Tuesday, March 8, 2022 - PEACE FOR SINNERS

Day 67 - (Today’s Bible readings 2 Samuel 2:8-32, Psalm 63, 1 Thessalonians 3:1-18)

PEACE FOR SINNERS

 

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:47-50 ESV)

All we know about the past of the woman in this account is that she was from the city and she was known as a sinner. What we know about her present is that she came to Jesus with a contrite heart shown in her actions of washing his feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. And how did Jesus respond? 

“Your sins are forgiven... Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” 

So what is the secret to peace? It is so very simple. 

REPENT AND BELIEVE!

Jesus sinners doth receive;

Oh, may all this saying ponder

Who in sin's delusions live

And from God and heaven wander!

Here is hope for all who grieve:

Jesus sinners doth receive.

(“Jesus Sinners Doth Receive,” Lutheran Service Book #609)

Dear Lord, thank You for the example of the woman who washed Your feet with her tears. Please grant me Your peace as I, too, repent and believe. Amen. 

Pastor David Paape

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105 ), undergirds 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://files.lcms.org/file/preview/JyxxRfAT2Eg7JfDCXaPP99G4y4rJrZQO?

Then scroll down to 2022 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!

Monday, March 7, 2022 - NEVER-ENDING FORGIVENESS

Day 66 - (Today’s Bible readings 2 Samuel 1:17-2:7, Psalm 62, 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13)

NEVER-ENDING FORGIVENESS

21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. 

 ..... 32 ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.  (Matthew 18:21-35 ESV)

The parable of the unforgiving servant teaches us that God expects us to forgive one another just as He has forgiven us. Here a couple of key thoughts:

● How great is the debt of sin that you owe to God?

● How do your sins of thought, word and deed compare with whatever someone else has done to you?

● Isn’t it true that the parable accurately describes how we tend to minimize our sin and maximize the sins of others?

So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart. 

● Where do we find the power to forgive when someone “sins” against us?

And you, who were dead in your trespasses ..., God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13-14 ESV)

● Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, paying for all of our sins, we can now forgive others.

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your unending forgiveness granted to this penitent sinner. Help me to forgive others just as You have forgiven me. In Your saving name, O Lord. Amen.

Pastor David Paape

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105 ), undergirds 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://files.lcms.org/file/preview/JyxxRfAT2Eg7JfDCXaPP99G4y4rJrZQO?

Then scroll down to 2022 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!

Sunday, March 6, 2022 - MAY WE INCREASE IN LOVE

Day 65 - (Today’s Bible readings 2 Sam. 1:17–2:7, Psalm 62, 1 Thess. 3:6–13)

MAY WE INCREASE IN LOVE

“Now may ... the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all.” (1 Thessalonians 3:12 ESV) 

Jesus says that He is the way, the truth and the life. So, what is His way? His way is the way of the cross, the way of sacrificial love. Paul is encouraging us to follow the loving way of our Savior: “increase and abound in love for one another and for all.”

The hymn writer expanded on Christ’s way of love when he wrote:

Love in Christ is strong and living, 

Binding faithful hearts in one;

Love in Christ is true and giving, 

May His will in us be done.

(Lutheran Service Book, CPH, 2006, #706 stanza 1) 

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your sacrificial love. Please bless me with greater love for You and for others. Amen.

Pastor David Paape

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105 ), undergirds 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://files.lcms.org/file/preview/JyxxRfAT2Eg7JfDCXaPP99G4y4rJrZQO?

Then scroll down to 2022 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!

Saturday, March 5, 2022 - GOD, BE MERCIFUL

Day 64 - (Today’s Bible readings 2 Samuel 1:1-16; Psalm 61; 1 Thessalonians 2:17–3:5)

GOD, BE MERCIFUL

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:  “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”  (Luke 18:9-14 ESV)

The point of the parable is clear. God calls us to honestly admit our sinfulness and seek His mercy. While this is not the way we proud and self-centered “Pharisees” want to go through life, it is the only way to be saved. When we repent of our sins and seek God’s mercy, for the sake of Jesus, we are forgiven and restored.

There is no wiggle room here. Humble yourself, repent, and seek God’s mercy!

God, be merciful to me, a sinner. In Jesus’ saving name. Amen. 

Pastor David Paape

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105 ), undergirds 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://files.lcms.org/file/preview/JyxxRfAT2Eg7JfDCXaPP99G4y4rJrZQO?

Then scroll down to 2022 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!

Friday, March 4, 2022 - SHIELD ME FROM ALARM

Day 63 - (Today’s Bible readings 1 Samuel 31; Psalm 60; 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16)

SHIELD ME FROM ALARM

“Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings.”   (Psalm 61:4 ESV) 

“David turns once more to God for help in time of need, asking God to restore his throne in Jerusalem and bless him in the years and generations ahead. God often uses difficult times to strengthen our faith and redefine our priorities. 

If we have drifted away from the Lord, He can use a reversal of fortune in our earthly circumstances to make us aware of our precarious spiritual situation and bring us back to Him. 

David’s prayer that the King would reign forever is ultimately fulfilled in Christ Jesus, who embodies God’s steadfast love and faithfulness forever.” 

(The Lutheran Study Bible, Concordia Publishing House, 2009, page 906)

Lord Jesus, who dost love me, 

Oh, spread Thy wings above me 

And shield me from alarm!  

Though evil would assail me, 

Thy mercy will not fail me: 

I rest in Thy protecting arm. Amen.

(The Lutheran Hymnal, CPH 1941, #554, stanza 5)

Celebrate Jesus’ protecting love today.

Pastor David Paape

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105 ), undergirds 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://files.lcms.org/file/preview/JyxxRfAT2Eg7JfDCXaPP99G4y4rJrZQO?

Then scroll down to 2022 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!

Thursday, March 3, 2022 - DELIVER ME FROM MY ENEMIES

Thursday, March 3, 2022 - Day 62

DELIVER ME FROM MY ENEMIES

Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;

    protect me from those who rise up against me;

deliver me from those who work evil,

    and save me from bloodthirsty men.

(Psalm 59:1-2 ESV) 

David’s cry for deliverance from his enemies could well be the cry of persecuted people around the world today, especially the citizens of Ukraine as they find their country invaded by Russia. 

Last night in church we sang a hymn that clearly states mankind’s deliverance from our enemies of sin, death and the devil.

  Christ, the life of all the living, 

  Christ, the death of death, our foe,

  Christ yourself for me once giving 

  To the darkest depths of woe:

  Through Thy suff'ring, death, and merit 

  Life eternal I inherit.

  Thousand, thousand thanks shall be, 

  Dearest Jesus, unto Thee.

  (“Christ, the Life of All the Living,” LSB #420)

Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, thank You for being my Deliverer from sin, death and the power of the devil. Please preserve Your Church and deliver my brothers and sisters in Christ from the dangers that are gathering around them. In Jesus’ saving name. Amen. 

Pastor David Paape

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105 ), undergirds 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://files.lcms.org/file/preview/JyxxRfAT2Eg7JfDCXaPP99G4y4rJrZQO?

Then scroll down to 2022 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!

Wednesday, March 2, 2022 - ASH WEDNESDAY

Day 61 - (Today’s Bible readings 1 Samuel 30; Psalm 59; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10)

ASH WEDNESDAY

May the words of Psalm 51 help you prepare for worship this Ash Wednesday as we gather in our churches to begin the annual journey of Lent:

1 Have mercy on me, O God,

    according to your steadfast love;

according to your abundant mercy

    blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

    and cleanse me from my sin!

3 For I know my transgressions,

    and my sin is ever before me.

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned

    and done what is evil in your sight,

so that you may be justified in your words

    and blameless in your judgment.

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

    and in sin did my mother conceive me.

6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,

    and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;

    let the bones that you have broken rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins,

    and blot out all my iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,

    and renew a right spirit within me.

11 Cast me not away from your presence,

    and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

    and uphold me with a willing spirit.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

    and sinners will return to you.

14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,

    O God of my salvation,

    and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.

15 O Lord, open my lips,

    and my mouth will declare your praise.

16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;

    you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

    a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Amen.

“See” you at the Communion table today.

Pastor David Paape

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105 ), undergirds 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://files.lcms.org/file/preview/JyxxRfAT2Eg7JfDCXaPP99G4y4rJrZQO?

Then scroll down to 2022 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!