Day by Day

[Soldier4Christ]

"Tasting Ashes"

So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with Him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. Daniel 9:3
   

A bright light glowed in our front window after midnight, waking us. The building across the road was on fire; huge flames leapt into the black sky. The volunteer firefighters tried to put it out, but the fire defeated them, restarting over and over again through the darkness. The power of the fire was inhuman, unstoppable, and absolutely destructive. The sound of crackling flames, burning wood, and breaking glass filled the night.

The building––an empty store––smoldered for days, its ashy gray smoke rising from the pile of rubble. We lived with ashes even longer. They blew in through the windows, the door, even the cracks of our house and settled everywhere. For days, we tasted their gritty metal.

Ashes, the symbol of destruction and death, are not a pretty stained glass image, yet with ashes we begin our Lenten journey. As the pastor draws the cross of ash on our foreheads, we are reminded of death–Christ’s and ours. Living with the ashes and ruins of the fire reminded us daily of life’s fragility and failure. So, too, Lent’s ashes remind us of our own frailness and failures. We have no hope, no future, no restoration in ourselves.

In the cross of ashes, we remember our utter dependence on the one whose journey to the cross we recall these 40 days. Ashes remind us that nothing on earth lasts. Wearing ashes, we reach out in faith to Jesus, who promises forgiveness and life everlasting.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Downward Mobility"

"The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves Me must follow Me; and where I am, My servant also will be." John 12:25-26
   

My husband and I were successfully pursuing our careers in the Windy City. He worked for a computer company in the suburbs and I worked for a national nonprofit in their downtown skyscraper. We had frequent flyer cards in our wallets and career wardrobes in our closets. But in our Bible study, prayer, and church life, we felt called to serve Christ among the poor in the rural South. In time, we moved to a small community in rural Mississippi, supported by our church. We called it “downward mobility.”

As we followed Christ, we also followed in the steps of those who had inspired us with their faithful journeys: My husband’s grandparents who were missionaries to Brazil; his aunt and uncle who served in Papua, New Guinea, for over 40 years; my great-grandfather, a German immigrant, who built churches in Fort Wayne; a friend who serves as chaplain to Alzheimer’s patients in a Colorado farming community; and another who serves Detroit’s inner city.

While many thought we were nuts, giving up our house, careers, and 401Ks, we knew that Christ calls each of us to share the Good News of salvation and to show Him to our love-starved needy world. During Lent we reflect on the cost Christ paid carrying His cross for us. Whatever we "give up" for God is nothing compared to the abounding riches we receive in serving His Son wherever He leads (see Philippians 3:

[Soldier4Christ]

"Quarters Kids"

My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism…Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him? … If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself" you are doing right. James 2:1, 5, 8
   

During our Mississippi ministry, we lived in a neighborhood called “The Quarters.” We didn’t know what it meant, but we soon learned. It’s a derogatory Southern term still used to describe where the poorest black families live, a demeaning reference to “slave quarters.”

While we happily made our choice to live there, the judgment passed on the children we loved was hard to bear. “Quarters kids” inferred you were somehow “less” than whole—their families, homes, churches, their very neighborhood, bore a label which they learned to mean “substandard, less.” As we shared the story of our Savior’s birth—which some of them had never heard—we saw through their eyes the one who was born to poor parents in a lowly stable. They could identify with a Savior who knew what it was to be a “Quarters kid.”

During His Lenten journey, the children saw Jesus become the object of man’s hate and scorn. In Christ, God—who is rich in mercy—paid the full cost for their redemption. There were no bargain prices on Calvary. All are wholly forgiven, wholly loved. The children came to know that God adopts them through Jesus into His family, where they live in the richest neighborhood of all.

[Soldier4Christ]

"God's Eye is on the Sparrow"

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father." Matthew 10:29
   

In his highly regarded book "The Tin Drum" Gunter Grass speaks of a man who could not make up his mind about sparrows. As he hunted them for pastime, he carried ammunition in one pocket of his jacket and bird food in the other.

Lowly creatures that they are, sparrows, in the comedian's words, "get no respect." Many people dislike seeing them at the bird feeders, preferring the more exciting and more colorful birds. Yet sparrows, despite their drab feathers, are cheerful, chatty, and sociable birds, so unlike the quarrelsome blue jays or the greedy starlings.

Visitors of old said that sparrows gathered in great numbers in the temple area in Jerusalem and on the Mount of Olives. That may have been the reason why Jesus spoke of them. He asked: "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. ... So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows" (Matthew 10:29, 31).

Jesus is speaking about the providence of our heavenly Father. He encourages this logic of faith -- a reasoning from the lesser to the greater: If God cares about the sparrows, He surely will do the same -- and more -- for us. The songwriter stresses:

His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He's watching me.

The apostle Paul appeals to God's great love in a similar way when he writes: "If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all -- how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:31-32). Here the apostle reasons from the greater to the lesser: God had given us the great gift, His own Son, as the bread of life from heaven for our souls. From that we can draw the conclusion: The heavenly Father will provide also the lesser gifts of life. He conveys this truth to us through His messengers, even the lowly sparrows.

[Soldier4Christ]

"We Can Learn to Love"

The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly. 1 Timothy 1:14
   

A property owner who took pride in his lawn asked a plant expert what to do to get rid of dandelions. The reply was "Learn to love them."

Dr. Alvaro A. Carino, a prominent churchman in the Philippines, records this brief exchange in his autobiography "Saved to Serve." He applies it to people of other cultures and races with whom we live: "Learn to love them."

This is good advice with regard to the whole human race, sinful as it is. As Christians we don't admire, imitate, or love peoples' sin, but we love the sinners.

This is what God Himself did. He loved all sinners despite their wrongdoing. We know He hates sin, for He is a zealously holy God. Yet He loves sinners -- loves them enough to desire and devise their salvation. Saint Paul tells Timothy: "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15). Bringing this truth closer to home, the same apostle writes: "God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:.

While dandelions fall more into the class of weeds than flowers, their yellow rosettes are not without beauty and use. Wine can be made from the flowers, while the roots have medicinal value for liver disease. This being so, we need not fret when we see some dandelions in fields and meadows, even in our lawns and gardens.

People who seem useless, even obnoxious, often have redeeming qualities. Certainly we don't want to eradicate them. Many unborn infants are already being slaughtered. Do we want to extend this policy to other unwanted persons -- the aged, the incurable sick, the imprisoned? God is pleased if, instead, we learn to love them and give them an opportunity to serve with the gifts God has given them.

It is easy to love roses -- our friends who can return favors. It is harder to aid human dandelions, especially if they are our enemies. But that is the test of Christian love.

[Soldier4Christ]

"An Act of Multiplication"

Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. John 6:11
   

To feed the thousands who had come to Him in an uninhabited place, Jesus took the available food supplies -- five loaves and two fish -- blessed them, and so multiplied them that "all ate and were satisfied" (Matthew 14:20).

In another wilderness God nourished His people by providing manna from heaven, truly a miracle bread. On the occasion mentioned in today's reading the Son of God took earthly means and by His miraculous power multiplied them into rations sufficient for a multitude. In both wildernesses, divine love brought divine power into play for the nurture of needful people.

God is a true mathematician. He adds, as He lays blessings to blessings; He subtracts, as He removes what is harmful to us; He divides, as He makes parts of His bountiful supplies and "He gives ... to each one, just as He determines" (1 Corinthians 12:11). He also multiplies, as He takes what little is at hand and increases it for the benefit of all. He routinely multiplies the seeds we sow into a harvest of many seeds. As a matter of course He uses earthly means, however meager, to provide, to heal, to make us whole in our physical lives. These acts although commonly and frequently performed, involve miracles nonetheless.

The greatest miracle of divine love occurs when our Lord through ordinary food and drink -- the consecrated bread and wine of Holy Communion -- conveys to us His true body and blood once given and once shed for the remission of our sins. Thanks to His generosity, these gifts for our spiritual nurture are never exhausted. With each use they are multiplied.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Prayer for the Living"

Pray for each other so that you may be healed. James 5:16
   

In his book “Roughing It” Mark Twain relates his observations during a trip to the Hawaiian Islands. The then-pagan natives, he says, believed they could pray their enemies to death. One needed to kneel down and pray before an article or item belonging to the intended victim, and this would kill him.

In the Bible we find the reverse, namely, people prayed back to life. The prophet Elijah prayed over the widow’s dead son: “O LORD my God let this boy’s life return to him!” (1 Kings 17:21). God heard this prayer and the son lived. In the book of acts we read that the apostle Peter, taken to the upper room where the deceased Dorcas (or Tabitha) lay, “got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, ‘Tabitha, get up’” (Acts 9:40). And she did. In answer to prayer, God brought this person, who had been a friend to the poor, back to life.

God has not promised that we can raise the dead with our prayers. But He has assured us that our prayers for the living will receive His attention, especially when people are sick or in any kind of need. Saint James writes, “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. …Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him.” He goes on: “The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well” (James 5:13-15). God can effect healing as He desires – miraculously or through the means and ministrations of the medical profession.

There was a time when Philip Melanchthon, a Reformation scholar at the Wittenberg University, was deathly sick. Martin Luther prayed for him earnestly, telling God that the church needed this co-worker. A biographer of Melanchthon comes right out and says: “Luther prayed him well.”

We note from the letters of Saint Paul how he prayed frequently and fervently for his readers. Nowhere does it say that he prayed for the dead – always for the living in every circumstance of life. What he urges Timothy to do is what we should do also: “That requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone” (1 Timothy 2:1). Jesus prayed for His enemies, His disciples, and for those who through the ages would believe in Him through their testimony – believe in Him as having died for them and risen again. We follow in His footsteps when we intercede for others – for the living.

[Soldier4Christ]

"The Marks of Life"

Let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. Galatians 6:17
   

When walking through city parks in St. Louis, one can see how dead trees, especially in spring and summer, distinguish themselves from living ones; they have no leaves and no fruit. By and by the park employees take an ax or hatchet to slash away a part of the bark and paint the spot with bright red paint. They are marked for destruction and will soon be removed from the park.

People, too, bear marks of life or of death. Some are, as it were, a reverse plate of believers described in Psalm 1: Their leaves have withered; they bear no fruit. They are spiritually dead. Sooner or later the Lord will say with the owner in Jesus’ parable of an unfruitful fig tree; “Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?” (Luke 13:7). One could well imagine that they bear a red mark designating them for destruction.

Altogether different are people who have a living faith. Isaiah calls them “oaks of righteousness” (Isaiah 61:3). An outstanding example of such Christians was the apostle Paul. He was filled with spiritual energy and life – and he bore much fruit – because he had a living faith. He confessed, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

Because Saint Paul was such a devoted spokesman for Christ, he did not escape the attention of the enemies of the cross. The apostle, persecuted by them, could say, “I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.” His enemies wanted these scars of whippings and stonings to be the marks of death. But in the sight of God they were the marks of life. We, too, like trees adding fruit to their foliage, bear the marks of Jesus as we confess our faith in Him and do His works.

[Soldier4Christ]

"A Prayer that Prevailed"

Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” Matthew 15:28
   

Jesus had seemingly rebuffed the Canaanite mother who had asked for His help in behalf of her demon-possessed daughter. He had said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs” (Matthew 15:26). He meant to say that His time and effort belonged primarily to the Israelites; mostly with them must He share the bread of life.

The implied reference to the heathen as “dogs” is, according to the Greek text softened by the use of a word meaning indoor dogs – little dogs, house pets – in distinction from outdoor dogs roaming the countrysides and city streets. Gross unbelievers are called dogs, as in the passage: “Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood” (Revelation 22:15).

What Jesus said seems negative, but a yes is implied. In His comments He left Himself open to a rejoinder. His words gave the woman a handle and she was quick to grab it: “Yes, Lord, … but even the dogs [puppies] eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table” (Matthew 15:27). The interceding mother is not asking for a great effort on Jesus’ part – not asking the Good Shepherd to withdraw His love from “the lost sheep of Israel" (Matthew 15:24). She will be satisfied with leftovers to which, according to Jesus’ own words, she is entitled.

A prayer of such urgency Jesus could not deny. The Good Shepherd laid down His life also for those “other sheep,” for the Gentiles. He sent His apostles to teach the Gospel to all nations. His heart and ears are open to their prayers, and to ours also.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Obeying the Higher Law"

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men. 1 Peter 2:13
   

In 18th-century Austria a special award, the “Pour Le Merite” (for Merit), was given to soldiers who had won signal victories by disobeying military orders that were obviously wrong. It was recognized that there were situations in which soldiers, in order to be good soldiers, had to fall back on their own intelligence and sense of personal responsibility.

In the lives of people today instances can occur when laws and rules have to be disobeyed to be obedient to the higher law, the law of God. More than a generation ago, in a European country, a government came to power that followed the “might makes right:” principle, wantonly imprisoning and executing citizens who opposed its edicts. The victims, some of them Christians, accepted the consequences of their conscientious objections; they refused to act contrary to the moral laws of God. They followed the example of Christians in the Roman Empire who would not worship Caesar as God, even if the demanded act of loyalty was only taking a pinch of incense and offering it to Caesar.

“We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29), said the apostle Peter when the religious authorities in Jerusalem demanded that the apostle no longer teach and preach in Jesus’ name.

Christians stand by that principle today. They refuse to be disloyal to Him who died for them and rose again, Jesus Christ, whose name is above every name and who is to be confessed as Lord and Savior.

Jesus was not a revolutionary. He doesn’t want His followers today to be disobedient for the sake of disobedience, or to be objectors when there is no proper ground for it. His position is clear, and workable: “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” (Matthew 22:21).

[Soldier4Christ]

"Undergirding Marital Love"

These three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13
   

In Irving Stone’s historical novel about Mary Todd, “Love is Eternal,” the future Mrs. Lincoln confides to her cousin Ann that she might marry a Springfield, Illinois, lawyer because he has a promising political future and might someday be president. Her cousin replied, “Surely you wouldn’t marry a man for just that!” The cousin explained that she would marry her beau only for love, adding, “What else is marriage?” Mary’s brief comment to that was that marriage is “a way of life.”

Love is the essential ingredient. A popular song has it that love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage. Much depends on what is meant by love. It has to be more than infatuation. Mutual caring and concern are part of it. It has to manifest itself in all good virtues: patience, compassion, ability to forgive, thoughtfulness, a sharing of joys and sorrows. Self-fulfillment? Yes, but not at the cost of sacrificial love.

The strongest anchor for the ship of marriage on a stormy sea is faith in Jesus Christ. You can compare faith and the love flowing from it to anything else that gives stability: ballast in a ship, the rock foundation of a house, the girders of a bridge. The Bible has a great deal to say about the love of Christ as sustaining our love to Him and to one another. Saint Paul bids husbands to love their wives as Christ loved His bride, the church, and gave Himself up for her. Of course, the same goes for wives in relation to Christ and their husbands.

Each of the young women quoted above spoke a part of the truth. To marry a man primarily because of his position, present or future, puts personal ambition ahead of love. To speak of love as the only prerequisite for marrying someone is likewise insufficient. Marriage does have its practical side; it becomes a way of life for those who enter it.

Saint Paul says of Christian love: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). That kind of love is needed to undergird marriage.

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[Jn,8,51"most assuredly, I say to you,If anyone keeps My Word he shall never see death."  hi ! this is my first tryhere on the forum... quote author=Pastor Roger link=topic=12273.msg203381#msg203381 date=1178210564]
"Obeying the Higher Law"

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men. 1 Peter 2:13
   

In 18th-century Austria a special award, the “Pour Le Merite” (for Merit), was given to soldiers who had won signal victories by disobeying military orders that were obviously wrong. It was recognized that there were situations in which soldiers, in order to be good soldiers, had to fall back on their own intelligence and sense of personal responsibility.

In the lives of people today instances can occur when laws and rules have to be disobeyed to be obedient to the higher law, the law of God. More than a generation ago, in a European country, a government came to power that followed the “might makes right:” principle, wantonly imprisoning and executing citizens who opposed its edicts. The victims, some of them Christians, accepted the consequences of their conscientious objections; they refused to act contrary to the moral laws of God. They followed the example of Christians in the Roman Empire who would not worship Caesar as God, even if the demanded act of loyalty was only taking a pinch of incense and offering it to Caesar.

“We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29), said the apostle Peter when the religious authorities in Jerusalem demanded that the apostle no longer teach and preach in Jesus’ name.

Christians stand by that principle today. They refuse to be disloyal to Him who died for them and rose again, Jesus Christ, whose name is above every name and who is to be confessed as Lord and Savior.

Jesus was not a revolutionary. He doesn’t want His followers today to be disobedient for the sake of disobedience, or to be objectors when there is no proper ground for it. His position is clear, and workable: “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” (Matthew 22:21).
[/quote]p

[Soldier4Christ]

"Where God Is"

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
   

NOTE: Glenn Olson, retired Captain of the McHenry County Illinois Police Department, replied to a devotion that I had written which mentioned the Virginia Tech shootings. His reply was beautifully said, and I asked to have him rewrite it into the devotion that follows. ~Ken Klaus



In my devotion on April 27th, True Wisdom, I (Pastor Klaus) said, “I think it is sad that a college student who kills 32 people gets more front-page coverage than the Savior who has redeemed millions from death and hell.”


Dr. Klaus, yes, it is sad, but consider this. Christ was there. He was evident throughout the day and the many days afterward.

I retired in June 2006 after serving thirty-three years as a sheriff’s police captain for a northwest collar county in the suburbs of Chicago. As a police captain in charge of field operations, I was routinely summoned and became involved in many grisly, heinous cases. Whether it was a criminal offense or tragic car crash, I quickly learned that bad things happen to good people. When tragedy occurs and people are at their lowest, they reach to the heavens for strength and call upon His name for help. Yes, I agree the media routinely denies Him, and they sensationalize the criminal act. But no matter how hard the media may choose to deny the message of His love, that message still resonates from deep within the suffering.

I have seen many people that were estranged from the church or did not worship, begin holding hands with others praying in His name and asking for comfort, healing, and support. I have personally prayed with victims and have seen the miracle of Christ working quietly. That day the news coverage could not hide the praying hands or censor the people requesting our prayers. Christ was there. He was there for anyone willing to open their hearts.

I belong to the FCPO, the “Fellowship of Christian Police Officers”. In our monthly meetings, the individual testimonies speak to the many ways in which Christ leads our paths. Hopefully, through us, others may know Him. At Virginia Tech that fateful day, I know that many emergency workers quietly called His name asking for safety and His guiding hands. The media may try to deny Him, but He was there.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Rich in God"

In Him [Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. Ephesians 1:7
   

Many people believe that poverty causes crime, that stealing and robbing would cease – at least be greatly reduced – if wealth were more evenly distributed. However, a recent spokesperson musters a great deal of evidence to show that the terms should be reversed: Crime causes poverty. The community deteriorates, and everything in it loses value, when crime infests it.

Part of the solution to poverty is not stealing and robbing but getting a job. Saint Paul tells the Ephesians: “He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands” (Ephesians 4:28). In doing this, he will not only overcome poverty by having a steady income but will “Have something to share with those in need,” the apostle declares.

Whatever a person’s economic circumstances may be, the main concern of a Christian is to be “rich toward God,” as our Lord said. God has provided spiritual riches. Saint Paul writes: “to the praise of His glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding” (Ephesians 1:6-8).

By nature every person is – to borrow the words from the book of Revelation – “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” (Revelation 3:17). From Christ, as Charlotte Elliott says in her hymn “Just as I Am,” come “sight, riches, healing of the mind.” This is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: He became poor, He deprived Himself of every convenience, that we “through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

We may lack riches. It doesn’t bother us. It doesn’t tempt us to commit the crimes of stealing and robbing. Our riches are in God, our heavenly Father.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Your Life as a New Story"

When David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep. Acts 13:36
   

This brief summary of a believer’s life is like a news story that answers the "what, where, when, and why" questions of an event.

We are told "what" King David did: He served God’s purpose and did His will. He was God’s instrument when writing his psalms, ruling God’s people wisely and well, and lending support to the worship life of priests and people.

The "where" of David’s service was his generation, the people of God in his kingdom, with Jerusalem its chief city. He served wherever God placed him – out in the open where he tended sheep, in the army where he overcame the giant Goliath, in the palace as king.

David rendered service to God and people in his lifetime. This was the "when" of his activity. When his time was fulfilled, he fell asleep.

That leaves the "why" of David’s service. Why did he serve? He was prompted to do this by God’s gracious purpose for him and his people. He declares in Psalm 18:1, “I love You, O LORD, my strength.” In Psalm 31:23 he urges us all, “Love the LORD, all His saints!” It is evident that David loved his Lord, and for that reason served Him.

For all of us, life is measured out, for shorter or longer durations. In our lives, too, are the "what, where, when, and why" questions to be answered. The "what" is the rendition of service in fulfillment of God’s purpose – His purpose that all people should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. The "where" is the place where we live and work. The "when" is our lifetime, the time we share with our generation, our contemporaries. And the "why" is our love to God, who first loved us and gave His Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Savior. With these points fulfilled, your life is a wonderful news story.