Day by Day

[Soldier4Christ]

"Changeless"

“I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.” Malachi 3:6
   

We face many transitions in life and realize how rapidly our world changes. The book “Future Shock” details the enormous changes taking place both in number and in speed of change. We feel as thought we are riding a merry-go-round that goes faster and faster until everything around us is blurry. What can we count on? What solid object can we grasp? Change can be positive or negative, but in either case we need to adjust to it.

In Malachi God says to Israel, “I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendents of Jacob, are not destroyed. He implies that Israel has turned from God and gone back on her covenant responsibilities. She has changed in her relationship to God. But God reaffirms His love. He does not go back on His covenant promises. He pleads, “Return to Me and I will return to you” (Malachi 3:7).

In this changing world we often stand guilty of changing our loyalties from God to the enticements of worldly progress. But God, who sent His Son to fulfill His covenant promise by dying on the cross for our sins, declares to us, “I the LORD do not change.” He provides solid ground for us as we come to Him in repentance. Indeed, we have “a changeless Christ for a changing world." We can see God’s hand in change and turn to Him for strength until He calls us home eternally.

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"Transitions"

The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:8
   

Each of us faces transition points in life. We graduate from high school or college. We begin married life. We give birth to the first child. We change jobs, move to a new community, form new friendships. Transitions often bring much pain, create anxiety, and disrupt our lives. They also present new challenges and opportunities for growth. How can we face transitions with confidence?

In Deuteronomy 31, Moses comes to the end of his life. Israel gathers at the Jordan River ready to enter the Promised Land. God taps Joshua as Moses’ successor. Truly a time of transition. Joshua may have felt overwhelmed by the new responsibilities. But Moses gives these reassuring words: “The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

God comes to each of us in our transitions. His Son moved from heaven to earth as a human being, began His ministry with His baptism in the Jordan, set His face toward Jerusalem, and went willingly from Gethsemane to Calvary. He faced each transition with confidence and made the transition from death to life to demonstrate his victory over sin. That saving and helping God now says to us, in the midst of our transition anxiety: “The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

[Soldier4Christ]

"Lesson from a Robin"

“How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.” Matthew 23:37
   

Right outside our patio doors I see a robin sitting on her nest, warming two turquoise eggs. How protective the robins are against any intrusions! They guard their turf and fly away at the smallest noise to distract any threat to their young. How painstakingly the nest was built and how lovingly food is gathered!

Jesus on His way to the cross cries out pleading to Jerusalem, which has killed the prophets, “How often have I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing." He loves like a hen and offers warmth, comfort, and protection under His sheltering wings. Jerusalem rejected Him and nailed Him to a cross. But He never stopped loving them.

He cries out to us as well. The world threatens to destroy us. Enemies lurk everywhere in the shadows. We live vulnerable lives, however self-sufficient we consider ourselves. Often we reject the advances of the mother hen. But God continues to love us. That death on the cross availed for our sins. Repentant, we find ourselves securely gathered under the protecting wings of the Savior. Nourished and cared for, we grow and gain strength to live for Him in a dangerous world.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Gossip or Gospel?"

A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret. Proverbs 11:13
   

Gossip – what an ugly word! The dictionary defines it as “idle, often malicious talk, especially about others.” The writer of Proverbs bluntly calls a gossip one who “betrays a confidence.” The word has a disgusting ring.

Rarely do we think of ourselves as gossips. Others talk on the phone at length with the latest news about the new minister. Others enjoy scandalous celebrity newspapers in grocery checkout lines. Others regularly break confidences. But we join in the conversation only when we have the facts.

Could it be that we too are guilty of gossip? We permit others to talk in our presence. We find our own tongue slipping. We damage reputations. We strain friendships. That ugly word “gossip” comes home to roost, and we need to confess our sin.

Surprisingly enough, the word “gossip” comes from the Old English word “God-sibb,” meaning baptismal sponsor or relative. To me God-sibb suggests the word “Gospel,” the good news that God sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. In Baptism that Gospel changes us into God’s own special people. He gives us confidence or faith in Him as Savior and urges us to share that Gospel freely, no secrets reserved. That Gospel announces full forgiveness for our sins of gossip and gives us the power to hold our tongues when we should and to speak the Good News when we can. You see, Jesus Christ “was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth” (Isaiah 53:7), and when He spoke, many of His words were Gospel: “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

By God’s grace the ugly word “gossip” can be transformed into the beautiful word “Gospel.” Which will it be for you?

[Soldier4Christ]

"Blessing Hands"

And He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:16
   

The series on “hands” from the Bible comes to a close today. We have looked at God’s hands and our hands. His hands – pierced for us on the cross, clean because of His holiness and perfect life, strong as the Creator and Preserver of the universe, praying on mountains, in the wilderness, and in Gethsemane, open in abundant provision, busy in service. Our hands – bearing the imprint of His nails, clean because of His shed blood, strong from His saving strength, praying for His daily direction and empowering, open to share His bounties, busy for His purposes.

What better way to conclude than to picture Jesus’ blessing hands. The disciples wanted to send the mothers away with their little children. But Jesus had time and energy to receive them. As Mark says, “And He took the little children in His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them.” Blessing hands. He loves the children. He accepts them in their humility. He saves them.

And those blessing hands stretch forth to us and through us to others. The pastor speaks the benediction, “The Lord bless you and keep you.” God’s people come to the baptismal font with their children and to the altar to receive Christ’s body and blood. His blessing hands at work.

And we use our hands to bless our children and others in our lives as we tenderly share the saving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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"Busy Hands"

Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. Proverbs 10:4
   

Ultimately God gave us hands to work for Him. Idleness has no place in the Christian life. The proverb says it well, “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.” Not diligent hands for selfish gain like the rich man who built bigger barns, but diligent hands for faithful stewardship of God’s resources. Busy hands to work and build and help and produce.

How easy for us to sit back and watch television, to extend coffee breaks, work halfheartedly, and campaign for better working conditions. How prone we are to fill church pews, to hear, to talk, but never to do anything as a result. James questions such inactivity. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22). Busy hands are needed to work and to help those in need.

Because Jesus Christ’s busy hands were pierced for us and He has made our hands clean by His shed blood, we offer Him our hands for His tasks. With praying hands we seek His will and His strength. From His open hands we receive both the opportunities and the ability to be busy. At home with dishes, garbage, and laundry; at work with wrench, word processor, and assembly line; in our community with food basket, paint brush, and snow shovel, we lend our busy hands to the ongoing opportunities for service. His saving hands. Our busy hands. A partnership of love.

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"Open Hands"

You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. Psalm 145:16
   

The little child holds the quarter so tightly, you can’t get it out of his grasp. Three shoppers grab a piece of sale clothing so firmly at the same time that the cloth tears. The robber clings so tenaciously to the valise of stolen jewelry that he fails to reach the getaway car in time. What do you refuse to release? How often do you grasp for yourself? Closed hands.

The psalmist describes the opposite, the God who gives freely, the God with open hands. “You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” He bountifully showers us with His blessings. Life, health, clothing, food, friends, family – the list goes on. He even opened His hand to send His only Son, Jesus Christ, into a selfish world of closed hands. Often rejected, Jesus nevertheless opened His hands to feed the multitudes and bless the children. He went to His capture, conviction, and cross with open hands of love. He reaches out to us as the risen and ascended Lord.

No wonder the early Christians after Pentecost “were together and had everything in common” (Acts 2:44) and “selling their possessions and goods … gave to anyone as he had need” (Acts 2:45). Forgiven and accepted as God’s children, they opened their hands to each other and to a world in need.

Thanks to the God with open hands, we extend our hands to others. Received by Him because of Christ’s death, we welcome others. We give. We touch. We comfort. We include. We heal. Open hands for others, an extension of His hands to “satisfy the desires of every living thing.”

[Soldier4Christ]

"Strong Hands"

“For men will hear of Your great name and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm.” 1 Kings 8:42
   

We admire strong hands gripping a railroad tie, sculpting with hammer and chisel, lifting a child from danger, or defending helpless people from an attacker. Strong hands symbolize the hardy pioneer spirit that has made our country great. Despite the scientific sophistication of our age, we still sense the need for strong hands.

The Bible values strength for families and nations but names God as the Source of all strength. Solomon in his dedicatory prayer for the new temple in Jerusalem speaks of God’s strong hands when he asks the Lord to answer the prayers of foreigners as well as those of the people of Israel. Both groups are to rely on God’s strong help. God’s mighty hand brought Israel out of Egypt, through the Red Sea and the wilderness, to the Promised Land. God’s mighty hand brought victory after victory to Israel and made possible the completion of the temple. On her own, Israel stumbled and fell. By God’s strength Israel could climb walls and storm fortresses.

You may feel weak and helpless, unable to continue making ends meet or holding your family together. You may have tried to succeed by your own strong hands, only to experience reverses and discouragements. Solomon points you to the mighty hand of God. He was willing to let His strong hands become tiny, helpless infant hands in the manger. Those strong carpenter hands later would be bound by captors and then stretched out on a cross. But the hands of the Savior, raised from the dead, are raised in blessing for you and the world. Strong hands to make you strong as you live for Him!

[Soldier4Christ]

"Clean Hands"

Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart.” Psalm 24:3-4
   

“Come in, Johnny. Supper is on the table. Wash those dirty hands before you eat.” From little on, we learn the importance of clean hands – from the dinner table to the hospital operating room. But the difficulty of washing off the dirt accounts for the proliferation of soaps, cleansers, and even sterilization equipment for a germ-free environment.

The psalmist talks about clean hands in a spiritual sense: Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart.” The holy Lord owns the earth and everything in it. The King of glory comes in. Who stands worthy in His presence? The one with clean hands, who does not worship idols or swear falsely. Who qualifies for that kind of cleanliness and purity? No one. “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).

Clean hands. How we need them to stand in God’s presence. But how stained with sin our hands appear, and we can’t find a cleanser of our own making to cover up the stains. That’s precisely why the King of glory came in at Bethlehem, at the Jordan, and at Calvary. With clean hands of obedience He lived for us. With nail-pierced and bleeding hands He died for us, paying the price for our uncleanness. “And the blood of Jesus … cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Clean hands. Washed clean in the waters of Baptism, we approach the throne with Jesus’ clean hands. He welcomes us and sends us out with clean hands to love, witness to, and serve others.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Pierced Hands"

“Look at My hands and My feet. It is I Myself! Touch Me and see.” Luke 24:39
   

You can learn a great deal about a person by the hands – soft hands, callused hands, firm handshake, flabby handshake, smooth hands, wrinkled hands with brown spots. Today we begin a series of devotions on the Biblical significance of hands for our lives as Christians.

A good place to start is with a focus on the risen Christ appearing to His disciples on Easter Sunday evening with the exclamation, “Look at My hands and My feet. It is I Myself! Touch Me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have” (Luke 24:39). Certainly He was calming their doubts and fears by showing that He was physically alive, not a ghost. But His hands! What kind of hands would the disciples see and touch?

Thomas frames the answer to that question when he sets his conditions for believing that Christ is risen: “Unless I see nail marks in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe it” (John 20:25). Pierced hands! Pierced hands best characterize our Lord. We use our hands to grab things for ourselves, or to push people away. But Jesus permitted His hands to be pierced for us. They nailed Him to a cross and lifted Him off the ground. There, suspended between earth and heaven, He died for us in full payment for our sins. Laid in a tomb, He rose again triumphantly from the grave in physical form. Alive, He still bears the marks of the nails for Thomas and us to see and touch.

We look to His pierced hands every day. In them lie our salvation, our hope, and our power to use our hands in His service!

[Soldier4Christ]

"The Side-by-Side Planting"

“When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.” Matthew 13:26
   

Jesus tells a parable about a man who sows wheat in his field. By night his enemy comes and sows weeds among the wheat. Not until the wheat sprouts do the servants realize that weeds stand side by side with the wheat. The bearded darnel weed or tare is deceptive. In the early stages it resembles wheat exactly. Its roots become intertwined with the wheat. When headed out, the darnel weed has a slightly poisonous effect, causing dizziness and sickness.

Satan, the enemy, still plants weeds today among the believers. He sows an evil influence in society. Side by side with believers live people who strive to undermine God’s law. We often react naively in an undiscriminating fashion. We see people as “nice, beautiful, friendly.” We begin to accept their values. We intermarry and choose close friends from among them. Before we recognize them as weeds, we discover intertwined roots and a tremendous weakening of our faith. Destruction threatens.

While we should oppose Satan’s evil planting in society, we should not judge the individual plants or – as unfortunately happened in past centuries – urge the government to root them out. We must realize that only faith in Christ makes the difference. Some whom we consider our kind of people may in fact be weeds, and vice versa. Some make early mistakes and repent. Others begin in the faith and fall away. Only God can judge the heart.

Jesus cautions us to await God’s judgment at harvest time. Then the weeds will be separated and receive eternal punishment in hell. The wheat will be harvested and gathered to eternal life in heaven. God alone makes us wheat by His grace in our baptism. He sent His Son to die for us. He keeps us growing to maturity.

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"Praising with Full Orchestra"

So the Levites stood ready with David’s instruments, and the priests with their trumpets. 2 Chronicles 29:26
   

The last few days we have been looking at musical imagery in the Scriptures. Because the Lord is our Song, we sing a new song unto the Lord with our lives. Together as God’s people we sound the trumpets, clash the cymbals, and pluck our harps in praise to the triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

The Scripture text from 2 Chronicles describes praising God with full orchestra: “So the Levites stood ready with David’s instruments, and the priests with their trumpets.” Judah had lived wickedly under Ahaz, neglecting the temple and following false gods. When Hezekiah becomes king, he grieves over Judah’s sin and orders temple repair. Now all is ready in the restored temple for a joyful celebration. Cymbals, harps, lyres, and trumpets stand ready for use by the Levites and priests. A burnt offering is presented to the Lord, followed by singing and praising God with full orchestra. God’s people rededicate themselves to His service.

We recognize our neglect of worship and following after the false gods of secularism, materialism, and self-idolatry. Convicted of our sin, we work to restore true worship. Aware of God’s Son going to Calvary for us and earning full forgiveness, we stand ready to praise Him each day. Singing and accompanied by a full orchestra, we worship Him as our Savior. We join with the psalmist in unfettered praise: "Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise Him with the harp and lyre, praise Him with tambourine and dancing, praise Him with the strings and flute, praise Him with the clash of cymbals, praise Him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD” (Psalm 150:3-6).

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"Does America Have a Reason to Boast?"

“But let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows Me.” Jeremiah 9:24
   

Every year near the end of May, Americans pause to remember those who died to keep us free. We reflect also on the character of our nation. Jeremiah challenges us to ask whether America has a reason to boast.

Can we boast of our wisdom? Certainly the founding fathers expressed great wisdom in writing the Constitution and structuring our government. But since then we have made our share of foolish choices. Jeremiah, aware of unwise decisions made by kings, boldly declares: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom.” (Jeremiah 9:23).

Can we boast of our strength? We recall with pride how America rebounded from Pearl Harbor ignominy to build a mighty war machine in World War II. But today we are no longer unique in our military power. Furthermore, we often lack strength of character and commitment, which rank higher than military strength. Jeremiah, aware of Judah’s hollow military boasts, asserts, “Let not … the strong man boast of his strength” (Jeremiah 9:23).

Can we boast of our riches? We have indeed been blessed with abundant wealth. But today we find ourselves struggling, with other nations growing in productivity. And our wealth doesn’t bring happiness. Jeremiah, knowing the vanity of riches, cries out, “Let not … the rich man boast of his riches” (Jeremiah 9:23).

Jeremiah gives only one reason to boast, “that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth” (Jeremiah 9:24). America needs to confess sins of vain boasting and look to the Lord who came to die as a humble servant, paying fully for the world’s sin. The Christians of America have only one reason to boast – that by God’s grace they know the Lord!

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"Our Nation’s Peril"

Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. Proverbs 14:34
   

Every May Americans observe Memorial Day, a time to reflect on the great blessings preserved for us by the sacrifice of those who fought and died in war. But the words of Proverbs suggest that our nation faces great peril: “Sin is a disgrace to any people.”

We often forget those who fought for freedom. We forget the principles on which our nation was founded. Most of all, we forget what God has done for us in the death of His Son. We often disobey authority, ignoring the Fourth Commandment, fostering rebellion in our homes, our church, our place of employment, and our government. We grumble and complain. We often commit the sin of noninvolvement and irresponsibility. We stand by while wholesale abortion continues. We let crime increase. We contribute to increased deficit spending. We ignore the poor, the homeless the handicapped, and the foreigners in our midst. Yes, our nation’s peril stems from rebellion against God.

The writer of Proverbs says, “Righteousness exalts a nation.” God provides a hope through His Son. We have been declared righteous by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through faith we receive full forgiveness for all our sins. We receive God’s power to live righteously as citizens of two kingdoms. As citizens of heaven, we live joyfully and productively as citizens of our country! Remembering God‘s mercy in Christ and His blessings on our land, we strive to obey legitimate authority and to involve ourselves responsibly in society. By God’s grace we face our nation’s peril – sin – and point to our nation’s hope – salvation through Jesus Christ.

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"Sounding the Trumpets"

Make music to the LORD…with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn. Psalm 98:5-6
   

Brass instruments always thrill me. Easter victory services with trumpets sounding forth fill my heart with praise that Jesus Christ is risen indeed. Purcell’s “Trumpet Tune” and “Trumpet Voluntary” add celebration to wedding services. Bach and Handel also make such joyful use of trumpets!

The psalmist overflows with joyful praise to God: “Make music to the Lord…with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn.” Primitive ram’s horns sounded the call to battle, the cry of warning, and the summons to worship. Along with the other instruments in the temple, the horns announced the presence of God in the midst of His people. The people were filled with both holy awe and great joy before the God who created them and brought them salvation.

Scripture knows of another use for trumpets, however. The trumpet sounds in Exodus 19, in 1 Corinthians 15, and in the Book of Revelation reminds us of our sinfulness and of the end of the world with its final judgment. The Day of the Lord is indeed coming. We need to be prepared. Amidst the alluring and confusing sounds of our world, we need to hear the warning trumpet so that we can turn from our sins to God’s love and mercy.

And then we hear the trumpet announcing that the Messiah has come. The heralds of good tidings summon us to the rooftops to see Jesus coming as crucified and risen Savior. Bowing down on adoring knees, we thrill to hear the joyful trumpet sounds before the throne of God. Sound the trumpets now! Make music in the congregation of God’s people! Alleluia!