They have a right to know

My father read the Bible to the neighbor boy; all of his grandchildren lived far away. We find it the same for our great-grandchildren; most live far distances from us. The truth is none of us are getting any younger. As each day passes, we often miss the opportunity to tell them about Jesus. We…

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Living Boldly in a Fallen World

We are living in a fallen world; a world ravaged by sin; a world into which Jesus brings to our remembrance the distance we have fallen from our first love. Revelation 2:5  That love Jesus states in the form of a commandment.  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul.” Matthew…

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Resting In Jesus

Ninety some years ago the Sunday’s of my youth were quiet–no phones, no games, no television, a quiet hard to imagine. There was the absence of striving and more of listening.  There was church, of course, a time set aside for listening to the Word of God often preached in terms of the sovereign rule…

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With One Voice

As of late I am struck by the masterful ways in which we glorify ourselves and demonize others. When in the course of events we all live daily on the edge of disaster:  natural disasters, the perils of Satan, the dangers of our own flesh and the inevitable wrath of God that awaits us all.…

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One Holy Nation

When we use the word “nation,” we usually are referring to a country like Sweden, China, the UK or the United States.  When Peter writes of a holy nation, (1 Peter 2:7) he is referring to a people transformed into God’s chosen people. Peter calls them a royal priesthood.  Do Peter’s words pertain only to…

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We Belong To God

We are to live our lives as those who belong to God.  We live in a culture where self-worth, self-image, self-improvement reign. The self’s rise to prominence has taken place primarily in my life-time. Often our concern for self-value and importance becomes a Band-Aid that covers up the wound of our broken relationship with God.…

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God Decides

According to John C. Maxwell, an American author, speaker, and pastor,—“Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you.” Psychologists say we can make up to 25,000 decisions in one day. That amounts to about 2,000 decisions per hour, responding or ignoring the alert on your smartphone, itching our ear, picking…

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Living Through Word and Sacrament

Martin Luther wrote the Smalcald Articles to summarize the doctrines of the Christian church.  In it he wrote the following. “We must consistently maintain this point:  God does not want to deal with us in any other way than through the spoken Word and Sacraments.”  God summons us to gather around these words in worship…

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Never Lost Again

In an article entitled “Never Lost Again” Francis Schaeffer says that once we have accepted Christ we can never again be lost because we have been sealed by the Spirit that now dwells within us. The Spirit plants a whole new divine life in us that is sealed for the day of redemption as Paul…

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When I’m Afraid

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.Psalm 56:3 So much is written on how to overcome fear and how to respond when visited by sudden panic attacks. I find it interesting when studying the commentaries on the above verse of David’s that he was the first to employ the words “I put…

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