TDP: January 29;
Original Broadcast: Thursday; 2009-01-29;
2 Timothy 1:8-11;
'Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, (2 Timothy 1:8-11, ESV)
These words were written by St. Paul to a young pastor named Timothy. He tells him not to be ashamed of the testimony about Jesus. These days there are many preachers who never speak about Jesus. Instead they talk about things and ways that people become right with God by doing good things. That isn't the "holy calling" Paul is talking about. Preachers are to preach about Jesus. Paul suffered for preaching Jesus Christ crucified for the forgiveness of sinful men. He wanted Timothy to preach the same good news. No message is more important. No other message is worth suffering for. Jesus Christ abolishes death for you. He died on the cross to bring you forgiveness of sin and rose again to give you the promise of eternal life. There is never a time in your life when you don't need to hear this message.
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, give us faithful preachers who preach Jesus Christ. Amen.
Devo ID: 84
(0 ratings) TDP: January 28;
Original Broadcast: Wednesday; 2009-01-28;
Romans 16:17-19;
'I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. (Romans 16:17-19, ESV)
Doctrine divides. That's what you hear these days. The thought is that if we don't insist on a common set of beliefs and teachings we can get along. God's Word doesn't agree. The only source of unity in the church is based on what we believe, teach and confess. Paul insists that those who refuse to acknowledge what the bible teaches are only out for their own benefit. They are the ones who are causing division, not those who are faithful to what the bible teaches. The news is full of examples of so-called Christian leaders who publically deny what scripture says is true. Paul warns us to avoid them. We are to be innocent of what is evil. He means to say that we are not to participate with those who deny God's Word openly. Instead we are to be wise to what is good. We serve God when we keep our lives inline with God's Word.
Let us pray: Dearest Jesus, keep us faithful to all you have taught us. Amen.
Devo ID: 83
(0 ratings) TDP: January 23;
Original Broadcast: Tuesday; 2009-01-27;
Roman 12:9-11;
'Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. (Romans 12:9-16a, ESV)
It's a laundry list of good things. God's Word not only tells us what to do but it says "be genuine!" That means we are to do these things with our whole heart. According to God, doing good on the outside isn't enough. We have to have our heart in it, too. It's hard to do... no, actually it is impossible. Our own self interest gets in the way. We pretend to be genuine when we look to impress others, or hope for some favor in return. We do to others so that they do to us. If only we could be genuine! If only we could serve completely for the sake of others. Our sinful hearts betray us to sin. Sin is death. Jesus is life. His blood shed on the cross cleanses the sin from the things we do. So we serve... in spite of our sin. We serve when our hearts are in it... and when they are not. We serve for the benefit of our neighbor. We serve and trust Jesus to forgive the sin that is always present.
Let us pray: Savior, when I serve, forgive my sin that my neighbor may receive the full benefit. Amen.
Devo ID: 82
(0 ratings) TDP: January 26;
Original Broadcast: Monday; 2009-01-26;
Romans 15:1-4;
'We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me." For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Romans 15:1-4, ESV)
St. Paul tells us that our Lord Jesus Christ suffered "reproach." The word reproach means to be the cause of a problem, or to be blamed for one. Jesus took our reproach, our blame. He became sin, that is he suffered as the cause and the problem of sin. He didn't do this for his own advantage, he did it first to do God's will, to please God, and then he did it for us. This is what the cross of Jesus is all about; Jesus suffering for us, taking our sin, our punishment, our blame. We are now free to live God's way, instead of ours. What Jesus did is a pattern for our Christian life. In all we do we are to do God's will first, then we are to serve the needs of those God has set around us. We don't do this to earn anything from God, but in response to God's love for us in Jesus.
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, keep us mindful of your will for our lives. Amen.
Devo ID: 81
(0 ratings) TDP: January 23;
Original Broadcast: Friday; 2009-01-23;
Romans 12:1-2;
'I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2, ESV)
Do not be conformed to this world, St. Paul tells us. There is much to avoid. The world is deformed. Sin abounds everywhere. We are to test and test again to see what inline with God's will. But we don't test by what is in our hearts, they are sin-sick. We test by comparing things to God's Word. Our hearts deceive us. That's why St. Paul says to be transformed by a renewal. God's Word does just that. It shows us our sin of thought, word and deed. It shows us what is good and acceptable and perfect. It shows us our Savior Jesus. Jesus is all that for us. We are all too often conformed to the sinful world. God transforms us through the message of Jesus. His life, death and resurrection are for the forgiveness of our sinful hearts. That good news transforms us.
Let us pray: Dearest Jesus, transform my sinful heart with your Word. Amen.
Devo ID: 80
(0 ratings) TDP: January 22;
Original Broadcast: Thursday; 2009-01-22;
Joel 2:12-13;
'"Yet even now," declares the Lord, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments." Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. (Joel 2:12-13, ESV)
This is repentance, turning to God with nothing to offer nothing but our sin. It seems backward. We would rather offer God the good things we've done. The trouble is, we don't do things good enough. The problem is in our hearts. They so quickly fail us even when we do good things. We can't keep the selfish away. We can't help wondering what credit we are going to get. We can't help comparing our works with others. The problem is that sin lives deep in our hearts, and we can't get it out. That's what's up with this very picture here. We turn to God with our hearts split open. We give to God our sin that is there. "God, I can't make it clean. Make it clean for me!" He is gracious and merciful. He sent Jesus to shed his blood on the cross for the sin in your heart. His sinless blood makes your sinful heart clean.
Let us pray: Mine is the sin, but Thine the righteousness; Mine is the guilt, but Thine the cleansing blood; Here is my robe, my refuge, and my peace: Thy blood, Thy righteousness, O Lord my God. Amen. (LSB 631)
Devo ID: 79
(0 ratings) TDP: January 21;
Original Broadcast: Wednesday; 2009-01-21;
Romans 10:14-17;
'How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:14-17, ESV)
Actually feet are rarely beautiful. Toe fungus, dry skin, broken nails, and the like. It's because they spend all day inside a shoe. But God calls the feet of those who bring the good news of Jesus beautiful. They are beautiful because of the message that is carried by them. The message is so good, in fact, that even ugly feet are beautiful. They are because God has chosen to send them, in spite of their looks, to carry the message. People hear the message and believe it. People who hear it and believe it call out to God in faith. So what is this message that makes ugly feet beautiful? The world is full of death and suffering. It is our fault. In all we think, do and say we reject God by not living perfectly. We deserve God's punishment. God came in Jesus Christ and lived a perfect human life. He suffers our punishment on the cross, dies and comes alive again. His death is for our punishment. God says we are no longer guilty. We live forever with God because of Jesus. This is God's beautiful feet message to you. Heavenly Father, send beautiful feet everywhere. Amen.
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, send beautiful feet everywhere. Amen.
Devo ID: 78
(0 ratings) TDP: January 20;
Original Broadcast: Tuesday; 2009-01-20;
Romans 9:30-33;
'What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written, "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." (Romans 9:30-33, ESV)
Here we are again hearing about the difference between works and faith. St. Paul tells us that those who try to achieve righteousness by working at doing good fail. He says those who did not go after righteousness have gotten it but those who try to work it out have missed it. He is simply telling us about ourselves. We cannot work our way into God's favor. We can't do enough good works to make up for our sin. Instead, he says that righteousness comes by faith. "Whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." He's talking about Jesus. Jesus is the stumbling stone. This is so because we can't have righteousness any other way. He gives to us his perfectly lived life as a completely free gift. When we reject this gift by trying to earn righteousness ourselves we sin greatly. We received forgiveness, that is, we are made righteous, only through faith in what Jesus does for us.
Let us pray: Dearest Jesus, keep me focused on your life, death and resurrection for my salvation. Amen.
Devo ID: 77
Standard Podcasts [00:02:09m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (150)(0 ratings) TDP: January 19;
Original Broadcast: Monday; 2009-01-19;
Romans 9:6-8;
'They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. (Romans 9:4-5, ESV)
This passage points out a very important thing about Jesus. He was born, an ethnic human being. And yet is called "God over all." Here in this very short passage we see a truth about Jesus that is difficult to understand. Jesus is man and yet Jesus is God. You can't divide him up. He isn't part man part God but completely and totally both. This is important because we need a human being and God to save us. Only a human keeping God's law perfectly can keep it perfectly for other human beings. And only a perfect human being can substitute for sinful human beings on the cross. But also, only God can be enough of a substitute to pay for the sins of the whole world. And only God, himself, can live life without breaking the law. This is Jesus for you, God and man together in one person. This is Jesus for you, dying on the cross for your sin and rising again for new life.
Let us pray: Jesus, God over all, thank you for becoming human, for me. Amen.
Devo ID: 76
Standard Podcasts [00:02:03m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (157)(0 ratings) p>TDP: January 16;
Original Broadcast: Friday; 2009-01-16;
Romans 7:15-25a;
'For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. ... Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:15-25a, ESV)
These are the words of Saint Paul describing what his life is like. He struggles with sin. He does things he doesn't want to do. He doesn't do things he knows he should do. He hates the struggle. He wants to live life according to God's Word. The thing is he is talking about every Christian. We all struggle against sin. We all fail, over and over again. Yet, we want to do better. We try to do better. It is a wretched state of affairs. Paul asks the important question: Who will save me? It is Jesus. I am forgiven but I struggle because sin is still present in me. God is at work. Through his law he shows me my sin. Through the Good News of Jesus he gives me forgiveness. In this struggle I see more clearly every day, the great gift I have in Jesus.
Let us pray: Forgiving Father, in my struggle against sin help me to see your forgiveness. Amen.
Devo ID: 75
Standard Podcasts [00:02:13m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (152)(0 ratings) 
