Sunday, August 11, 2019 - PASTE

Day 223 - (Today’s Bible readings: 2 Kings 11:4-12:3, Psalm 40; Matthew 20:17-34)

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”   (Matthew 20:25-28 ESV)

Why are we here? What is life all about? Many folks believe that since you only go around once, you had better look out for good old number one. Life is all about the person you see in the mirror. To a certain extent this describes everyone. It certainly was on the mind of the mother of James and John. 

This is another teachable moment for you and me. Jesus’ words are clear: “It shall not be so among you.” Followers of Christ get to serve God by serving others. He goes so far as to say that we must be servants, even slaves of those in need among us. As Christians living for Him, we get to. . . 

● feed the hungry (those both suffering from physical and spiritual hunger)
● clothe those in need
● visit the ill, the lonely, the imprisoned
● seek out the erring, the distressed, the hopeless
● bring Christian cheer to the broken-hearted
● and so many other opportunities.

♬ Forgive us, Lord, for selfish thanks and praise, 
For words that speak at variance with deeds;
Forgive our thanks for walking pleasant ways 
Unmindful of a broken brother’s needs.

(Forgive Us, Lord, for Shallow Thankfulness, Lutheran Service Book, 
Concordia Publishing House, 2006, #788, stanza 3)

We are saved by faith in Christ for eternal life in heaven. Until then, we have a job to do--serve Him by serving others. That means that we are wired to serve.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the undeserved gift of my salvation in Christ. Thank You also for wiring me for the joy of serving You by serving others. Please open my eyes and my heart to a world in need all around me. And then use me to meet as many needs as possible for You and Your kingdom. Amen.

“See” you at the Communion rail this morning.

Pastor David Paape 

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105 ), is the theme for this three-year journey through the entire Old Testament once (the Psalms - twice yearly), and the New Testament twice. There will be daily readings from the O.T., Psalms and the N.T. Special days on the church calendar will be highlighted with appropriate readings. This calendar has been compiled by representatives of the Lutheran Church of Canada, the North American Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. Please click this link for the daily reading calendar:
https://blogs.lcms.org/2017/lcms-lcc-and-nalc-compile-three-year-schedule-of-daily-bible-readings  
Then scroll down to 2019 Bible Reading Calendar and download it if you so wish. The “assigned” daily readings will appear on a daily basis in this blog. May the Lord bless your meditation upon His precious life-giving Word!