Saturday, March 16, 2024 - BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS... IN CHRIST

"I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen." (Luther's Morning Prayer)

Saturday, March 16, 2024 - Day 76 (Through the Bible in a year readings for today: Deuteronomy 31,32; Luke 1:1-23)

BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS... IN CHRIST

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV)

Moses spoke these words to Israel, God’s people, as they prepared to enter the Promised Land where they would not be welcome by the inhabitants. But God promised to defeat these enemies and bless His people.

We, too, have a promised land to look forward to – the eternal promised land of heaven. We, too, have to deal with formidable enemies – the enemies of sin, death and the devil. Once again, God promises to defeat our enemies in preparation for entrance into heaven. And this He did on Mt. Calvary by means of the cross and the Lamb. What joy we can have in facing the future knowing that Jesus shed His blood to redeem us and to make us heirs of heaven!

However, Christians often face opposition and persecution. In North Korea, fellow believers in Christ were killed for possessing Bibles. The early church experienced this kind of cruel hatred, as the picture portrays. Yet they could be strong and courageous because they believed in God’s promise that heaven was theirs because of their faith in Christ. In Christ they could face a horrible death. They could be strong and courageous in Christ.

 Most of do not know that kind of persecution, yet these words are for us too: “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” 

Whatever challenges you are facing today, know that the Lord is with you. 

●  He will NEVER turn His back on you! 

●  Your Baptism assures you of this. 

●  Christ’s body and blood, given and shed for you, assure you of this. 

●  The words of absolution heard in the Divine Service assure you of this. 

●  So, don’t be afraid. 

●  You are not alone. 

●  God is with you no matter what your circumstances may be! 

Heavenly Father, thank You for my Baptism and the faith You have given me in Jesus. Please keep me strong and courageous in Christ no matter what challenges and trials I face in this life. Constantly remind me that You will never leave me or forsake me. Amen.

“See” you in church tomorrow morning or tonight!

Pastor David Paape

Daily Bible Reading Chart covering the entire Bible in one year. 

http://www.wholesomewords.org/family/bibleread/truth.pdf

Friday, March 15, 2024 - MY WORDS FROM HIS MOUTH

"I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen." (Luther's Morning Prayer)

Friday, March 15, 2024 - Day 75 (Through the Bible in a year readings for today: Deuteronomy 28; Mark 15:27-47)

MY WORDS FROM HIS MOUTH

And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  (Mark 15:33-34 ESV)

Who can truly grasp the depth of the Father’s love for sinners that led Him to forsake His beloved Son? And yet, that is exactly what happened as Jesus experienced the hell of crucifixion. Hell, the torment of damnation, prompted Jesus to cry out,   “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Those are the words that I deserve to cry out as I suffer for my sins of thought, word and deed. They come out of Jesus’ mouth instead.

  Whence come these sorrows, whence this mortal anguish?

  It is my sins for which Thou, Lord, must languish;

  Yea, all the wrath, the woe, Thou dost inherit,

  This I do merit.

  (Lutheran Service Book, CPH, 2006, #439, stanza 3)

Dearest Lord Jesus, thank You for taking my place on the cross and for crying out in forsakenness so that I can spend eternity praising You in heaven. Please continue to forgive my sins and strengthen my faith. Amen.

Pastor David Paape

Daily Bible Reading Chart covering the entire Bible in one year. 

http://www.wholesomewords.org/family/bibleread/truth.pdf

Thursday, March 14, 2024 - BARABBAS INSTEAD

 

"I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen." (Luther's Morning Prayer)

Thursday, March 14, 2024 - Day 74 (Through the Bible in a year readings for today: Deuteronomy 26,27; Mark.15:1-26)

BARABBAS INSTEAD

And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. (Mark 15:14-15 ESV)

Not much is known about Barabbas other than that he was a murder who had participated in a Jewish uprising against Roman tyranny (Luke 23:19). Nothing is known of how he responded to being released instead of Jesus. We can only imagine his relief to find himself free... free from the just penalty for his crimes.

This is exactly what Jesus has done for you and me. He has taken our place and paid the price for our insurrection against God. Hanging on the cross, Christ cried out the words that should be on our lips eternally in hell: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34 ESV)  

This is so hard to understand.

● How could God the Father love sinners like us so much that He would send His only Son to the cruel cross? 

● How could Jesus love us so much that He would take the terror of hell on Himself so that all people of all time could go free?

It was just mentioned that all people could go free because of Jesus and His cross. All could, but few do. Jesus paid the price for the sins of all people. We who have been given the wonderful gift of faith, forgiveness and the promise of heaven have a job to do:

“Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15-16 ESV)

Dearest Lord Jesus, thank You so much for taking my place and for freeing me from the punishment I deserve. Fill me with such thankfulness for this gift, and with such love for those who do not have it, that I live the rest of my life sharing Your great love with as many fellow sinners as I can.  Amen.

Remember what Jesus has done for you, and share Him with others!

Pastor David Paape

Daily Bible Reading Chart covering the entire Bible in one year. 

http://www.wholesomewords.org/family/bibleread/truth.pdf

Wednesday, March 13, 2024 - FIXING BROKEN LIVES

"I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen." (Luther's Morning Prayer)

Wednesday, March 13, 2024 - Day 73 (Through the Bible in a year readings for today: Deuteronomy 23-25; Mark 14:51-72)

FIXING BROKEN LIVES

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." - JESUS (John 3:16)

Our focus today is on John 3:16. This has been called the Gospel in an nutshell. It calls all of us to faith in Jesus.

A friend posted the following example of what faith in Jesus is all about. 

I was at TJ Maxx today and heard a loud crash and something shattering. Being nosy, I walked towards the sound and saw some people whispering and looking back to the end of the next aisle. When I walked down that aisle, I saw that an older lady had hit a shelf and many things had fallen to the ground and broken. She was kneeling on the floor embarrassed, frantically trying to clean up. I felt so bad for her. Every one was just standing there staring at her. So I went and knelt beside her and told her not to worry and started helping her pick up the broken pieces. After about a minute, the store manager came and knelt beside us and said, “Leave it, we will clean this up.” The lady, totally embarrassed said, “I need to pay for all this.” The manager smiled, helped her to her feet and said, “No ma’am, we have insurance for this, you do not have to pay anything!” If you have read this far, give me another minute.

Imagine God doing the same for you! Imagine the broken pieces of your mistakes and sins, as well as the pieces of your broken heart from all the blows life has thrown at you all over the floor and you’re there trying to collect all of the pieces and fix them yourself. Now imagine God comes and kneels right down beside you, smiles and says to you, “Leave it all there, I will clean this up for you.”

He loves you that much and wants to put all of those pieces back together for you! With Jesus you have this insurance and it’s called GRACE! It’s free! All you have to do is repent, ask Him to forgive you, help you, and to heal you. 

Paul explained it this way: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Lord Jesus, thank you for have mercy on me and for picking up the pieces of my broken life and granting me the healing for forgiveness and the assurance of my salvation. Amen.

Pastor David Paape

Daily Bible Reading Chart covering the entire Bible in one year. 

http://www.wholesomewords.org/family/bibleread/truth.pdf

Monday, March 11, 2024 - THY WILL BE DONE

 

"I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen." (Luther's Morning Prayer)

Monday, March 11, 2024 - Day 71 (Through the Bible in a year readings for today: Deuteronomy 20-22; Mark 14:26-50)

THY WILL BE DONE

And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”  (Mark 14:35-36 ESV)

He was in agony. His bitter suffering that would lead to His innocent and cruel death had begun. His sweat was like drops of blood. The emotional and spiritual burden was almost unbearable. So Jesus prayed for relief. There are several important truths revealed here.

● Jesus truly suffered for us!

● God the Father’s plan for the salvation of sinful mankind would be fulfilled.

● We learn how to pray, “Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

 

This is exactly what He teaches us in the Lord’s prayer: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

It goes against our selfish human nature to submit our will to someone other than ourselves. But look at how it turned out for Jesus,“who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)

The Father’s will is your salvation. Follow Him. Obey Him. Trust Him. Love Him.

Lord Jesus, thank You for drinking the bitter cup of suffering for my sake. Please help me to see the wisdom of yielding to the Father’s will in my life as well. Yes, Thy will be done. Amen.

Pastor David Paape

Daily Bible Reading Chart covering the entire Bible in one year. 

http://www.wholesomewords.org/family/bibleread/truth.pdf

Monday, March 11, 2024 - THE LORD’S SUPPER

"I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen." (Luther's Morning Prayer)

Monday, March 11, 2024 - Day 71 (Through the Bible in a year readings for today: Deuteronomy 17-19; Mark 14:1-25)

THE LORD’S SUPPER

 And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.  (Mark 14:22-24 ESV)

What a precious gift the Lord instituted on the night when He was betrayed! Maundy Thursday will be a blessed stop on our Lenten journey, for in, with and under simple bread and wine, the Lord feeds us sinners His very body and blood. 

In my years of service as a pastor, I have observed how deeply God’s people are moved with the forgiveness and the strengthening of their faith that the Lord bestows in this precious meal.

O Lord, we praise Thee, bless Thee, and adore Thee,

In thanksgiving bow before Thee.

Thou with Thy body and Thy blood didst nourish

Our weak souls that they may flourish.

O Lord, have mercy!

May Thy body, Lord, born of Mary,

That our sins and sorrows did carry,

And Thy blood for us plead

In all trial, fear, and need:

O Lord, have mercy!

(O Lord, We Praise Thee, Lutheran Service Book #617)

Lord, may Your body and Your blood be for my soul the highest good. Amen.

Pastor Daaapevid P

Daily Bible Reading Chart covering the entire Bible in one year. 

http://www.wholesomewords.org/family/bibleread/truth.pdf

Sunday, March 10, 2024 - STAY AWAKE

 

"I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen." (Luther's Morning Prayer)

Sunday, March 10, 2024 - Day 70 (Through the Bible in a year readings for today: Deuteronomy 14-16; Mark 13:14-37)

STAY AWAKE

“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come... Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”  (Mark 13:32-37 ESV)

Throughout the years there have been many false prophets who have predicted Judgment Day. Biblically illiterate followers have sold their belongings and quit their jobs in anticipation of meeting the Lord on the date promised. How devastatingly disappointed they must have been when the date came and passed. If they would have read and believed what Jesus says about the end of the world, they would not have been duped.

“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

Knowing that the signs of the times seem to indicate that the end is coming soon, how should we occupy our remaining time on this earth? Luther answers: “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” What he is saying is that we should be about living out the vocations and lives God has given us. At the same time, he would surely also echo Jesus’ warning:

“Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.... And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” 

♬ The world is very evil,

The times are waxing late;

Be sober and keep vigil,

The Judge is at the gate;

The Judge that comes in mercy,

The Judge that comes with might,

To terminate the evil,

To diadem the right.

(The Lutheran Hymnal, Concordia Publishing House, 1941, #605)

Almighty God, may I be found prepared when Jesus returns to judge the living and the dead. To this end, mercifully continue to feed me with Your word of Law that condemns me and Your word of Gospel that reveals how Jesus paid for all of my sins on the cross. May I spend my remaining time on earth in Your service, sharing You with other sinners who need Your mercy just as desperately as I do. Amen.

“See” you at the Communion rail this tomorrow morning!

Pastor David Paape

Daily Bible Reading Chart covering the entire Bible in one year. 

http://www.wholesomewords.org/family/bibleread/truth.pdf