THE LORD STILL WAITS

Isaiah 30:18  "Yet the Lord still waits for you to come to Him, so He can how you His love; He will conquer you to bless you, just as He said. Blessed are all those who wait for Him to help them." The Living Bible

MISUSE OF LEISURE

"Leisure is a gift of God, but in our sin we often take the good things God gives us & use them in the wrong way. Make no mistake:  'The flesh is weak' (Matt. 26:41). In our weakness, leisure easily becomes a perversion of God's intent, & we make it an end in itself rather than a means of restoration in the midst of doing the good works that God has prepared for us to do. The Scriptures warn us about ways that we misuse leisure or make it the goal of life rather than keeping it in its rightful place as an aid to our earthly labors:  idleness, gluttony, self-indulgence, drunkenness, decadence, luxury, shallow entertainment, laziness &, worst of all, spiritual complacency. 'Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense' (Prov. 12:11) . . . 

"Ultimately, we will find ourselves perfectly at leisure as we rest from our labors in Christ Jesus. On the Last Day, He will call us out of our graves into a time of eternal refreshment. As the hymn 'Behold a Host, Arrayed in White' portrays it, the saints of God who labored in this life will, 'Now enjoy the Sabbath rest, The heav'nly banquet of the blest; The Lamb, their Lord, At festive board Himself is host & guest.'" (LSB 676:2) Rev. Michael Schuermann, The Lutheran Witness, May 2021

A COMMITTED FATHER

"A boy who has a father who is committed to his mother will have a tremendous advantage when he becomes a husband. He will have an intuitive understanding that his commitment in marriage is not a right to be happy, but to demonstrate a willingness to be responsible. Even when it's inconvenient. Even when it crowds out his personal happiness." Steve Farrar, Men's Devotional Bible

LIFE THOUGHTS FOR THE CHURCH YEAR

"The sanctity of every human life involves far more than personal choices or political issues. We have the chance to snatch sisters & brothers from destruction (Jude 23) in the epic battle between good & evil. And the Lord's Words do not require our anger to prevail (Ps. 93:4), so let us engage every neighbor with mercy to untangle their confusion (Jude 22). Receive them as gifts & treat them as privileges just like our Father treasures us." Grace Lutheran Church Bulletin

STEWARDSHIP CORNER

"Jesus said, 'Whoever would be great among you must be your servant' (Mark 10:43). Servanthood is not a natural inclination for most of us. We have an inborn desire to be served, even to be exalted. This desire is promoted by the society in which we live, but it is contrary to Christ's desire for us & the example He left for us. He desires that we, as He did, set aside our own wants to serve others' needs, &, 'By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, & the generosity of your contribution for them & for all others' (2 Cor. 9:13)." Grace Lutheran Church Bulletin

WHEN TRIALS COME

"When trials come & God seems silent, you can still be sure that He is present. If He wasn't, then He wouldn't be God. By His very nature He knows everything (He's omniscient) & He is everywhere (He's omnipresent). The God Guy knows His God, so he knows that no matter how things look or feel, everything is well. He trusts that when he looks for God, he will find Him & that if he trusts God, the Father will bring him only what is good for him." Michael DiMarco, Devotions for the God Guy

A HYMN FOR TODAY

In Christ Alone

"In Christ alone my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song. This Cornerstone, this solid ground, firm through the fiercest drought & storm. What heights of love, what depth of peace when fears are stilled when strivings cease. My Comforter, my All in All. Here in the love of Christ I stand.

"In Christ alone, who took on flesh, fullness of God in helpless babe. This gift of love & righteousness, scorned by the ones He came to save, 'til on that cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied, for ev'ry sin on Him was laid. Here in the death of Christ I live.

"There in the ground His body lay, Light of the world, by darkness slain. Then bursting forth in glorious day, up from the grave He rose again. And as He stands in victory, sin's curse has lost its grip on me, for I am His & He is mine, bought with the precious blood of Christ.

"No guilt in life, no fear in death; this is the pow'r of Christ in me. From life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny. No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from His hand. 'Til He returns or calls me home, here in the pow'r of Christ I stand."