CONSCIENCE

"We're thirsty for a clean conscience. We crave a clean slate. We yearn for a fresh start. We pray for a hand which will enter the dark cavern of our world & do for us the one thing we can't do for ourselves--make us right again." Max Lucado, Men's Devotional Bible

CHASTITY

"Chastity is not sexual abstinence. It is not an unnatural suppression of God-given desires. Chastity is not a virtue limited to young people or the unmarried. Chastity is not a vestige of a bygone era. Chastity is not suppression of sexuality. Chastity is the practice of rightly embracing the fullness of one's bodily self in a way that honors God & cares for the neighbor. In other words, chastity is thinking about & using one's body, particularly the sexual aspect of that body, in a way that lives out the will of God for our sexuality & personhood.

"Implicit in this understanding is the appreciation of the integral part that one's sexuality plays in personal identity. We are individually the people God creates us to be, each one defined by the peculiar characteristics of personality intelligence, physical traits, proclivities & assorted talents, all of which work with our environment & upbringing to shape us into the particular person we are. And preeminent in that array of factors is the fundamental & defining reality of one's sex. God created man in His image as male & female. Sex is not incidental but essential to individual human identity . . . 

"Sex matters a lot! Sex binds a man & a woman in the profound relationship of marriage that not only serves those two, but provides the foundation for all of society & extends the right working of God's creation through space & time.

"Chastity, then, acknowledges the sacred importance of sex & the wonder of the physical, in-the-flesh reality of our individual identity. It celebrates the joy of being God's creature integrally fitted into His creation for that creation's flourishing. Chastity is not an invasive infringement on individual personhood. it is not some prudish curtailment of happiness & personal fulfillment. It is the opposite. Chastity is the celebration of God's gift of vibrant life & confidently trusts in His promise to bring all of His creation, including one of us, to the complete fullness of His eternal design for the universe. To live chastely is to live celebrating God's creation." Joel Biermann The Lutheran Witness, Jan. 2021

A HYMN OF STEWARDSHIP

Some of you know that I write, primarily devotions, for Orphan Grain Train, a world-wide relief agency that is headquartered in Norfolk, NE. We ship relief supplies--food, clothing, medical supplies, school supplies, hygiene kits, & more--to a host of international & domestic locations. As I was doing my daily quiet time this afternoon, I happened upon this hymn:  "Lord of Glory, You Have Bought Us," LW #402. As I read it, I thought it would make a good anthem not just for Orphan Grain Train but for all Christians. 

St. 1:  Lord of glory, You have bought us, With Your lifeblood as the price. Never grudging for the lost ones That tremendous sacrifice; And with that have freely given Blessings countless as the sand To th' unthankful & the evil With Your own unsparing hand.

St. 2:  Grant us hearts, dear Lord, to give You Gladly, freely of Your own. With the sunshine of Your goodness Melt our thankless hearts of stone Till our cold & selfish natures, Warmed by You, at length believe That more happy & more blessed 'Tis to give than to receive.

St. 3:  Wondrous honor You have given To our humblest charity In Your own mysterious sentence, "You have done it all to Me." Can it be, O gracious Masters, That You deign for alms to sue, Saying by Your poor & needy, "Give as I have giv'n to you"?

St. 4:  Yes, the sorrow & the suff'rings Which on ev'ry hand we view Channels are for gifts & off'rings Due by solemn right to You; Right of which we may not rob You, Debt we may not choose but pay Lest that face of love & pity Turn from us another day.

St. 5:  Lord of glory, You have bought us With Your lifeblood as the price, Never grudging for the lost ones That tremendous sacrifice. Give us faith to trust You boldly, Hope, to stay our souls on You; But, oh, best of all Your graces, With Your love our love renew.