Day by Day

[Soldier4Christ]

"Destination Shapes Attitude"

We have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints--the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven. Colossians 1:4-5
   

Destination shapes attitude. It was that way when our family made the long, 14-hour drive to visit Grandma and Grandpa. Loaded into the car were five people and a dog. The potential of an ordeal was high. I'll always believe, though, that our destination made those trips not just bearable, but even celebrative. We knew that waiting for us were two great people who loved us, and the best chocolate chiffon cake on earth.

In the Christian life on earth, destination shapes attitude. The Bible has given us the ending of our life story, and the ending is happy indeed. At the end of our journey--after all the bumps and scrapes and disappointments--is Christ. He has lived for us and died for us, and He is waiting for us.

We are aware of our destination. We have set our hearts on the things that are above. With such a destination, we approach life with confidence and with the kind of love we have come to know in Christ. We find this true: Where there is faith, there is also love and hope. Destination shapes attitude.

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"Giving Thanks"


Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
   

To say "thank you" is not very difficult. These probably were some of the first words your parents taught you to say. But often, a sincere expression of gratitude involves action. It calls for doing something besides mere talk.

A friend says "thank you" with a handshake or a hug. A baby says it with a gurgle and a coo. The boss says it with a raise. A child says it with a squeal and a shout. A flower says it with beauty.

But how do you say "thank You" to the Lord who made you, redeemed you, and gives you abundant blessings now, followed by eternal life? We give thanks regularly, and we mean it. We appreciate all of God's bountiful blessings.

Ultimately, our thanksgiving shows itself in the way we live. We give thanks with our gifts of love to the Lord and to others. We bring to God our hearts and demonstrate our love as we faithfully worship Him, follow Him and His leading in His Word, and care for others in true compassion, even as God in Christ cared for us.

Don't let your "thank You" just be words! Let it be from your heart as you give God the credit for all you are and have.

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"Where is Your Treasure?"

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth.... But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven." Matthew 6:19-20
   

Perhaps you have seen the bumper sticker that says, "He who dies with the most toys wins." In our society today the accumulation of wealth and creature comforts seems to be the measure of a person's success and the goal for which many live.

Jesus warns us of the danger of spending our lives seeking earthly treasures that do not last. A farmer may spend his entire life building bigger and better barns and purchasing larger machinery. A professional person may acquire expensive cars and luxurious homes. But the truth is that all of these things will eventually be gone. There is wisdom in the old saying that you never see a U-Haul truck following a hearse. Physical possessions will not give a person lasting comfort or hope.

Jesus tells us to seek first His kingdom and righteousness; God will supply all that we need. Our real treasure is Jesus Himself, who redeemed us by His blood, which is more precious than silver or gold. The forgiveness of sins and life everlasting in heaven surpass the entirety of the world's wealth. Our lives are well spent with a strong and abiding faith in Jesus, serving Him and our neighbor to the glory of God.

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"The Miracle of Prayer"

"If you remain in Me and My Words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you." John 15:7
   

Prayer is to be thought of as a miracle. In the twinkling of an eye we can be in the presence of God. The channel is always open for us through the name of our Savior. We never get the "busy signal." The answer to our prayer is also a miracle. Perhaps there are myriads of details that will have to be ordered to work together for an answer to our prayer. God wants us to come with large petitions. He wants us to submit our case to Him even when it seems hopeless. He loves the faith that ascribes to Him the power to overcome seemingly insurmountable problems.

We may also think of prayer as worship. God Himself has taught us in the Lord's Prayer to seek His honor first. Prayer is more than just asking for things. It is bringing our sins to Him for forgiveness. It is telling Him how much we love Him, how much He means to us, and how earnestly we desire to serve Him.

We should also regard prayer as a ministry. Through prayer we can ask God to bless others. We invite God's blessing on people in our family, congregation, neighborhood, and in all the world.

Does God answer every prayer of His children? Yes, every prayer that is for our good and that achieves God's honor is answered.

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"Once upon a Time"

"For nothing is impossible with God." Luke 1:37
   

Is it fact or fiction? Often we cannot tell the one from the other. Parents read fairy tales to their children because these stories stimulate the imagination. They read them so often the stories become real to the children.

In our day Santa Claus has become so real and commercially successful that he has all but eased the baby Jesus out of His manger. Bunnies and colored eggs at Easter have for many all but replaced the empty tomb of the risen Lord. Is it not strange how "once upon a time" fairy tales are accepted as real, and true stories from the Bible are looked upon as fairy tales?

"Once upon a time" Jesus was truly born, lived, died, and rose again. All this was truly God's wonderful way of giving to all people a Savior from sin and a Lord for life. What a true story to tell and tell and tell again!

"Once upon a time!" They may not begin with just those words, but there are many true stories in the Bible, interesting to read, challenging to consider, essential to believe. As we read and meditate on the "once upon a time" stories of the Bible and the eternal truths of God of which they speak, let us make the prayer of the Virgin Mary our own prayer and expression of faith: "Let it be to me according to Your Word" (Luke 1:38).

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"Nothing Unusual"

"So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'" Luke 17:10
   

How pleased we often are with ourselves when we have carried out an assignment in a better than the usual way, when we have extended ourselves--gone the extra mile, as it were! We are thrilled because it seems so out of the ordinary. We seem to be saying, "Look, we didn't have to do all this, but we did it! Applause, please!"

Our Lord interrupts: "When you have done everything you were told to do [not only some of the things but everything], say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'" We are servants and deserve no credit; we only did our duty. What a blow to pride!

What we may consider unusual in the performance of our duty ought to be the usual. That is what Jesus wants. The good we do from time to time is something He wants to see happen all the time. That much goodness God gives us richly. His Son provided it with His suffering, death, and resurrection. The merits of His goodness are conveyed to us through Word and sacraments. Our Lord urges us to use His goodness. That's why He was so lavish in giving it to us.

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"True Humility"

Remind the people ... to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility. Titus 3:1-2
   

A country tune whimsically notes, "It's hard to be humble when you're perfect in every way!" Although not many would be so arrogant as to claim perfection, the song does illustrate our reluctance to recognize our sin. We may call a falsehood "just a little white lie." When we are rude to others, we may excuse ourselves by saying we are "having a bad day." When men and women break the marriage vows they made before God, we say they simply "were incompatible." We like to sugarcoat the evil that we perform. But the fact is that the evil we do, including our words and deeds of pride, constitute sin against God.

True humility begins with a personal confession. It does no good to compare ourselves with other people, for God's yardstick of holiness and perfection reveals that we all fall short of the glory of God.

Jesus Christ humbled Himself for us, becoming a servant and dying for us on the shameful cross, to forgive all our sins, including those of pride. Our response in faith includes showing true humility by treating others with respect, defending them, speaking well of them, and living peaceably with them.

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"A Question about Life's Direction"

"What shall I do, Lord?" I asked. Acts 22:10
   

When Saul, an enemy of the church, asked Jesus the question above, he had been struck down and made blind by the light from heaven. He realized he had been persecuting the Lord of glory and that his life was in Jesus' hands. Christ changed him from Saul to Paul and made him history's greatest missionary.

Probably not many of us have had the course of our lives changed so suddenly and dramatically. Yet life's problems may drive us to our knees as we seek direction from God.

Instead of waiting for a crisis, we do better to live each day with the inquiring attitude, "What shall I do today, Lord?" We seek God's direction in the smaller things of life, yes, but especially at times of decision: "What shall I do about career, job, marriage, retirement?"

God does not disappoint us when we ask trustingly for His guidance. For Paul it was a life of joyful missionary service. Even the beatings and imprisonments did not cause him to regret following the Lord's directions. We have the confidence: "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 8:32).

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"Attitude More Than Aptitude"

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable ... think about such things. Philippians 4:8
   

Charles Swindoll has said, "I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me, and 90 percent how I react to it."

The story is told of two young girls who delighted in paging through their "wish book," a mail-order catalog. The six-year-old, as she paged, said, "I want this; I'd like to have that." Turning the pages, she came to one thing after the other that she was certain she needed. Her four-year-old sister opened to the first pages and said, "I have this and I have that." The sisters were looking at the same book, but they saw things differently.

What is your overriding attitude? Are you, like the four-year-old, conscious of all the blessings God has lavished on you? Or do you, like the older sister, perhaps, see everything as something you want and need?

Let us be grateful for all God has given us, beginning and ending with the gift of forgiveness and everlasting life in Jesus. Let God attend to what we need. We will focus on what we have and give thanks for that.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Time Out"

He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them ... and prayed. Luke 22:41
   

For the hard-running athletes, for tired parents, for exhausted executives, for all of us the wise word is: "Time out!" We take "time out" from work for relaxation and from routine for recreation. We take "time out" for a coffee break in the morning and a nap in the afternoon. Above all, we need to take "time out" from everything else in life to pray.

How often our life is taken up with big plans that turn into small accomplishments because we did not take "time out" to pray for guidance! How easy it is for us to become so dazed by success in our efforts that we forget to take "time out" to pray in thanksgiving! How heavy our life all too often becomes when we are weighed down by the burden of guilt and do not take "time out" to pray for forgiveness.

As we hurry from home in the morning, as we rush through a busy schedule at work, as we fill up the hours with all sorts of activities, as we return to our home where things must be done, we need to take "time out" for personal communication with Him whose will is: "Call upon Me!" (Psalm 50:15). Every day we need to catch our spiritual breath and take "time out" to pray.

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"Be Alert!"

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come." Mark 13:32-33
   

You are alert, for you are waiting for someone -- a special someone. At first each approaching person is scanned to be sure he or she is not the one. Time goes on. Ways and means are discovered to pass the time. Each glance at the clock makes one marvel that minutes can pass so slowly. When will the person come?

Perhaps you have experienced this as you've waited for the doctor to return with a report or waited for a friend or a soon-to-come guest. The arrival seems to take forever.

We are warned that it is so with Christ's final coming. No one knows just when He will return. We are told to be alert, to be ready. When we least expect it, Christ will return to claim His own.

Christ gives us directions on how to pass the time until He returns. As we wait and watch, we are to share with others the glorious message of our Savior. We are to enlist other guards in the watch. We are to make disciples of all nations so they too may be ready and join us in the great celebration when our Savior returns.

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"How to Serve"

[She] was always doing good and helping the poor. Acts 9:36
   

This is the description of a woman whose name was Tabitha in Aramaic and Dorcas in Greek. She was a disciple, that is, a follower of Jesus in the early church. She lived at Joppa, a port city. Tabitha made it her special concern to sew coats and garments for the poor. It happened that she became ill and died. There was much sorrow in the church. When the Christians heard that Peter was at a nearby city, they sent for him. In a miraculous way Tabitha was brought back to life in answer to Peter's earnest prayers.

What we want to notice in the life of Tabitha was the way in which she translated her faith in Jesus into very practical and simple ways of meeting the needs of the people around her. Today we might ask, "How many coats and dresses did she sew? Could it not have been done more efficiently if a society had been formed to do more?" Maybe so. Sometimes we need that also. But the point is that Tabitha didn't wait for that to happen. She started where she was -- with what she had -- because her love and concern for the poor, which she had received from her Lord, was heartfelt and needed to be expressed.

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"Prayer and Action"

[We] receive from Him anything we ask, because we obey His commands and do what pleases Him. 1 John 3:22
   



"Give us today our daily bread." Do we expect God to deliver three meals a day at our doorstep? God answers our prayer for daily bread, but He expects us to use the strength and skill He gives us. True prayer commits us to action. Prayer without doing God's will is insincere. It displeases God.

When we pray for good health, we should do our part: get the proper rest, food, and exercise. If we ask God to improve our marriage, we should forgive and be patient and considerate. If we ask God to overcome our loneliness, we should be friendly and look for ways to help others. If we pray for world peace, we should be peacemakers wherever we are.

Jesus offers an excellent example of the connection between prayer and action. The night before His death Jesus prayed, "Not My will, but Yours be done" (Luke 22:42). The Father answered Jesus' prayer. Jesus acted out the Father's will. Our Lord did this extremely hard thing because He loves us in an extreme way. As our love for Jesus grows through God's grace given us in Word and sacrament, so will our obedience to God's will and our willingness to be part of God's answer to our prayers.

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"How to Ruin a Day"

[Jesus said,] "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life." Matthew 6:25
   

Want to ruin a perfectly good day? Start worrying. Dwelling on the past or worrying about the future is a sure way to put yourself into an unhealthy and unproductive funk.

A counselor once analyzed the problems of people seeking his advice. He found that 40 percent worried about things that never happened. Another 30 percent worried about decisions already made and not changeable. Another 12 percent worried about sickness that never came, and 10 percent worried about children and friends who actually were fine. That left but 8 percent with worries about real problems. His conclusion was that 92 percent of our worries are needless.

There is no need to worry about three kinds of trouble -- those we have had, those we may have now, and those we think we might have in the future. Wisdom includes the realization that the things you are anxious about today may very well seem unimportant tomorrow.

Satan seeks to fill our hearts with worry and gloom. Faith in Jesus, our Savior, is the source of a cheerful Christian outlook on life. He supplies all we truly need: the forgiveness of our sins, eternal life, and the comfort that God is with us each day.

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"Longing for Home"

For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Philippians 2:26
   

When the church at Philippi heard that Paul was in prison, they gathered an offering for him. Epaphroditus was selected to deliver the gift. He stayed on and served Paul with complete devotion. He became ill but was spared by God's grace. No matter how exciting it was to be with Paul and how greatly Epaphroditus desired to serve this man of God, there were times when he longed for home.

Separation from home and loved ones seems quite commonplace today. Families are separated by educational needs, by military service, and by occupations and services that take some family members far from home. The church also separates families by sending people to serve in distant lands all over the world.

Although absorbed in the services they render and in the needs they desire to meet, there are still moments when missionaries think of home and family. There is only one who spans the miles, to whom the mountains and rivers, the jungles and oceans are no obstacles. He will never leave nor forsake them.

These, our friends, represent us, our families, our nation, and our church in faraway places! It is our privilege to pray to the Lord on their behalf.