“The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice, the floods lift up their pounding waves. More than the sounds of many waters, than the mighty breakers of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty. Your testimonies are fully confirmed; holiness befits Your house, O Lord, forevermore.” (Psalm 93:3-5)

Who can move the heavens and the earth? Who is able to set the earth in its course and bring up from the deep those things that shake and move continents? The Lord, who created all things, is mighty. But greater still, He has provided salvation for those who come to Him in faith. He calls all who believe to come into holiness and walk before Him in the righteousness He gives.

Lord, I am not righteous and unworthy of Your presence. Yet, You have provided the way by which all who come to You may know Your goodness and mercy. Lead me in the way You have established that I may now and always walk in the way of the upright. Set my heart on a new course that I would learn from You the way of righteousness. May I lean not on my own understanding, but upon You.

Savior, You have come that we might be set free from sin, death and the devil. Guide me, O Lord, to walk according to the Father’s will. Break my heart of rebellion and give me Your heart of obedience and willing submission. Lead me all the days of this life that I may prepare for the eternal life You have promised through Your grace. Guide me, Lord Jesus, now and always. Amen.

“The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; the Lord has clothed and girded Himself with strength; indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved. Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting.” (Psalm 93:1-2)

The Lord God created all things. They are His and we are His. Look to the One through which all things have their being and see that He has wonderfully made all things. Know the Lord and discover the purpose for which You have been made. His throne is everlasting and He will bring to fruition all that He has planned. In Him alone is the hope of eternity. He is our strength.

Lord, teach me the things I need to know that I may come to the place where I see more clearly the truth of creation. Guide me according to Your goodness that I may walk in the paths You have established. You are God and King and there is nothing nor no one that can take Your place. Bring my heart to the place where I live this reality knowing that in You is life and liberty.

Thank You, Lord, for paving the way that all who believe and live according to Your promises will know life everlasting. Lead me this day to walk according to Your Word, knowing that in You and by Your leading I will come to the place You have planned for me. You are my Savior and my God. May I now and always bow to Your goodness and live in Your presence. Amen.

“They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” (Psalm 92:14-15)

The one who walks in the ways of the Lord matures and the evidence of the Lord’s ways in their lives becomes apparent. The way of the Lord is eternal and the way of the world is destruction. Many walk in the way of the world, but you have been called to walk in the way of the Lord. Come into His presence and see that walking with the Lord is the way of eternal life. It brings peace.

Lord, it is hard to go against the tide of this world. I am often overwhelmed by the temptation to give in and go with the flow of this world’s ways. Hold me up to walk with You the whole distance in order that I may simply stand before You as one who has walked with You all the days of my life. Lead me in the right way that I may see at life’s end the joy of being in Your presence.

Lord Jesus, You have come to save us from this world’s tugs and pulls. Guide me in the way You have established that I may now and always live according to the Father’s will. Lift me up to see in You the hope of glory that is promised by Your grace. Now and always may I walk in the way and truth You have established from the beginning. Lead me, Lord, and help me to follow. Amen.

“And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.’” (Mark 7:27)

Today’s devotion isn’t for learning.  It’s for praising.

“He has done all things well.”  Here is the praise of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He has done all things well!  With His Father, He made the heavens and the earth and that is in them (seen and unseen!); He delivered Israel from her enemies and established her in a beautiful land; and by the Spirit He came to the prophets to prepare the world for His blessed Advent.  Those great acts alone win Him our eternal praise.

Yet there is more.  The “all things” that Jesus did “well” were not just things like making a sculpture or delivering a speech in fine style.  They were things He did for the sake of His neighbors!  He did them “well” because they were merciful, like the acts of creation and prophecy.  He healed, forgave, comforted, and freed people—and He is the same Lord who knows you by name and loves you.

What has He done well for you?  Make a list, and praise Him!

LET US PRAY:  Dear Father, what a good Son You have!  You must be very proud.  He has done all things well!  For me, He has . . . [fill in the blank!] . . . I am so thankful for His mercy and love, a mercy and love that He shares with You and Your Spirit, one God forever.  Amen

Pr. Steven K. Gjerde

Zion, Wausau

September 2018 LCORE Newsletter

“The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, he will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.” (Psalm 92:12-13)

Even in times of drought, the righteous man will grow. The ways of the Lord are eternal. Blessed is the one who walks in the ways of the Lord. Blessed is the one who seeks righteousness all the days of his life. The Lord has created us to be eternal and in Him is light and life. Be planted in the courts of the Lord and know His righteousness and live with Him forever.

No matter the circumstances, the Lord has promised His goodness and mercy to all who believe. Walk in the way of the Lord and know His goodness. Be comforted that through all things, He will work together for good and for His glory His righteousness in all the faithful. Know that in Him alone is life and liberty. Be guided by His Spirit that You may walk humbly with Your God.

God in the flesh who has appeared once for all, guide me according to the will of the Father. Lead me to learn faithfulness from You. Help me now and always to walk in the way You have established that I may be faithful. Grant that I would know clearly today what You would have me do that I may be strengthened by the faithfulness You have given me. Amen.

TAKE UP YOUR CROSS
Devotional for September 16, 2018 based upon Mark 8: 27-38

Jesus never calls upon anyone to do anything that He Himself would not do and/or has not done. What He asks us to face, He Himself has already faced. Jesus has the right to challenge us to take up a cross, because He Himself has already taken up His cross.

But all that goes against the grain. The world tells us that anything that bothers us or becomes difficult we should seek to avoid. Jesus said, “If any want to become My followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me.” What does it mean to “take up your cross”?

First, TAKING UP A CROSS IS ALWAYS VOLUNTARY. Jesus calls us, and Jesus challenges us, but taking up a cross and following Jesus is always voluntary. A bad medical diagnosis, a personal tragedy, or a severe accident may all be a heavy burden to bear. But they are not a cross that you have taken up for Jesus, because you did not volunteer for them.

Second, TAKING UP A CROSS IS AN ACT OF LOVE. An act of love that we freely choose. It is a price we pay out of love. For Jesus taking up His cross meant going to Calvary to die. He did it because He loves us so much that He could not do otherwise. Taking up a cross means taking the love of God and touching the lives of other people, even those who are very difficult to love. Taking up a cross means denying and sacrificing and paying the price regardless of the hardships that we must endure.

Third, TAKING UP A CROSS IS HARD. In fact, it is so hard that whenever the message of the cross is preached, some people will object. They will say, “You cannot be asking me to do that. That would be too hard.”

Kind of like Peter in our Gospel lesson for this coming Sunday, when Jesus was talking about His impending death on the cross. Peter objected. “Lord, that is not the way it is supposed to happen.” A few years later the apostle Paul called the cross “a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Greeks.” Not much has changed, has it?

The cross was a stumbling block to Jews because it was not what they were expecting. It was not what they wanted to hear. As an oppressed people they wanted their Christ, their Messiah, their Anointed One to deliver them. It is not what we want to hear either. All of Jesus’ talking about taking up a cross bothers us. We lean back in our chair, wanting to take it easy, but we hear Him say, “Take up your cross and follow Me.”

This morning Jesus offers you a cross. Not a life of ease. Not a church that will always make you comfortable and happy. Not a guarantee of success on the job. Not a promise that everything will always go smoothly and exactly as you want for the rest of your life. Rather this morning Jesus offers you a cross. But along with a cross He offers you eternal life. For, as Jesus said, “Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for My sake and for the sake of the Gospel, will save it.”

Will you do what Jesus said and take up a cross?

Dennis D. Nelson
Director of Lutheran CORE

“But You have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil. And my eye has looked exultantly upon my foes, my ears hear of the evildoers who rise up against me.” (Psalm 92:10-11)

Look to the Lord before you look out at those who would do you harm. Who is the One who has all power? Who can threaten you? Can the plans of a wicked man overcome the will of the One who made all things? You have been anointed with the Holy Spirit and given the power to become a child of the Heavenly Father. Come to Him and know His peace and goodness.

Lord, I forget to turn to You in all things. I become afraid of the terrors that are around me and do not see through them that all things have always been in Your hands. Lead me, O Lord, to walk humbly with You. Guide me according to Your will to look to You in every circumstance to know that You alone are God and there is no other. Comfort me in the truth of Your presence.

Holy Spirit, constantly remind me that You are here. You have given me comfort that in spite of the circumstances of this world God can never be overcome. Help me now and always to rest in the assurance of all that has been done that I may walk humbly in the Father’s presence and do what I should do as You direct. Keep me close to You now and always that I may learn obedience. Amen.

“But You, O Lord, are on high forever. For, behold, Your enemies, O Lord, for, behold, Your enemies will perish; all who do iniquity will be scattered.” (Psalm 92:8-9)

Who is man that God should be mindful of him? Yet, the Lord has looked with favor upon His creation. He cares for all that He has made. All those who are in rebellion against Him will one day no longer wreak havoc on what He has made. Those who do evil will be scattered. Come into the rest of the Lord and seek Him while He may be found. Be comforted in His peace.

Lord, I see both what the wicked have done, and also the truth that what they do eventually dissipates into nothing. Help me to see, O Lord, that in You alone is there hope and glory. Guide me to walk always in Your presence and in Your ways. Lead me according to Your righteousness to be a humble and willing servant living out Your goodness for others to see.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for leading the way that we may come with You to be in the Father’s presence forever. Guide me to learn to obey all that You command that I may now and always walk in the will of the Father. Help me show the faith You have given me through all that I say and do. May I learn faithfulness from You and live as You direct now and always. Amen.

“A senseless man has no knowledge, nor does a stupid man understand this: that when the wicked sprouted up like grass and all who did iniquity flourished, it was only that they might be destroyed forevermore.” (Psalm 92:6-7)

The way of a man shows his heart. The wicked will do what they need to do to serve themselves. Those who lean on the Lord seek what is good and right in every circumstance. It may seem for a while that the wicked flourish, but they do not. They walk in the way of condemnation. Come into the way of the Lord and learn to live life as the Lord meant for it to be lived.

Lord, You offer wisdom and understanding. My heart tugs and desires the things of this world. My mind knows that all of this will be left behind at the end of this life and yet I still struggle to have what I do not have. Save me from this conflicted heart and guide me along paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake. Lift me up out of the mess of this world that I would live for You.

Savior, You have come to save us from ourselves and the mess of this world. Guide me in the way I should go and help me to learn how to live in this world without being a part of it. Help me today to see through the temptations that tug at me that I may live into the eternal life You grant through grace. Guide me, Lord Jesus, to walk in Your way now and forever. Amen.