“But I call God as witness to my soul, that to spare you I did not come again to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith, but are workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are standing firm” (2 Corinthians 1:23-24).

When we have heard the Gospel and it is received in our heart, we then are to step out in faith and live into the promises that we have received. This is not just news to be retained in our minds, but a life to be lived with the whole of who we are. Do not just sit back and relish the Good News of salvation in Christ, but act out the salvation You have been given through faith, that He who began a good work in you may carry it on to completion.

Lord, You have given me abilities in the Spirit to live this life of faith. Help me to take what You have given and continue on the journey of faith. Lead me in the way You know I need to go and then motivate me to move along on it. Through You alone is all hope given. Through You alone is there salvation. Guide me. O Lord. in the way of everlasting life that I would walk humbly with You.

Lord Jesus, You send those who have received and then carry that Good News to others. Teach me to be one of those who shares with others what You have given me. Lead me in this outward way of living that I would not hold fast to what You have given, but like You, pour myself out for You and the sake of others. Guide me, Lord, that I may become more like You. Amen.

“Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).

You have been baptized in the Holy and Triune name of God, marked with the cross and sealed by the Holy Spirit forever. The Lord has stirred your heart and encouraged you to walk in His ways. Do you journey with the Lord, or spend time trying to figure out what the Lord is up to? Come into what He has already established and be free from the worldliness that tempts you.

Lord, help me to see the simplicity of these things. Guide me in the salvation You have prepared that I would walk with You now and all the days of my life. You are the One who has anointed me. You are the One who has prepared the way. You are the One who must lead, for only You know all that is needed to bring me into the fulness of salvation.

Lord Jesus, You have come to lead the way. Guide me in Your goodness that I would learn to listen, walk with You, and obey all that You have commanded. In Your grace, open before me this day those things You would have me do. Guide me that in thought, word, and speech, I would reflect the reality that You are in me and I am in You. Be thou my Lord and Master this and every day. Amen.

“For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silvanus and Timothy—was not yes and no, but is yes in Him. For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us” (2 Corinthians 1:19-20).

As many as believe, to them He gives the right to become children of God. In Christ is the yes we all need. Do not look at the circumstances of life, but at the One who knows all circumstances and is pulling them together according to His purpose. Be led by the One who is Lord and Savior of all. Listen and the Lord will speak. Then hear and act on the Good News.

Lord, I am often circumspect, or else conditional in my actions. Help me to live into the life to which You call me through the Gospel that I would hear the “yes” that is spoken through You. Guide me to come to You with open arms and heart, and live into the life of faith to which You have called me. In You is all hope and a future. Be the One who is before me and all around me now and forever.

Lord Jesus, You have come to say “yes” through grace. Lead me in faith to trust You in all the ways You will lead me. Teach my feet to follow where You lead. Guide me into the Father’s will to be about the Father’s business with all I say and do. In You is all hope and eternity. May I learn to listen when You speak, obey when You command, and above all else, trust in Your leading. Amen.

“Therefore, I was not vacillating when I intended to do this, was I? Or what I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, so that with me there will be yes, yes and no, no at the same time? But as God is faithful, our word to you is not yes and no” (2 Corinthians 1:17-18).

We make plans according to the flesh. The Lord has His will which shall come to pass. In your thinking, recognize that the will of the Lord is always first. The unbelievers complain when things do not go their way. The faithful know that in the twists and turns of life, the Lord is working all things together according to His purpose. Trust in the Lord above all things.

Lord, let my yes be yes and my no be no. When my final answer is not Your final answer, help me to see that You are Lord above all things. Let me never put words in your mouth, but listen and speak what You tell me. Through all things, keep my eyes clear, my heart pure and Your will supreme. You are faithful above all things and in You alone is all hope and a future.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You have come and that in You there is hope and life. Guide me into the new life You give that I would be a person of prayer. Teach me to see more clearly, love more dearly, and wait upon You for guidance in all things. You, Lord, are the One who is saving those who trust in You. Lead me, Lord, and I will follow. Teach me and I will learn to obey. Amen.

“In this confidence I intended at first to come to you, so that you might twice receive a blessing; that is, to pass your way into Macedonia, and again from Macedonia to come to you, and by you to be helped on my journey to Judea” (2 Corinthians 1:15-16).

We are all blessed in so many ways. There are those who desire to give blessings. Are you receptive to giving and receiving blessings? We often become wrapped up in our own ideas and are unwilling to, so to speak, go outside of the box. Be receptive to what the Lord has in mind and be willing to give and to receive. The Lord has plans for all of us and He knows the blessings He intends.

Lord, teach me to have a more gracious heart about all of the things that surround me. Lead me to live into the life to which You have called me that I may, now and always, both give and receive. It is You who knows all that I need, so be my guide who directs the path before me. Help me to not forsake what You would give that I may now and always be blessed by You.

Lord Jesus, You are the ultimate blessing for us all. Help me when I am resistant to receive You as the One who must lead me where I need to go. Guide me in Your goodness to live into this life of faith to which You have called me. May I always be receptive of Your goodness and mercy and share as I have had shared with me. Teach me to bless and to receive blessings. Amen.

“For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you. For we write nothing else to you than what you read and understand, and I hope you will understand until the end; just as you also partially did understand us, that we are your reason to be proud as you also are ours, in the day of our Lord Jesus” (1 Corinthians 1:12-14).

Jesus alone saves. In that salvation, He will work on your heart, and out of that will come a changed attitude. Rather than always seeking for the self, the one in Christ looks outward and cares for others. This brings the confidence of a good conscience. It is not doing these things for gain, but it is because you have already gained that you can do these things. Trust in what the Lord has done and do good.

Lord, I have my part, but it is You who has done all that is needed. In the mystery of faith, I need Your help to live into this faith. I know there are some who want to figure all of this out. Help me simply to do what You would have me do and not worry about the details of what You are doing. Guide me to trust You above all things and learn to hear and obey all that You command.

Lord Jesus, You have come to lead the way. Some think that this was something done long ago, but You are doing it in me here and now. Guide me, Lord, that I may live into this life of faith that You offer. You are the way, the truth and the life. Teach me to look to You today and every day that I may grow a little more in living this life of faith that You have given me. In You is all hope and an eternal future. Amen.

“Who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many” (2 Corinthians 1:10-11).

In all the difficulties of this life, know that the Lord is your deliverer. Ultimately, we know that even when we die, yet shall we live, for the Lord has come to us that we may know that through His death and resurrection, we have the assurance of new life. Do not live in the hopelessness of the aliens from the Lord, but in the hope that is yours forever through Christ who strengthens you.

Lord, this life does have its twists and turns and there are many times when I am filled with fear and doubt. Help me to overcome all of these things and know that You have prevailed, and will deliver me from all evil. Teach me what it means to abide in You as You abide in me. Guide me in the goodness of Your mercy to live boldly in the confidence which is mine through this faith You have given.

Lord Jesus, You did not exempt Yourself from the pains of this world. You died on the cross. You know how much this world can hammer against you. Guide me, Lord, in the way You have established so that no matter what may come, I look to You as my hope. Teach me to pray for others as others pray for me. Guide me into the fulness of a life lived by faith and in hope. Amen.

“GOD IS THE RULER YET”

One of my favorite hymns for Fathers’ Day is “This Is My Father’s World.”  One of the verses goes like this:

Oh, let me not forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong
God is the ruler yet.

This is my Father’s world.
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King, let the heavens ring.
God reigns!  Let the earth be glad!

We live in a time when the wrong seems so strong.  Between the pandemic, the blow to our nation’s and the global economy, and racial strife, we wonder how much more our country and our world can take.  I was very disturbed to read a comment made by a CIA intelligence officer.  According to him, what he sees happening are the kinds of dynamics that occur in nations that are about to collapse.  How will it end?  What will be next?  How will it play out?  How long will it take?

I completely missed – because of my focus on the pandemic – May 8 as the seventy-fifth anniversary of V-E Day, Victory in Europe Day.  That is the day when the Allies formally accepted Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945, thus marking the end of World War II in Europe.

I do not want to similarly miss the seventy-fifth anniversary of Victory in the Pacific Day.  That term has been applied to the day when Japan’s surrender was initially announced – August 15, 1945, in Japan, and, because of time zone differences, August 14, 1945, in the United States.  It has also been applied to September 2, 1945, when the surrender document was signed, thus officially ending World War II.

We know how the war ended – both in Europe and in the Pacific.  But can you imagine being a part of the massive effort to win the war, when you did not know how it would end? 

We recently observed the seventy-sixth anniversary of D-Day.  From our vantage point, we know how it turned out.  We know that the effort was a success.  It was a massive invasion that cost many lives, but it gave the Allies a foothold on the European continent.  It turned the tide of the war.  But can you imagine being a part of the invasion, not knowing if it would succeed?

We do not know how the pandemic, the economy, and racial strife will all play out.  We do not know how long it will take, how many will suffer, or how much damage will be done.  But we do know this.  That this is our Father’s world.  And “though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.”  “The Lord is King, let the heavens ring.  God reigns!  Let the earth be glad!”

I would now like to turn our attention to four passages in the Old Testament that tell us what we as God’s people need to be doing at a time like this.

First, 2 Kings 19: 14

King Hezekiah of Judah received a threatening letter from the Assyrians, basically telling him that just as no other nation had survived the Assyrian assault, so Jerusalem would not survive either.  How did Hezekiah respond?  2 Kings 19: 14 says that Hezekiah took the letter with him, went to the house of the Lord, and spread the letter out before the Lord, and basically said, “God, this is beyond us.  We do not know what to do.  Our eyes are on you.”  We also need to take our whole situation and spread it out before the Lord.  Like Hezekiah, so we, too, need to say to the Lord, “This is beyond us.  The issues are so complex.  The problems are so deep and so deep-seated.  The wrong goes back for so long.  We do not know what to do.  Our eyes are on you.”

Second, Amos 5: 24 – “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream.”

I live in Arizona – out in the desert on the northeast side of Phoenix.  We are just at the beginning of the Monsoon Season – that time of year when we can experience some powerful thunderstorms.  We live about thirteen miles from where we go to church.  Between our house and the church there is only one traffic light, but there are about twenty places where the road dips down, following the contour of the land.  If we had one of those major thunderstorms on a Sunday morning, there is no way we could get to church.  There are too many places where our car would either stall in the water or even get swept off the road.

Justice rolling down like waters and righteousness like an everflowing stream is an image that speaks powerfully to me.  As a nation we need to look seriously at where people have been denied justice.  The quest for justice needs to be as powerful as the runoff from a mighty desert thunderstorm.

Third, Micah 6: 8 – “What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” 

The prophet Micah is not saying, “It sure would be nice if you would.”  Instead he is saying, “This is what the Lord requires of you.”  “Requires of you – to do justice.”  Not just to be in favor of justice, but to do justice.  To work to make justice happen.  To identify with and to advocate for those who have been denied justice.  To love mercy.  For me – during these times – loving mercy means doing something because we are concerned for those who have been most effected by the pandemic – those whose health is most vulnerable, those who are facing great personal risk as they bravely and faithfully provide care for others, those who are isolated in nursing homes and other care facilities and their families who are unable to visit them.  Loving mercy means doing something because we are concerned for those who have been most effected by the economic shut down – the poor, the long-term unemployed, those who were living from paycheck to paycheck and now have no income.  Loving mercy means doing something because we are concerned for those who have been most effected by racial strife –  victims of prejudice, good police officers who now feel vulnerable because of lack of support from public officials, business owners who had already suffered major economic setback, and now have had their place of business looted and/or destroyed.

The fourth verse says more about what it means to “walk humbly with your God.”

2 Chronicles 7: 14 – “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land.”

Lord Jesus, heal our land.

* * * * * * *

AN ALARMING MISUSE OF SCRIPTURE

The second thing I would like to talk about is Episode 1 of Season 5 of the Netflix series Queer Eye, which was recently released.  Queer Eye is a series which features a team of five LGBTQ+ persons, who are known as the Fab 5, who work with someone and give that person a makeover in some area of life.  Episode 1 features a number of ELCA pastors, including the Rev. Noah Hepler, who needed help in accepting his sexual identity; the Rev. Megan Rohr, the ELCA’s first transgender pastor; and Bishop Guy Erwin, the ELCA’s first gay bishop.  This episode lifts up the LGBTQ+ lifestyle as well as what has come to be called “Queer Christianity.”  Because of the fact that potentially this episode could be seen by millions of people around the world, it is important that people know what is being promoted and how they can respond to friends and family members who see the episode and might be persuaded to accept its LGBTQ+ ideas.  A link to the trailer for season 5, including episode 1, can be found here.

One of the things that should be most alarming to Christians who take seriously the authority of the Bible as the Word of God is the way that this movement, called “Queer Christianity,” views, misuses, and misinterprets Scripture.  Hermeneutics has to do with how we interpret the Bible.  It is alarming how those who follow the principles of “queer hermeneutics,” as illustrated in this episode of Queer Eye, interpret the Bible. 

I urge you to read my full article so that you will see how advocates for “Queer Christianity” do not listen to and follow the clear and obvious meaning of Scripture.  Instead they use Scripture in order to get Scripture to support their LGBTQ+ perspective.  And I urge you not only to read my full article, but to share it with others.  This is not just a matter of different views of human sexuality.  Rather what is at stake is the authority of the Bible as the Word of God and the foundational principles of the Christian faith.  Click here for a link to the full article.  

LIST OF CONFESSIONAL RESOURCES

Finally, for your summer reading, I would like to refer you to the List of Confessional Resources which Lutheran CORE has prepared.  Many thanks to all the pastors who have contributed to this list of books, videos, commentaries, ministries, and movements.  Click here for a link to this annotated bibliography of confessional resources.

If you have a resource that you would like to see added, please let us know.  May you be blessed by and during your summer reading.

Blessings in Christ,
Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE
dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com
909-274-8591 

“For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9)

The Gospel has come to us through the cost of the saints who have brought it to us. Just because one deep in the faith who has shared it with you is smiling does not mean they have not suffered the cost for the faith. Rejoice that the Lord includes you in the hope of eternity. Be guided by His goodness and know that in Him is all life and true liberty through the salvation He provides.

Lord, teach me to press through every circumstance that I would be guided by You alone. Keep me from every temptation that would lead me away from You. You alone are the hope for all people, for through You have all things have been created. In Your goodness, lead me in the hope of salvation and through all obstacles that will come my way. You are the way, truth and life!

Lord Jesus, through Your Spirit, guide me today and every day to do what is pleasing in the Father’s sight. Keep me from those things which would lead me astray. Grant me fortitude to stand fast amidst all this world will throw at me. In all things, may I be found true to You, holding fast to the faith delivered once for all. In You alone is all hope and an eternal future. Amen.

“But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:5-6).

In our age it seems as though the idea of suffering is contrary to the Gospel. But this is not what is said. As Christians, first from the mouth of Jesus and then from Paul, we hear that suffering is a part of what we will experience. This makes sense because when we are united with Christ, we become an enemy of the world. It is not that we choose suffering, but that suffering is a part of this sinful world.

Lord, help me to join with the saints who have gone before that I would willing do whatever needs to be done in any circumstance to walk this path of faith that You have set before me. Help me to not be tempted by the lies of this age which would proclaim anything to the contrary. Help me to believe firmly what You have told me and to walk humbly in this new life that You give.

Guide me, Lord Jesus, according to the Father’s will that I would now and always walk with You no matter what comes. Let me not be tempted by any comforts this world can give, for only in You is the true comfort that endures. Guide me according to Your goodness to see that in You alone is all hope for the future that You have promised. May I rejoice amidst the sufferings of this life as I look at all that You have done for me. Amen.