December 8 ,2017 - THE ETERNAL BENEFIT OF BEING A CHRISTIAN

Day 342 - Daniel 11-12 & 3 John

“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Daniel 12:2 ESV)

Daniel isn’t mincing any words here. There are only two eternal options, eternal life or everlasting contempt, heaven or hell.

Therefore, as you come to the close of the first week in Advent, don’t forget your Advent preparations. Repent and believe that the Babe of Bethlehem came to purchase your salvation. You can now face your eternal future with peace, confidence and eager anticipation because you know that everlasting life is yours in Christ.

Lord God, heavenly Father, graciously keep me close to You through saving faith in Jesus, my Advent King, so that I may spend eternity with You. Amen. 

Pastor David Paape

Daily Bible Reading Chart
http://www.wholesomewords.org/family/bibleread/truth.pdf

December 7, 2017 - GRACE, MERCY AND PEACE

Day 341 - Daniel 9-10 & 2 John

“Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love.” (2 John 1:3 ESV) 

Advent is the time in the church year when we prepare to celebrate the coming (advent) of the Christ Child that first Christmas. The words from John’s second letter reveal the blessings Jesus brings to all who, like the shepherds, worship and adore Him. 

“Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love.” 

God showers all who trust in His Son as their Savior and Lord with His grace, mercy and peace. In fact, these are the treasures you find every time you attend church and He comes to you through His Word and Sacraments. Today's picture reminds us that God's gifts of grace, mercy and peace are given to us in Baptism, the Lord's Supper and in the Bible.

Heavenly Father, thank You for blessing all repentant sinners, including me, with Your grace, mercy and peace. Please help me to remember these gifts as I face the challenges of this new day. Amen. 

Pastor David Paape 

Daily Bible Reading Chart
http://www.wholesomewords.org/family/bibleread/truth.pdf

December 6 ,2017 - THE WILL OF GOD

Day 340 - Daniel 7-8 & 1 John 5

“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” (1 John 5:14 ESV)

One of the biggest complaints God-doubters have is that He doesn’t answer their prayers. What they don’t understand is that He will only answer in ways that line up with His perfect will for us.

How does this work? Perhaps you decide to take the Lord up on this promise: “If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”  (John 14:4 ESV) So you pray, “Lord, please give me a million dollars.” But God doesn’t fulfill that desire. He could do anything, but He knows that a million dollars would not be good for you. He knows that you would start trusting in your money instead of Him.

James warns against prayers that are not in line with God’s will:  “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”  (James 4:3 ESV)

What can you pray for that God promises to grant? The answer is forgiveness, His presence in your life, and eternal life.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your perfect will for my life. Please help me to accept Your answers to my prayers, and to treasure Your best gifts of forgiveness, reconciliation and heaven. In Jesus’ saving name. Amen. 

Pastor David Paape

Daily Bible Reading Chart
http://www.wholesomewords.org/family/bibleread/truth.pdf

December 5, 2017 - PERFECT LOVE

Day 339 - Daniel 5-6 & 1 John 4

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” (1 John 4:18 ESV)

John’s first letter is jam-packed with spiritual gems that are extremely practical and applicable to the Christian’s daily life. Of course this is true of the rest of the Bible as well. Here are a couple of examples from 1 John.

v 4 “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 

v 10 “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 

v 12 “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

v 15 “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.”

v 19 “We love because he first loved us.”

When it comes to the daily pressures we all face, it is certainly assuring to know that “perfect love casts out fear.” 

So, don’t worry, the perfect love of Christ...

● sent Him to the cross for sinners like you and me.  
● will see you through your daily struggles.
● will show itself in us as we live for Him.
● will lead others to Him as we model His love.

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your perfect love lavished upon this sinful world. As You comfort me with the eternal promises Your love imparts, please use me to share Your love with others. Amen.

Pastor David Paape

Daily Bible Reading Chart
http://www.wholesomewords.org/family/bibleread/truth.pdf

December 4, 2017 - LOVE IN ACTION

Day 338- Daniel 3-4 & 1 John 3

“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:16-18 ESV)

Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross is the ultimate display of love in action. John tells us to be willing to lay down our lives for others. Then he gets specific: “But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?” 

The picture shows a man putting his love into action by giving a cup of something warm to what appears to be a homeless man. 

We all have opportunities to share the love of God with people in need. The person is helped, and we get to serve Jesus.

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your sacrificial death. May I copy Your example of love in action and not merely in words.  Amen.

Pastor David Paape

Daily Bible Reading Chart
http://www.wholesomewords.org/family/bibleread/truth.pdf

December 3, 2017 - BLIND HATE

Day 337- Daniel 1-2 & 1 John 2

“Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” (1 John 2:10-11 ESV)

Activity contrary to John’s clear intent in these verses is rampant in this hate-filled world of ours. We see this in our homes. We see this on the job. We see this in our families. Unfortunately, we even see hatred being fueled by many who should know much better.

If you were to ask people if they would rather abide in the light instead of stumbling around in the darkness, a good number would choose the light. However the One who does the choosing is not us, it is Jesus. And since He has chosen to make us His own by showering us with His soul-cleansing love, how can we not share His love with others?

It is the love of Christ that is at the heart of President Harrison’s statement made three years ago:
“The good news is that violence and distrust and animosity are not the last word. Christ, the Word made flesh who dwelt among us, full of grace and truth and life and salvation; Christ, whose death atoned for the sins of all humanity and whose resurrection trampled sin and Satan; Christ, the Prince of Peace—Christ gets the last Word. His is a Word of peace, despite sin’s turmoil (1 Thess. 5:23).” - LCMS President Matthew Harrison

So, what is the answer to blind hate? The answer is the love of Christ Jesus, the Lord of all!

Heavenly Father, thank You for delivering us from blind hate by means of the hate-conquering love of Jesus. As He has showered His love upon me, may I learn to love others - in His name. Please grant Your peace to all places on this earth where hatred is destroying relationships among people. In Jesus’ loving name. Amen.

“See” you at the Communion table this morning!

Pastor David Paape

Daily Bible Reading Chart
http://www.wholesomewords.org/family/bibleread/truth.pdf

December 2, 2017 - CONFESSION IS GOOD FOR THE S

Day 336- Ezekiel 47-48 & 1 John 1

"If we say we have no sin, we deceive our selves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8-9 ESV)

In today’s verses, John is calling us to be honest with ourselves and with God. Don’t deny your sins; instead, confess them to God. This is difficult, yet necessary. It is a natural tendency for us proud human beings to deny that we have done anything wrong. Yet God’s Law rings out clearly, “They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.” (Psalm 53:3 ESV)

There are great emotional benefits to confessing our wrongs, our misdeeds, our sins. A child who has done something wrong is filled with a gnawing guilt until he or she tells mom or dad. Their relationship is restored. Yes, confession is good for that child.

Look at the second sentence in today’s Biblical selection. Confession is good for the soul of the child of God because God “is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

While it is important to be reconciled to one’s parents, it is far more crucial to be reconciled to the One who controls eternity. Because God the Father accepted His Son’s sacrificial death on the cross as payment for our sins, He now mercifully forgives us and washes all of our sins away. Confession truly is good for the soul of the believer!

Rejoice every time you hear your pastor proclaim Christ’s words over you and to you: "Upon this your confession, I, as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God to all of you, and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

Heavenly Father, thank You for promising to forgive me when I repent. Help me to resist the foolish attempt to cover up and deny my sins, so that I may know the joy of Your forgiveness and reconciliation. In Jesus’ saving name. Amen.

“See” you in church tomorrow!  

Pastor David Paape

Daily Bible Reading Chart
http://www.wholesomewords.org/family/bibleread/truth.pdf

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