a Savior to overcome sin, Satan, and all evil. He fulfilled that promise for us in Jesus. “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work,” the apostle John tells us (1 John 3:8). And by his perfect life and innocent suffering and death on our behalf, Jesus did just that.

So, when you see weeds in the world, don’t blame God. Instead, blame the enemy. And give thanks to God that he sent his Son into the world to destroy the devil’s work for us.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, whenever I encounter evil, help me to remember that you are not its source. Rather you are the one who sent your Son so that he might overcome all evil for me. Amen.

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalm 18:2

Resting On the Rock

Storms can come up quickly upon the 1,695 square mile lake on the Minnesota/Canada border known as Lake of the Woods. At times, fishermen are too far from camp to make it back before the life-threatening weather hits. How do they survive in these situations? They often run their boats up on one of many rock islands and wait out the storm, anchored on the rock.

Have you ever been caught in a storm of life? Not just a weather storm, but a time when adversity comes upon you suddenly, like a black thundercloud rising on the horizon? When worries seem to be flooding you? When the trials of life flash before you like lightning and send you searching for shelter? How do you survive a storm like this?

Our Bible reading for today from Psalm 18 provides a solution: “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.” You see, in waves of worry, you have a solid rock to anchor on: A God who promises to be with you ALWAYS, to the very end of the age. In a flood of anxiety, you have his unchanging promise: In ALL THINGS he works for the good of those who love him. In the howling winds of pain and suffering, you have his unchanging guarantee: There is NOTHING that can separate you from his love! After all, he sent Jesus to prove it by giving up his life to save you from your sins and give you eternal life!

And because of those promises, you will be able to stand in every storm of life. Why? Because you can rest on your rock—your unchanging God.

Prayer:
Lord, when I face storms in my life, remind me to take refuge in you. Amen.

The mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
Isaiah 55:12,13

Complete Victory

“If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands! If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands! If you’re happy and you know it, then you might as well as show it, if you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands!” As you read or listened to that last line, what were you picturing? Likely, you had visions of 5-year-olds going through the actions of that song. Or maybe you envisioned the nursing home activity center with patients reliving their childhood and simultaneously getting their physical therapy. Either way, I doubt you pictured what Isaiah painted in the words of our Bible reading today, “All the trees of the field will clap their hands.”

We know that God’s Word changes people. But don’t sell short the total effect of God’s Word. God’s Word doesn’t just change people. When it accomplishes its purpose, the Word changes all of creation. And that’s a good thing. Look around. Almost daily, there are news reports of natural disasters. Our communities are threatened by wildfires and floods. We walk through the woods and stumble over a rotten tree that blocks our path. It doesn’t take keen observation skills to be reminded that all of creation groans because of the effects of sin. The thorns and thistles in our gardens are a very personal reminder of sin’s effects on all creation.

But not for long. God’s Word assures us that even creation will be freed from the effect of sin. When Jesus went to the cross to pay for the sins of the world, he did just that—he paid for the sins of the world. When Jesus went to the cross, he reversed the curse of sin—even on creation. That’s how complete his victory was. So while you sing for joy, know the mountains and hills join you in your chorus.

Prayer:
Lord, open my eyes to see your complete victory over sin and appreciate your love not only for me but for all of creation. Amen.

[My Word] will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:11

Accomplishments

“So, did you get done what you wanted to accomplish today?” That question can be like nails on a chalkboard. Even the best time managers cannot accurately plan for the distractions in the office, the surprise phone call, or the migraine headache. Do you ever find yourself frustrated with unchecked boxes on a to-do list? Sometimes, there just aren’t enough hours in a day.

Now imagine what life would be like if that never happened to you. Imagine how productive you would feel. Imagine how content you would be with your calendar and your workload. I have to admit, I’m a little jealous of God, when he says, “My word will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Almost sarcastically, I want to say, “Good for you, God!”

But that sarcasm quickly wanes when I realize the object of God’s desires and purposes. It’s you. God wants you to be saved. God wants you to come to a knowledge of the truth. God wants to lead you to his heavenly home. God wants to comfort you. God’s desires are all about you. And God’s Word accomplishes everything God desires. God’s Word checks off every box for you. Now, instead of sarcastically, you can gratefully and humbly say, “Good for you, God!” And good for God means good for you.

Prayer:
Lord, as I face the stress of deadlines and a full calendar, help me to cherish that you achieve every purpose of your word. Amen

As the rain and snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth.
Isaiah 55:10,11

The Word of God Always Works

Step one; check. Step two; check. Steps three through five; check, check, check. “Alright, we should be all set. Let’s go flip the circuit breaker back on and see if this ceiling light works.” The moment of truth. A flip of the switch…nothing. “Are you kidding me? I followed all the steps.”

Ever have something similar happen to you? You follow the directions to a tee, and whatever the product is, it just doesn’t work. I don’t get frustrated when something old doesn’t work. We expect things to wear out. But something new? Ugh, that’s when I lose patience. Thankfully, there is such a thing as a warranty.

God’s Word doesn’t need a warranty because it comes with a guarantee—God’s Word always works. How comforting is that! Yet, we often fail to trust that guarantee. More often than not, we stumble over the adverb, always. God’s Word always works? Then how come God’s Word didn’t crack the unbelieving heart of my neighbor? How come God’s Word didn’t dry the tears of my mourning aunt? How come God’s Word didn’t…? [you fill in the blank].

Before you ask another question, ask yourself this, “How do you know God’s Word didn’t work? How do you know that it just didn’t work yet? How do you know that it just didn’t work according to your plan?”

God says, “Just like the rain waters the earth…so is the word from my mouth.” God’s Word is living, powerful, and effective. And he gives it to you. Read, listen, and share God’s Word. And I guarantee—NO, God guarantees—his Word will work.

Prayer:
Lord, lead me to always trust the effectiveness of your Word. Amen.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

You are Invited

I lived in Mexico for over two years. Soon after arriving, I attended a Bible study at the Lutheran Church in the city of Monterrey. After the Bible study, a couple of us decided to go to the movies.

Wanting to include everybody, I invited the other young people that were there, about ten in all, to come along.

With a strange sort of smile, one of them said, “Are you inviting?” As a naive gringo I said, “Sure, we want you to come along.”

It was only later that I learned in Mexico when you use the word “invite,” that means that you’re paying. Well, after paying for ten tickets to the movies, I had learned my lesson. From then on, I was careful not to use the word “invite” unless I was willing to pay.

The Bible is full of invitations. Our loving God invites us to find peace, forgiveness, and salvation in his loving arms.

He invites us because he has paid. The price was high—”The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Jesus suffered our hell—the punishment of our sins—in order to win heaven for us.

So, now, the price for our sins has been paid. We don’t have to chip in. We don’t have to do our part. Jesus said on the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30). It’s all been paid for.

Be thankful for his gracious invitation and enjoy it!

Prayer:
Thank you, Jesus, for paying the price for my sins. May the kind of life I live this day reflect how thankful I am for this great gift! Amen.

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Romans 7:24,25

Personal

When you hear talk of theology, the word, “personal” probably does not come to mind. Theology often carries the connotation of dry doctrinal statements and sleep-inducing dissertations on obscure bullet points of religious teaching.

Connotations are one thing. Reality, however, is something else. Take the apostle Paul. When he put pen to paper, Paul articulated some of the most eloquent theology in all of the Bible. Seminaries devote entire courses to digesting his inspired words. But as you read Paul, something else becomes clear. To him, the theology he delivers is not some compelling theory, some intellectually stimulating thesis. For Paul, it’s personal.

To know this, look into one of Paul’s masterworks—his letter to the Romans. Here, the Holy Spirit moved Paul to paint both an intricate and sweeping portrait of Christian theology. But as he did, Paul left no doubt as to what this theology meant to him. In chapter 7, for instance, Paul spoke of his own life—his personal life as a Christian who still struggled day by day with his old sinful self. When you read his words, you can hear the tired frustration in his voice. You can hear his grief over all the ways he continued to stumble into sin. The episode reaches a climax when Paul blurts out, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”

Then comes the answer: “Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” You can hear the relief in his voice, knowing that his Lord Jesus had rescued him from his sin and guilt.

Christian theology is also personal for you and me. True, sometimes we forget this. The temptation can often be great to look upon the Bible as a collection of factoids for reference instead of a banquet of spiritual foods to savor. But when we stumble, when we fall, when we recognize all over again our profound need for Christ, the theology of what he has done to wash us clean at the cross and to cover us in his holy life—that beautiful theology becomes personal once more.

Prayer:
Lord, all the truths you have revealed to me in your Word are beautiful, and they are personal. Glory be to you. Amen.

The LORD said to Moses, “. . . I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
Exodus 33:17

By Name

In his novel, To the Last Man, Jeff Shaara paints a particular scene something like this: New York, 1919. The Great War is over. Roscoe lingers on the deck of the passenger ship. He watches as the other soldiers walk down the gangplank and into the arms of their families. Roscoe waits until he can no longer avoid it. He steps off the ship and descends to the dock. And there he stands. No one is there for him, and he knows it. He is alone. In a sea of people laughing, smiling, crying, Roscoe is alone. And then he hears his name.

At first, he thinks he’s imagined it. But then he hears it again. He follows the voice. It belongs to the face of a smiling old man—a man he does not know. But then the smiling old man introduces himself, “I’m Gino’s father. Gino told us all about you in his letters. Welcome home. Let’s get something to eat.” And in that moment, Roscoe experiences what is, perhaps, the greatest act of kindness in his life. The father of his dead friend wanted to make sure that Roscoe was not alone when he got back from the war. And so he had waited day after day until Roscoe finally arrived. And then the smiling old man had called out his name.

If you’ve ever experienced something even remotely similar to this, you don’t forget it. You’re in a strange place, surrounded by people, and don’t know anyone. No one cares who you are. You feel lost, awkward, out of place, alone. And then you hear someone call you by name.

The Lord assured Moses, “I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” As extraordinary a figure as Moses is, however, this privilege does not belong just to Moses. God, in Christ Jesus, has cleansed you of your sins by the blood of his Son. He has blanketed you with the holiness of Christ. And now, through faith in our risen Savior, he has adopted you into his family. You belong. You are his. He calls you by name.

In a world where loneliness can seem so rampant, this is a sweet truth indeed.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, through your Son, you know me by name. Thank you. Amen.

[Jesus said] “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28

Jesus Promises Rest

In 1962 many scholars and academics predicted that, due to better technology, by 1985 people would work just 9 hours a week and would be able to retire at the age of 38. That prediction was just a bit off. It didn’t come true in 1985. And it still hasn’t come true. In fact, despite all our technological advances and time-saving gadgets, we seem to have less free time now. It’s just go, go, go all the time. Newsweek once summed it all up by running a main story about the American workaholic. It was simply titled “Exhausted.”

Perhaps you feel that way. But, perhaps your exhaustion isn’t physical, it’s spiritual. Perhaps the guilt of sin is pressing down upon you, and you don’t know how much longer you can stand up under it.

Listen to the words of Jesus, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Jesus does not say, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you a greater burden.” He says, “I will give you rest.” Jesus takes the weight of sin off our shoulders and frees us from its burden. On the cross, Jesus’ outstretched arms held up the weight of all the sins of all people of all time. Jesus did not promise to give us a hand in carrying the load of our sins. He did not promise to give us the strength to carry it. He took it off of our shoulders and carried it himself.

So, stand up straight. Stretch your spiritual shoulders. Look up and see the face of God now smiling on you. Rather than trying to lift the burden of your sin, lift your arms in praise to the God who removed that burden for you. Rejoice in the rest Jesus has provided!

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, the guilt of my sins often weighs me down when I think of the people I have hurt, and the ways I have disobeyed your commands. Thank you for carrying my sins to the cross. Lift my spirit with the assurance that my sins are forgiven. Amen.