“For forty years I loathed that generation, and said they are a people who err in their heart, and they do not know My ways.  “Therefore I swore in My anger, truly they shall not enter into My rest.”  (Psalm 95:10-11)

The Lord is serious about bringing us to the state of being like Jesus.  He has told us of His will and way.  There are those who will begin the journey of walking in the way of the Lord and those who will not.  The Lord sees into the heart and knows those who are His.  Come into the way of the Lord and walk humbly in His presence.  Know the Lord and learn of His goodness.

Lord, I understand that I need to take You seriously and walk the way You would have me walk.  Help me to understand what this means.  Some around me become like lawyers with Your law and others are too proud to obey You.  Help me to walk the path You have for me and grant me confidence in the salvation You have laid out before me.  May I humbly learn from You the way You would have me go.

Lord Jesus, You are the example of walking humbly in the Father’s presence.  Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I would walk always in the way and truth You have revealed.  Guide me in the goodness of mercy and grace that I may now and always live according to the Father’s will.  Help me to become the person You have always intended me to be by Your grace.  Amen.

“For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.  Today, if you would hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,  As in the day of Massah in the wilderness, “When your fathers tested Me, they tried Me, though they had seen My work.”  (Psalm 95:7-9)

You are the One Lord through whom all things have their being.  Guide me according to Your never-changing mercy to live into the life to which You call the faithful.  You know our ways and the testing that happens amongst those who rebel.  Lead Your faithful to not be in rebellion, but to willingly come into Your presence and walk humbly before You, the Maker of all things.

Our hearts have been hardened, as they had been amongst the people of old.  Lead me, O Lord, in the way of righteousness that I would not live with a hardened heart, but with one that is filled with Your peace and kindness.  Guide me in the way You would have me go that I may walk upright in Your sight and live according to Your will.  Keep me from those who would lead me astray.

Lord Jesus, You are the example of the godly life.  You have come and set us free from the recompense of sin and the death that it brings.  Lift me up to walk with You by my side that I may now and always live according to Your Word.  Help me this day to see more clearly the way You would have me go and then empower me to walk as You would have me walk in this world.  Amen.

“The sea is His, for it was He who made it, and His hands formed the dry land.  Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.”  (Psalm 95:5-6)

The Lord is the Maker of all things.  In His hands are the caverns of the deep and the dry land is His.  All that is has come forth from His hands.  To whom else are we to compare anything when all things came into being through Him?  Come then, bow down and worship the Lord, for He is Your maker and the One through whom you have your being.  He is worthy of all honor and praise and in Him is life.

 Lord, Help me to understand more clearly that all things of this world are only things which You have made.  Everything is in You and apart from You is nothing.  Guide me, O Lord, according to Your goodness to walk in Your counsel.  Lead me in the way of righteousness that You have established.  Guide me to walk humbly with You, my Maker, that I may live according to Your will.

Holy Spirit, come and minister to my heart that I may walk in the peace that You give amidst the hostility of this world.  Lead me in the right way of living that I may now and always walk in the way You have established from the beginning.  Help me this day to see in You the hope that only You can give and live upright amidst a world filled with tribulation.  Guide me now and always.  Amen.

“For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods, in whose hand are the depths of the earth, the peaks of the mountains are His also.”  (Psalm 95:3-4)

Kings of the earth come and go.  Leaders in every nation come and go.  The Lord is forever.  He who made You knows all things and has laid out the course for those who will walk in His ways.  Because all things are in His hands, you need fear nothing, for He is with You always even to the end of the age.  Everything belongs to Him, for it is He who made all things.

Lord, teach me the elemental truths that I may not kick against them, and walk the tried and failed way of thinking that there is any other way to live this life.  Lead me, O Lord, in the way You would have me go that I may now and always walk in Your sight.  You are the One who made all things and they are Yours.  With this in my heart, teach me how to live a life of praise and thanksgiving.

Holy Spirit, nurture my heart in the things You have taught me.  Guide me according to the principles I have already learned to live in a way that is pleasing to the Father.  Help me now and always to see through the distractions of this age to abide in the truth of Your presence.  Everything I have and that I am is Yours.  Guide me this day in a life that gives as You give.  Amen.

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.”  (James 3:17)

My parents taught special education, and many of their students would come to our home years after graduating from high school to visit with my parents and let them know how things were going.  As I came to know those former students of my parents, I came to know how wise they were.

Many a man with a Ph.D. will argue with his neighbors and grumble that they deserve all their woes, yet many of my parents’ students would listen carefully even to a little kid like me and show compassion to the plight of others.  They had no high degrees or credentials, but they had the “wisdom from above” that James describes.

Ultimately, it’s the wisdom that became flesh and dwelt among us in Jesus Christ–it’s the wisdom of the cross!  Pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy—what a blessing if such a life were found in every government, home, school, and neighborhood today!  Such wisdom comes less by learning and more by faith, the faith that welcomes the love of God and cherishes it—and for this faith we pray.

LET US PRAY: Lord, dear wisdom made flesh: make me wise as the magi were wise, kneeling at Your feet in worship and believing in Your reign, that Your own virtue and blessing would work through me for the sake of my neighbors; for You live and reign with the Father and Holy Spirit, one God now and forever.  Amen

Pastor Steven K. Gjerde

Zion, Wausau

“O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord, let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.  Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.”  (Psalm 95:1-2)

The joy of the Lord is in knowing your purpose and place in creation.  The Lord offers to those who come to Him understanding.  Come into His presence and walk in the joy of the Lord.  Know the goodness He has brought through salvation.  Be thankful for life, salvation and the promise of eternal life.  He is the rock upon which Your life is built.  Every other place is constantly shifting, but the Lord is forever.  Come to Him and know His peace and goodness.

Lord, this world is constantly shifting, and no matter where I go or what I try apart from You, it is only for a season.  Guide me to enjoy what You give to enjoy, but to know that only in You is there hope and a tomorrow.  Lead me in the way You have established that I may walk according to Your Word and live in the joy that You give.  Fill me heart with praise and thanksgiving.

Lord Jesus, thank You for making the Way possible for all who believe.  Lead me, O Lord, in the way I should go this day.  Fill my heart with Your peace and the joy You give that I may simply witness Your joy in this world.  In all I do, may it be a thank you to You for all that You have done.  You are the One through whom all things have their being and apart from You is nothing.  Amen.

CAN WE REALLY BE AT PEACE WITH ONE ANOTHER?
Devotional for September 30, 2018 based upon Mark 9: 50 and Ephesians 4: 31-32

We read about and feel the tone of American politics, the climate in our society, the acts of terrorism and violence all around the world, and the relational dynamics in so many marriages and families, and we wonder, How can we possibly do what Jesus said in our Gospel lesson for this morning? “Be at peace with one another.”

The truth is, we human beings – on our own – are not able to be at peace with one another. Basic human selfishness, self-centeredness, and sin make that impossible. But I believe that the apostle Paul – in his letter to the Ephesians – tells us how God can make us able to do what humanly speaking – on our own – we would never be able to do. Be at peace with one other.

Paul writes, “Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.”

The world is full – our society is full – of people who are bitter and angry. Angry at the world because it has not given them enough. Angry at God because they do not feel He has treated them fairly. Angry at their spouses. Angry at their children. Angry at their neighbors. Angry at their job. Here Paul gives us a survival message that says, “If you want to make it, you simply cannot live like that anymore. It will eat you up.” Then he gives us a way to get rid of our anger. To get rid of bitterness, wrath, anger, wrangling, and slander, there are three things we need to do. First, be kind to one another. Second, be tenderhearted. And third, forgive one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.

First, BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER. There are so many people who are just plain self-centered and rude. They are concerned only about themselves. They demonstrate no concern for anyone else. Paul wrote in his letter to his young friend Titus, “We ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another.” (3: 3) But then he says, “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy.” (3:4-5) It is only because of God’s kindness and mercy that we are saved. If God reacted to us the way that we react to one another, He would have given up on us a long time ago. But instead He reaches out to us with love and kindness.

Second, BE TENDERHEARTED TO ONE ANOTHER. The word “compassion” means to feel with. Being compassionate simply means that your feelings are important to me and they have become a part of my life so that I have come to share and understand how and what you feel and what is going on inside of you.

And then, third, FORGIVE ONE ANOTHER. I believe that Paul had a reason to put this one last, because I really do not think that we can forgive somebody until we have first done the other two. Until we have first learned to be kind to them, and until we have become tenderhearted and compassionate towards them and have come to understand what is going on inside of them. But if we have first learned the lessons of kindness and compassion, then forgiveness can follow.

So how about you? Have you experienced – have you received – the kindness of God? Have you received His kindness so that then you can go out and share that kindness with other people?

Have you experienced – really experienced – how compassionate and tenderhearted God is towards you? He understands you. He knows and cares about what you think and how you feel. He knows all your worries, concerns, disappointments, and joys. Having experienced His tenderhearted compassion, are you tenderhearted and compassionate towards others?

Have you received and experienced the forgiveness of God? He wants to – and He can – forgive you all your sins. If you have received and experienced His forgiveness, are you now able to forgive others?

It is if – and only if – we have experienced His kindness, tasted His compassion, and received His forgiveness, that we are then able to really be at peace with one another.

Dennis D. Nelson
Director of Lutheran CORE

Editor’s Note: The article below by Pastor Dennis D. Nelson originally appeared in the September 2018 Newsletter.

Click here to read the article.

But the Lord has been my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.  He has brought back their wickedness upon them and will destroy them in their evil; the Lord our God will destroy them.”  (Psalm 94:22-23)

Where is your strength?  Do you depend upon yourself?  Do you depend upon another?  The Lord God, who created all things, is our strength and our shield.  Do not rely upon those who do not trust in the Lord.  Do not dwell on the acts of the wicked.  They will come to nothing.  Look to the Lord who made all things and know that He will lead you and watch over you all the days of your life.

Lord, I become confused and do not see that the ways of the wicked come to nothing.  Guide me, O Lord, in the way You would have me go.  Help me now and always to look to You, my strength and my shield.  You have spoken Your Word and You have given guidance for the ages.  Lead me, O Lord, in the way I should go that I may never depart from the way You have established.

Word made flesh, You come to the aide of all of those who come to You.  Lead me in the way You would have me go, knowing that only by Your grace am I able to avoid the ways of the wicked that are all around me.  Lead me, O Lord, in the way of grace and help me to establish my life in the truth of the ages that was founded at the beginning.  You are my strength.  Amen.

“When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.  Can a throne of destruction be allied with You, one which devises mischief by decree?  They band themselves together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.”  (Psalm 94:19-21)

There is destruction all around me in this world.  The news is filled with horrible things.  Yet, Lord, You are here in the midst of this troubled world.  Unite my heart with You that no matter what happens in this world filled with wickedness, I will walk alongside You and the path You have laid before me.  Lead me in the way I should go and then give me strength to follow.

Lord, You knew before it happened all the things that go on in this age.  You have purpose for allowing these things and I do not understand.  Help me through the pitfalls, most notably my insatiable desire to know all things before I take a step.  Lead me to walk in faith trusting You through all things and above all things.  Guide me to trust in Your Word and what You have taught me.

Holy Spirit, You comfort and guide me.  Help me to listen to You as You speak that I would move through those places where I am afraid or feel trapped.  Guide me to walk the path of the righteous, doing all that You give me to do.  Lead me in Your goodness to choose the better portion and do those things which are pleasing in the Father’s sight.  Help me now and always to be faithful.  Amen.