Daily Devotions

During the Lenten season, members of Faith Lutheran Church have written our daily devotions.  Today’s writer is Kathy Patrick.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. ²Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

³“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.⁴“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ⁵“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. ⁶“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. ⁷“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. ⁸“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. ⁹“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. ¹⁰“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Matthew 5:1-11

Blessed are you when nothing goes the way you expect, when no one expects you amount to anything much, when nothing about your life meets the world’s expectations for power, wealth, or status.  When you expect nothing—and seem to amount to nothing—then you are blessed.  Huh? 

In this passage, as in so many of his teachings, Jesus turns our expectations upside down.  By setting out blessings, Jesus implicitly names as sin the shimmering, glittering, empty promises of the world.  Jesus’ blessings remind us of what is broken:  he calls us to repent of making idols of the world’s expectations and our own.  Jesus calls blessed the circumstances and predicaments in which we have no choice but to rely on God alone.  And we tremble and flinch at his words, because this is not who we are. 

Let us pray:  Lord, help me surrender to your will for my life.  Show me that “my” gifts are not mine, but yours.  Remind me that “my” work is not mine, but yours.  Bless me with the understanding that “my” life is not mine, but wholly and only yours.  Give me the blessing of relying always, and only, on your love and your grace.  In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

During the Lenten season, members of Faith Lutheran Church have written our daily devotions.  Today’s writer is Stephanie Huwyler.

¹⁶As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen.¹⁷And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” ¹⁸And immediately they left their nets and followed him. ¹⁹As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. ²⁰Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him. Mark 1:16-20

The disciples were going about their business, doing what they did every day; mending nets, casting them into the sea, and hauling them back again in the hopes of a catch. And this man comes along and says to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.”

“Immediately, they left their nets and followed him,” they left behind their ways, security, and family to follow this man on the strength of a promise. Ok leaving behind a comfortable living to become a fisher of men would be hard for me. To let go of what I have and trust someone I hardly knew to follow their ways would scare me a little. I wouldn’t know what to do, say, or even how to act. After a while I would realize, “Hey, I’m doing something great for others and I like following this stranger preaching the good news.”

Jesus molds us to follow his ways and share his work of redemption and reconciliation. As we cast our nets in our daily lives of faith, we could be doing something simple as inviting a friend to church with us.

Let us pray:  Dear God, Guide us to follow your ways and teach those in need of your guidance that you may show them to become fishers of men. In your name we pray, Amen.

During the Lenten season, members of Faith Lutheran Church have written our daily devotions. Today’s writer is Gina Castillo.

⁹In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.¹¹And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” ¹²And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. ¹³He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

¹⁴Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, ¹⁵and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” Mark 1:9-15

When we join God’s family, we believe that we are safe. There is usually a celebration, with all the bells and whistles. God is pleased but Satan is not. He watches and waits in the darkness. We are sent out into the world and life goes on. We go to school, do our homework, follow the rules, come to church or put in a good day at the office. Life is good! And just when we think we have it all together, Satan peeks in. (He loves to crash a good party) The ‘wild animals’ appear and try to steer us in the wrong direction. “Go ahead”, you think to yourself. “Skip that class, you don’t need to study for that test”, or “Call in sick to work today, you need a day off!”

The balloons have popped and the bells aren’t ringing. Temptation is upon us and Satan is pleased. God watches from the light. Then the Holy Spirit whispers, in his still small voice, “It is your choice now.” What will you choose? Will God be pleased?

We are always safe when we keep our eyes on the prize, our Lord God. When we listen to that still quiet voice, the Holy Spirit, and when we walk hand and hand with our Savior Jesus! Believe the good news!

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, I often get tempted as I travel through life. I pray that when the Holy Spirit whispers to my soul that I listen and It guides me to make the right choices even when I am thrown into situations where I am unsure or afraid. Please remind me to remain strong in my faith and remember that I am safe, that He is always with me, that He loves me and I please Him. In Jesus name I pray. Amen

During the Lenten season, members of Faith Lutheran Church have written our daily devotions. Today’s writer is Kendolyn Pope.

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. ²When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. ³For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. ⁴Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life. ⁵Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; ⁶I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth—⁷everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” Isaiah 43:1-7

On a Wednesday last October, I went in for a routine ultrasound and ended up delivering my baby through an emergency C-section an hour later. She was very sick. She had heart surgery at 12 days old and remained in the NICU for one month. Those were scary days, days when I felt that I was passing through deep waters and being burned by fire all at the same time. Seeing my 4 pound baby in pain and connected to so many machines overwhelmed me and constituted the hardest of trials. But God . . .  

As a person of Faith, I knew that God was in the NICU. While I was often scared by what the doctors told me, I knew that God would not let us down. My baby is not only precious to me but is precious to God, so He keeps her safe even now. While there are moments as a new mom when fear peaks in, God commands us, “Do not be afraid . . .” and I work every day to live as He commands.    

Let us pray: God, thank you for the reassurance that you are with us and that you will always protect us. Help us to find peace in knowing that you are near even during our darkest hours.   In Jesus’ name. Amen.

During the Lenten season, members of Faith Lutheran Church have written our daily devotions.  Today’s writer is Greg Funchess.

⁹And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. ¹⁰Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” ¹¹So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” ¹²And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them. Nehemiah 8:9-12

Has Sunday become not such a fun day?

Is the holy day a go out and eat guacamole day?

Do we sometimes get lost in thoughts,

leaving our stomach’s in knots,

searching for something that is pointlessly sought?

Are there times of doubt,

washed down with a stout?

We all do this I bet,

but we must not forget,

that Sunday is the Lord’s day,

a day to go out and play.

We need not be sad,

rather we should be glad,

for this is a day to celebrate,

a day to commemorate,

the life of Christ.

Let us pray:  Heavenly Father, let your joy fill me and give me strength to release my burdens, trusting you to guide the way. Lord let your love fill me and work through me to be a blessing for others in need. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

During the Lenten season, members of Faith Lutheran Church have written our daily devotions. Today’s writer is Greg and Staci DeKunder.

¹⁶The people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.¹⁷They offered at the dedication of this house of God one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. ¹⁸Then they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their courses for the service of God at Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of Moses. Ezra 6:16-18

In the preceding verses, the King ordered a search for old documents decreeing that the temple in Jerusalem be rebuilt. After finding the scrolls, the leaders made certain that the construction was completed according to the specifications outlined in the historical documents. Upon completion, the people celebrated with joy, and obediently dedicated the temple to God through worship as taught by Moses.

During the four years that our family lived in Belgium, we were blessed with the opportunity to visit many beautiful cathedrals. One of our favorites is the unfinished cathedral La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain. Construction began in 1882, and completion is predicted for the mid 2020’s. Despite the fact that construction is in progress, the cathedral is amazing to behold. The facades tell the nativity and crucifixion stories in incredible detail through Gaudi’s architecture and sculptures. Inside, the beautiful stained glass windows and soaring arches filled us with awe. Seeing the cathedral evoked feelings of joy, gratitude and humility. I can only imagine that the people of Jerusalem felt these same emotions. Verses 16 – 18 remind us to worship joyfully and with obedience. A wonderful reminder as we prepare for holy week and the most joyous resurrection.

Let us pray: Dear God, It is with gratitude that we prepare our hearts and minds to journey through holy week to Christ’s resurrection. May we be filled with joy and obedience to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

During the Lenten season, members of Faith Lutheran Church have written our daily devotions. Today’s writer is Paul Hodde.

¹⁵When our enemies heard that their plot was known to us, and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. ¹⁶From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and body-armor; and the leaders posted themselves behind the whole house of Judah, ¹⁷who were building the wall. The burden bearers carried their loads in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and with the other held a weapon.¹⁸And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. ¹⁹And I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread out, and we are separated far from one another on the wall. ²⁰Rally to us wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet. Our God will fight for us.” Nehemiah 4:15-20

In the text, Nehemiah and the Israelites are constructing a wall in order to defend themselves. Just as each one of them had a role in the wall building process, so do we have a role in our faith life. Each role may vary, but they are all necessary for the greater good. In order for the wall to be great, each person has to fulfill their role to the best of their ability with an understanding that every portion is vital, and able to hear the trumpet.

By knowing that we our connected through Christ, our goal of building the wall becomes easier. It is always important to keep the common goal in mind so that when the trumpet sounds, the Lord with be present with you.

Let us pray: Dear God, please let us to keep on the path that you wish for us to follow. Allow us to fulfill our roles in order to contribute for the greater good and unsure that we will hear the call that you send out whenever that time may be. We ask all these things in your name, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

During the Lenten season, members of Faith Lutheran Church have written our daily devotions.  Today’s writer is Jimmy Zunker.

¹⁰When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments were stationed to praise the Lord with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, according to the directions of King David of Israel; ¹¹and they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.” And all the people responded with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. ¹²But many of the priests and Levites and heads of families, old people who had seen the first house on its foundations, wept with a loud voice when they saw this house, though many shouted aloud for joy, ¹³so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted so loudly that the sound was heard far away. Ezra 3:10-13

The Jewish people have returned home after 70 years in captivity and are rebuilding the temple. These verses describe the celebration after laying the foundation of the temple.  They anticipate having a place to come together and worship God as a community of believers.  The temple was not finished but the basic structure enabled them to hold a worship service. Worship was an important part of their heritage and they looked forward to being able to worship God in the temple as their ancestors had done. The people sang, shouted praises and gave thanks to God proclaiming His goodness and mercy. We also sing, praise and give thanks to God when we come together to worship each Sunday.

Some people wept because the new temple was not as splendid as Solomon’s temple but the joyful shouts covered the weeping so it could not be distinguished.  This reminds us that it is not the building that is important but rather the worship that takes place in the building.  Worship of God was important to the Jewish people and worship is also an important part of our heritage.  Worship of God is one of our core strategies in accomplishing our mission of following Jesus in blessing the world with faith, hope and love.

Let us pray:  Lord, we praise you and thank you for our place of worship and the freedom we have to gather together as a community of believers.  We thank you for your everlasting love.  In Jesus’ name. Amen.

During the Lenten season, members of Faith Lutheran Church have written our daily devotions.  Today’s writer is Joye Roll.

¹⁰For thus says the Lord: Only when Babylon’s seventy years are completed will I visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. ¹¹For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. ¹²Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. ¹³When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, ¹⁴I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. Jeremiah 29:10-14

We all know this verse – For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.  It is often quoted as a reminder that God has great plans for us especially when we are facing difficult circumstances in our lives.  However, the context of the verse shows us that it is not a promise to each of us to have a life full of blessings.

God is telling the exiled Jews living in Babylon that they will have 70 years of captivity.  While in captivity, they are to be rooted and build new lives, seeking the welfare of their new cities and neighbors.  But while doing this, they are to remember that God has a plan – one that will not leave them alone or in exile. They must pray, seek and obey God, and God will gather them together again. 

What do these verses mean for us today? We are to be blessings wherever we are. In our difficult times, when we feel like we are in exile, God will be with us.   We should seek him with all our hearts.  Above all we live with a different covenant than the Jewish exiles Jeremiah was writing to.  Jesus promised us life eternal with God himself, never to be separated. 

Let us pray:  Heavenly Father, we know our future with you will be wondrous beyond earthly understanding.  Until then, help us to live as blessings to others.   Help us to seek a relationship with you.  Be with each of us when our lives here on earth are difficult and surround us with your love and your peace.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

During the Lenten season, members of Faith Lutheran Church have written our daily devotions.  Today’s writers are Jon and Nancy Holmes.

⁸Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Because you have not obeyed my words, ⁹I am going to send for all the tribes of the north, says the Lord, even for King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all these nations around; I will utterly destroy them, and make them an object of horror and of hissing, and an everlasting disgrace. ¹⁰And I will banish from them the sound of mirth and the sound of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. ¹¹This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. Jeremiah 25:8-11

Wow!  This Prophecy of Jeremiah is harsh to say the least!

It is not always easy to do what God wants us to do.  We want what we want and obedience is difficult.  Sometimes God grabs our attention in ways we do not like.  As parents our authority is tested by our children.  Limits and punishments are set so we can help them learn to “do the right thing”.  We wonder if God feels as frustrated with his children, as parents sometimes feel with their own children.

We are so thankful that God forgives us and will give us as many chances as we need.                        As human parents it is not that easy.  Our patience is pushed to its limits.  We feel like they will never “get it”.  But we know love is what helps all of us deal with the harshness of punishing our kids.  God’s ability to love is always there.  His love endures forever. Jesus gave up his life on the cross to show us this.

 Through the cross grace is given.  Forgiveness is given.  Love is given.

Let us pray: God, Thank you for giving us the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ.  Because of him we are confident you will help us understand what it means to do the right thing.  Help us be obedient to your word.  To remember to forgive as you have forgiven us.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.