FOOD FOR OUR SOULS

Jeremiah 15:16 "Your words are what sustain me; they are food to my hungry soul. They bring joy to my sorrowing heart & delight me. How proud I am to bear Your name, O Lord." The Living Bible

COMMENDING TO CHRIST

"'Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints' (Ps. 116:15). Although not the most quoted of Scripture verses, God's people should cling to it earnestly, because we do not live for this world--we live for eternity. The Lord desires above all things that we be saved. He is not ultimately concerned with our wealth, education or health. If we possess all these things but lack the righteousness of Christ, we are a sad & vain people. Our God desires that we be saved, & so He is most concerned with our faith our forgiveness & our death in His sight. When we die as the people of God in Christ Jesus, we die a glorious death because the Church Triumphant has grown." Mark Taylor, The Lutheran Witness, Sept. 2021

CHURCH & CULTURE

"Modern-day thinkers have built a thoroughly humanistic worldview . . . The result? God has been dismissed as the essential cause of all things. This includes the removal of His Law & His moral authority. The theory of evolution moved philosophy & science to view life as the random result of chance events instead of God's speaking & creating. In evolutionary theory, the family, the state, the church & notions of morality are human constructs that have resulted from myth, power, environment, chance & the will to survive.

"Much of what we see today in society results from [such] philosophies & teachings that . . . elevate humanity & hereby eliminate God & His Law. Man has become his own god. Without God's Word, humanity finds morality in temporary constructs that may be adjusted to current circumstances. If there is no God, human life has no necessary, inherent or eternal value. A billion human lives have been sacrificed by abortion, a human 'right' promoted by policies & governments Some have killed babies as part of an international effort to 'save the planet' from overpopulation, while animal suffering, death & extinction is opposed as great evil. Without God, humans decide the value, or lack thereof, of life. When mankind is not viewed as made in the image of God, human life has no more value than that of an animal." Rev. Matthew Harrison, Reporter, May 2022

SUFFERING LOVE

"To believe in Christ's rising & death's dying is also to live with the power & the challenge to rise up now from all our dark graves of suffering love." Nicholas Wolterstorff, Men's Devotional Bible

LIFE THOUGHTS IN THE CHURCH YEAR

"Don't abortion & physician-assisted suicide call common--or worse--what God the Lord made precious (Acts 11:9)? And should the transitory sorrows of surprise pregnancy or terminal diagnosis blind us to the joy & hope He has invested in every human being (John 16:21)? May our witness to the sanctity of all human lives begin to wipe away the tears from all eyes (Rev. 21:4) with the Gospel of Christ's salvation." Grace Lutheran Church Bulletin

GOD CAN USE ANYTHING

"God can use anything that has happened to you for good. He promises it (see Rom. 8:28). If you have something in your life that is horrible, something that has happened to you that you can't seem to get over or find any redemption in, don't ask 'Why me?' Ask 'What glory now?' Trust that God will lift you out of the ashes of destruction to glory. Trust that He'll never fail you & that what He wants is perfect." Michael DiMarco, Devotions for the God Guy

THE PROPER WORK OF THE GOSPEL

"It is the proper work of the Gospel--as the Word of life, grace, & salvation--to release us from sin, death, & the devil. In harmony with this fruit, the fruits of the Spirit then follow, works such patience, love, faithfulness, etc." A Year in the Gospels with Martin Luther

A PRAYER FOR STATE OFFICIALS

"Gracious God, heavenly Father, You have revealed in Your Word that rule & authority in government are in keeping with You divine order. Keep our state officials mindful, I pray You, of the sacred trust which You have committed to their care by using them, as officers of the state to carry out Your plans. Give them wisdom & understanding that they may perform the duties of their offices for the good of their fellow citizens. Grant them Your grace that they may never use their offices to enrich themselves nor to serve selfish interests. Hear my prayer, & lead them in the paths or righteousness in which You would have hem walk, for the good of our state & for Your name's sake. In Jesus' name. Amen." Adapted from My Prayer Book

AN EASTER HYMN

Long before the World Is Waking (LSB #485, Sts. 4 & 5)

Christ is risen! Grief & sighing, Sins & sorrows, fall behind; Fear & failure, doubt, denying, Full & free forgiveness find. All the soul's dark night is past, Morning breaks in joy at last.

Morning breaks, & Jesus meets us, Feeds & comforts, pardons still; As His faithful friends He greets us, Partners of His work & will. All our days, on ev'ry shore, Christ is ours forevermore!