Bethel Lutheran Church
Daily Devotions
Wednesday, October 22
Overflowing Love
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
What more can be said? This verse is the gospel in a nutshell. It is God's nature to pour out love upon us. "From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another" (John 1:16). In love, God created us. In love, God provides for us. And in love, God grants us eternal life. Grace upon grace! Overflowing love!
God even judges us in love. Thank God that our final judge will not be our neighbor, our boss, our spouse, or even our own conscience. Our final judge will be the Savior of the world, the wounded and crucified One, the risen and victorious One! Trace this promise upon your memory every day. Digest it as food for your soul. God loves us with everlasting love! We can depend on it.
Lord God, we praise you for your saving love in Christ.
Our hearts overflow with thanks. Amen
Thursday, October 23
A Gate to . . .
John 10:9 - I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.
We go through a lot of doors, or gates, every day of our lives. We go into the house, into the car, into the grocery store, into the backyard, into church. This door is different. "I am the gate." What a bold statement! The door to what? Would you believe, the door to everything else that matters? Jesus opens the door to life for all who will look to him.
Many doors open to temptation to be this or that, or to buy this or that. Jesus invites us through a door that frees us to be as God created us to be. He invites us to live in community. He invited us to the security of salvation. He invites us to come in and accept our identity as daughters and sons of God who live for others because he lived for us. Jesus promises that his door is always open, His invitation is always there, reminding us, supporting us, welcoming us.
Christ, thank you for your always-open door. Help us remember each day that you
call us through the door of life as God would have us live it. Strengthen us to be your
free people. Reminds us of the salvation you have won, and help us to share that
good news with others. Amen.
Friday, October 24
The Matter of Loyalties
Matthew 22:21 - They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”
Men and women willingly or unwilling "render . . . to Caesar the things that are Caesar's." They toil and sweat, risk, and sacrifice, to keep on good terms with the visible world about them. They make their primary investments in this brief earthbound interlude. It is hardly surprising that people encounter disorder and disharmony in their lives. They have their wire crossed; they are living in a wrong relationship with creation about them; they give their foremost allegiance to the wrong values and forces.
Jesus emphatically underscores the matter of our responsibility to another world, another loyalty: "Render . . . to God the things that are God's." He does not deny or ignore the existence of the physical and temporal world nor the dues humanity must pay to it. Jesus full well recognizes our humanness. He endured it; He understands it. But never does He for one minute lose sight of the eternal and ultimate world of the spiritual and the divine. And never does He cease to exhort His disciples as to the necessity of making this their primary and foremost loyalty.
We live in this world; there are certain dues we must render to it. If we are to find genuine meaning and purpose for our lives, however, our primary focus must be upon the eternal world which is ours through faith in Jesus Christ, the Savior sent by God the Father. As did the coin that bore the imprint of Caesar thus belong to Caesar, so every man, woman, and child created by God redeemed through Jesus Christ, and infilled by the Holy Spirit bears in his or her very nature and upon his or her immortal soul the stamp of God's ownership. We owe our lives, and all that may include, first and foremost to God.
I am blessed and grateful, my God, that about all that is
earthly and temporal is the glorious truth that You are my
Creator and Redeemer, my Savior and King, forever. Amen
Saturday, October 25
A Prayer in Praise of the Holy Spirit
Romans 8:5-9 - For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
Heavenly Father, I'm particularly grateful today for the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Though I don't understand everything he's up to, these things I gladly affirm today . . . Just as assuredly as Jesus stood outside of Lazarus's tomb and said, "Come forth," you sent the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel to my heart, and I came out of the tomb of my sin and death. How I praise you for your sovereign goodness and power. Unless you had breathed new life into my spirit, I would have never, could have never believed the gospel.
When you raised me up in Jesus, you baptized me with the Holy Spirit, making me a member of your family and Christ's bride. Your sealed me for eternity by the Spirit, marking me as your very own possession. You sent the Spirit to live as a permanent resident in my heart - to constantly preach the gospel to my heart, convict me of sin, make me like Jesus, and tell me that I am your beloved child.
According to the truth of the gospel in your Word, I'm already controlled by the Holy Spirit. I am no longer controlled by my sinful nature. You've give me all the gifts of the Spirit I need to live as a functioning part of the church and a caring servant in your kingdom. You gave the Spirit to me as the first fruits and guarantee of the full inheritance of the salvation that Jesus completely earned for me. What a generous and loving God you are!
Therefore, I acknowledge my desire to be more fully and consistently filled with the Holy Spirit, to walk according to the Spirit, to keep in step with the Spirit, to set my mind on what the Spirit desires. All to which I say, "Hallelujah, what a Savior! Hallelujah, what a salvation!" I pray in Jesus' name. Amen
Sunday, October 26
Reading of Psalms
Psalm 67
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
2 that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth.
5 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
6 The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, shall bless us.
7 God shall bless us;
let all the ends of the earth fear him!
The 67th psalm is a prophecy of Christ, that He shall be king the whole world over and rule the people rightly, that is, rule them with the Gospel, that they may be freed from sin to live for Him in righteousness and thank Him with joy. As we have often stated, this is the new and proper worship of God. For He does not say that the Gentiles shall circumcise themselves and run to Jerusalem, but rather that they will remain Gentiles and nevertheless give thanks to God, be joyful, and fear him, that is, worship Him.
Praise and thanks to be our God for calling us of the Gentiles
into the kingdom of His dear Son, and making us partakers of
His grace and salvation. May He grant us grace to walk worthy
of the Gospel whereby we are called, and to serve Him in joy
and gladness all our days, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen
Monday, October 27
The Myth of the "Yes" Button
2 Corinthians 1:20 - For in Him all the promises of God are "Yes." Therefore also through Him is the "Amen" by us, to the glory of God.
Ask a thousand believers if Christians should pray, and you'll get a thousand immediate "Yes!" answers. Ask the same group if they personally should pray more than they currently do, and again the response will be affirmative and unanimously, "Yes!" So, why don't we?
Few will admit the truth. Most don't pray (or pray more often) because they've tried it and found it a frustrating, bewildering exercise. Much of that frustration can be traced to a false assumption that can be described as the myth of the "Yes" button. Although they may no visualize it exactly in this way, most Christians sort of see God's throne having a big "Yes" button on one arm, which God sometimes pushes, thereby granting their wish.
If we have this paradigm in mind, we approach God with a request - perhaps for healing, rescue, or provision - and desperately hope He'll push the "Yes" button.
This invariably turns our prayer lives into a desperate, flailing, guessing game in which we randomly try different kinds of prayers and approaches to God in a frantic quest to find the one He's looking for, the one that will finally move His hand over to that button. We try the prayer of agreement, the prayer of petition, the Word-based prayer, prayer with fasting, prayer with repentance, and prayer with both fasting and repentance.
Because of this false premise, many eventually despair of ever finding the key to seeing an earthly manifestation of what the Bible clearly reveals to God's will.
As the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians, seeing God's promises realized in our lives is a two-sided equation. It requires God's "Yes" (His expressed will) and our "Amen" (belief or faith that He will do it). And we already have God's "Yes" in Jesus.
At the risk of taking the metaphor too far, Jesus pressed the "Yes" button when He took His seat on the throne at God's right hand. If you are in Christ and He is in you, all of God's promises belong to you. God is continually giving His "Yes" concerning those promises to you; He has already signed off on them because of your standing in Christ.
We simply need to add our confident, restful, assured, "Amen."
Father, thank You for Your everlasting "Yes" to Your promises through the work of Your Son and my Savior. I qualify for everything Jesus's blood purchased for me. I no longer focus on myself, my flawed ways or failures and mistakes. My focus is on Jesus and His perfect fulfillment of everything needed for me to be in intimate relationship with You. I am not waiting for Your "Yes" concerning Your wonderful promises. In Jesus, healing, health, provision, peace, purpose, and power are already mine! Amen.
Tuesday, October 28
Jesus Listens
Isaiah 54:10 - For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
Ephesians 3:16-19 - that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Isaiah 61:10 - I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Promise-keeping Lord,
It's awesome that You have an eternal grip on me - Your Love will never let me go! I live in a world that is unpredictable and unsafe in so many ways. As I look around me, I see broken promises littering the landscape. Thankfully, Your Love is a promise that will never be broken. Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, Your unfailing Love for me will not be shaken. This verse paints a picture of dire circumstances: quaking mountains and disappearing hills. Yet no matter what is happening, Your Love remains unshakable. I can build my life on it! I admit that it's difficult for me to receive Your Love in full measure. Please strengthen me with power through Your Spirit - helping me to really grasp how wide and long and high and deep is Your Love for me. Lord, I yearn to know this Love that surpasses knowledge! I ask You to set me free from faulty self-images so I can view myself as You see me - radiant in Your robe of righteousness, wrapped in luminous Love.
In Your Righteous Name, Jesus, Amen.
Wednesday, October 29
Pleasure Versus Joy
John 15:11 - These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
The world offers "passing pleasures" (Hebrews 11:25), but the Lord Jesus offers to give us full and lasting joy (John 15:11). Pleasure is dependent on circumstances, but joy is inward and is not disturbed by one's environment.
Pleasure is always changing but joy is constant! Worldly delights are often followed by depression. True joy is grounded in Jesus Christ, who is "the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).
To keep experiencing pleasure, we must run from one stimulus to another, for it refuses to be permanently grasped. Joy is just the opposite, It is a gift we receive from God.
Pleasure it built on self-seeking, but joy is based on self-sacrifice. The more we pursue self-gratification, the more empty we feel. If a pint of pleasure gives momentary happiness today, a gallon of excitement and thrills is necessary for the same effect tomorrow. Joy, however, is based on the sacrificial giving of ourselves. As we learn what it means to focus on the needs of others, we find greater fulfillment in God himself, who meets our every need.
Only when you seek things of Christ can you find abiding joy.
There is joy beyond all measure
In abiding in the Lord;
It is promised most abundant
And enduring in His Word.
Thursday, October 30
Reflections of Luther's Catechism
"I believe"
The word "believe" may mean many things. When a child jumps unhesitatingly from a tree branch into his or her father's arms, you say that child has faith in the father. When you are lost and forced to ask a policeman the way, you happily follow his directions, trusting in his knowledge of the city. Yet there is more to the meaning of "believe." It can be far deeper and more intimate.
When a little child believes in a parent, this is more than just trust and knowledge. It means more than just knowing he or she exists or that Mom can fix all hurts or that Dad can fix any broken toy. It even means more than knowing they love you. For a little child to believe in a parent means to him or her, the parent's ideas are wonderful, and he or she wishes to be part of them. The child adores what the parent says and what he or she does.
Imagine a small child dressing up in the parent's clothes and acting like them. That child does so because he or she "worships the ground that Mom or Dad walks on." The little child happily does what Mom and Dad asks. The child is content to sit on his or her dad's lap and listen to him talk, just as Dad is happy to hear the child's stories. The child is certain that Dad can do anything. The child really believes in Dad!
This interaction between child and parent is an example of the relationship that God wants between you and Himself. God wants you to believe in Him. He wants you to "worship the ground He walks on." He wants you to think that His ideas are wonderful, and He is happy when you want to become part of them. God delights in His children whenever they do little things just to please Him. He wants you to be happy and blessed because of your faith. This is what should take place between you and God when you say that you believe.
God knows that this is the only way that you will ever find yourself and be eternally happy. God knows far better than you that this is the only way you can discover what life is all about. And to those young men and women who understand the full meaning of believing in God the Father Almighty, He entrusts the stewardship of His kingdom. St. Paul had another way of saying "I believe." He confessed, "The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). If this is your honest confession, you are beginning and adventurous life with God.
Reflections
Genesis 12:1-9 The Call of Abram
12 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. 9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.
Hebrews 11:8-12
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. 11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.
Faith results in motion. It never remains static. It always results in movement, in God's direction. God said "Go!" and Abraham went. Abraham went solely upon God's word. He went out "not knowing where he was to go." His security rested in God and in Him alone. Little wonder that Abraham is called "the friend of God." Your faith is evident by its motion - motion that is moved by the Word of the Lord, even when your reason, your emotions, your friends cannot comprehend it. God wants to call you His friend. "Friend, are you ready for My directions?" You may no know what His directions will be. But you must be waiting on His Word. "Lord, I believe . . . ."
Read Genesis 6. Compare with Hebrews 11:6-7/ Faith is conviction. To believe in God allows no compromise with anything that is not God. God's grace was working in Noah. Every hammer blow foretold the coming judgment upon the wickedness of his generation. Every board put into place testified to people, "I believe in God the Father Almighty." So Noah became an "heir of the righteousness that comes by fatih." As God looks upon our world today He must again be sad at mankind's sin. When God sees young men and women who believe in Him, He is overjoyed at those who do His will. God wants to look at you and see nothing soft or flighty, but a faith strong and solid. Faith is conviction - conviction that can spell out to our world God's grace3 and goodness, as well as His judgment and salvation.
2 Kings 6:8-17 - Horses and Chariots of Fire
8 Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with his servants, saying, “At such and such a place shall be my camp.” 9 But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are going down there.” 10 And the king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God told him. Thus he used to warn him, so that he saved himself there more than once or twice.
11 And the mind of the king of Syria was greatly troubled because of this thing, and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?” 12 And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” 13 And he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him.” It was told him, “Behold, he is in Dothan.” 14 So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city.
15 When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16 He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
Faith is also vision. Haven't you found yourself saying in the words of the servant Elisha, "What shall we do?" (2 Kings 6:15). The enemies of our fatih seem so strong and overwhelming. We tremble as though God did not exist. True faith opens our eyes to see God in action. And God is bigger than all our enemies. When Jesus touches the eyes of a believer with His grace, he suddenly can see everything in life in its right perspective. God want young people with vision, vision that can see God working mightily in this world - vision that can comprehend the height and width and depth of God's love (Romans 8:39), vision that permits you to act and speak boldly, knowing that terrorism has not lessened His power and that the media cannot outshine His love for the world. "Open my eyes that I may see" (Psalm 119:18).
Friday, October 31 - Reformation
Martin Luther
(1483-1546)
Who Was Martin Luther?
Martin Luther was a German monk who began the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, becoming one of the most influential and controversial figures in the history of Christianity.
Luther called into question some of the basic tenets of Roman Catholicism, and his followers soon split from the Roman Catholic Church to begin the Protestant tradition. His actions set in motion tremendous reform within the Church.
A prominent theologian, Luther’s desire for people to feel closer to God led him to translate the Bible into the language of the people, radically changing the relationship between church leaders and their followers.
Early Life
Luther was born on November 10, 1483, in Eisleben, Saxony, located in modern-day Germany.
His parents, Hans and Margarette Luther, were of peasant lineage. However, Hans had some success as a miner and ore smelter, and in 1484 the family moved from Eisleben to nearby Mansfeld, where Hans held ore deposits.
Hans Luther knew that mining was a tough business and wanted his promising son to have a better career as a lawyer. At age seven, Luther entered school in Mansfeld.
Education
At 14, Luther went north to Magdeburg, where he continued his studies. In 1498, he returned to Eisleben and enrolled in a school, studying grammar, rhetoric and logic. He later compared this experience to purgatory and hell.
In 1501, Luther entered the University of Erfurt, where he received a degree in grammar, logic, rhetoric and metaphysics. At this time, it seemed he was on his way to becoming a lawyer.
Becoming a Monk
In July 1505, Luther had a life-changing experience that set him on a new course to becoming a monk.
Caught in a horrific thunderstorm where he feared for his life, Luther cried out to St. Anne, the patron saint of miners, “Save me, St. Anne, and I’ll become a monk!” The storm subsided and he was saved.
Most historians believe this was not a spontaneous act, but an idea already formulated in Luther’s mind. The decision to become a monk was difficult and greatly disappointed his father, but he felt he must keep a promise.
Luther was also driven by fears of hell and God’s wrath, and felt that life in a monastery would help him find salvation.
The first few years of monastic life were difficult for Luther, as he did not find the religious enlightenment he was seeking. A mentor told him to focus his life exclusively on Jesus Christ and this would later provide him with the guidance he sought.
Disillusionment with Rome
At age 27, Luther was given the opportunity to be a delegate to a Catholic church conference in Rome. He came away more disillusioned, and very discouraged by the immorality and corruption he witnessed there among the Catholic priests.
Upon his return to Germany, he enrolled in the University of Wittenberg in an attempt to suppress his spiritual turmoil. He excelled in his studies and received a doctorate, becoming a professor of theology at the university (known today as Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg).
Through his studies of scripture, Luther finally gained religious enlightenment. Beginning in 1513, while preparing lectures, Luther read the first line of Psalm 22, which Christ wailed in his cry for mercy on the cross, a cry similar to Luther’s own disillusionment with God and religion.
Two years later, while preparing a lecture on Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, he read, “The just will live by faith.” He dwelled on this statement for some time.
Finally, he realized the key to spiritual salvation was not to fear God or be enslaved by religious dogma but to believe that faith alone would bring salvation. This period marked a major change in his life and set in motion the Reformation.
'95 Theses'
On October 31, 1517, Luther, angry with Pope Leo X’s new round of indulgences to help build St. Peter’s Basilica, nailed a sheet of paper with his 95 Theses on the University of Wittenberg’s chapel door.
Though Luther intended these to be discussion points, the 95 Theses laid out a devastating critique of the indulgences - good works, which often involved monetary donations, that popes could grant to the people to cancel out penance for sins - as corrupting people’s faith.
Luther also sent a copy to Archbishop Albert Albrecht of Mainz, calling on him to end the sale of indulgences. Aided by the printing press, copies of the 95 Theses spread throughout Germany within two weeks and throughout Europe within two months.
The Church eventually moved to stop the act of defiance. In October 1518, at a meeting with Cardinal Thomas Cajetan in Augsburg, Luther was ordered to recant his 95 Theses by the authority of the pope.
Luther said he would not recant unless scripture proved him wrong. He went further, stating he didn’t consider that the papacy had the authority to interpret scripture. The meeting ended in a shouting match and initiated his ultimate excommunication from the Church.
Excommunication
Following the publication of his 95 Theses, Luther continued to lecture and write in Wittenberg. In June and July of 1519 Luther publicly declared that the Bible did not give the pope the exclusive right to interpret scripture, which was a direct attack on the authority of the papacy.
Finally, in 1520, the pope had had enough and on June 15 issued an ultimatum threatening Luther with excommunication.
On December 10, 1520, Luther publicly burned the letter. In January 1521, Luther was officially excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church.
Diet of Worms
In March 1521, Luther was summoned before the Diet of Worms, a general assembly of secular authorities. Again, Luther refused to recant his statements, demanding he be shown any scripture that would refute his position. There was none.
On May 8, 1521, the council released the Edict of Worms, banning Luther’s writings and declaring him a “convicted heretic.” This made him a condemned and wanted man. Friends helped him hide out at the Wartburg Castle.
While in seclusion, he translated the New Testament into the German language, to give ordinary people the opportunity to read God’s word.
Lutheran Church
Though still under threat of arrest, Luther returned to Wittenberg Castle Church, in Eisenach, in May 1522 to organize a new church, Lutheranism.
He gained many followers, and the Lutheran Church also received considerable support from German princes.
When a peasant revolt began in 1524, Luther denounced the peasants and sided with the rulers, whom he depended on to keep his church growing. Thousands of peasants were killed, but the Lutheran Church grew over the years.
Katharina von Bora
In 1525, Luther married Katharina von Bora, a former nun who had abandoned the convent and taken refuge in Wittenberg.
Born into a noble family that had fallen on hard times, at the age of five Katharina was sent to a convent. She and several other reform-minded nuns decided to escape the rigors of the cloistered life, and after smuggling out a letter pleading for help from the Lutherans, Luther organized a daring plot.
With the help of a fishmonger, Luther had the rebellious nuns hide in herring barrels that were secreted out of the convent after dark - an offense punishable by death. Luther ensured that all the women found employment or marriage prospects, except for the strong-willed Katharina, who refused all suitors except Luther himself.
The scandalous marriage of a disgraced monk to a disgraced nun may have somewhat tarnished the reform movement, but over the next several years, the couple prospered and had six children.
Katharina proved herself a more than a capable wife and ally, as she greatly increased their family's wealth by shrewdly investing in farms, orchards and a brewery. She also converted a former monastery into a dormitory and meeting center for Reformation activists.
Luther later said of his marriage, "I have made the angels laugh and the devils weep." Unusual for its time, Luther in his will entrusted Katharina as his sole inheritor and guardian of their children.
Anti-Semitism
From 1533 to his death in 1546, Luther served as the dean of theology at University of Wittenberg. During this time he suffered from many illnesses, including arthritis, heart problems and digestive disorders.
The physical pain and emotional strain of being a fugitive might have been reflected in his writings.
Some works contained strident and offensive language against several segments of society, particularly Jews and, to a lesser degree, Muslims. Luther's anti-Semitism is on full display in his treatise, The Jews and Their Lies.
Death
Luther died following a stroke on February 18, 1546, at the age of 62 during a trip to his hometown of Eisleben. He was buried in All Saints' Church in Wittenberg, the city he had helped turn into an intellectual center.
Luther's teachings and translations radically changed Christian theology. Thanks in large part to the Gutenberg press, his influence continued to grow after his death, as his message spread across Europe and around the world.
Saturday, November 1
Praying God's Word Day by Day
The Word of God is only alive, effective, and powerful in us when we receive it.
Your precepts, O Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. Your commands are radiant, giving light to my eyes. - Psalm 19:8
O God, speak to me so clearly through Your Word that I recognize Your voice. Help me to understand what You are making known to me, delighting me with Your Word so that I may celebrate with great joy! - Neh. 8:12
If Your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. - Psalm119:92
Teach me Your Word during this season of my life like I have never known it before, and make this verse my testimony when I emerge from this place.
We were created for the purpose of giving Christ's invisible character a glimpse of visibility.
Lord, many have run this difficult race faithfully. I want to be among them. Therefore, since I am surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, help me throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and help me run with perseverance the race marked our for me.
Help me fix my eyes on You, Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith, who for the joy set before You endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. - Hebrews 12:1-2
As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will You, my God, rejoice over me at Your appearing. - Isaiah 62:5
Sunday, November 2
God's Perfect Timing
Psalm 126:5-6 - Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.
Sometimes I wonder why God takes so long before providing answers to my problems. I am ready for God to act now - or in a few more days at the most. But He will not be rushed. His timing is perfect. The reasons for His timing may not be known this side of heaven.
We read in the book of Ruth that Naomi spent much of her life in sorrow. A famine forced her and her family to travel outside of Israel to survive. There, her husband and her two adult sons died. Blaming God for her suffering and loss, she could no imagine any good coming into her life ever again.
Yet God was not finished with His work or with Ruth! By the end of the book, Naomi had gained a relative who redeemed the name, reputation, and finances of her and her family; a daughter-in-law who proved to be a loyal friend; and a new grandson who would be an ancestor of the Messiah!
When we see trouble and heartache in our lives, let us remember that God's work is not finished! "Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!" (Psalm 126:5)
Heavenly Father, than You for Your perfect timing in our lives.
Help us to wait and trust in Your plans. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Monday, November 3
Deeper Relationship
Psalm 119:33 - Just tell me what to do and I will do it, Lord. As long as I live, I'll wholeheartedly obey.
From the first day that I accepted Christ as my Savior, I made this commitment to the Lord: "God, You know that I'm an ignorant person; I don't know a lot about You, so I only ask that whatever You want me to do You will make it very clear. As of this day, I pledge that I will never again be willfully disobedient."
The way to know more about God is by reading and studying His Word. You can't possibly know about Him unless you know what His Word says. The way you get to know God personally is by spending time in prayer (talking with God). As I've said before, I've never heard His voice audibly, but I have sensed His presence many times, and AI have sensed His direction.
God never gives direction in contrast to what He has already said in His Word. That is His will for us: His Word. Just accepting Christ doesn't develop a personal relationship with the Lord. That would be like getting married and the two of you moving to opposite side of the U.S. and not seeing one another for the next 50 years. You'd still be married, but you wouldn't have much of a relationship.
To deepen your relationship with God, get immersed in His Word (God speaking to you) and spend time in prayer (you speaking to God). It must be done one-on-one if you want it to be personal relationship.
Tuesday, November 4
Talents in the Church
1 Corinthians 12:27 - Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
Paul uses an image in these verses that illustrates the importance of different individuals with different gifts in the church. The image he uses is the body. Different parts of the body cannot exclude other parts - or themselves - because they serve different purposes; that would be ridiculous. For a body to function well, its different parts need to do different things. Otherwise, there is a risk of limiting the capabilities of the body or preventing it from functioning at all.
Everyone has different skills, gifts, and capabilities. Someone might not approach life or ministry from the same perspective as we do, and so we might be tempted to exclude that person. Or we might look at other Christians and be tempted to exclude ourselves because we've not gifted in the same way they are. This passage reminds us that we are all parts of the Body of Christ and that God has gifted each of us in certain ways - but all with grace and intentionality according to His will for us. All the varied gifts of the church come together under the grace of Christ to proclaim His Gospel to the world.
Holy Spirit, lead us to use our gifts for the good of
your Kingdom. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Saturday, November 30
The Unchanging Christ: The Same Yesterday
The Unchanging Christ: The Same Yesterday
All of my life I have heard the plea for a relevant “new Christ for a new age.”
The truth is Jesus Christ is God’s final word to men in all ages. He is relevant for every age. He is “the same yesterday, today and forever” (Heb. 13:8).
The same Jesus sits today “on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3). He is the same person as He was when here on the earth.
When we read the words, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday” we are carried back to the long ages before He became flesh. I can point to a date, time, and place when I was born. However, Jesus did not begin to live when He was born in the flesh of the virgin Mary in Bethlehem. He simply changed His robes.
The apostle Paul tells us Jesus was in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, divested Himself of His garments of glory that had been His from all eternity and clothed Himself in the garments of a common household slave in the flesh and was obedient unto death. He was God-man. He was fully God and fully human (Phil. 2:5-8).
The absolutely essential fact is He was the same in past eternity; He changes not.
I search for an absolute in an age of change; He changes not, and I therefore have security.
He came from the Father and He returned to the Father. He dwelt in the ageless past in the bosom of His eternal Father. The apostle John tells us, “in the beginning was the Word.” When everything else had a beginning He already existed and He had no beginning. His beginning had no beginning. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men” (John 1:1-4).
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday . . .” His eternal existence is declared in these words, “in the beginning was the Word.” He is no vacillating whim of the age. “The Word was with God,” a distinct personality of the true and perfect deity because “the Word was God.” His personal relationship with the Father is unchangeable. He “was in the beginning with God,” and because of His resurrection and ascension, He still is in the presence of the Father in a perfect relationship.
Moreover, His understanding of man never needs to change. No one knows me like the one who made me. “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.” “In Him is life.”
Where would you turn for a relevant Christ that is not found in the historic Christ? Would you, like the modern self-made cults, turn to your own making, or to some new age “enlightenment”?
God in Christ has already become one of us in order to demonstrate His love for us, and to show us what God is really like. God came and revealed Himself to sinful and disobedient rebellious men.
I don’t need a greater “light.” I only need to respond to the One true and all supreme Lord of all creation. Why should I turn to some lesser “light”? All other spiritual lights are only creepy shadows of the one who masquerades as “the angel of light,” Satan himself.
We don’t have to look afar to discover what evil lurks within the heart of man. God has fully revealed Himself (Heb. 1:1-3), and man in his stubborn rebellion cries for something greater and better like selfish, pampered, narcissistic children whining for something new.
God has spoken. He has not changed and He will not. He is the same as He was yesterday, and I find stability for my soul and eternal peace with God. Because He is the same I have eternal security of a right relationship with Him, not of my self-making, or choosing, but in His all-sufficient wisdom and grace.
Because He is the same yesterday, I know that what He has said will still remain true for you and me today. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
That great truth will not change, because our Savior changes not. His word and eternal promises remain the same throughout all eternity. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” Thank God.