STRENGTH & SALVATION

"But to us, O Lord, be merciful, for we have waited for You. Be our strength each day & our salvation in time of trouble." Is. 33:2, The Living Bible

GOD TURNS TOWARD US

"Sometimes people treat a relationship with God like a hunt for a gold nugget. As long as I collect a few mountaintop moments, I should be set, right? But the truth is, our whole life long, God is turning toward us in Jesus. Through His life & teaching, through His death on the cross & resurrection from the dead, Jesus won a great treasure--gold-standard forgiveness, love, & commitment. And by the Holy Spirit, He is turning toward us." Rev. Michael Zeigler, The Lutheran Layman, Fall 2021

UNDER RECONSTRUCTION

"The rule is this:  Christians are people who remember their own weaknesses & failure. They are under reconstruction. So they offer hope & forgiveness to people who fall & who need Jesus' healing grace & hope." Donald Joy, Men's Devotional Bible

WHERE IS THE CHURCH?

"Against our current relativistic doubt, our Lutheran Confessions state: 'We do say that this Church exists:  truly believing & righteous people scattered throughout the whole world. We add the marks:  the pure teaching of the Gospel & the Sacraments.' In other words, the true church with true saints can be found in the world, namely, where we find the voice of Christ with His gifts of forgiveness given & received, & the saints of God abiding in love with one another, wherever & whenever that may happen. Unlike the cynic who doubts that there is a true church or that the truth of God can be known or that anyone truly possesses the pure Christian confession, Lutherans boldly confess the one, holy Christian church. They do not compromise or lower the doctrinal standards of Holy Scripture to bring about some kind of man-made unity." Jason Lane, The Lutheran Witness, June/July 2021

THE GIFT OF AUTHORITY

"The human heart is wild & lawless. And since we have wild hearts, we love when there is no authority over top of us--we love anarchy. And anarchy loves to see the world burn. That is why the Lord blesses societies with the gift of authority . . . 

But who is our authority? The Lord has seen fit to institute fathers, mothers, police officers, judges, the military, teachers, pastors, legal guardians, employers, & government officials to be our authority. What this means is that those in authority are gifts to us. They are gifts to protect us from our own wild heart & from other people's wild hearts. And that is why we pray for those in authority & thank God for making these people His representatives one earth--representatives who work for peace."  Matthew Richard, Minute Messages:  Gospel-Filled Devotions for Every Occasion

JOY

"The fear of the Lord leads to a joy that must be expressed back to Him. Experience more of God by learning more about Him." Michael DiMarco, Devotions for the God Guy