"Today's Devotion" For April 1, 2005
Read: Genesis 1:26-2:7; Psalm 139
ONLY CREATION GIVES MEANING TO LIFE
"I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well." (Ps. 139:14)
Yesterday morning, Thursday, March 31, 2005, Terri Schiavo, a 41-year old, brain- damaged, Florida woman, and the center of a growing controversy over how our nation and the world values human life, died at 9:05 am, Eastern Standard Time from dehydration and starvation. Her feeding tubes had been removed by court order and no challenges to that court order were given consideration, even in the Supreme Court of the United States of America. Not even Congressional and Presidential intervention, a politically dangerous action, could stem the tide of death that surrounded this young woman. It was a sad day; it's a sad time; it's a dark day for a people who are, of late, voting for death rather than life.
Yet, such a state of mind and spirit ought not to be a surprise to us. It's become increasingly obvious that what passes as "modern scientific principle," understands life as being an act of random chance over billions of years. We live in an increasingly, spiritually hostile society which relegates God and any ideas about "God" to the "philosophical rubbish heap." If life is only a "chance" occurrence through evolutionary activity, then it stands to reason that ideas about the quality of life would take precedence over the very purpose and meaning of life itself, regardless of its "quality." If humanity doesn't have a Creator, then life is by random chance alone, and Man then is the final determiner what constitutes a life of value or a life of worthlessness. Without a Creator, by Whom human being were created perfect and holy, in the image and likeness of God (spiritual creatures capable of spiritual thought), an given the task of sharing in the stewardship of the created order, there can be no understanding of the devastation caused by the Fall into Sin in Eden, and, thus, no appreciation of the need for salvation purchased with the blood of Christ.
Only when we know and believe that we are God's special Creation, created by Him in His image and likeness, formed from the dust of the ground, can we truly appreciate the devastation that Sin has brought into the world and its effect upon God's creation. Only when we understand the devastation of Sin and its implications for eternal, permanent death--total separation from the Creator forever--can we truly appreciate and yearn for our salvation from Sin, Death, and Satan. By God's grace, we who are called Christians know and believe that we are God's creation, that Sin has separated us from His love, and that, in Christ, our sins are forgiven and we have hope and peace in God's assurance of forgiveness and our final home with Him in heaven. Our challenge is to bring the reality of God's creation of the world and mankind into the light of day for a world blinded by Sin and experiencing the full darkness of understanding that is Sin's legacy for us all.
That every human being is a special and unique creation of God is a message of profound importance for the salvation of the world. Our call from God is to share that truth with the world so that, by the power of His Word and Spirit, people might be lifted up out of spiritual darkness and into the light of Christ's love. Having been blessed by our Father in heaven with such knowledge and faith, we step forth boldly in love and faith to share His truth about the sanctity of life and the truth that life and death decisions belong to God, not to us. Only when people again turn toward God as the Creator can life truly have the depth of meaning as God intended.
Prayer: Father, it's a sad day in the world because one of Your children was sentenced to death by people who choose to ignore the truth that all life belongs to You. It's a sad day in the world because people have again shown that they're more concerned about their conception of reality, than Your truth about reality. Help me to be an instrument of Your grace in such a way that I may boldly stand up for the truth about life as You have declared it in Your Word. Send Your Holy Spirit upon the nations of the world that You might be acknowledged as God and the source of all life. Above all, Father, continue to strengthen my faith through Christ my Lord and Savior, that I may live in Your love, as Your true child, and be an effective and faithful witness to others so they might know You, believe in You, and receive Your redemption; in the name of Christ, my Savior and Lord I pray. Amen.
****************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Thursday, March 31, 2005
A "Famous" Faith
"Today's Devotion" For March 31, 2005
Read: Matthew 8:5-13; Isaiah 49:8-13, 22-23
A "FAMOUS" FAITH
"I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith...Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." (Mt. 8:10b, 13a)
How many "famous" people can you name? Your answer to that question will, of course, be determined by your definition of what it means to be "famous." You could name, for instance, a host of Hollywood screen idols, Oscar winner, or People's Choice and Tony Award winners. Or, if your preference is for music, you might name people who have won Grammy Awards, Country Music awards, vocal artist of the year awards, or have albums which have gone Platinum. On the other hand, if you're a political junkie, you might name people who have been presidents, prime ministers, dictators, royalty, ambassadors, or have held other positions on the world or national stages that have had an influence on the lives of our nation and/or the world. Lest they be ignored, other people that could be named might be scientists, astronauts, military people, leaders of commerce and industry, educators, and a whole host of other people who have been noted for their contributions to the benefit of humanity. For the most part, when people are asked to name "famous" people, they usually think about those who have had some lasting affect upon secular culture.
Significantly, such lists of people usually don't take into consideration whether or not faith in God's promises plays a part in the nature of their "fame." A reading of the Bible brings to mind great men and women of faith who have had a significant impact upon the world and, subsequently, our own lives as well, yet who would normally be overlooked and not included on a list of the "famous" people of the world. We might note, for instance, such Biblical stalwarts of faith as Noah, Abraham, Moses, Deborah, King David, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Daniel, Jonah, Zachariah, Elizabeth, Joseph, Mary, Peter, James, John, Paul, and the other apostles and disciples of the Lord. It's a veritable list of the "Who's Who of the Bible" and still doesn't include still others whose "fame" comes from their faithfulness and faithful witness to God's love for the world in Jesus Christ. What's more, there are "famous" people of faith beyond the Scriptures, who in our New Testament era stand out as God's messengers of His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness in Christ. We think of people such as Charlemagne, St. Augustine, John Hus, Martin Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Joan of Arc, Francis of Assisi, and hundreds of other persons of faith in our modern day who are fighting or have "fought the good fight and kept the faith." They are people who have shared or are sharing God's marvelous grace and love in Jesus Christ with the world. For us, as God's redeemed children in Christ, history and today's media bring such people to our attention.
In the long, long list of those whom we might consider "famous" in the eyes of human beings, as well as the eyes of God's people, it would be reasonable to assume that we might overlook the Centurion of Capernaum whom Matthew makes note of in our reading for today. For the readers of Matthew's day, the Centurion might not have stood out as anyone special, particularly related to faith and service to God, if the Holy Spirit hadn't inspired Matthew to share his story. For us, the Centurion might not even be a blip on the screen of history, secular or sacred, without the Holy Spirit having brought him to our attention. After all, who was this Roman centurion? He wasn't a Jew. He was a foreigner--a Gentile. He was an occupier of Jewish soil, a foreign mercenary, and a "servant" of the hated Romans. Under most circumstances, no Jew of that day would have given him the time of day, and no rabbi would have paid attention to his pleading for the life of his servant. Yet we find that this particular Centurion took his task as a man of peace (as good military people are supposed to be at heart) very seriously. He knew Jewish law so that he didn't want Jesus to become ceremonially unclean by entering his house to heal his servant. He understood the authority that Jesus had, and believed that authority could banish illness just by His Word. The only place he's known to us is in the Gospels. We don't even know his name. What we do know, however, is even more important. He trusted in Jesus. He knew Him and believed. He exhibited love for his Lord and his fellow man by his courtesy to Jesus and his petition for his servant.
Truly, by God's standards, the Centurion is a "famous" person. His faith in Christ, which Jesus commended, declares the "fame" as Jesus notes that the Centurion's faith was the greatest He had encountered in all of Israel. That faith was rewarded, for Jesus healed the Centurion's servant, just as this faith-filled man had believed. For you and me, as the saints of God who have been redeemed by Christ and who live in Him by faith, the Centurion's example of faith and trust in Jesus lifts us up in our faith as well. Trusting in Jesus, as the Centurion did, we trust our Lord to be in charge of our world and our lives at all times. We come to Him in prayer, confident that He hears us and responds to us according to His Will and our faith. In the world's annuls of fame, we can have no better example of a man of God than that simple, faithful Centurion of Capernaum.
Prayer: Father, strengthen my faith that I may be like the Centurion and fully trust You to care for me and my needs, my family and their needs, and all the needs of Your people. Father, I pray that You would also bless everyone in the world with the saving knowledge and faith in Jesus Christ that's necessary for them to truly experience Your love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness which restores the sinner to that perfect relationship with You that You intended in Creation. Help me to exercise my faith in Jesus by trusting in Him in all things and seeking His compassion, mercy, love and power in the lives of others. Hear me, gracious Father, Jesus' name. Amen.
***************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Read: Matthew 8:5-13; Isaiah 49:8-13, 22-23
A "FAMOUS" FAITH
"I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith...Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." (Mt. 8:10b, 13a)
How many "famous" people can you name? Your answer to that question will, of course, be determined by your definition of what it means to be "famous." You could name, for instance, a host of Hollywood screen idols, Oscar winner, or People's Choice and Tony Award winners. Or, if your preference is for music, you might name people who have won Grammy Awards, Country Music awards, vocal artist of the year awards, or have albums which have gone Platinum. On the other hand, if you're a political junkie, you might name people who have been presidents, prime ministers, dictators, royalty, ambassadors, or have held other positions on the world or national stages that have had an influence on the lives of our nation and/or the world. Lest they be ignored, other people that could be named might be scientists, astronauts, military people, leaders of commerce and industry, educators, and a whole host of other people who have been noted for their contributions to the benefit of humanity. For the most part, when people are asked to name "famous" people, they usually think about those who have had some lasting affect upon secular culture.
Significantly, such lists of people usually don't take into consideration whether or not faith in God's promises plays a part in the nature of their "fame." A reading of the Bible brings to mind great men and women of faith who have had a significant impact upon the world and, subsequently, our own lives as well, yet who would normally be overlooked and not included on a list of the "famous" people of the world. We might note, for instance, such Biblical stalwarts of faith as Noah, Abraham, Moses, Deborah, King David, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Daniel, Jonah, Zachariah, Elizabeth, Joseph, Mary, Peter, James, John, Paul, and the other apostles and disciples of the Lord. It's a veritable list of the "Who's Who of the Bible" and still doesn't include still others whose "fame" comes from their faithfulness and faithful witness to God's love for the world in Jesus Christ. What's more, there are "famous" people of faith beyond the Scriptures, who in our New Testament era stand out as God's messengers of His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness in Christ. We think of people such as Charlemagne, St. Augustine, John Hus, Martin Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Joan of Arc, Francis of Assisi, and hundreds of other persons of faith in our modern day who are fighting or have "fought the good fight and kept the faith." They are people who have shared or are sharing God's marvelous grace and love in Jesus Christ with the world. For us, as God's redeemed children in Christ, history and today's media bring such people to our attention.
In the long, long list of those whom we might consider "famous" in the eyes of human beings, as well as the eyes of God's people, it would be reasonable to assume that we might overlook the Centurion of Capernaum whom Matthew makes note of in our reading for today. For the readers of Matthew's day, the Centurion might not have stood out as anyone special, particularly related to faith and service to God, if the Holy Spirit hadn't inspired Matthew to share his story. For us, the Centurion might not even be a blip on the screen of history, secular or sacred, without the Holy Spirit having brought him to our attention. After all, who was this Roman centurion? He wasn't a Jew. He was a foreigner--a Gentile. He was an occupier of Jewish soil, a foreign mercenary, and a "servant" of the hated Romans. Under most circumstances, no Jew of that day would have given him the time of day, and no rabbi would have paid attention to his pleading for the life of his servant. Yet we find that this particular Centurion took his task as a man of peace (as good military people are supposed to be at heart) very seriously. He knew Jewish law so that he didn't want Jesus to become ceremonially unclean by entering his house to heal his servant. He understood the authority that Jesus had, and believed that authority could banish illness just by His Word. The only place he's known to us is in the Gospels. We don't even know his name. What we do know, however, is even more important. He trusted in Jesus. He knew Him and believed. He exhibited love for his Lord and his fellow man by his courtesy to Jesus and his petition for his servant.
Truly, by God's standards, the Centurion is a "famous" person. His faith in Christ, which Jesus commended, declares the "fame" as Jesus notes that the Centurion's faith was the greatest He had encountered in all of Israel. That faith was rewarded, for Jesus healed the Centurion's servant, just as this faith-filled man had believed. For you and me, as the saints of God who have been redeemed by Christ and who live in Him by faith, the Centurion's example of faith and trust in Jesus lifts us up in our faith as well. Trusting in Jesus, as the Centurion did, we trust our Lord to be in charge of our world and our lives at all times. We come to Him in prayer, confident that He hears us and responds to us according to His Will and our faith. In the world's annuls of fame, we can have no better example of a man of God than that simple, faithful Centurion of Capernaum.
Prayer: Father, strengthen my faith that I may be like the Centurion and fully trust You to care for me and my needs, my family and their needs, and all the needs of Your people. Father, I pray that You would also bless everyone in the world with the saving knowledge and faith in Jesus Christ that's necessary for them to truly experience Your love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness which restores the sinner to that perfect relationship with You that You intended in Creation. Help me to exercise my faith in Jesus by trusting in Him in all things and seeking His compassion, mercy, love and power in the lives of others. Hear me, gracious Father, Jesus' name. Amen.
***************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Receiving The Crown Of Life
"Today's Devotion" For March 30, 2005
Read: Matthew 19:27-30; Revelation 2:8-10
RECEIVING THE CROWN OF LIFE
"'Be faithful even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.'" (Rev.2:10)
Most people who know me will tell you that I really love food. When I was growing up there was always a certain amount of competition for food, especially things we didn't get all the time. So, when there was cake or a pie, or some other treat like that the inevitable challenge among us siblings was, "He (or she) got a bigger piece." Then there was the inevitable question that always arose when someone would be allowed to do something another wasn't allowed to do, "How come she (or he) can go and I can't?" What's so interesting to me is that even my own children have, at times, debated over these same questions. Someone always seems to feel as if they're being short changed or left out. Perhaps you remember asking such plaintive questions when you were a child, upset that a sibling, usually older got the bigger piece of pie or was able to go someplace you weren't allowed to go. How often haven't older brothers and sisters complained that their younger siblings have gotten away with things that they couldn't get away with when they were younger?
It's that very same thought process that's behind Peter's question to Jesus concerning God's redemption of even those who would put riches before their relationship with God. Jesus had just told His disciples that God can do the impossible, even save those who would put their riches before God. Peter's question only reflects the feelings of the disciples toward Jesus' revelation of such mercy and grace from God toward those who might be considered unworthy because they had lived so long away from God. There's an inherent danger and peril to faith when such an attitude is held by any disciple of Jesus Christ. Having received God's grace first and having been led to renounce all to follow Jesus, to have such an attitude toward those who are "Johnny-come-latelies" to faith in Christ can lead to resentment, particularly toward God and the extending of His kingdom to such people. Jesus' warning in the parable reminds them that they have received what they have by God's grace, the same grace that will be extended to all the world.
Those childhood frustrations that arose from the assumption that a sibling was getting more than what we were receiving, or going somewhere we couldn't go were, and are, the natural reactions of sinners whose only concern is for themselves. Such thinking poses a spiritual danger to us. Questioning God's fairness and His grace toward others poses a serious threat to our relationship with Him. There is no one, not you, not me, not anyone, who deserves the precious gift of the "crown of life" that is ours through faith in Jesus Christ. To rejoice in the "11th Hour redemption" of another human being is a precious opportunity for each of us to give thanks for God's boundless grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness for the world. To rejoice that God's Spirit, through the power of the Word, accomplishes miracles and brings people into a saving relationship with Him, even at the last moment of life, is a marvelous gift of God's grace to us. After all, it's not an issue of how long we have believed in Jesus, but rather whether we have believed in Him. How great is our God and how great is His gift of salvation that the crown of life in Jesus Christ can be His precious gift of His grace to all who believe in Jesus.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, please help me not to be jealous of those who receive Your grace only at the end of their lives. Rather, help me to rejoice that Your grace in Christ has brought them home to You. Lead me to daily strive to lead others to Jesus so that they can receive Your grace and forgiveness of their sins. Also, Father, help me to give thanks each day that I have received Your grace and forgiveness and that I am Your precious child and an heir of heaven. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
************************************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Read: Matthew 19:27-30; Revelation 2:8-10
RECEIVING THE CROWN OF LIFE
"'Be faithful even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.'" (Rev.2:10)
Most people who know me will tell you that I really love food. When I was growing up there was always a certain amount of competition for food, especially things we didn't get all the time. So, when there was cake or a pie, or some other treat like that the inevitable challenge among us siblings was, "He (or she) got a bigger piece." Then there was the inevitable question that always arose when someone would be allowed to do something another wasn't allowed to do, "How come she (or he) can go and I can't?" What's so interesting to me is that even my own children have, at times, debated over these same questions. Someone always seems to feel as if they're being short changed or left out. Perhaps you remember asking such plaintive questions when you were a child, upset that a sibling, usually older got the bigger piece of pie or was able to go someplace you weren't allowed to go. How often haven't older brothers and sisters complained that their younger siblings have gotten away with things that they couldn't get away with when they were younger?
It's that very same thought process that's behind Peter's question to Jesus concerning God's redemption of even those who would put riches before their relationship with God. Jesus had just told His disciples that God can do the impossible, even save those who would put their riches before God. Peter's question only reflects the feelings of the disciples toward Jesus' revelation of such mercy and grace from God toward those who might be considered unworthy because they had lived so long away from God. There's an inherent danger and peril to faith when such an attitude is held by any disciple of Jesus Christ. Having received God's grace first and having been led to renounce all to follow Jesus, to have such an attitude toward those who are "Johnny-come-latelies" to faith in Christ can lead to resentment, particularly toward God and the extending of His kingdom to such people. Jesus' warning in the parable reminds them that they have received what they have by God's grace, the same grace that will be extended to all the world.
Those childhood frustrations that arose from the assumption that a sibling was getting more than what we were receiving, or going somewhere we couldn't go were, and are, the natural reactions of sinners whose only concern is for themselves. Such thinking poses a spiritual danger to us. Questioning God's fairness and His grace toward others poses a serious threat to our relationship with Him. There is no one, not you, not me, not anyone, who deserves the precious gift of the "crown of life" that is ours through faith in Jesus Christ. To rejoice in the "11th Hour redemption" of another human being is a precious opportunity for each of us to give thanks for God's boundless grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness for the world. To rejoice that God's Spirit, through the power of the Word, accomplishes miracles and brings people into a saving relationship with Him, even at the last moment of life, is a marvelous gift of God's grace to us. After all, it's not an issue of how long we have believed in Jesus, but rather whether we have believed in Him. How great is our God and how great is His gift of salvation that the crown of life in Jesus Christ can be His precious gift of His grace to all who believe in Jesus.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, please help me not to be jealous of those who receive Your grace only at the end of their lives. Rather, help me to rejoice that Your grace in Christ has brought them home to You. Lead me to daily strive to lead others to Jesus so that they can receive Your grace and forgiveness of their sins. Also, Father, help me to give thanks each day that I have received Your grace and forgiveness and that I am Your precious child and an heir of heaven. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
************************************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
You're Really Very Special To God
"Today's Devotion" For March 29, 2005
Read: I Peter 2:9-12; Isaiah 43:1-21
YOU'RE REALLY VERY SPECIAL TO GOD
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God..."(I Pet. 2:9)
Do you ever feel special? No doubt your response, and mine, would depend a great deal on how the day, the week, the month, yes, even the year, is going for us. It's a "feel good" question, which presupposes that every person has a need to be considered "special," if even by just one other person. That need to feel special is often confirmed by our feelings and responses to acts of love and friendship offered by others. Perhaps you've had a good friend, a family member, a spouse, a co-worker, or a supervisor do something to acknowledge that you are special. Perhaps someone sent you a card, a letter, a bouquet of flowers, gave you a hug or a kiss, or just a simple pat on the back. Whatever the mode of acknowledgment, the warmth and sense of worth we receive from such things is very valuable. Such actions say, "You are very special, to me" and go a long way in providing us purpose in our lives.
At other times in our lives, people treat us as if we were their special "hate" projects. Put downs, ridicule, and open hatred or disdain are also very real responses we receive from others. We, ourselves, are guilty of letting out our frustrations, anger, hurts, insecurities, guilt, and general sense of despair on others. When we feel like "dirt" we'd like others to feel like "dirt" also. Instead of feeling special, or helping others to feel special, when we behave this way, we allow Sin to have the upper hand in our lives and lead us to despair, rather than recognition that all human beings are special in the eyes of God. To have any sense of purpose or "specialness" about one's life taken away is to be deprived of what it truly means to be a unique and special creation of God.
Jesus' suffering, death, and resurrection declares to the world that God considers human beings to be special and precious to Him. From God's perspective, every person is of inestimable value and a special, unique creature whom He wants to shower with His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. When Jesus rose from the grave, He didn't just come out of the tomb, but He came up out of Hell itself, having declared His victory over Sin, Death, and the Devil as He "preached to the spirits in prison (Hell)" (I Pet. 3:19). In His resurrection, therefore, He declares that not only the grave, but Hell, itself, cannot hold Him or those whom He has redeemed. Our Lord Jesus Christ, as noted by Peter, has declared all who believe in Him to be a "chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God" and thus, very special to our Father in heaven. By faith in Christ, God's own gift to us through His Word and Spirit, we are declared God's own, special people. We are precious in His sight. He declares us just and righteous, forgiven and whole, because of Jesus. No matter what may happen to us in this world, no matter how poorly life and others may treat us, we can be certain that Holy Spirit will never let us forget that in Christ's death and resurrection God has declared us to be very special and precious in His sight. What a confidence builder this can be for all of our life and living for Jesus!
Prayer: Father, too often I measure myself and my value based upon the standards of the world and how others might treat me or see me. Forgive me for forgetting that the only standards that count are Yours, and Your standards are focused in Christ, and it is through His righteousness that You see me. Help me to understand how very special I am in Your eyes and lead me to respond in humble gratitude by living a life that reflects Your love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness to others. Guide me by Your Word and Spirit to thinking, speaking, and acting in such a way that I acknowledge the worth and value of other people in a way that leads them to see Jesus in me. In the precious name of Jesus, my risen Savior and Lord I pray. Amen.
****************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Read: I Peter 2:9-12; Isaiah 43:1-21
YOU'RE REALLY VERY SPECIAL TO GOD
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God..."(I Pet. 2:9)
Do you ever feel special? No doubt your response, and mine, would depend a great deal on how the day, the week, the month, yes, even the year, is going for us. It's a "feel good" question, which presupposes that every person has a need to be considered "special," if even by just one other person. That need to feel special is often confirmed by our feelings and responses to acts of love and friendship offered by others. Perhaps you've had a good friend, a family member, a spouse, a co-worker, or a supervisor do something to acknowledge that you are special. Perhaps someone sent you a card, a letter, a bouquet of flowers, gave you a hug or a kiss, or just a simple pat on the back. Whatever the mode of acknowledgment, the warmth and sense of worth we receive from such things is very valuable. Such actions say, "You are very special, to me" and go a long way in providing us purpose in our lives.
At other times in our lives, people treat us as if we were their special "hate" projects. Put downs, ridicule, and open hatred or disdain are also very real responses we receive from others. We, ourselves, are guilty of letting out our frustrations, anger, hurts, insecurities, guilt, and general sense of despair on others. When we feel like "dirt" we'd like others to feel like "dirt" also. Instead of feeling special, or helping others to feel special, when we behave this way, we allow Sin to have the upper hand in our lives and lead us to despair, rather than recognition that all human beings are special in the eyes of God. To have any sense of purpose or "specialness" about one's life taken away is to be deprived of what it truly means to be a unique and special creation of God.
Jesus' suffering, death, and resurrection declares to the world that God considers human beings to be special and precious to Him. From God's perspective, every person is of inestimable value and a special, unique creature whom He wants to shower with His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. When Jesus rose from the grave, He didn't just come out of the tomb, but He came up out of Hell itself, having declared His victory over Sin, Death, and the Devil as He "preached to the spirits in prison (Hell)" (I Pet. 3:19). In His resurrection, therefore, He declares that not only the grave, but Hell, itself, cannot hold Him or those whom He has redeemed. Our Lord Jesus Christ, as noted by Peter, has declared all who believe in Him to be a "chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God" and thus, very special to our Father in heaven. By faith in Christ, God's own gift to us through His Word and Spirit, we are declared God's own, special people. We are precious in His sight. He declares us just and righteous, forgiven and whole, because of Jesus. No matter what may happen to us in this world, no matter how poorly life and others may treat us, we can be certain that Holy Spirit will never let us forget that in Christ's death and resurrection God has declared us to be very special and precious in His sight. What a confidence builder this can be for all of our life and living for Jesus!
Prayer: Father, too often I measure myself and my value based upon the standards of the world and how others might treat me or see me. Forgive me for forgetting that the only standards that count are Yours, and Your standards are focused in Christ, and it is through His righteousness that You see me. Help me to understand how very special I am in Your eyes and lead me to respond in humble gratitude by living a life that reflects Your love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness to others. Guide me by Your Word and Spirit to thinking, speaking, and acting in such a way that I acknowledge the worth and value of other people in a way that leads them to see Jesus in me. In the precious name of Jesus, my risen Savior and Lord I pray. Amen.
****************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Monday, March 28, 2005
Filled With Wonder And Amazement
"Today's Devotion" For March 28, 2005
Read: Matthew 28:1-10; Romans 8:28-39
FILLED WITH WONDER AND AMAZEMENT
"Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, Who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen just as He said."(Mt. 28:5-6)
What a remarkable God we have! How loving, gracious, and kind to us He is! Every day of our lives, every moment of each day, our heavenly Father cares for us, His children, showering us with wonderful gifts of His love. He is consistently watching over us with such care and concern that He anticipates our needs, even before we ask Him. Opening His Gospel with Jesus' genealogy, Matthew shows how God worked tirelessly, deliberately, lovingly, and graciously throughout Israel's history to bring the Savior of the world into this world to save sinners. Matthew goes on to recount how Joseph intended to divorce Mary quietly after discovering that she was pregnant only to have God come to him through an angel and say to him, "Don't you be afraid to take Mary as your wife..." Matthew now recounts how, on that first Easter morning, as the two Marys approached the empty tomb, God again says to them, His beloved children, "Don't you be afraid!"
Matthew's account of the visit of the two Marys to Jesus' tomb puts it in the timeline right at the moment the angel rolled the stone away from the tomb. A great earthquake marked the angel's action. "His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow" and the guards were filled with fear, falling to the ground as if they were dead (Mt. 28:2-3). Imagine, if you will, that we were with the two Marys and observing all these things happening. Fear and trembling might reasonably be our response, and the angel's words, "'Don't you be afraid" would be powerful words of comfort and calm in the midst of our anxiety. Hearing the angel's message that Jesus was not there, but had arisen as He had promised, we can also appreciate their wonder and amazement as filled with fear and great joy the women hurried back to tell Jesus' disciples what had happened. We're also filled with wonder and amazement as God's message of love and compassion come through in this event loudly and clearly. His promises have been fulfilled. He's done all He promised He would do to redeem the world, to redeem His children, from the ravages of Sin, Death, and the Devil. We hear His promises fulfilled in the Resurrection of Christ, as the Father accepts His sacrifice for all of our sins and those of the entire world, once and for all time. Filled with wonder and amazement, we hear God's message that we are forgiven and restored to Him through Christ our Lord. This message of wonder and amazement in the Resurrection of Jesus is meant for us to hear and believe every moment of the day, every day of our lives. It's a message of hope and peace, wonder and amazement that God calls us to share with the world.
In sharp contrast to the response of the Marys, and their wonder and amazement at the events of that morning, stand the soldiers guarding Jesus' tomb. They fell down in fear and there was no comfort given. God's message through the angel was to those who believed in Jesus. That same message was a reminder to the disciples of Jesus' promise that He would rise from the grave and was an offer of forgiveness to those same disciples who had deserted Him in the face of the Cross. What wonder and amazement filled that first Easter morning! How the hearts of the Marys must have burned with wonder and amazement, joy and peace, as they met Jesus on the road to Jerusalem and heard Him personally saying to them, "Don't be afraid." His very appearance to the Marys strengthened their faith and gave substance to the reality of His resurrection, and all that it meant, which they were just barely beginning to understand. With the Marys, we, too, are filled with wonder and amazement at the events of that first Easter, for those events fly in the face of every human instinct and "scientific" principle that face us each day. Jesus' words to the Marys are also His words to us today, "Don't you be afraid." What words of comfort and joy those are for us in a world full of trouble and danger! Our Savior and Lord reminds us that we are His very own, redeemed, restored, and forgiven children of our heavenly Father. With wonder and amazement we rejoice each day of our lives to hear His words, "Don't you be afraid" as our God fully anticipates our need for comfort and strength to live for Jesus every day.
Prayer: Father, Your only Son, Jesus Christ, promised that He would rise from the dead as the sign that His sacrifice for my sins was acceptable to You. I stand before You, gracious Father, filled with wonder and amazement at Your grace, mercy, and love for me and all people. In Jesus' resurrection, You declare that His sacrifice for the sins of the world is complete and that His righteousness covers me and all mankind. He has overcome the last enemy, Death, and I am no longer fearful of death and grave. In the angel's message, "Don't you be afraid," I find comfort and hope in the face of life's turmoil and confusion. In Jesus' words, "Don't you be afraid," I am brought face to face with the reality of His victory over death and the grave. Give me the courage to live in the wonder and amazement of the resurrection every day of my life that I might live as a true witness of Your Word of peace and joy for all the world in Jesus; in Whose precious name I pray. Amen.
*****************************************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Read: Matthew 28:1-10; Romans 8:28-39
FILLED WITH WONDER AND AMAZEMENT
"Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, Who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen just as He said."(Mt. 28:5-6)
What a remarkable God we have! How loving, gracious, and kind to us He is! Every day of our lives, every moment of each day, our heavenly Father cares for us, His children, showering us with wonderful gifts of His love. He is consistently watching over us with such care and concern that He anticipates our needs, even before we ask Him. Opening His Gospel with Jesus' genealogy, Matthew shows how God worked tirelessly, deliberately, lovingly, and graciously throughout Israel's history to bring the Savior of the world into this world to save sinners. Matthew goes on to recount how Joseph intended to divorce Mary quietly after discovering that she was pregnant only to have God come to him through an angel and say to him, "Don't you be afraid to take Mary as your wife..." Matthew now recounts how, on that first Easter morning, as the two Marys approached the empty tomb, God again says to them, His beloved children, "Don't you be afraid!"
Matthew's account of the visit of the two Marys to Jesus' tomb puts it in the timeline right at the moment the angel rolled the stone away from the tomb. A great earthquake marked the angel's action. "His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow" and the guards were filled with fear, falling to the ground as if they were dead (Mt. 28:2-3). Imagine, if you will, that we were with the two Marys and observing all these things happening. Fear and trembling might reasonably be our response, and the angel's words, "'Don't you be afraid" would be powerful words of comfort and calm in the midst of our anxiety. Hearing the angel's message that Jesus was not there, but had arisen as He had promised, we can also appreciate their wonder and amazement as filled with fear and great joy the women hurried back to tell Jesus' disciples what had happened. We're also filled with wonder and amazement as God's message of love and compassion come through in this event loudly and clearly. His promises have been fulfilled. He's done all He promised He would do to redeem the world, to redeem His children, from the ravages of Sin, Death, and the Devil. We hear His promises fulfilled in the Resurrection of Christ, as the Father accepts His sacrifice for all of our sins and those of the entire world, once and for all time. Filled with wonder and amazement, we hear God's message that we are forgiven and restored to Him through Christ our Lord. This message of wonder and amazement in the Resurrection of Jesus is meant for us to hear and believe every moment of the day, every day of our lives. It's a message of hope and peace, wonder and amazement that God calls us to share with the world.
In sharp contrast to the response of the Marys, and their wonder and amazement at the events of that morning, stand the soldiers guarding Jesus' tomb. They fell down in fear and there was no comfort given. God's message through the angel was to those who believed in Jesus. That same message was a reminder to the disciples of Jesus' promise that He would rise from the grave and was an offer of forgiveness to those same disciples who had deserted Him in the face of the Cross. What wonder and amazement filled that first Easter morning! How the hearts of the Marys must have burned with wonder and amazement, joy and peace, as they met Jesus on the road to Jerusalem and heard Him personally saying to them, "Don't be afraid." His very appearance to the Marys strengthened their faith and gave substance to the reality of His resurrection, and all that it meant, which they were just barely beginning to understand. With the Marys, we, too, are filled with wonder and amazement at the events of that first Easter, for those events fly in the face of every human instinct and "scientific" principle that face us each day. Jesus' words to the Marys are also His words to us today, "Don't you be afraid." What words of comfort and joy those are for us in a world full of trouble and danger! Our Savior and Lord reminds us that we are His very own, redeemed, restored, and forgiven children of our heavenly Father. With wonder and amazement we rejoice each day of our lives to hear His words, "Don't you be afraid" as our God fully anticipates our need for comfort and strength to live for Jesus every day.
Prayer: Father, Your only Son, Jesus Christ, promised that He would rise from the dead as the sign that His sacrifice for my sins was acceptable to You. I stand before You, gracious Father, filled with wonder and amazement at Your grace, mercy, and love for me and all people. In Jesus' resurrection, You declare that His sacrifice for the sins of the world is complete and that His righteousness covers me and all mankind. He has overcome the last enemy, Death, and I am no longer fearful of death and grave. In the angel's message, "Don't you be afraid," I find comfort and hope in the face of life's turmoil and confusion. In Jesus' words, "Don't you be afraid," I am brought face to face with the reality of His victory over death and the grave. Give me the courage to live in the wonder and amazement of the resurrection every day of my life that I might live as a true witness of Your Word of peace and joy for all the world in Jesus; in Whose precious name I pray. Amen.
*****************************************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Saturday, March 26, 2005
Waiting In Agony Or Anticipation?
"Today's Devotion" For March 26, 2005 (Holy Saturday)
Read: Matthew 27:62-66; Psalm 62
WAITING IN AGONY OR ANTICIPATION?
"Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved." (Ps. 62:1, 2)
Experiencing major letdowns in life is nothing new to most people. People strive every day for significant goals, gaze on the future with magnificent vision, and look to accomplish great things. Arriving at the end of the goals, the visions, and the accomplishments isn't always easy, it's never guaranteed, and, as so many of us know, life doesn't always turn out the way we have hoped. Hard work, "right living", and intellectual ability frequently don't accomplish the end goals. Sometimes events and circumstances seem to be going in all the right directions, the future look exceedingly bright and promising, and people are feeling good about their chances of success when, WHAMMO!, out of the clear blue disaster strikes. Trying to pick up the pieces seems futile, and nothing but despair looms on the horizon.
Do you think that's how things must have seemed for Jesus' disciples and His family? If it were me at the Cross, watching the Man I'd come to love and respect so much that I was willing to follow Him and give up my life's work for the sake of His message, I'd be in despair. He's just been crucified, having experienced the most horrific form of capital punishment known to humanity in His day. He died. He was buried. All the powerful words, magnificent promises, and wonderful visions He had laid out are gone. He's in a tomb sealed by the Roman governor and guarded by soldiers because His enemies are afraid of false propaganda by people like me, who were His followers. I've thrown everything away; my life is a shambles; I've got to go pick up the pieces because I put all my trust in Him.
How many times haven't we been drawn to the foot of the Cross on Good Friday and seen the agony of Jesus? Standing there we've seen no one except the Mary's and John. All the other disciples ran away and were in fear of their lives. There's no doubt that they felt their dreams dying as their Lord was dying. How horrible and empty this day, the day after, must have been for all of them. It was the Sabbath, they were supposed to be at worship, and I've always wondered how many of them actually went to the Temple, which itself was in a shambles since the curtain separating the Holy of Holies from the main part of the Temple had been rent in two when Jesus died. How would we have felt if it were us? How would we have responded if we had been there?
Jesus had always promised that He would overcome Sin, Death, and the Devil. He had promised He would rise again on the third day when He noted to His detractors, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (Jn. 2:19). Yet to His disciples, that promise looked foolish and broken as His beaten, lifeless body was hurriedly laid in the tomb before the Sabbath. From that time on they were either agonizingly awaiting the coming of the authorities to drag them away as followers of Jesus, or they were awaiting with anticipation their Lord's resurrection. The events of Easter morning and subsequent events during the next week seem to show that the wait was agonizing, not anticipatory.
It's not a very big leap for us to walk in the shoes of those early disciples of Jesus. The advantage we have is hindsight, as the Scriptures offer us. Yet, even with that hindsight, we are often torn between agonizing over when God will answer our prayers, or waiting in eager anticipation for His answer. Living life can either be an exercise in agony, filled with uncertainty as to what might happen tomorrow, or it can be a joyful life of faith filled with full anticipation of God's blessings and love in Christ. As we look to tomorrow's celebration of Jesus' resurrection, we do so filled with the full assurance and reality of His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness that we experience each and every day of our lives. Blessed by hindsight and filled with faith by the power of the Holy Spirit, filled with confidence and hope in our Baptisms, and blessed with God's peace in our hearts, we wait on our Lord with anticipation and joy. As we awaken tomorrow morning, Easter Morning, we will be blessed with the renewed realization and hope that "He is Risen. He is Risen indeed! Hallelujah!"
Prayer: Father, I thank You that You sent Jesus to be my Lord and Savior from Sin, Death, and the Devil. He overcame the grave for me and all humanity, and You raised Him up as a sure and certain declaration of Your acceptance of His sacrifice for me and all people, once and for all time. Whenever I am torn between the agony of my sinful doubts and the anticipation of my faith in Jesus, I pray that You would send Your Spirit upon me in abundant measure that I might cast aside my doubts, fueled by my sinfulness, and cling with full hope and anticipation to Your promises in Christ. Continue to build my hope in You through Your Word that I might be a faithful and true witness to others in how I live my life, both in word and deed, so that in me they might see Jesus and be led to the full anticipation of Your love. In the name of my Risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Read: Matthew 27:62-66; Psalm 62
WAITING IN AGONY OR ANTICIPATION?
"Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved." (Ps. 62:1, 2)
Experiencing major letdowns in life is nothing new to most people. People strive every day for significant goals, gaze on the future with magnificent vision, and look to accomplish great things. Arriving at the end of the goals, the visions, and the accomplishments isn't always easy, it's never guaranteed, and, as so many of us know, life doesn't always turn out the way we have hoped. Hard work, "right living", and intellectual ability frequently don't accomplish the end goals. Sometimes events and circumstances seem to be going in all the right directions, the future look exceedingly bright and promising, and people are feeling good about their chances of success when, WHAMMO!, out of the clear blue disaster strikes. Trying to pick up the pieces seems futile, and nothing but despair looms on the horizon.
Do you think that's how things must have seemed for Jesus' disciples and His family? If it were me at the Cross, watching the Man I'd come to love and respect so much that I was willing to follow Him and give up my life's work for the sake of His message, I'd be in despair. He's just been crucified, having experienced the most horrific form of capital punishment known to humanity in His day. He died. He was buried. All the powerful words, magnificent promises, and wonderful visions He had laid out are gone. He's in a tomb sealed by the Roman governor and guarded by soldiers because His enemies are afraid of false propaganda by people like me, who were His followers. I've thrown everything away; my life is a shambles; I've got to go pick up the pieces because I put all my trust in Him.
How many times haven't we been drawn to the foot of the Cross on Good Friday and seen the agony of Jesus? Standing there we've seen no one except the Mary's and John. All the other disciples ran away and were in fear of their lives. There's no doubt that they felt their dreams dying as their Lord was dying. How horrible and empty this day, the day after, must have been for all of them. It was the Sabbath, they were supposed to be at worship, and I've always wondered how many of them actually went to the Temple, which itself was in a shambles since the curtain separating the Holy of Holies from the main part of the Temple had been rent in two when Jesus died. How would we have felt if it were us? How would we have responded if we had been there?
Jesus had always promised that He would overcome Sin, Death, and the Devil. He had promised He would rise again on the third day when He noted to His detractors, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (Jn. 2:19). Yet to His disciples, that promise looked foolish and broken as His beaten, lifeless body was hurriedly laid in the tomb before the Sabbath. From that time on they were either agonizingly awaiting the coming of the authorities to drag them away as followers of Jesus, or they were awaiting with anticipation their Lord's resurrection. The events of Easter morning and subsequent events during the next week seem to show that the wait was agonizing, not anticipatory.
It's not a very big leap for us to walk in the shoes of those early disciples of Jesus. The advantage we have is hindsight, as the Scriptures offer us. Yet, even with that hindsight, we are often torn between agonizing over when God will answer our prayers, or waiting in eager anticipation for His answer. Living life can either be an exercise in agony, filled with uncertainty as to what might happen tomorrow, or it can be a joyful life of faith filled with full anticipation of God's blessings and love in Christ. As we look to tomorrow's celebration of Jesus' resurrection, we do so filled with the full assurance and reality of His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness that we experience each and every day of our lives. Blessed by hindsight and filled with faith by the power of the Holy Spirit, filled with confidence and hope in our Baptisms, and blessed with God's peace in our hearts, we wait on our Lord with anticipation and joy. As we awaken tomorrow morning, Easter Morning, we will be blessed with the renewed realization and hope that "He is Risen. He is Risen indeed! Hallelujah!"
Prayer: Father, I thank You that You sent Jesus to be my Lord and Savior from Sin, Death, and the Devil. He overcame the grave for me and all humanity, and You raised Him up as a sure and certain declaration of Your acceptance of His sacrifice for me and all people, once and for all time. Whenever I am torn between the agony of my sinful doubts and the anticipation of my faith in Jesus, I pray that You would send Your Spirit upon me in abundant measure that I might cast aside my doubts, fueled by my sinfulness, and cling with full hope and anticipation to Your promises in Christ. Continue to build my hope in You through Your Word that I might be a faithful and true witness to others in how I live my life, both in word and deed, so that in me they might see Jesus and be led to the full anticipation of Your love. In the name of my Risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Friday, March 25, 2005
Openly Living As Disciples of Jesus
"Today's Devotion" For March 25, 2005 (Good Friday)
Read: Matthew 27:57-61; Isaiah 53:9-12
OPENLY LIVING AS DISCIPLES OF JESUS
"As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate he asked for Jesus' body and Pilate ordered that it be given to him." (Mt. 27:57-58)
During much of the second quarter of the Twentieth Century, Europe was dominated and intimidated by the Nazi Party of Germany. Adolf Hitler, through cunning, persuasion, charisma, and brutality came out of absolute obscurity to dominate the German political scene. His power became absolute. Millions of Germans blindly followed his charismatic leadership. During the 1930's, his Nazi Party, backed by the German Secret Police, called the Gestapo, waged an internal, genocidal war against the Jewish people. Seeking to conquer and control Europe, Hitler's military forces unleashed a "blitzkrieg" upon Germany's neighbors, bringing most of Europe under Hitler's direct control. In each nation conquered the ongoing genocide against the Jews continued, since Hitler's and his henchmen's plan was to eradicate Jews from the face of the earth. In the midst of this genocide were people who put their lives on the line to save Jews from such a fate. One young girl by the name of Corrie Ten Boom relates the story of how her family put their lives on the line to spirit Jews out of Holland. This eventually cost them their freedom and some of them died. Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian, opposed Hitler's "holocaust," going so far as to help plot Hitler's death. He, too, lost his freedom and his life in an attempt to save the Jews. As we observe Good Friday once again this year, we recognize that it's a day of Death and Salvation, injustice and life.
Our Lord Jesus Christ truly experienced injustice and Death in order to bring about salvation and life for the world. The hatred of the religious leaders of His day led to His being unjustly nailed to the Cross as if He were a common criminal. We're told by Matthew that the all the members of the Sanhedrin who were able to be present at Jesus' "trial" on Maundy Thursday (Passover night) voted that Jesus should be put to death. No one stood up for Him. And when He was sent to Pilate and Herod, neither of them could find any fault in Him. In the end, however, Pilate bowed to the pressure from the people, generated by the Sanhedrin and the high priest, Caiaphas, and sent Jesus to the Cross on Good Friday. His disciples stayed away (except for John), for fear of the Jews. Only Mary, His mother, and the two other Marys of the Gospels, were at the foot of the Cross. Yet, as the Sabbath approached, a rich man, Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus, came to Pilate, quietly claimed Jesus' body from the Cross, and buried Him in his own tomb. Here was a man of wealth, quite likely well known because of his wealth, willingly sticking his neck out for His Lord. His act of love and faithfulness fulfilled the final prophecy concerning Jesus' crucifixion and death, as he buried Jesus in a "rich man's tomb."
How about us? When we look at Joseph's faith and trust in Jesus and his love for his Lord, we see a man of courage, willing to expose himself as a disciple of Jesus Christ, with all its attendant difficulties, for all to see. By being so open he could have lost his life and his wealth. Since we never hear about him again, we don't know that it didn't. What we do know about him, however, is that he was willing to put himself on the line for Jesus. How about you and me? Are we willing to live our lives in such a way that it's obvious to others that we're different? Do we shy away from standing up and being counted as disciples or do we boldly stand out as the redeemed and faithful children of God in Jesus Christ? Redeemed by Christ and freed from the bondage of Sin and Death, we are empowered to live as the true Children of God, forgiven of all our sins and ready to touch the lives of others with dignity and respect. In Christ we have the strength each and every day to put ourselves on the line for Jesus, living and acting in such a way that others see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven (Mt. 5:16). Be assured that our Lord will never forsake us. We have nothing to fear. We are in the very palm of His hand.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, You sent Jesus to fulfill Your promise of salvation made to Adam and Eve already in the Garden of Eden. You continued to promise that salvation to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses and the Prophets continued to remind Your people of that promise. You put David on his throne and assured him that his "kingdom would last forever" in the Christ. You carried out that promise when You took on human form in the person of Your Son Jesus Christ. You fulfilled that promise down to the absolute last detail of Jesus being buried in a rich man's grave. You put Yourself on the line for me and Jesus paid the penalty for my sins in the death of a common criminal. As with Joseph of Arimathea, help me to also put myself on the line for Jesus that I may live in the forgiveness that He purchased for me with His life's blood and share that same forgiveness and the hope He give in the Gospel with everyone I can. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
*************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Read: Matthew 27:57-61; Isaiah 53:9-12
OPENLY LIVING AS DISCIPLES OF JESUS
"As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate he asked for Jesus' body and Pilate ordered that it be given to him." (Mt. 27:57-58)
During much of the second quarter of the Twentieth Century, Europe was dominated and intimidated by the Nazi Party of Germany. Adolf Hitler, through cunning, persuasion, charisma, and brutality came out of absolute obscurity to dominate the German political scene. His power became absolute. Millions of Germans blindly followed his charismatic leadership. During the 1930's, his Nazi Party, backed by the German Secret Police, called the Gestapo, waged an internal, genocidal war against the Jewish people. Seeking to conquer and control Europe, Hitler's military forces unleashed a "blitzkrieg" upon Germany's neighbors, bringing most of Europe under Hitler's direct control. In each nation conquered the ongoing genocide against the Jews continued, since Hitler's and his henchmen's plan was to eradicate Jews from the face of the earth. In the midst of this genocide were people who put their lives on the line to save Jews from such a fate. One young girl by the name of Corrie Ten Boom relates the story of how her family put their lives on the line to spirit Jews out of Holland. This eventually cost them their freedom and some of them died. Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian, opposed Hitler's "holocaust," going so far as to help plot Hitler's death. He, too, lost his freedom and his life in an attempt to save the Jews. As we observe Good Friday once again this year, we recognize that it's a day of Death and Salvation, injustice and life.
Our Lord Jesus Christ truly experienced injustice and Death in order to bring about salvation and life for the world. The hatred of the religious leaders of His day led to His being unjustly nailed to the Cross as if He were a common criminal. We're told by Matthew that the all the members of the Sanhedrin who were able to be present at Jesus' "trial" on Maundy Thursday (Passover night) voted that Jesus should be put to death. No one stood up for Him. And when He was sent to Pilate and Herod, neither of them could find any fault in Him. In the end, however, Pilate bowed to the pressure from the people, generated by the Sanhedrin and the high priest, Caiaphas, and sent Jesus to the Cross on Good Friday. His disciples stayed away (except for John), for fear of the Jews. Only Mary, His mother, and the two other Marys of the Gospels, were at the foot of the Cross. Yet, as the Sabbath approached, a rich man, Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus, came to Pilate, quietly claimed Jesus' body from the Cross, and buried Him in his own tomb. Here was a man of wealth, quite likely well known because of his wealth, willingly sticking his neck out for His Lord. His act of love and faithfulness fulfilled the final prophecy concerning Jesus' crucifixion and death, as he buried Jesus in a "rich man's tomb."
How about us? When we look at Joseph's faith and trust in Jesus and his love for his Lord, we see a man of courage, willing to expose himself as a disciple of Jesus Christ, with all its attendant difficulties, for all to see. By being so open he could have lost his life and his wealth. Since we never hear about him again, we don't know that it didn't. What we do know about him, however, is that he was willing to put himself on the line for Jesus. How about you and me? Are we willing to live our lives in such a way that it's obvious to others that we're different? Do we shy away from standing up and being counted as disciples or do we boldly stand out as the redeemed and faithful children of God in Jesus Christ? Redeemed by Christ and freed from the bondage of Sin and Death, we are empowered to live as the true Children of God, forgiven of all our sins and ready to touch the lives of others with dignity and respect. In Christ we have the strength each and every day to put ourselves on the line for Jesus, living and acting in such a way that others see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven (Mt. 5:16). Be assured that our Lord will never forsake us. We have nothing to fear. We are in the very palm of His hand.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, You sent Jesus to fulfill Your promise of salvation made to Adam and Eve already in the Garden of Eden. You continued to promise that salvation to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses and the Prophets continued to remind Your people of that promise. You put David on his throne and assured him that his "kingdom would last forever" in the Christ. You carried out that promise when You took on human form in the person of Your Son Jesus Christ. You fulfilled that promise down to the absolute last detail of Jesus being buried in a rich man's grave. You put Yourself on the line for me and Jesus paid the penalty for my sins in the death of a common criminal. As with Joseph of Arimathea, help me to also put myself on the line for Jesus that I may live in the forgiveness that He purchased for me with His life's blood and share that same forgiveness and the hope He give in the Gospel with everyone I can. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
*************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Thursday, March 24, 2005
"I Do Not Know The Man!"
"Today's Devotion" For March 24, 2005
Read: Matthew 26:31-35; Romans 12:1-3
"I DO NOT KNOW THE MAN!"
"But Peter declared, 'Even if I have to die with You, I will never disown You.'"
(Mt. 26:35)
I suspect that most of us have heard or used the phrase, "Famous Last Words," at sometime in our lives. It's a phrase that has alternately been used to refer to the final utterances of famous people and the "braggadocios" declarations of well-intentioned persons who never seem to follow through on their declarations. It can be reasonably said that the latter reference is an appropriate description of the result of sin in the lives of Christians. While declaring one's faith in Christ as Lord and Savior, too often there is no follow through in sharing Him with others or living as one of His disciples.
There is perhaps no better example in the New Testament of such "braggadocio," and its subsequent lack of "follow through," than Peter's response to Jesus' warning on the way to Gethsemane, as noted by Matthew. Jesus warned the Twelve that the prophecy of Zechariah (13:7-9) was about to be fulfilled. They would flee from Him shortly, as the soldiers came to arrest Him in the Garden. They all protested, but Peter even more strenuously than the rest. To Peter's response, Jesus brings the warning that "before the rooster crowed" Peter would deny Jesus three times. in their fleeing in Gethsemane, they all protested the application, Peter even more strenuously than the others. Jesus' response to this "braggadocio" is to let Peter know that before the rooster crowed he would deny Jesus three times. Peter's denial would be a complete denial. Subsequently, as events unfolded, Matthew records that Peter "began to curse and swear, saying, 'I do not know the Man!'" (26:74). Thus, Peter's declaration that he would never deny Jesus reflect the very essence of "famous last words"--self-importance.
We're no different from Peter at many times in our lives. We depend on ourselves and our own "strength" rather than putting our lives in God's hands. In so doing, we allow Sin to prevent us from serving our Lord and Savior faithfully and boldly confessing Him before the world. If we depend only upon our knowledge, emotions, common sense and other personal abilities and thinking, to provide us with the strength and purpose to live in Jesus and live for Him, we can be certain that we are ill prepared to overcome the temptation to go the way of the world. To depend upon our own reason or strength to come to Jesus and to serve Him, is to end up denying Him when our faith and life are challenged. When we try to stand on our own we will fail. When we trust in Him with true humility we will be victorious. He doesn't need us to defend Him, just be faithful to Him. He calls us to remember that we are held in the very palm of our Father's hand. By God's grace in Christ, we have the power to let our "famous last words" be words of witness to the grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness that is God's gift to us through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Prayer: Father, "famous last words" are too often the best way to describe my failures to live in Your forgiveness and love. Too often I find myself to be like Peter, declaring my "good intentions" of faith, but failing miserably to carry them out in my life. On one day I might declare Your love to others and on the next day I'm doing something unloving to my neighbor or acting in a manner inconsistent with Your Will. Father, I ask You to forgive me for such sins in my life, and remind me daily, by the power of Your Word and Spirit, that I can't overcome Sin by myself. Remind me that I can't overcome Sin's temptations unless You are with me and Your Word and Spirit are guiding me. Lead me to be a faithful witness of Jesus Christ to the world so that I might never be found to say, "I do not know the Man!" In the precious name of Jesus I pray. Amen
******************************************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Read: Matthew 26:31-35; Romans 12:1-3
"I DO NOT KNOW THE MAN!"
"But Peter declared, 'Even if I have to die with You, I will never disown You.'"
(Mt. 26:35)
I suspect that most of us have heard or used the phrase, "Famous Last Words," at sometime in our lives. It's a phrase that has alternately been used to refer to the final utterances of famous people and the "braggadocios" declarations of well-intentioned persons who never seem to follow through on their declarations. It can be reasonably said that the latter reference is an appropriate description of the result of sin in the lives of Christians. While declaring one's faith in Christ as Lord and Savior, too often there is no follow through in sharing Him with others or living as one of His disciples.
There is perhaps no better example in the New Testament of such "braggadocio," and its subsequent lack of "follow through," than Peter's response to Jesus' warning on the way to Gethsemane, as noted by Matthew. Jesus warned the Twelve that the prophecy of Zechariah (13:7-9) was about to be fulfilled. They would flee from Him shortly, as the soldiers came to arrest Him in the Garden. They all protested, but Peter even more strenuously than the rest. To Peter's response, Jesus brings the warning that "before the rooster crowed" Peter would deny Jesus three times. in their fleeing in Gethsemane, they all protested the application, Peter even more strenuously than the others. Jesus' response to this "braggadocio" is to let Peter know that before the rooster crowed he would deny Jesus three times. Peter's denial would be a complete denial. Subsequently, as events unfolded, Matthew records that Peter "began to curse and swear, saying, 'I do not know the Man!'" (26:74). Thus, Peter's declaration that he would never deny Jesus reflect the very essence of "famous last words"--self-importance.
We're no different from Peter at many times in our lives. We depend on ourselves and our own "strength" rather than putting our lives in God's hands. In so doing, we allow Sin to prevent us from serving our Lord and Savior faithfully and boldly confessing Him before the world. If we depend only upon our knowledge, emotions, common sense and other personal abilities and thinking, to provide us with the strength and purpose to live in Jesus and live for Him, we can be certain that we are ill prepared to overcome the temptation to go the way of the world. To depend upon our own reason or strength to come to Jesus and to serve Him, is to end up denying Him when our faith and life are challenged. When we try to stand on our own we will fail. When we trust in Him with true humility we will be victorious. He doesn't need us to defend Him, just be faithful to Him. He calls us to remember that we are held in the very palm of our Father's hand. By God's grace in Christ, we have the power to let our "famous last words" be words of witness to the grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness that is God's gift to us through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Prayer: Father, "famous last words" are too often the best way to describe my failures to live in Your forgiveness and love. Too often I find myself to be like Peter, declaring my "good intentions" of faith, but failing miserably to carry them out in my life. On one day I might declare Your love to others and on the next day I'm doing something unloving to my neighbor or acting in a manner inconsistent with Your Will. Father, I ask You to forgive me for such sins in my life, and remind me daily, by the power of Your Word and Spirit, that I can't overcome Sin by myself. Remind me that I can't overcome Sin's temptations unless You are with me and Your Word and Spirit are guiding me. Lead me to be a faithful witness of Jesus Christ to the world so that I might never be found to say, "I do not know the Man!" In the precious name of Jesus I pray. Amen
******************************************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
God Provides The Offering For Our Sins
"Today's Devotion" For March 23, 2005
Read: Genesis 22:1-18; Psalm 6
GOD PROVIDES THE OFFERING FOR OUR SINS
"...but where is the lamb for the burnt offering? Abraham answered, "God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son..." (Gen. 22:7c-8a)
In two days, on Good Friday, we're going to again remember Jesus' crucifixion on "Place of the Skull," Golgotha, outside the city walls of Jerusalem. We're going to watch Him, through the power of the Word and Spirit, painfully make His way through the streets of Jerusalem burdened by not only the beating and scourging He had received, the ignominy and pain of the crown of thorns, and the cross itself, but also the catcalls and derision of those He came to redeem from the power of Sin, Death, and the Devil. We're going to see Him nailed to the Cross, stripped of most of His clothing and all of His dignity, scorned by the leaders of the people, abandoned by His disciples, and suffering with the burden of the world's sins upon His head. At the end of the day we will once more see Him crying out, "It is finished!" and, "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit," as He dies for all of humanity and is laid in a rich man's tomb, not even fully prepared for burial.
In the movie, "Schindler's List", we're told about a German businessman named Oscar Schindler who set about exploiting World War II for personal gain. As so many others were prone to doing, and still are, he was among those who believed that the Jews deserved to be harassed and killed because they had "killed" Christ. Yet, after a series of events that personally affected him, he had a change of heart and began saving Jewish people from the work and death camps of the Nazis. In a show of gratitude, some of those whom he led to freedom presented him with a gold ring inscribed with the words from the Talmud, "He who saves a single life saves the world."
What a contrast to the words of the high priest, Caiaphas, who noted at Jesus' trial before the Sanhedrin on Maundy Thursday evening, that it was right that one man should die for the benefit of the nation. That God was working in Caiaphas without him knowing it, there can be no doubt. Since it was God's Will that Jesus suffer and die for the sins of the world, Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin could do nothing other than condemn Jesus to death. Yet that death sentence wasn't to save "a single life" and thus the world, as was inscribed on Schindler's gold ring. Certainly the words of the Talmud sound good, but those words are far cry from the reality of salvation. While it's true that God saved Isaac's life when an obedient Abraham was about to sacrifice him, this act didn't save the world. For centuries the sacrificial lamb was offered on the Day of Atonement and yet there was no completion of God's Plan of Salvation. No human being's life, or animal's life, was going to obtain the forgiveness of sins or obtain heaven itself. Rather than supporting the Talmudic dictum, Scripture clearly points out that it's futile for any human being to think that he or she can earn salvation for himself/herself or others.
In order for the world to be saved from Sin, Death, and Satan, it was necessary for God to sacrifice the "Lamb of God who takes away the Sin of the world" (Jn.1:29). It wasn't the saving of one man's life that saved "the world entire." Rather, it was the sacrifice of one Man, the Lord of heaven and earth, the "Word made flesh" (Jn.1:14) that saved the entire world. When human beings ignore God's Word we always get it wrong. Sadly, the Talmudic scholars missed the boat. "For just as by one man Sin entered into the world, and death by Sin" (Rom. 5:12), "so also by the obedience of the One Man the many will be made righteous" (Rom. 5:19b). Christ Jesus has paid the ultimate ransom price for sinners--His life's blood. We give thanks that He was the ultimate "burnt offering" that has saved us for God.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I am so grateful that You took care of saving me from my sins through Jesus Christ. By myself I'd have just messed it all up. I'd still be lost and without Your love if You had not acted at the right time. You have saved the world through Jesus. Please help me to live joyfully with that knowledge and faith, and give me the courage and enthusiasm to share Your love in Christ with others. Here me, gracious Father, for the sake of Jesus. Amen.
**************************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Read: Genesis 22:1-18; Psalm 6
GOD PROVIDES THE OFFERING FOR OUR SINS
"...but where is the lamb for the burnt offering? Abraham answered, "God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son..." (Gen. 22:7c-8a)
In two days, on Good Friday, we're going to again remember Jesus' crucifixion on "Place of the Skull," Golgotha, outside the city walls of Jerusalem. We're going to watch Him, through the power of the Word and Spirit, painfully make His way through the streets of Jerusalem burdened by not only the beating and scourging He had received, the ignominy and pain of the crown of thorns, and the cross itself, but also the catcalls and derision of those He came to redeem from the power of Sin, Death, and the Devil. We're going to see Him nailed to the Cross, stripped of most of His clothing and all of His dignity, scorned by the leaders of the people, abandoned by His disciples, and suffering with the burden of the world's sins upon His head. At the end of the day we will once more see Him crying out, "It is finished!" and, "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit," as He dies for all of humanity and is laid in a rich man's tomb, not even fully prepared for burial.
In the movie, "Schindler's List", we're told about a German businessman named Oscar Schindler who set about exploiting World War II for personal gain. As so many others were prone to doing, and still are, he was among those who believed that the Jews deserved to be harassed and killed because they had "killed" Christ. Yet, after a series of events that personally affected him, he had a change of heart and began saving Jewish people from the work and death camps of the Nazis. In a show of gratitude, some of those whom he led to freedom presented him with a gold ring inscribed with the words from the Talmud, "He who saves a single life saves the world."
What a contrast to the words of the high priest, Caiaphas, who noted at Jesus' trial before the Sanhedrin on Maundy Thursday evening, that it was right that one man should die for the benefit of the nation. That God was working in Caiaphas without him knowing it, there can be no doubt. Since it was God's Will that Jesus suffer and die for the sins of the world, Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin could do nothing other than condemn Jesus to death. Yet that death sentence wasn't to save "a single life" and thus the world, as was inscribed on Schindler's gold ring. Certainly the words of the Talmud sound good, but those words are far cry from the reality of salvation. While it's true that God saved Isaac's life when an obedient Abraham was about to sacrifice him, this act didn't save the world. For centuries the sacrificial lamb was offered on the Day of Atonement and yet there was no completion of God's Plan of Salvation. No human being's life, or animal's life, was going to obtain the forgiveness of sins or obtain heaven itself. Rather than supporting the Talmudic dictum, Scripture clearly points out that it's futile for any human being to think that he or she can earn salvation for himself/herself or others.
In order for the world to be saved from Sin, Death, and Satan, it was necessary for God to sacrifice the "Lamb of God who takes away the Sin of the world" (Jn.1:29). It wasn't the saving of one man's life that saved "the world entire." Rather, it was the sacrifice of one Man, the Lord of heaven and earth, the "Word made flesh" (Jn.1:14) that saved the entire world. When human beings ignore God's Word we always get it wrong. Sadly, the Talmudic scholars missed the boat. "For just as by one man Sin entered into the world, and death by Sin" (Rom. 5:12), "so also by the obedience of the One Man the many will be made righteous" (Rom. 5:19b). Christ Jesus has paid the ultimate ransom price for sinners--His life's blood. We give thanks that He was the ultimate "burnt offering" that has saved us for God.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I am so grateful that You took care of saving me from my sins through Jesus Christ. By myself I'd have just messed it all up. I'd still be lost and without Your love if You had not acted at the right time. You have saved the world through Jesus. Please help me to live joyfully with that knowledge and faith, and give me the courage and enthusiasm to share Your love in Christ with others. Here me, gracious Father, for the sake of Jesus. Amen.
**************************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Perfectly Obedient In Our Place
“Today’s Devotion” For March 22, 2005
Read: Matthew 27:32-44; Psalm 69:13-36
PERFECTLY OBEDIENT IN OUR PLACE
"There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall, but after tasting it, He refused to drink it." (Mt. 27:34)
"He's always been a willful and disobedient child," sobbed the mother as the police hauled her son away. He was arrested for a gang murder and was caught after a shootout with police. Speaking to her pastor, the mother went on, "After his daddy died I did my best to raise him. All around us people were dying like flies. Life was cheap. I tried to instill in him how valuable life is. I took him to church and Sunday school, read the Bible at home, and we prayed together every night. Yet somehow it had no effect on him. From the time he was ten years old he was hanging with the gangs and nothing I could say would change his mind."
At the ripe old age of 16, this young man from the streets was sent to adult court for his crimes. He was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, four counts of armed robbery, resisting arrest, and half-dozen other felony counts. His mother had taken him to church, she had gotten a "Big Brother" for him, enrolled him in the Boys' and Girls' Clubs of America, and had tried to help him with his homework. She had sacrificed to send him to a parochial school, working extra to pay the tuition. In the end, tried and convicted as an adult, he was sentenced to life imprisonment without any chance of parole. He had done his "own thing," his own way, and didn't care about anyone else's opinion--not even God's. As we stand at the foot of the Cross again this week, this picture could very well be any one of us, in any number of different ways, for our sinful nature puts us at constant odds with God's Will and His love. We are, without God's intervention, fully disobedient and willful children motivated by self-centeredness and doomed to eternity without Him.
Standing in sharp contrast to this picture is Jesus. He stands out as the true, obedient, and innocent Son of the Father which no other human being could ever have been after Adam's and Eve's Fall into Sin in Eden. True to His prayer in Gethsemane, Jesus refused to drink the wine mixed with gall (a poison that numbs the senses) so that He would truly bear the Father's full wrath for the sins of the world on the Cross. Instead of doing things His way, the Father's way became His way. God's Plan for our salvation was followed. Jesus was scorned, laughed at, mocked, and crucified--all for us and in our place. Crucified with criminals, even though He was innocent of all charges leveled against Him, He experienced God's full wrath toward sin. He took our place on the Cross, paying the full penalty for our Sin and the full price for our redemption, so that we might be restored to our Father in heaven. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the epitome of obedience to the Father. He is the ultimate example for our restored lives with the Father. We are God's People because Christ has made it so. We live by faith in the willing and obedient Son of the Father who gives us life and forgiveness each day. By His Word and Spirit we too become the willing and obedient sons and daughters of our Father in heaven.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for being the willing, obedient, and sinless Son of the Father for me. Because of You I have my heavenly Father's forgiveness for all my sins and His promise of eternal life in You. Help me to live in such a way that I, too, may be a willing and obedient child of my Father in heaven, and a true witness and living testimony to His love for all the world; His desire that everyone should be saved and come to the full knowledge of the Way, the Truth, and the Life that is found only in You. In Your precious name I pray. Amen.
***************************************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Read: Matthew 27:32-44; Psalm 69:13-36
PERFECTLY OBEDIENT IN OUR PLACE
"There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall, but after tasting it, He refused to drink it." (Mt. 27:34)
"He's always been a willful and disobedient child," sobbed the mother as the police hauled her son away. He was arrested for a gang murder and was caught after a shootout with police. Speaking to her pastor, the mother went on, "After his daddy died I did my best to raise him. All around us people were dying like flies. Life was cheap. I tried to instill in him how valuable life is. I took him to church and Sunday school, read the Bible at home, and we prayed together every night. Yet somehow it had no effect on him. From the time he was ten years old he was hanging with the gangs and nothing I could say would change his mind."
At the ripe old age of 16, this young man from the streets was sent to adult court for his crimes. He was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, four counts of armed robbery, resisting arrest, and half-dozen other felony counts. His mother had taken him to church, she had gotten a "Big Brother" for him, enrolled him in the Boys' and Girls' Clubs of America, and had tried to help him with his homework. She had sacrificed to send him to a parochial school, working extra to pay the tuition. In the end, tried and convicted as an adult, he was sentenced to life imprisonment without any chance of parole. He had done his "own thing," his own way, and didn't care about anyone else's opinion--not even God's. As we stand at the foot of the Cross again this week, this picture could very well be any one of us, in any number of different ways, for our sinful nature puts us at constant odds with God's Will and His love. We are, without God's intervention, fully disobedient and willful children motivated by self-centeredness and doomed to eternity without Him.
Standing in sharp contrast to this picture is Jesus. He stands out as the true, obedient, and innocent Son of the Father which no other human being could ever have been after Adam's and Eve's Fall into Sin in Eden. True to His prayer in Gethsemane, Jesus refused to drink the wine mixed with gall (a poison that numbs the senses) so that He would truly bear the Father's full wrath for the sins of the world on the Cross. Instead of doing things His way, the Father's way became His way. God's Plan for our salvation was followed. Jesus was scorned, laughed at, mocked, and crucified--all for us and in our place. Crucified with criminals, even though He was innocent of all charges leveled against Him, He experienced God's full wrath toward sin. He took our place on the Cross, paying the full penalty for our Sin and the full price for our redemption, so that we might be restored to our Father in heaven. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the epitome of obedience to the Father. He is the ultimate example for our restored lives with the Father. We are God's People because Christ has made it so. We live by faith in the willing and obedient Son of the Father who gives us life and forgiveness each day. By His Word and Spirit we too become the willing and obedient sons and daughters of our Father in heaven.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for being the willing, obedient, and sinless Son of the Father for me. Because of You I have my heavenly Father's forgiveness for all my sins and His promise of eternal life in You. Help me to live in such a way that I, too, may be a willing and obedient child of my Father in heaven, and a true witness and living testimony to His love for all the world; His desire that everyone should be saved and come to the full knowledge of the Way, the Truth, and the Life that is found only in You. In Your precious name I pray. Amen.
***************************************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Monday, March 21, 2005
Fulfilling The Father's Will
"Today's Devotion" For March 21, 2005
Read: Matthew 5:17-20; Jeremiah 31:31-34
FULFILLING THE FATHER'S WILL
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." (Mt. 5:17)
Today is the first day of what the Christian Church observes as "Holy Week." During this week we're going to be observing Jesus' final days before His crucifixion and resurrection. Particularly important to our observance are the events of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Morning. This is a week where God's people spend time reflecting on the obedience of Christ in our place, all the way to the Cross. Following in Jesus' footsteps we're privileged to observe what it means to be obedient to the Father's Will. Our Lord Jesus Christ calls us to walk with Him to the Cross and the empty tomb; to realize that He has fully and complete fulfilled the "Law and the Prophets" in our place, for our redemption from Sin, Death, and the Devil. We are again privileged to watch the Son of God, God made human flesh, be the obedient Son of the Father which no one is able to be since the Fall into Sin in Eden. The Law, given to Moses on Mt. Sinai, and the testimony of the Prophets throughout Scripture point to the great love of our heavenly Father for every human being for whom Jesus died.
As we walk with Jesus to Golgotha and the Cross this week, we are reminded that His redemption of the world from Sin, Death, and the power of the Devil, was necessary because of our disobedience to the Father's Will. That Will had been continuously revealed through the "Law and the Prophets," and still revealed to us today in the same way. Through His Word, God sets the parameters that inform us to what is good and pleasing behavior in His sight. Through His Word, God lets us know what His Will is. We're not left in the dark to go searching for "meaning and purpose" in our lives, for God makes certain that through the power of His Word and Spirit we know that our lives have meaning and purpose only when we live in His grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness. We are called by the "Law and the Prophets" to turn to Him for mercy and forgiveness because through the "Law and the Prophets" we're made aware that we can't please God on our own. Yet, despite God's continual blessings and love for us, and His continual revelation of His Will for us, even His coming among us in the person of Jesus Christ, it seems that many people, even we ourselves, weren't and aren't paying much attention.
Into this mixed up mess, our Heavenly Father sent Jesus, the Christ, to clean it up. Because Jesus was perfectly obedient to the Father in even the most "obscure" points of God's Will and Law, He satisfied God's justice and righteousness for us, in our place. In Christ Jesus, as God's redeemed and restored children, we stand perfect and holy before God, as if we ourselves have been totally obedient to the Father's Will. As we walk with Jesus' down the "via dolorosa" ("the way of sorrow") again this Holy Week, we do so knowing that His obedience has become our obedience; His death, our death; His act of redemption our "ticket" to heaven. Jesus' ministry was spent setting an example of following the Law and the Prophets for us. Summed up, they read, "Love God above all things and your neighbor as yourself." Our Lord Jesus Christ reflected such obedience all the way to the Cross, and through faith in Him, inspired by His example we, too, strive to love God above all things and our neighbors as ourselves, and thus fulfill the Father's Will.
Prayer: Father, You sent Jesus to live a perfect life in my place because the condition of my Sinfulness prevents me from doing so myself. Because of Christ's obedience to even the most minute point of the Law, He accomplished my salvation. As a redeemed and restored child and heir of eternal life, help me to live in a manner that reflects the forgiveness You have given me in Jesus. Let my every moment of living be dedicated to serving You and others in Your name. Help me be an obedient "son of the Father" in my daily living, living out the "Law and the Prophets" as a faithful witness to Your love for the world in Christ my Lord and Savior; in whose precious name I pray. Amen.
************************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Read: Matthew 5:17-20; Jeremiah 31:31-34
FULFILLING THE FATHER'S WILL
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." (Mt. 5:17)
Today is the first day of what the Christian Church observes as "Holy Week." During this week we're going to be observing Jesus' final days before His crucifixion and resurrection. Particularly important to our observance are the events of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Morning. This is a week where God's people spend time reflecting on the obedience of Christ in our place, all the way to the Cross. Following in Jesus' footsteps we're privileged to observe what it means to be obedient to the Father's Will. Our Lord Jesus Christ calls us to walk with Him to the Cross and the empty tomb; to realize that He has fully and complete fulfilled the "Law and the Prophets" in our place, for our redemption from Sin, Death, and the Devil. We are again privileged to watch the Son of God, God made human flesh, be the obedient Son of the Father which no one is able to be since the Fall into Sin in Eden. The Law, given to Moses on Mt. Sinai, and the testimony of the Prophets throughout Scripture point to the great love of our heavenly Father for every human being for whom Jesus died.
As we walk with Jesus to Golgotha and the Cross this week, we are reminded that His redemption of the world from Sin, Death, and the power of the Devil, was necessary because of our disobedience to the Father's Will. That Will had been continuously revealed through the "Law and the Prophets," and still revealed to us today in the same way. Through His Word, God sets the parameters that inform us to what is good and pleasing behavior in His sight. Through His Word, God lets us know what His Will is. We're not left in the dark to go searching for "meaning and purpose" in our lives, for God makes certain that through the power of His Word and Spirit we know that our lives have meaning and purpose only when we live in His grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness. We are called by the "Law and the Prophets" to turn to Him for mercy and forgiveness because through the "Law and the Prophets" we're made aware that we can't please God on our own. Yet, despite God's continual blessings and love for us, and His continual revelation of His Will for us, even His coming among us in the person of Jesus Christ, it seems that many people, even we ourselves, weren't and aren't paying much attention.
Into this mixed up mess, our Heavenly Father sent Jesus, the Christ, to clean it up. Because Jesus was perfectly obedient to the Father in even the most "obscure" points of God's Will and Law, He satisfied God's justice and righteousness for us, in our place. In Christ Jesus, as God's redeemed and restored children, we stand perfect and holy before God, as if we ourselves have been totally obedient to the Father's Will. As we walk with Jesus' down the "via dolorosa" ("the way of sorrow") again this Holy Week, we do so knowing that His obedience has become our obedience; His death, our death; His act of redemption our "ticket" to heaven. Jesus' ministry was spent setting an example of following the Law and the Prophets for us. Summed up, they read, "Love God above all things and your neighbor as yourself." Our Lord Jesus Christ reflected such obedience all the way to the Cross, and through faith in Him, inspired by His example we, too, strive to love God above all things and our neighbors as ourselves, and thus fulfill the Father's Will.
Prayer: Father, You sent Jesus to live a perfect life in my place because the condition of my Sinfulness prevents me from doing so myself. Because of Christ's obedience to even the most minute point of the Law, He accomplished my salvation. As a redeemed and restored child and heir of eternal life, help me to live in a manner that reflects the forgiveness You have given me in Jesus. Let my every moment of living be dedicated to serving You and others in Your name. Help me be an obedient "son of the Father" in my daily living, living out the "Law and the Prophets" as a faithful witness to Your love for the world in Christ my Lord and Savior; in whose precious name I pray. Amen.
************************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Being A Disciple of Jesus: The Toughest Job In the World
"Today's Devotion" For March 19, 2005
Read: John 15:12-16:4; I John 3:11-24
BEING A DISCIPLE OF JESUS: THE TOUGHEST JOB IN THE WORLD
"'If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'" (Jn. 8:31b-32)
Tomorrow is Palm Sunday. It's come around every year for, ummmm, ohhhh, approximately 1,972 years (give or take a few), starting with the actual event when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey to the rousing chorus of the people, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!" (Mt. 21:9) The Christian Church has celebrated it for centuries, yet I'm no so certain we've really always understood its significance for our own lives and living. While not the culmination of Jesus' work of redemption, or the completion of His obedience to the Father, it nevertheless it is an example of what living as a disciple of Jesus Christ really means. After almost three years of ministry, healing the sick, raising the dead, and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, this triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem reminds us that people see what we do and how we live--they take notice of our discipleship.
In the "Encyclopedia of Sermon Illustrations" by David F. Burgess, I ran across a quotation from a news magazine's article about "The Toughest Job in the World." I've copied it here for you with a slight editorial change. In the place where the phrase "making decisions" appeared in the article, I've replaced it with the phrase, "being a disciple."
"It can be more fatiguing than a day of stonecutting. It can be more
nerve-racking than a day of heart surgery. It can bring success,
happiness, life...or failure, unhappiness, death. In today’s security-
conscious society, it's a job fewer people want to tackle. It’s not for
for the reckless who can be dangerous. It invites ridicule, criticism, and
unpopularity. But without it the world stands still. It is the lonely, ulcerous,
precarious job of ‘being a disciple’."
Being a disciple, living as a Christian is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the "Toughest Job in the World." Certainly we wouldn’t expect to get ulcers because disciples don’t worry, do they? And, as Jesus promises never to leave us or forsake us, we aren’t going to feel lonely, are we? To ignore the fact that our sinfulness can lead us into such problems, even as we are faithful, is foolish. Being realistic about our discipleship we also recognize that there may be times and circumstances when our speaking to an issue or a situation from the position of a disciple might make us unpopular or put us in a dangerous or precarious position. Yet, living as a disciple of Jesus Christ means following Him no matter what the consequences. To live as a disciple of Jesus Christ means to be just plain stubbornly devoted and committed to our Lord and Savior in all we do. It means serving the Lord as the “not quite wise enough or good enough” to deserve the name "Christian," who nevertheless have been blessed by God with that very name.
When we put being a disciple of Jesus Christ into perspective, we begin to realize that there is nothing so difficult in the world, nor anything so marvelous and rewarding in all of Creation. Having our sins forgiven and having the hope of eternal life in Christ makes living for Christ a phenomenally difficult and challenging experience. In everything we do we are called to be disciples, living, working, and being with people in ways that reflect God's grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness in our lives. Obedience to our Father in heaven doesn't mean we hide from the world, but that we live in the world and provide the "seasoning" to every situation of life. "Making decisions" isn't as tough as making decisions to live each day in a way that is pleasing to God. The rigors of Christian discipleship challenge our security and physical safety daily. Jesus invited the attention of His enemies when He openly rode into Jerusalem. Following in His footsteps, we can be certain we'll experience the same thing.
By the power of God's Word and Spirit, we are equipped to be faithful, living disciples of Jesus Christ. In the washing of Holy Baptism, we have God's power and promise to live confident lives of faith each day. No matter the circumstances we might face, we carry out our living and working, not as "holy rollers" who always are "pushing religion" on others, but as true disciples whose lives reflect our heritage as the Children of God in Jesus Christ. While "being a disciple" might be the "toughest job in the world," it's not a lonely job, nor is it a thankless job. Nothing we do or say occurs without our Father seeing it or hearing it, and that means we're assured at all times that we are living and working in the presence of our Father in heaven. While we may not be acknowledged by "Man," we are acknowledged by our Father in heaven for He holds us in the very palm of His hand and nothing can take us away from His love.
Prayer: Father, as Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, He was glorified and praised by the people, but derided by their leaders. For almost three years of ministry He had preached the Gospel, healed the sick, restored the maimed and blind, and raised the dead. Everyone saw those works, and still so many refused to repent and believe. Father, I have to admit that I, too, often fail to acknowledge Jesus. Often I hide from the world, as if the world itself was evil and not Your Creation. Help me to follow Jesus' example by walking boldly and confidently in faith through every moment of my life. Lead me to be a disciple who speaks and acts with integrity and purpose, living out Your love in the presence of others. Give me boldness to live in the world, not hide from it. Whatever cross I am to bear, I pray that You will give me the strength to do so with courage and faith. Hear me, gracious Father, for the sake of Christ Jesus my Savior and Lord. Amen.
*************************************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Read: John 15:12-16:4; I John 3:11-24
BEING A DISCIPLE OF JESUS: THE TOUGHEST JOB IN THE WORLD
"'If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'" (Jn. 8:31b-32)
Tomorrow is Palm Sunday. It's come around every year for, ummmm, ohhhh, approximately 1,972 years (give or take a few), starting with the actual event when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey to the rousing chorus of the people, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!" (Mt. 21:9) The Christian Church has celebrated it for centuries, yet I'm no so certain we've really always understood its significance for our own lives and living. While not the culmination of Jesus' work of redemption, or the completion of His obedience to the Father, it nevertheless it is an example of what living as a disciple of Jesus Christ really means. After almost three years of ministry, healing the sick, raising the dead, and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, this triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem reminds us that people see what we do and how we live--they take notice of our discipleship.
In the "Encyclopedia of Sermon Illustrations" by David F. Burgess, I ran across a quotation from a news magazine's article about "The Toughest Job in the World." I've copied it here for you with a slight editorial change. In the place where the phrase "making decisions" appeared in the article, I've replaced it with the phrase, "being a disciple."
"It can be more fatiguing than a day of stonecutting. It can be more
nerve-racking than a day of heart surgery. It can bring success,
happiness, life...or failure, unhappiness, death. In today’s security-
conscious society, it's a job fewer people want to tackle. It’s not for
for the reckless who can be dangerous. It invites ridicule, criticism, and
unpopularity. But without it the world stands still. It is the lonely, ulcerous,
precarious job of ‘being a disciple’."
Being a disciple, living as a Christian is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the "Toughest Job in the World." Certainly we wouldn’t expect to get ulcers because disciples don’t worry, do they? And, as Jesus promises never to leave us or forsake us, we aren’t going to feel lonely, are we? To ignore the fact that our sinfulness can lead us into such problems, even as we are faithful, is foolish. Being realistic about our discipleship we also recognize that there may be times and circumstances when our speaking to an issue or a situation from the position of a disciple might make us unpopular or put us in a dangerous or precarious position. Yet, living as a disciple of Jesus Christ means following Him no matter what the consequences. To live as a disciple of Jesus Christ means to be just plain stubbornly devoted and committed to our Lord and Savior in all we do. It means serving the Lord as the “not quite wise enough or good enough” to deserve the name "Christian," who nevertheless have been blessed by God with that very name.
When we put being a disciple of Jesus Christ into perspective, we begin to realize that there is nothing so difficult in the world, nor anything so marvelous and rewarding in all of Creation. Having our sins forgiven and having the hope of eternal life in Christ makes living for Christ a phenomenally difficult and challenging experience. In everything we do we are called to be disciples, living, working, and being with people in ways that reflect God's grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness in our lives. Obedience to our Father in heaven doesn't mean we hide from the world, but that we live in the world and provide the "seasoning" to every situation of life. "Making decisions" isn't as tough as making decisions to live each day in a way that is pleasing to God. The rigors of Christian discipleship challenge our security and physical safety daily. Jesus invited the attention of His enemies when He openly rode into Jerusalem. Following in His footsteps, we can be certain we'll experience the same thing.
By the power of God's Word and Spirit, we are equipped to be faithful, living disciples of Jesus Christ. In the washing of Holy Baptism, we have God's power and promise to live confident lives of faith each day. No matter the circumstances we might face, we carry out our living and working, not as "holy rollers" who always are "pushing religion" on others, but as true disciples whose lives reflect our heritage as the Children of God in Jesus Christ. While "being a disciple" might be the "toughest job in the world," it's not a lonely job, nor is it a thankless job. Nothing we do or say occurs without our Father seeing it or hearing it, and that means we're assured at all times that we are living and working in the presence of our Father in heaven. While we may not be acknowledged by "Man," we are acknowledged by our Father in heaven for He holds us in the very palm of His hand and nothing can take us away from His love.
Prayer: Father, as Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, He was glorified and praised by the people, but derided by their leaders. For almost three years of ministry He had preached the Gospel, healed the sick, restored the maimed and blind, and raised the dead. Everyone saw those works, and still so many refused to repent and believe. Father, I have to admit that I, too, often fail to acknowledge Jesus. Often I hide from the world, as if the world itself was evil and not Your Creation. Help me to follow Jesus' example by walking boldly and confidently in faith through every moment of my life. Lead me to be a disciple who speaks and acts with integrity and purpose, living out Your love in the presence of others. Give me boldness to live in the world, not hide from it. Whatever cross I am to bear, I pray that You will give me the strength to do so with courage and faith. Hear me, gracious Father, for the sake of Christ Jesus my Savior and Lord. Amen.
*************************************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Friday, March 18, 2005
Living As Christians
"Today's Devotion" For March 18, 2005
Read: I Thessalonians 1:1-10 ; James 1:17-27; 2:14-26
LIVING AS CHRISTIANS
"But someone will say, 'You have faith, and I have works.' Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." (Js. 2:18)
There is no greater struggle for God's people today than to discover how to live as Christians in the world. While Scripture gives us all kinds of direction and insight, we are prone to missing it because of the prevailing worldview of our culture. Going all the way back in history to the philosophies of Plato and Aristotle, the Western world in particular, has functioned with a dual view of existence. On one plane there is the spiritual, which Plato and the ancient Greeks declared to be good, and on the other plane there is the material world, which was declared to be intrinsically evil. Aristotelian philosophy held to a dualism that basically held that there are two truths, the truth of the supernatural world, and the truth of the natural world which contradicts the supernatural world. It was this type of thinking that led people, prior to the Reformation, to believe that laypeople couldn't attain a great level of the spiritual because only the "religious people," priests, nuns, monks, hermits, etc,. could reach the heights of the supernatural because they set themselves off from the world.
During the Reformation, the reformers pointed the people to Scripture and noted that all of life, for everyone who believes in Jesus, is spent in service to God. Dr. Luther pointed out that a baker, a merchant, a homemaker, and every other person serving others by their work or profession was carrying out their vocation as given to them by God. To live and work as a redeemed child of God is to serve Him and others according to His Will. When the Age of Enlightenment came along in Europe after the Reformation, the thinking of the people reverted to the old dualism, partly because the reformers didn't develop a vocabulary which could help people to reject such falsehood and fully appreciate to what calling they had according to God's Will. Somehow this has led to people talking about "going into the ministry" as if "ministry" is only "ministry" when it's done by pastors, teachers, or other trained "church" professionals. I recently read about one Christian businessman who felt he was a second-class Christian because he was in business.
I know this is a bit of a history and philosophy lesson, but it's amazingly applicable to our understanding of what living as Christians really means. To live as Christians is to live confidently in the forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus. To live as Christians is to use our tongues for the benefit of others, to pray for them and not to tear them down. To live as Christians is to do an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. To live as Christians is to be concerned about the welfare of others. To live as Christians is to take care of our families, to love our spouses, our children, our neighbors, our friends, our parents, and whomever else God brings into our lives. To live as Christians is to be ready to give an account of the hope that is in us at the appropriate time, as God gives the opportunity. To live as Christians is to practice good citizenship, obeying the laws of the land, fulfilling our responsibilities as citizens by voting in elections, serving on juries, seeking ways to help the poor and homeless, and offering service in any number of ways as God gives us the opportunity. In short, as Jesus' says in the Sermon on the Mount, as the redeemed children of God through faith in Christ, we are the "salt of the earth" and "the light of the world" through whom God works to touch the lives of people with His grace, mercy, and love.
Living as Christians is a remarkably fulfilling and challenging lifestyle. It's a life that lives both in the Kingdom of Heaven and in the world at the same time. To have a Christian worldview, through which we see the world as God's Creation and every human being as someone for whom Jesus died and rose again, is to live each day to the full, and to truly understand what Jesus meant when He said, "I have come that they (His sheep) may have life, and have it more abundantly" (Jn.10:10). We have been redeemed by Christ so that we might be made holy and perfect before our Father in heaven, as He intended for us to be when He created us. By His grace we daily have the opportunity to live in Him and for Him in every aspect of daily life. It's a great privilege, an awesome responsibility, a great challenge, and a source of great joy and peace to be called to such a life in Jesus Christ.
Prayer: Father, I thank You that You have called all people to Your mercy and forgiveness in Jesus Christ. I know that I too often think that I don't have ministry because I'm serving in a church or some other professional "ministry" capacity. It's a "malady" that has affected too much of Your Church on earth and too many of Your children. Help all of Your people to understand that You have called them to live for You, in You, and through You in Jesus Christ in whatever work, business, profession, or situation in life we might find ourselves. Help me to recognize Your hand at work guiding me and others to live as Christians in every circumstance of life. May my life be a witness to Your love for the world in Jesus; in Whose precious name I pray. Amen.
***********************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Read: I Thessalonians 1:1-10 ; James 1:17-27; 2:14-26
LIVING AS CHRISTIANS
"But someone will say, 'You have faith, and I have works.' Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." (Js. 2:18)
There is no greater struggle for God's people today than to discover how to live as Christians in the world. While Scripture gives us all kinds of direction and insight, we are prone to missing it because of the prevailing worldview of our culture. Going all the way back in history to the philosophies of Plato and Aristotle, the Western world in particular, has functioned with a dual view of existence. On one plane there is the spiritual, which Plato and the ancient Greeks declared to be good, and on the other plane there is the material world, which was declared to be intrinsically evil. Aristotelian philosophy held to a dualism that basically held that there are two truths, the truth of the supernatural world, and the truth of the natural world which contradicts the supernatural world. It was this type of thinking that led people, prior to the Reformation, to believe that laypeople couldn't attain a great level of the spiritual because only the "religious people," priests, nuns, monks, hermits, etc,. could reach the heights of the supernatural because they set themselves off from the world.
During the Reformation, the reformers pointed the people to Scripture and noted that all of life, for everyone who believes in Jesus, is spent in service to God. Dr. Luther pointed out that a baker, a merchant, a homemaker, and every other person serving others by their work or profession was carrying out their vocation as given to them by God. To live and work as a redeemed child of God is to serve Him and others according to His Will. When the Age of Enlightenment came along in Europe after the Reformation, the thinking of the people reverted to the old dualism, partly because the reformers didn't develop a vocabulary which could help people to reject such falsehood and fully appreciate to what calling they had according to God's Will. Somehow this has led to people talking about "going into the ministry" as if "ministry" is only "ministry" when it's done by pastors, teachers, or other trained "church" professionals. I recently read about one Christian businessman who felt he was a second-class Christian because he was in business.
I know this is a bit of a history and philosophy lesson, but it's amazingly applicable to our understanding of what living as Christians really means. To live as Christians is to live confidently in the forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus. To live as Christians is to use our tongues for the benefit of others, to pray for them and not to tear them down. To live as Christians is to do an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. To live as Christians is to be concerned about the welfare of others. To live as Christians is to take care of our families, to love our spouses, our children, our neighbors, our friends, our parents, and whomever else God brings into our lives. To live as Christians is to be ready to give an account of the hope that is in us at the appropriate time, as God gives the opportunity. To live as Christians is to practice good citizenship, obeying the laws of the land, fulfilling our responsibilities as citizens by voting in elections, serving on juries, seeking ways to help the poor and homeless, and offering service in any number of ways as God gives us the opportunity. In short, as Jesus' says in the Sermon on the Mount, as the redeemed children of God through faith in Christ, we are the "salt of the earth" and "the light of the world" through whom God works to touch the lives of people with His grace, mercy, and love.
Living as Christians is a remarkably fulfilling and challenging lifestyle. It's a life that lives both in the Kingdom of Heaven and in the world at the same time. To have a Christian worldview, through which we see the world as God's Creation and every human being as someone for whom Jesus died and rose again, is to live each day to the full, and to truly understand what Jesus meant when He said, "I have come that they (His sheep) may have life, and have it more abundantly" (Jn.10:10). We have been redeemed by Christ so that we might be made holy and perfect before our Father in heaven, as He intended for us to be when He created us. By His grace we daily have the opportunity to live in Him and for Him in every aspect of daily life. It's a great privilege, an awesome responsibility, a great challenge, and a source of great joy and peace to be called to such a life in Jesus Christ.
Prayer: Father, I thank You that You have called all people to Your mercy and forgiveness in Jesus Christ. I know that I too often think that I don't have ministry because I'm serving in a church or some other professional "ministry" capacity. It's a "malady" that has affected too much of Your Church on earth and too many of Your children. Help all of Your people to understand that You have called them to live for You, in You, and through You in Jesus Christ in whatever work, business, profession, or situation in life we might find ourselves. Help me to recognize Your hand at work guiding me and others to live as Christians in every circumstance of life. May my life be a witness to Your love for the world in Jesus; in Whose precious name I pray. Amen.
***********************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Blessed For A Purpose
"Today's Devotion" For March 17, 2005
Read: Luke 7:36-50
Galatians 2:11-21
BLESSED FOR A PURPOSE
"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." (Gal. 2:20)
Today is St. Patrick's Day. All over the Western world, and among Westerners living in other parts of the world, people who aren't even Irish are celebrating a servant of God who, in the early 6th Century is credited with bringing God's blessings in the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Ireland. In the purest sense of the intent of the celebration of St. Patrick's Day, the Irish take the time to count their blessings. Sadly, most who celebrate "St. Patrick's Day" could care less about his work as a servant of Jesus Christ and a missionary to Ireland. Yet, you and I can take a moment to give thanks for all those servants of God who have come before us and shared His grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness with us and the world. So, in the spirit of the St. Patrick's Day observance, stopping to count our blessings would be a great blessing for us today.
I'm always amazed at how blessed I am, especially when things aren't going so well. It's at those times that I have to make a "gut check" and I discover that I've got more blessings than problems, so the current problem isn't so bad. God has blessed all of us with tremendous gifts and blessings. Most important of all His gifts and blessings to us is the gift of faith in Christ as Savior and Lord. We have received the gifts of the forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life with God because of Christ. As St. Paul notes, we have been "crucified with Christ," Who lives in us. In Him we live lives of faith guided by His love for us. Yet we often find ourselves following our own agendas which frequently differ greatly from God's, especially in our dealings with other people.
A good example of this occurred some years ago in a small Nebraska town with a population of less than 300 people. This small town, oddly enough, had two congregations of the same denomination, served by the same pastor, within a block of each other. There were no other churches in town. Once in a "blue moon" someone new would move into the community. When one of those rare family's moved to town one year, it decided to visit each of the congregations on different Sundays to decide which of them to join. It was quite obvious that they both had same pastor, so the family's decision wouldn't be based on the pastor's style, or lack thereof. The family's decision as to which congregation they would join would have to be based on other criteria. Which one should they choose? While deliberating this decision they ran into a member of the first congregation they had visited. She said to them, "I sure hope that you join our congregation. We could really use your money!"
I suppose it's not too difficult to figure out which congregation the family didn't join. When we lose our focus on God's blessings showered upon us in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we end up being more concerned about material things than our relationship with God. We stop caring about the needs of others and focus on our own needs and desires. According to the legend of St. Patrick, it was his undying devotion to the Gospel that so impressed the pagans that they were led to Jesus. As did the faithful who went before him, and those who followed after him, Patrick's purpose was God's purpose. As we live according to God's purpose in our lives, we find ourselves truly caring about other people--people for whom Christ died and rose again. As we count our blessings, we look at others not as "sources of gain" for us, but as people in need of a Savior, just as we are. It becomes our overriding purpose in life to lead others to know the same joy and peace we have received as Christ lives in us and we in Him. Following in the footsteps of the faithful who have gone before us, we work diligently to share our faith in Christ with everyone we meet through how we live, work, and speak. We share the Father's love as we have received it, because Christ lives in us.
Prayer: Lord God, Heavenly Father, You sent Jesus to be my Lord and Savior from Sin. In Holy Baptism I have been crucified with Him and so I no longer live, but He lives in me. Let my life be one of living faith and of faithful service to others in Your name. Help me to be an effective witness to Your love, grace, and mercy, so that others may come to know You through me. Lead me to live my life according to your agenda so I may be an effective witness for Christ, in Whose name I pray. Amen.
*******************************************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Read: Luke 7:36-50
Galatians 2:11-21
BLESSED FOR A PURPOSE
"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." (Gal. 2:20)
Today is St. Patrick's Day. All over the Western world, and among Westerners living in other parts of the world, people who aren't even Irish are celebrating a servant of God who, in the early 6th Century is credited with bringing God's blessings in the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Ireland. In the purest sense of the intent of the celebration of St. Patrick's Day, the Irish take the time to count their blessings. Sadly, most who celebrate "St. Patrick's Day" could care less about his work as a servant of Jesus Christ and a missionary to Ireland. Yet, you and I can take a moment to give thanks for all those servants of God who have come before us and shared His grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness with us and the world. So, in the spirit of the St. Patrick's Day observance, stopping to count our blessings would be a great blessing for us today.
I'm always amazed at how blessed I am, especially when things aren't going so well. It's at those times that I have to make a "gut check" and I discover that I've got more blessings than problems, so the current problem isn't so bad. God has blessed all of us with tremendous gifts and blessings. Most important of all His gifts and blessings to us is the gift of faith in Christ as Savior and Lord. We have received the gifts of the forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life with God because of Christ. As St. Paul notes, we have been "crucified with Christ," Who lives in us. In Him we live lives of faith guided by His love for us. Yet we often find ourselves following our own agendas which frequently differ greatly from God's, especially in our dealings with other people.
A good example of this occurred some years ago in a small Nebraska town with a population of less than 300 people. This small town, oddly enough, had two congregations of the same denomination, served by the same pastor, within a block of each other. There were no other churches in town. Once in a "blue moon" someone new would move into the community. When one of those rare family's moved to town one year, it decided to visit each of the congregations on different Sundays to decide which of them to join. It was quite obvious that they both had same pastor, so the family's decision wouldn't be based on the pastor's style, or lack thereof. The family's decision as to which congregation they would join would have to be based on other criteria. Which one should they choose? While deliberating this decision they ran into a member of the first congregation they had visited. She said to them, "I sure hope that you join our congregation. We could really use your money!"
I suppose it's not too difficult to figure out which congregation the family didn't join. When we lose our focus on God's blessings showered upon us in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we end up being more concerned about material things than our relationship with God. We stop caring about the needs of others and focus on our own needs and desires. According to the legend of St. Patrick, it was his undying devotion to the Gospel that so impressed the pagans that they were led to Jesus. As did the faithful who went before him, and those who followed after him, Patrick's purpose was God's purpose. As we live according to God's purpose in our lives, we find ourselves truly caring about other people--people for whom Christ died and rose again. As we count our blessings, we look at others not as "sources of gain" for us, but as people in need of a Savior, just as we are. It becomes our overriding purpose in life to lead others to know the same joy and peace we have received as Christ lives in us and we in Him. Following in the footsteps of the faithful who have gone before us, we work diligently to share our faith in Christ with everyone we meet through how we live, work, and speak. We share the Father's love as we have received it, because Christ lives in us.
Prayer: Lord God, Heavenly Father, You sent Jesus to be my Lord and Savior from Sin. In Holy Baptism I have been crucified with Him and so I no longer live, but He lives in me. Let my life be one of living faith and of faithful service to others in Your name. Help me to be an effective witness to Your love, grace, and mercy, so that others may come to know You through me. Lead me to live my life according to your agenda so I may be an effective witness for Christ, in Whose name I pray. Amen.
*******************************************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Growing A Childlike Faith In Jesus
"Today's Devotion" For March 16, 2005
Read: Matthew 19:13-15; I Peter 1:13-2:3
GROWING A CHILDLIKE FAITH IN JESUS
"'Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'" (Mt.19:14)
As a young father, I was always intrigued by the term, "Rug rats." In some circles I found it to be a very commonly used phrase to describe those little people we call "children." I suppose that the phrase has its origins in the fact that children run around a lot, get underfoot, get in the way, can ruin a perfectly good evening, make too much noise, keep their parents up nights, make messes, skin their knees, cry a lot, and, among a host of other things, stretch a family's financial resources to the hilt. While the phrase is most often used in a joking or humorous manner, some of those whom I've heard use the phrase, "rug rats," to describe children, truly seem to believe that children are the worst possible creatures to exist in the world. Having seven "rug rats" myself, all of whom can hardly be considered "rug rats" anymore, I've often found it difficult to keep a straight face and not ask those who I've heard us the phrase pejoratively if they were ever children themselves.
I know I could be considered an old "stick in the mud" for taking the description of "rug rats" too far. Of course, I've often wondered how children would feel if they heard adults call them any kind of "rats." Matthew's account of the disciples' reaction to those who were bringing little children to Jesus for His blessing and prayer seems to indicate that they were in the "rug rat" camp themselves. "Don't bother the Teacher with these 'insignificant' little people" seemed to be their thinking. Yet, when Jesus sees their actions He reminds them that children are equally important gifts from God to us, as the gift of marriage is for a man and woman. Children are also part of God's created order of things and are under His blessing and care, just as are adults. What's more, Jesus says, children are special to Him because they come to Him with such, simple, trusting faith and openness. Furthermore, Jesus reminds the Twelve, children are guileless, just as are all those who fully and completely trust and believe in Jesus. It's for such as these, the humble, open, and trusting, that the kingdom of heaven has been prepared.
By the grace of God, we have been brought to faith in Christ Jesus. We have been assured that in Him our sins are forgiven and that we have the hope and promise of eternal life. We have been redeemed by a crucified and risen Savior, Whose crucifixion is seen as foolishness by the world. Yet by God's grace the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus is the means by which our Father in heaven restores us to Himself. We believe in that "foolishness of God" and strive to be just as trusting, open, and humble before God as are the "little children" who came to Jesus. To have such a faith as a little child is desirable and pleasing to God. God's love for us in Christ is so great and wonderful that it defies logic and sophisticated thinking. Our lives in Christ remain simple and childlike so that we might fully live in Him. God doesn't call His children "rug rats." We are not a bother to Him. We are special to Him. We are His beloved children, redeemed in Christ. There's nothing better than this, and in this childlike faith we are truly blessed.
Prayer: Father, thank You for not considering me a bother to You. By sending Jesus to suffer and die for my sins, You have assured me of just how much You love me and how important I am to You. Help me to remain childlike in my faith so that I might totally and without hesitation trust in You for every good thing. Continue to keep me in Your love and strengthen my faith that I might be a strong, humble, trusting, loyal, and faithful witness to Your love for the whole world in Jesus Christ. Keep me safely in Your arms according to Your promise in Christ my Lord; in whose precious name I pray. Amen.
***********************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Read: Matthew 19:13-15; I Peter 1:13-2:3
GROWING A CHILDLIKE FAITH IN JESUS
"'Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'" (Mt.19:14)
As a young father, I was always intrigued by the term, "Rug rats." In some circles I found it to be a very commonly used phrase to describe those little people we call "children." I suppose that the phrase has its origins in the fact that children run around a lot, get underfoot, get in the way, can ruin a perfectly good evening, make too much noise, keep their parents up nights, make messes, skin their knees, cry a lot, and, among a host of other things, stretch a family's financial resources to the hilt. While the phrase is most often used in a joking or humorous manner, some of those whom I've heard use the phrase, "rug rats," to describe children, truly seem to believe that children are the worst possible creatures to exist in the world. Having seven "rug rats" myself, all of whom can hardly be considered "rug rats" anymore, I've often found it difficult to keep a straight face and not ask those who I've heard us the phrase pejoratively if they were ever children themselves.
I know I could be considered an old "stick in the mud" for taking the description of "rug rats" too far. Of course, I've often wondered how children would feel if they heard adults call them any kind of "rats." Matthew's account of the disciples' reaction to those who were bringing little children to Jesus for His blessing and prayer seems to indicate that they were in the "rug rat" camp themselves. "Don't bother the Teacher with these 'insignificant' little people" seemed to be their thinking. Yet, when Jesus sees their actions He reminds them that children are equally important gifts from God to us, as the gift of marriage is for a man and woman. Children are also part of God's created order of things and are under His blessing and care, just as are adults. What's more, Jesus says, children are special to Him because they come to Him with such, simple, trusting faith and openness. Furthermore, Jesus reminds the Twelve, children are guileless, just as are all those who fully and completely trust and believe in Jesus. It's for such as these, the humble, open, and trusting, that the kingdom of heaven has been prepared.
By the grace of God, we have been brought to faith in Christ Jesus. We have been assured that in Him our sins are forgiven and that we have the hope and promise of eternal life. We have been redeemed by a crucified and risen Savior, Whose crucifixion is seen as foolishness by the world. Yet by God's grace the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus is the means by which our Father in heaven restores us to Himself. We believe in that "foolishness of God" and strive to be just as trusting, open, and humble before God as are the "little children" who came to Jesus. To have such a faith as a little child is desirable and pleasing to God. God's love for us in Christ is so great and wonderful that it defies logic and sophisticated thinking. Our lives in Christ remain simple and childlike so that we might fully live in Him. God doesn't call His children "rug rats." We are not a bother to Him. We are special to Him. We are His beloved children, redeemed in Christ. There's nothing better than this, and in this childlike faith we are truly blessed.
Prayer: Father, thank You for not considering me a bother to You. By sending Jesus to suffer and die for my sins, You have assured me of just how much You love me and how important I am to You. Help me to remain childlike in my faith so that I might totally and without hesitation trust in You for every good thing. Continue to keep me in Your love and strengthen my faith that I might be a strong, humble, trusting, loyal, and faithful witness to Your love for the whole world in Jesus Christ. Keep me safely in Your arms according to Your promise in Christ my Lord; in whose precious name I pray. Amen.
***********************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Living Strong and Courageous Lives of Faith
"Today's Devotion" for March 15, 2005
Read: Hebrews 12:1-3
Philippians 2:5-11
LIVING STRONG AND COURAGEOUS LIVES OF FAITH
"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong." (I Cor.16:13)
Overcoming obstacles isn't one of my favorite pastimes. I've known people, and perhaps so have you, that relished a good challenge. I've known people that actually seemed to look for the toughest way to accomplish something, rather than the easiest. To me, any obstacles that get in the way of accomplishing an objective are a nuisance. I really dislike them. If I can avoid obstacles I will do so with every fiber of my being. My personal observation tells me that I'm not alone in this feeling. For many people, obstacles are "royal pains-in-the- neck." Unfortunately, obstacles, challenges, and setbacks are real, common denominators in almost every human endeavor. Such things can be costly if they upset the achievement of a goal or dream. Obstacles to accomplishing goals and dreams can often have a negative effect on one's attitude, sense of purpose, and sense of accomplishment. I know that I've been sorely tempted to "quit" on projects because the obstacles have seemed just too overwhelming.
While people everywhere recognize that obstacles, challenges, and setbacks occur in daily living, the people of God realize that such things also exist in our spiritual lives as well. There are so many obstacles that can get in the way of our relationship with God. Living in a loving and forgiven relationship with our Father in heaven, just as the rest of life, is fraught with all sorts of challenges and setbacks because of our sinfulness. We get overwhelmed by the challenges that Sin lays before us each day, whether it's in the secular or sacred realms, because our first inclination is to look to our own resources for strength to overcome and achieve. As a result we are frequently overwhelmed, and what we do accomplish often ends up being less than it can be and also less than pleasing to God. To get a handle on handling obstacles in all of life and living there's no better place to look than to Jesus. I'm often encouraged when I realize that there's no obstacle that I can experience, whether sacred or spiritual, that can compare with the obstacles Jesus faced. He had to overcome Sin, Death, and Satan in order to redeem us and the whole world for the Father. Our Lord Jesus Christ had to become one of us to save us, so the second person of the Trinity, God's own Son, took on human flesh and placed Himself under the Father's Will as the perfectly obedient Son we all have failed to be. He humbled Himself, Paul reminds us in Philippians 2, took on our nature and became all that we're supposed to be before God, in order to bring us into a loving, living, and saving with God.
St. Paul reminds the Philippian Christians, as the writer to the Hebrews reminds them, that Jesus' example of faithfulness to the Father is the way for us to overcome and persevere in the face of any obstacle we face. No matter whether we face physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual obstacles and challenges in our lives, there's none we can't overcome with the Lord's help, none that can prevent us from doing God's Will, and none that can keep us from His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness in Christ. St. Paul encourages us to be courageous and strong in the Lord as we follow Jesus' perfect example of faith and perseverance in service to the Father. We don't need to be afraid of failure or any physical or spiritual danger because our Lord Jesus Christ has overcome the world and brought us into a restored relationship with our Father in heaven. There is nothing that can take us away from Him or prevent His love and forgiveness in our lives.
Prayer: Father, I give You humble and hearty thanks that You sent Jesus to redeem me from Sin and to show me that there's nothing than can keep me from serving You and accomplishing Your purpose for my life. By the power of Your Word and Spirit, daily remembered in my Baptism, help me to be courageous in all my life and living so that I might be an effective witness to Your love and forgiveness in Christ Jesus. Keep me from feeling overwhelmed by the trials and temptations of this world. Give me the strength and wisdom that come only from You to face the obstacles and challenges to my faith that put themselves in my path everyday. Lead me to be courageous in my walk of faith that I might show others Your love and be a witness of Your power. Hear me Father for the sake of Christ my Lord and Savior. Amen.
*********************************************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Read: Hebrews 12:1-3
Philippians 2:5-11
LIVING STRONG AND COURAGEOUS LIVES OF FAITH
"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong." (I Cor.16:13)
Overcoming obstacles isn't one of my favorite pastimes. I've known people, and perhaps so have you, that relished a good challenge. I've known people that actually seemed to look for the toughest way to accomplish something, rather than the easiest. To me, any obstacles that get in the way of accomplishing an objective are a nuisance. I really dislike them. If I can avoid obstacles I will do so with every fiber of my being. My personal observation tells me that I'm not alone in this feeling. For many people, obstacles are "royal pains-in-the- neck." Unfortunately, obstacles, challenges, and setbacks are real, common denominators in almost every human endeavor. Such things can be costly if they upset the achievement of a goal or dream. Obstacles to accomplishing goals and dreams can often have a negative effect on one's attitude, sense of purpose, and sense of accomplishment. I know that I've been sorely tempted to "quit" on projects because the obstacles have seemed just too overwhelming.
While people everywhere recognize that obstacles, challenges, and setbacks occur in daily living, the people of God realize that such things also exist in our spiritual lives as well. There are so many obstacles that can get in the way of our relationship with God. Living in a loving and forgiven relationship with our Father in heaven, just as the rest of life, is fraught with all sorts of challenges and setbacks because of our sinfulness. We get overwhelmed by the challenges that Sin lays before us each day, whether it's in the secular or sacred realms, because our first inclination is to look to our own resources for strength to overcome and achieve. As a result we are frequently overwhelmed, and what we do accomplish often ends up being less than it can be and also less than pleasing to God. To get a handle on handling obstacles in all of life and living there's no better place to look than to Jesus. I'm often encouraged when I realize that there's no obstacle that I can experience, whether sacred or spiritual, that can compare with the obstacles Jesus faced. He had to overcome Sin, Death, and Satan in order to redeem us and the whole world for the Father. Our Lord Jesus Christ had to become one of us to save us, so the second person of the Trinity, God's own Son, took on human flesh and placed Himself under the Father's Will as the perfectly obedient Son we all have failed to be. He humbled Himself, Paul reminds us in Philippians 2, took on our nature and became all that we're supposed to be before God, in order to bring us into a loving, living, and saving with God.
St. Paul reminds the Philippian Christians, as the writer to the Hebrews reminds them, that Jesus' example of faithfulness to the Father is the way for us to overcome and persevere in the face of any obstacle we face. No matter whether we face physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual obstacles and challenges in our lives, there's none we can't overcome with the Lord's help, none that can prevent us from doing God's Will, and none that can keep us from His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness in Christ. St. Paul encourages us to be courageous and strong in the Lord as we follow Jesus' perfect example of faith and perseverance in service to the Father. We don't need to be afraid of failure or any physical or spiritual danger because our Lord Jesus Christ has overcome the world and brought us into a restored relationship with our Father in heaven. There is nothing that can take us away from Him or prevent His love and forgiveness in our lives.
Prayer: Father, I give You humble and hearty thanks that You sent Jesus to redeem me from Sin and to show me that there's nothing than can keep me from serving You and accomplishing Your purpose for my life. By the power of Your Word and Spirit, daily remembered in my Baptism, help me to be courageous in all my life and living so that I might be an effective witness to Your love and forgiveness in Christ Jesus. Keep me from feeling overwhelmed by the trials and temptations of this world. Give me the strength and wisdom that come only from You to face the obstacles and challenges to my faith that put themselves in my path everyday. Lead me to be courageous in my walk of faith that I might show others Your love and be a witness of Your power. Hear me Father for the sake of Christ my Lord and Savior. Amen.
*********************************************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Living God's Love Toward Others
"Today's Devotion" For March 14, 2005
Read: I John 4:7-14
Romans 5:31-39
LIVING GOD'S LOVE TOWARD OTHERS
"In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His son to be the propitiation for our sins." (I Jn. 4:10)
It is no small task to love someone. In Scripture, God talks about "love" in different ways, and the Hebrew and Greek reflect the various meanings. What is a challenge for us, is that translating these words for "love" into English leaves us with just one word-"love"-with many nuances of meaning. The most important meaning is the one that relates to God's love for us, and the word used in the Greek "agape." Its meaning is so profound, that its what makes loving others so very difficult. It calls for us to be selfless and totally giving, when our natural inclination is to love conditionally, that is, based on whether people respond positively or not, and whether we like them or not.
John makes it clear that the measure of "love" to which we aspire as God's children, is the same measure of "love" that God shows to us. It puts God above all things; It's selfless, putting others before ourselves; It's sacrificial, willing to give even unto death. John points out that that's what God did for us, sending His Son, Jesus Christ, into our flesh and our world, to take our place and pay the penalty for our sins that we deserve to pay. He became the propitiation, or atonement, for our sins (I Jn. 4:10). In His great love for us, our heavenly Father accepted that sacrifice for our sins and showed that acceptance and love by raising Jesus from the grave. In and through our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, we receive the Father's forgiveness and peace for all our sins and His blessed assurance that He remembers our sins no more.
As we exercise the love we receive from our Heavenly Father, through Jesus, we touch the lives of others with God's grace and mercy. We are given precious opportunities everyday to exercise the same love, that "agape," that God showers upon us in Jesus Christ. In our daily contacts with family, friends, acquaintances, co-workers, fellow students, and every stranger we meet we have the special privilege of showing them genuine concern for their welfare and their relationship with God. Because of God's great love for us we are given the marvelous privilege of sharing the forgiveness of sins in Christ with everyone. We exercise that love when we sacrifice our comfort for the welfare of others, especially the needy, the e hungry, and those in need of clothing and shelter. When we exercise that "agape" in our daily living we are introducing people to Jesus Who will reveal the Father to them. It's a wonderful blessing to know God's love as revealed in Jesus Christ, and to selflessly share that love with others as the beloved and redeemed children of our heavenly Father.
Prayer: Father, I know that I'm not really the best example of Your love. It's pretty easy for me to look for the flaws in others, and to put my needs first, before I care for those around me. Often, I love conditionally, putting parameters on my love, and responding to others based on whether their responses toward me are positive or negative. Father, I beg Your forgiveness for the sake of Christ Jesus Who is the propitiation for all of my sins and the sins of the whole world. Help me to live in that forgiveness and reflect that love to others. For Jesus' sake I ask this. Amen.
**********************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Read: I John 4:7-14
Romans 5:31-39
LIVING GOD'S LOVE TOWARD OTHERS
"In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His son to be the propitiation for our sins." (I Jn. 4:10)
It is no small task to love someone. In Scripture, God talks about "love" in different ways, and the Hebrew and Greek reflect the various meanings. What is a challenge for us, is that translating these words for "love" into English leaves us with just one word-"love"-with many nuances of meaning. The most important meaning is the one that relates to God's love for us, and the word used in the Greek "agape." Its meaning is so profound, that its what makes loving others so very difficult. It calls for us to be selfless and totally giving, when our natural inclination is to love conditionally, that is, based on whether people respond positively or not, and whether we like them or not.
John makes it clear that the measure of "love" to which we aspire as God's children, is the same measure of "love" that God shows to us. It puts God above all things; It's selfless, putting others before ourselves; It's sacrificial, willing to give even unto death. John points out that that's what God did for us, sending His Son, Jesus Christ, into our flesh and our world, to take our place and pay the penalty for our sins that we deserve to pay. He became the propitiation, or atonement, for our sins (I Jn. 4:10). In His great love for us, our heavenly Father accepted that sacrifice for our sins and showed that acceptance and love by raising Jesus from the grave. In and through our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, we receive the Father's forgiveness and peace for all our sins and His blessed assurance that He remembers our sins no more.
As we exercise the love we receive from our Heavenly Father, through Jesus, we touch the lives of others with God's grace and mercy. We are given precious opportunities everyday to exercise the same love, that "agape," that God showers upon us in Jesus Christ. In our daily contacts with family, friends, acquaintances, co-workers, fellow students, and every stranger we meet we have the special privilege of showing them genuine concern for their welfare and their relationship with God. Because of God's great love for us we are given the marvelous privilege of sharing the forgiveness of sins in Christ with everyone. We exercise that love when we sacrifice our comfort for the welfare of others, especially the needy, the e hungry, and those in need of clothing and shelter. When we exercise that "agape" in our daily living we are introducing people to Jesus Who will reveal the Father to them. It's a wonderful blessing to know God's love as revealed in Jesus Christ, and to selflessly share that love with others as the beloved and redeemed children of our heavenly Father.
Prayer: Father, I know that I'm not really the best example of Your love. It's pretty easy for me to look for the flaws in others, and to put my needs first, before I care for those around me. Often, I love conditionally, putting parameters on my love, and responding to others based on whether their responses toward me are positive or negative. Father, I beg Your forgiveness for the sake of Christ Jesus Who is the propitiation for all of my sins and the sins of the whole world. Help me to live in that forgiveness and reflect that love to others. For Jesus' sake I ask this. Amen.
**********************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Saturday, March 12, 2005
A Realistic Attitude On The Christian Life
"Today's Devotion" For March 12, 2005
Read: I Peter 4:1-6
Philippians 2:5-11
A REALISTIC ATTITUDE ON THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
"Therefore, since Christ suffered in His body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude..." (I Pet.4:1a)
Yesterday morning, as I was working out at the fitness center, I was watching a well-known TV evangelist talking about Christian living and claiming God's promises. Certainly that subject is something worthy of discussion, especially because we often forget God's promises to us. Unfortunately, when this preacher started talking about those promises two things stood out--God wants His children to have plenty of good things (wealth especially) and those who were a part of this man's ministry were being blessed through him. Such thinking is frustrating because, it seems to me, the emphasis is on things and people, rather than on God. I don't know about you, but I don't appreciate the attitude of many Christians who claim God wants His children to be wealthy and prosperous in material ways. Many such Christians will tell us that if we don't have great financial wealth and grand possessions, that we don't believe enough. There's a "name it, claim it" mentality that buys into the worldly idea (reminiscent of the Tower of Babel, Genesis 11) that "what the mind of man can conceive, it can achieve." Such thinking flies directly in the face of God's Word, and suggests a "Christian worldview" that sees "successful" Christians living as a "lifestyles of the rich and famous" existence.
As we listen to Peter's words, as the Spirit inspired them, such thinking about the Christian life is truly challenged. We know that because of humanity's sinfulness, our Lord Jesus Christ was belittled, hated, vilified, abused, falsely accused, and finally crucified while all the time innocent of everything of which He was accused. He Himself warns us that if He was treated in such a manner that those who follow Him as His disciples should expect no better treatment. There's no doubt that Peter and Paul, along with the rest of the Apostles, were no strangers to hardship, pain, suffering, and, finally, death because they followed Jesus. For them, life was no "bed of roses", and, as we note in Paul's case, he gave up what could have been a life of ease and celebrity as a Pharisee, to follow Jesus and be a "fisher of men" and an Apostle who regularly was jailed, beaten, harassed, and, ultimately, executed.
Certainly our purely human desire is to have a life of plenty, leisure, luxury, peace, tranquility...the list could go on and on. For some reason, we human beings seem to think that having "things" of great human value will solve all our problems. Yet, because of the power of Sin in the world, there's always someone who wants more than they have, and who seeks to take what others have for themselves. Crimes are committed every day because of such desires. Wars are fought because a ruler wants to control more territory, have more power, or gain more wealth (certainly there are other factors as well), or because there are people and nations who oppose such aspirations as being contrary to the welfare of others. Such human desires fly in the face of Jesus' own example portrayed in His suffering, death and resurrection. Jesus reminded His disciples in John 10 that He had come "that they might have life and have it to full"(v.10). Being in every respect, God, He humbled Himself and did not claim His rights as God, but instead took human flesh, suffered for us, and paid the price for Sin necessary to buy us back into a full relationship with our Father in heaven.
While living a life that seeks ease, sameness, and companionship with the world might be tempting, it only serves the flesh. It decays the spirit and takes us away from Jesus. Certainly we can say that God, according to His good will and pleasure, in keeping with what's good and right for each of us individuals, blesses us with the appropriate earthly wealth and possessions. Above all He gives us what we need to sustain our daily lives and live in the fullness of His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. His promise is always that as His beloved and redeemed children in Jesus Christ, we will have everything we need, nothing more or less. The most important of those blessings from God is a restored relationship with Him through faith in Jesus Christ, our Savior from Sin and the Lord of our lives. To have a realistic attitude on life as God's children is to live life knowing we are always in the palm of God's hand and that, as Jesus promised, He will never leave us or forsake us.
Prayer: Father, I thank You and praise Your holy name for sending Jesus to take away the curse of Sin, death, Satan, and the Law. Help me to avoid the temptation to believe that my life in Christ should be one of ease and material prosperity. Help me to see that the greatest wealth I have is the forgiveness of my sins in Jesus, the faith You have given me by Your Word and Spirit, and the privilege and opportunity to live for You each day, sharing Your love in Christ in even the most trying of circumstances. Help me to remember my hope and reward is eternal life with You. Hear me, Father, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
********************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Read: I Peter 4:1-6
Philippians 2:5-11
A REALISTIC ATTITUDE ON THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
"Therefore, since Christ suffered in His body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude..." (I Pet.4:1a)
Yesterday morning, as I was working out at the fitness center, I was watching a well-known TV evangelist talking about Christian living and claiming God's promises. Certainly that subject is something worthy of discussion, especially because we often forget God's promises to us. Unfortunately, when this preacher started talking about those promises two things stood out--God wants His children to have plenty of good things (wealth especially) and those who were a part of this man's ministry were being blessed through him. Such thinking is frustrating because, it seems to me, the emphasis is on things and people, rather than on God. I don't know about you, but I don't appreciate the attitude of many Christians who claim God wants His children to be wealthy and prosperous in material ways. Many such Christians will tell us that if we don't have great financial wealth and grand possessions, that we don't believe enough. There's a "name it, claim it" mentality that buys into the worldly idea (reminiscent of the Tower of Babel, Genesis 11) that "what the mind of man can conceive, it can achieve." Such thinking flies directly in the face of God's Word, and suggests a "Christian worldview" that sees "successful" Christians living as a "lifestyles of the rich and famous" existence.
As we listen to Peter's words, as the Spirit inspired them, such thinking about the Christian life is truly challenged. We know that because of humanity's sinfulness, our Lord Jesus Christ was belittled, hated, vilified, abused, falsely accused, and finally crucified while all the time innocent of everything of which He was accused. He Himself warns us that if He was treated in such a manner that those who follow Him as His disciples should expect no better treatment. There's no doubt that Peter and Paul, along with the rest of the Apostles, were no strangers to hardship, pain, suffering, and, finally, death because they followed Jesus. For them, life was no "bed of roses", and, as we note in Paul's case, he gave up what could have been a life of ease and celebrity as a Pharisee, to follow Jesus and be a "fisher of men" and an Apostle who regularly was jailed, beaten, harassed, and, ultimately, executed.
Certainly our purely human desire is to have a life of plenty, leisure, luxury, peace, tranquility...the list could go on and on. For some reason, we human beings seem to think that having "things" of great human value will solve all our problems. Yet, because of the power of Sin in the world, there's always someone who wants more than they have, and who seeks to take what others have for themselves. Crimes are committed every day because of such desires. Wars are fought because a ruler wants to control more territory, have more power, or gain more wealth (certainly there are other factors as well), or because there are people and nations who oppose such aspirations as being contrary to the welfare of others. Such human desires fly in the face of Jesus' own example portrayed in His suffering, death and resurrection. Jesus reminded His disciples in John 10 that He had come "that they might have life and have it to full"(v.10). Being in every respect, God, He humbled Himself and did not claim His rights as God, but instead took human flesh, suffered for us, and paid the price for Sin necessary to buy us back into a full relationship with our Father in heaven.
While living a life that seeks ease, sameness, and companionship with the world might be tempting, it only serves the flesh. It decays the spirit and takes us away from Jesus. Certainly we can say that God, according to His good will and pleasure, in keeping with what's good and right for each of us individuals, blesses us with the appropriate earthly wealth and possessions. Above all He gives us what we need to sustain our daily lives and live in the fullness of His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. His promise is always that as His beloved and redeemed children in Jesus Christ, we will have everything we need, nothing more or less. The most important of those blessings from God is a restored relationship with Him through faith in Jesus Christ, our Savior from Sin and the Lord of our lives. To have a realistic attitude on life as God's children is to live life knowing we are always in the palm of God's hand and that, as Jesus promised, He will never leave us or forsake us.
Prayer: Father, I thank You and praise Your holy name for sending Jesus to take away the curse of Sin, death, Satan, and the Law. Help me to avoid the temptation to believe that my life in Christ should be one of ease and material prosperity. Help me to see that the greatest wealth I have is the forgiveness of my sins in Jesus, the faith You have given me by Your Word and Spirit, and the privilege and opportunity to live for You each day, sharing Your love in Christ in even the most trying of circumstances. Help me to remember my hope and reward is eternal life with You. Hear me, Father, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
********************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Friday, March 11, 2005
Christian: Always Depend On Prayer
"Today's Devotion" For March 11, 2005
Read: Matthew 7:7-12
Psalm 34
CHRISTIAN: ALWAYS DEPEND ON PRAYER
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will opened to you."(Mt. 7:7)
To live a truly Christian life and be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ is the most intense challenge any of God's people can face in this world. We live in a world that places so many obstacles to faith and faithfulness before us that it's a miracle that we can get through each day, much less a lifetime, without pushing God out of our lives. As I've watched, read, and listened to the new out of Iraq over the last week, I've wondered about the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health and well-being of those Marines and soldiers that have been finding the mass graves with decapitated bodies, including those of women and children. To think that those men aren't going to come home changed by such experiences would be purely foolish. As they continue to do their duty in a terrible situation, where can they turn for strength and solace? How can they gain the strength to carry out and stay "sane" in the face of the barbarism of war?
There is no greater blessing in such situations in life than to take it to the Lord in prayer. By the power of His Word and Spirit He sustains us in our faith. By that faith we are blessed to approach the throne of grace with our petitions, our needs, our fears, our hopes, and our dreams. The most important source of comfort and strength for our troops in the harsh circumstances of war is the gift of prayer. As our Lord Jesus Christ points out, the most important source of help in times of trial and tribulation is the opportunity to take it to the Lord in prayer. The promise of prayer for the faithful disciple is the same, whether we're in a war zone or right here at home. Our Lord Jesus assures us that we can, with complete confidence take every care, burden, horrible situation, and every other concern and need in our lives to our heavenly Father Who has made us His very own children in Christ. To ask, seek and knock is to approach the throne of grace with certainty that God will respond according to His promises.
As we face life in this world, whether in a war zone or our own backyard, we need to hear, over and over again, our Lord's own promise that our heavenly Father wants to give us only good things. In the face of intense struggles, fearful circumstances, threats of death, and anything else the world might place at our doorsteps, we can be certain that God will hear us and answer our every need according to His purpose and for our good. He may not answer as we'd like Him to answer. He may answer in a way that we find uncomfortable or not according to what we think is best. But no matter how our Father answers our prayers we can rest assured that His answer is always for the best in our lives. First and foremost of His blessings to us is the forgiveness of all our sins in Jesus. When we come to Him in despair, we are given hope. When we feel alone and lonely, without a friend in the world, we are reminded by our Father that we never walk alone, that Jesus walks with us all the way. And, as prayer brings us these good things, so also do we reflect God's goodness to us as we share that goodness with others. As He has so richly blessed us, we also are a blessing to others, giving and receiving as God has so richly blessed us. Thank God for His bountiful goodness which gives us all we need to overcome the dangers of this world and the temptations of sin in our lives.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for sharing the great gift of prayer with me. Knowing that I can come to the Father for anything and everything because of You is of great comfort and joy to me. I no longer feel alone or stuck with making spiritual decisions I am ill-equipped to make as a sinner. I know that I can call on my heavenly Father and He will help me through the challenges of life and the decisions I must make so that I do what is pleasing in His sight. Lord, as I remember those men and women serving in "harm's way" in Iraq, and experiencing the horrible, sinful depravity of war and man's inhumanity to man, lead me to lift them up before the Father in prayer. Be with them and give them the strength of faith to come to You in prayer, never doubting that they will receive strength, hope, courage, and peace in their conversations with You. Help me to also focus my prayers in behalf of others, so that they, too, might receive Your many good things. Hear me, dearest Lord Jesus for Your name's sake. Amen.
**********************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Read: Matthew 7:7-12
Psalm 34
CHRISTIAN: ALWAYS DEPEND ON PRAYER
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will opened to you."(Mt. 7:7)
To live a truly Christian life and be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ is the most intense challenge any of God's people can face in this world. We live in a world that places so many obstacles to faith and faithfulness before us that it's a miracle that we can get through each day, much less a lifetime, without pushing God out of our lives. As I've watched, read, and listened to the new out of Iraq over the last week, I've wondered about the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health and well-being of those Marines and soldiers that have been finding the mass graves with decapitated bodies, including those of women and children. To think that those men aren't going to come home changed by such experiences would be purely foolish. As they continue to do their duty in a terrible situation, where can they turn for strength and solace? How can they gain the strength to carry out and stay "sane" in the face of the barbarism of war?
There is no greater blessing in such situations in life than to take it to the Lord in prayer. By the power of His Word and Spirit He sustains us in our faith. By that faith we are blessed to approach the throne of grace with our petitions, our needs, our fears, our hopes, and our dreams. The most important source of comfort and strength for our troops in the harsh circumstances of war is the gift of prayer. As our Lord Jesus Christ points out, the most important source of help in times of trial and tribulation is the opportunity to take it to the Lord in prayer. The promise of prayer for the faithful disciple is the same, whether we're in a war zone or right here at home. Our Lord Jesus assures us that we can, with complete confidence take every care, burden, horrible situation, and every other concern and need in our lives to our heavenly Father Who has made us His very own children in Christ. To ask, seek and knock is to approach the throne of grace with certainty that God will respond according to His promises.
As we face life in this world, whether in a war zone or our own backyard, we need to hear, over and over again, our Lord's own promise that our heavenly Father wants to give us only good things. In the face of intense struggles, fearful circumstances, threats of death, and anything else the world might place at our doorsteps, we can be certain that God will hear us and answer our every need according to His purpose and for our good. He may not answer as we'd like Him to answer. He may answer in a way that we find uncomfortable or not according to what we think is best. But no matter how our Father answers our prayers we can rest assured that His answer is always for the best in our lives. First and foremost of His blessings to us is the forgiveness of all our sins in Jesus. When we come to Him in despair, we are given hope. When we feel alone and lonely, without a friend in the world, we are reminded by our Father that we never walk alone, that Jesus walks with us all the way. And, as prayer brings us these good things, so also do we reflect God's goodness to us as we share that goodness with others. As He has so richly blessed us, we also are a blessing to others, giving and receiving as God has so richly blessed us. Thank God for His bountiful goodness which gives us all we need to overcome the dangers of this world and the temptations of sin in our lives.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for sharing the great gift of prayer with me. Knowing that I can come to the Father for anything and everything because of You is of great comfort and joy to me. I no longer feel alone or stuck with making spiritual decisions I am ill-equipped to make as a sinner. I know that I can call on my heavenly Father and He will help me through the challenges of life and the decisions I must make so that I do what is pleasing in His sight. Lord, as I remember those men and women serving in "harm's way" in Iraq, and experiencing the horrible, sinful depravity of war and man's inhumanity to man, lead me to lift them up before the Father in prayer. Be with them and give them the strength of faith to come to You in prayer, never doubting that they will receive strength, hope, courage, and peace in their conversations with You. Help me to also focus my prayers in behalf of others, so that they, too, might receive Your many good things. Hear me, dearest Lord Jesus for Your name's sake. Amen.
**********************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Thursday, March 10, 2005
According To The Will Of God
"Today's Devotion" For March 10, 2005
Read: Matthew 26:36-46
Hebrews 10:1-18
ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD
"'My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may Your will be done.'"(Mt.26:42)
The history of the United States is marked by a rugged individualism and streak of intense independence. Personal freedom is at the heart of the republic's existence. Rugged individualism, intense independence, and personal freedom have been the hallmarks of the American psyche and dream. Our national documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution provide for the basis for a cultural atmosphere of free expression verbally, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. While there's a constant debate as to the origin these cultural expressions of freedom, historically it's hard to ignore that, at least for the United States, they are the very reason that Christians fled "the old country" in order to seek religious freedom, and all it's attendant freedoms, on the shores of the New World. One could make an argument for the fact that those who settled our shores wanted to be somewhere where they could believe and do what would make them happy.
In our day, that same desire to go our own way, make our own way, and accomplish things in our own way is still very much alive--even in spite of some folks' desire to make government bigger and more intrusive in people's lives. It's been the cultural history of the American people to make sacrifices for themselves and their families, sacrifices for the welfare of others in need of our assistance, and sacrifices for the nation, but they won't allow anyone to tell them what they should be doing.
What's at the heart of such thinking can be extremely dangerous in our relationships with others. While it might be dangerous to tell others that we'll do things in the way we think is best, it's even more dangerous spiritually, for we're also quite ready to tell God that we'll do things and believe things the way we think is best. Our sinful nature puts us at odds with God. From the moment Adam and Eve disobeyed God's Will in the Garden of Eden, all of humanity (not just us Americans) became embroiled in a feud with the Creator over whose will should be done. The enmity that exists by nature between us and God constitutes the single most dangerous situation in the life of every human being on the face of the earth. In the face of our disobedience and animosity toward God, He established a way for that enmity to be dispelled and His wrath toward Sin to be atoned. God's command that sacrifices be offered for sin, as an act of atonement, gave those who trusted Him the opportunity to be blessed by His grace, mercy, and forgiveness. In these faithful acts of atonement the relationship between God and His children grew, yet, even with this opportunity for forgiveness commanded by God, people still were disobedient to Him. Their will was not His Will, because His Will required obedience and faith.
In His infinite wisdom, His unfailing mercy, and His incredible grace and love, God took ever more definitive action. He sent His own Son, Jesus, the promised Messiah, to take up our cause, obey His Will perfectly in our place, as our Substitute, and suffer and die on the Cross in order to remove our sins from us. He came to bring us back to the Father. God's wrath over sin was to be His lot, as He was to bear the burden of the sins of the whole world for all times and places on His shoulders. In Gethsemane, Jesus' prayer reflects the pain and agony of that burden, and His hope that there could be, perhaps, another way. Trusting His Father totally, He recognized that the only way to go was the Father's way. His Will would be done and Jesus was always prepared to do so. In His obedience, we are saved. In His obedience, we are once more in our Father's loving arms. In His obedience, our sins are forgiven and we have the hope of heaven. In His obedience, we learn obedience and the prayer, "Your will be done." In that prayer is freedom, independence, hope, and peace. We are in the hands of God.
Prayer: Precious Lord Jesus Christ, You struggled mightily with the agony of the Father's wrath over Sin. Your disciples couldn't bear that agony and were unable to keep watch with You. I, too, am not able to "keep watch with You." The burden of sin and my willingness to be disobedient keep me from "watching with You." Yet, despite failing to watch with You, You still went to the Cross for me. You still took my sins upon Yourself. You paid the price I should pay for my sins. Lead me to follow Your example in praying, "Your Will be done." Help me to be obedient to the Father's Will and lead me to share Your tremendous sacrifice for sins with others. Hear my prayer, Lord Jesus. Amen.
****************************************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
Read: Matthew 26:36-46
Hebrews 10:1-18
ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD
"'My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may Your will be done.'"(Mt.26:42)
The history of the United States is marked by a rugged individualism and streak of intense independence. Personal freedom is at the heart of the republic's existence. Rugged individualism, intense independence, and personal freedom have been the hallmarks of the American psyche and dream. Our national documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution provide for the basis for a cultural atmosphere of free expression verbally, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. While there's a constant debate as to the origin these cultural expressions of freedom, historically it's hard to ignore that, at least for the United States, they are the very reason that Christians fled "the old country" in order to seek religious freedom, and all it's attendant freedoms, on the shores of the New World. One could make an argument for the fact that those who settled our shores wanted to be somewhere where they could believe and do what would make them happy.
In our day, that same desire to go our own way, make our own way, and accomplish things in our own way is still very much alive--even in spite of some folks' desire to make government bigger and more intrusive in people's lives. It's been the cultural history of the American people to make sacrifices for themselves and their families, sacrifices for the welfare of others in need of our assistance, and sacrifices for the nation, but they won't allow anyone to tell them what they should be doing.
What's at the heart of such thinking can be extremely dangerous in our relationships with others. While it might be dangerous to tell others that we'll do things in the way we think is best, it's even more dangerous spiritually, for we're also quite ready to tell God that we'll do things and believe things the way we think is best. Our sinful nature puts us at odds with God. From the moment Adam and Eve disobeyed God's Will in the Garden of Eden, all of humanity (not just us Americans) became embroiled in a feud with the Creator over whose will should be done. The enmity that exists by nature between us and God constitutes the single most dangerous situation in the life of every human being on the face of the earth. In the face of our disobedience and animosity toward God, He established a way for that enmity to be dispelled and His wrath toward Sin to be atoned. God's command that sacrifices be offered for sin, as an act of atonement, gave those who trusted Him the opportunity to be blessed by His grace, mercy, and forgiveness. In these faithful acts of atonement the relationship between God and His children grew, yet, even with this opportunity for forgiveness commanded by God, people still were disobedient to Him. Their will was not His Will, because His Will required obedience and faith.
In His infinite wisdom, His unfailing mercy, and His incredible grace and love, God took ever more definitive action. He sent His own Son, Jesus, the promised Messiah, to take up our cause, obey His Will perfectly in our place, as our Substitute, and suffer and die on the Cross in order to remove our sins from us. He came to bring us back to the Father. God's wrath over sin was to be His lot, as He was to bear the burden of the sins of the whole world for all times and places on His shoulders. In Gethsemane, Jesus' prayer reflects the pain and agony of that burden, and His hope that there could be, perhaps, another way. Trusting His Father totally, He recognized that the only way to go was the Father's way. His Will would be done and Jesus was always prepared to do so. In His obedience, we are saved. In His obedience, we are once more in our Father's loving arms. In His obedience, our sins are forgiven and we have the hope of heaven. In His obedience, we learn obedience and the prayer, "Your will be done." In that prayer is freedom, independence, hope, and peace. We are in the hands of God.
Prayer: Precious Lord Jesus Christ, You struggled mightily with the agony of the Father's wrath over Sin. Your disciples couldn't bear that agony and were unable to keep watch with You. I, too, am not able to "keep watch with You." The burden of sin and my willingness to be disobedient keep me from "watching with You." Yet, despite failing to watch with You, You still went to the Cross for me. You still took my sins upon Yourself. You paid the price I should pay for my sins. Lead me to follow Your example in praying, "Your Will be done." Help me to be obedient to the Father's Will and lead me to share Your tremendous sacrifice for sins with others. Hear my prayer, Lord Jesus. Amen.
****************************************************
--Pastor Boeck
Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.
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