You Yourself crushed Rahab like one who is slain; You scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm. The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; the world and all it contains, You have founded them.” (Psalm 89:10-11)

The times and seasons are in the Lord’s hands. He holds the ages in His mind and all things will come to pass as the Lord has determined. Why do you worry about the events that happen around you? Are they not in the Lord’s hands? Why do you make your faith conditional? Will not the Lord bring to pass all the He has spoken? Come to the Lord and live in the hope of His Word.

Lord, I do fret over the circumstances of this world. I see so many things and there are so many that are conditional. Teach me to simply come to You knowing that all things are now and always have been in Your hands. Guide me in the way of faith that I would trust You above all things. Lead me, O Lord, and I will be led into the promises You have given for all throughout the ages.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your goodness and grace which You have purchased for all who believe. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for the guidance You give moment by moment. Lead me in the way I should go so that in all I do the Father may be glorified. Keep my mind and heart close to You that what happens around me is seen as only the unfolding of events that You knew would happen. Amen.

TRUST AND OBEY
Devotional for August 5, 2018 based upon Exodus 16: 2-4, 9-15

There was a song we used to sing when I was growing up entitled “Trust and Obey.” The words of the chorus went like this –
“Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey.”

The story of God’s giving His people manna is a story of learning to trust and obey. God provided each day enough manna for that day. They could not hoard or stockpile manna, for any they did not eat that day would spoil by the following day. They had to trust that the God who provided enough manna for each day every day up until today will also provide for tomorrow. They had to learn to trust.

And they also had to learn to obey. On the sixth day, Friday, they were told to gather enough manna for two days, for there would not be any manna on the seventh day, Saturday. But, as is typical of human nature, Exodus 16 tells us that there were some people who did not obey. On Friday they did not collect enough manna for two days. On Saturday, they went out looking for manna, but they found none.

Exodus 16: 21 says, “Morning by morning they gathered it, as much as each needed.” Reminds me of the words to another song –
“Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand has provided.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.”

Do you trust God that He will take care of you and provide for you? Or do you wonder if the One who has brought you this far might let you down now? Do you trust, and do you obey?

There is no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey.

Dennis D. Nelson
President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE

“O Lord God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty Lord? Your faithfulness also surrounds You.  You rule the swelling of the sea; when its waves rise, You still them.” (Psalm 89:8-9)

All things are subject to the One who made them. In Him is hope and life and true liberty. Come into the presence of the Lord and see the goodness of His creation. Come into the Lord’s will and way and know how life is meant to be lived. Be guided by His precepts and walk according to His will and see the goodness He brings to those who love Him. He who is all-powerful will hold you in His hands.

Lord, continue to strengthen the faith You have given me that I would walk humbly before You, my Savior and my God. Guide my footsteps to walk in Your ways all the days of my life. Help me now and always to look to You for all answers and to apply them to my life. You alone are able to direct my way, that I would walk as one of Your holy ones. Lead me, O Lord, always.

Holy Spirit, come upon my heart and lift my countenance to abide in Your presence and walk according to Your direction. Lift up my thoughts that I disdain the wickedness of this world and do those things which are pleasing in the Father’s sight. Help me through the obstacles that come my way that I would now and always live according to Your leading and direction. Amen.

“The heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones. For who in the skies is comparable to the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty is like the Lord, a God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones, And awesome above all those who are around Him?” (Psalm 89:5-7)

It is amazing that people will praise all kinds of things, but not the maker of all things. Praise the Lord for the things He has done. Praise Him for the creation which includes you. Praise Him above all things and know that He is good and gracious and provides for all. Who can be compared to the One through whom all things have their being? Come amongst the holy ones and praise Him.

Lord, I confess that I am conditional and do not see things as they are. Guide my heart to be thankful for all things knowing that all things are in Your hands. Lead me, O Lord, in the way of the holy ones that I would walk now and forever in Your presence praising You for Your goodness. Give me a heart that sees things truthfully, praising You all the day long.

Lord Jesus, You humbled Yourself to walk amongst us to lift us up to be with You forever. Guide me this day to see the goodness You have provided that I may be a person of praise. Lead me in the way I should go that I may forever thank You for Your goodness and mercy. Grant me a new and clean heart that stands in Your presence as one whom You have redeemed. Amen.

“I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My servant, I will establish your seed forever and build up your throne to all generations.” (Psalm 89:3-4)

Lord, You have made a covenant through the salvation You prepared from the beginning. Guide the thoughts of my mind and the meditations of my heart to realize that no matter what comes in my life, You have given the invitation to walk in the salvation You prepared from the beginning. Lead me, O Lord, into the life of faith to which You have called me that I would know Your promises are true.

Lord, I often waiver and wonder about what happens around me. I forget that You have prepared for the truth that all things work to glory for those who love You. Guide my heart to learn to trust first and foremost in You and all that You have promised. Do not let me be led astray by this world’s wickedness, nor be surprised at what happens around me. Help me be true to You.

Lord Jesus, You are the One who has come that as many as believe would not perish, but have everlasting life. Guide me in my day-to-day life that I would humbly walk in the salvation You have prepared. Keep me from wandering down the many broad ways that I encounter each day. Help me remain true to the calling You have given and walk in the narrow way of salvation You have prepared. Amen.

I will sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord forever; to all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth. For I have said, “Lovingkindness will be built up forever; In the heavens You will establish Your faithfulness.” (Psalm 89:1-2)

Do you praise the Lord for all of His goodness and kindness? Or do you look to the Lord as only providing what you want? Come to the place where you are thankful for all that He has provided knowing that we live in an age that is difficult because of those who are in rebellion. Do not blame the Lord for their sin, but praise Him for providing for the just and the unjust.

Lord, I am often so conditional in my praise. When things go well, I forget about You. When things do not go well, I often look up and blame You. Bring me to the place where I praise You at all times, for You are good and Your love endures forever. Move me away from being conditional to the place where I know that Your promises are true and forever.

Lord Jesus, You know the difficulty of walking in this world of wickedness. You know what it is like to struggle with events and people. Teach me to walk in the salvation You have prepared that I may learn to take all things in stride and be thankful for Your goodness and mercy. Lead me, Lord Jesus, to be like You this day, walking humbly in Your sight and being thankful. Amen.

“Your burning anger has passed over me; Your terrors have destroyed me. They have surrounded me like water all day long; they have encompassed me altogether. You have removed lover and friend far from me; my acquaintances are in darkness.” (Psalm 88:16-18)

There are seasons when it seems all is against you. Are you equal in your thoughts when all seems to be going for you? This world is filled with wickedness, and the Lord provides for all people. Do not lament at the Lord, but with the Lord, over those who do evil and rebel against Him. Come to Him and receive the comfort that only He can give. Know the Lord and know peace.

Lord, You have given Your Word and salvation to those who come to You and believe that You are the One who will grant peace. This world is a mess and so many take what is not theirs. Lead me, O Lord, at all times to come to You and know the goodness that You alone provide. You are the friend that will never leave me nor forsake me. Help me to put my trust in You.

Lord Jesus, You know what it is to have friends and family flee from You. Guide me always to simply follow wherever You lead. Help me see in You the hope of glory and know that in You alone am I able to fully trust. Guide me this day to walk in Your goodness and know the mercy You show through grace. Regardless of my situation, help me to praise You for Your goodness. Amen.

“O Lord, why do You reject my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me? I was afflicted and about to die from my youth on; I suffer Your terrors; I am overcome.” (Psalm 88:14-15)

You have not rejected those who come by faith, yet there are times when You seem so far off. Lead those who believe, O Lord, far away from the place of doubt and fear to walk knowing that all things are in Your hands. Guide us into the goodness You have declared that those who are in You may unite in the goodness of Your presence. You are God and there is no other.

Lord, though there are times when You seem far off, lead those who are in You to walk humbly through this world that is filled with wickedness. Guide me, O Lord, in the way You would have me go. Empower me in those things I do for others to see Your hand at work. Lead me by the grace You have given that I may overcome all the moments of doubt to live boldly for You.

Lord Jesus, You expressed the anguish we feel when You were praying in the garden the night You were betrayed. You asked from the cross about the betrayal. Through Your example, You have shown the void that wickedness has brought upon the world. Lead me to see in You that there is always hope amidst the emptiness of this world and that all who come to You can share hope in the promised future. Amen.

“Will Your wonders be made known in the darkness? And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? But I, O Lord, have cried out to You for help, and in the morning my prayer comes before You.” (Psalm 88:12-13)

Will the nations know the Lord? The Lord has those of His fold from every tribe, tongue and nation. From among those whom He knows, He will lift up those whose hearts are turned toward Him. Yes, reach out to others. No, do not worry about whom; for the Lord knows those who are His. The Lord hears the cries of all who lift their hearts toward Him and knows their need before they ask.

Lord, when I ponder all of the people who have ever existed or ever will exist, I wonder. I ponder how You hear all those who cry out for justice. Your Word says that You hear and that You care and that all will work to glory for those who love You. Help me live in faith where I trust You above all things and know that in You alone is the hope of glory for all who believe.

Lord Jesus, You said that You have come for as many as believe. Move me beyond the doubts and fears to come to the place where I live as one who believes. You do hear my prayers and answer them. Guide me, O Lord, to walk humbly in Your grace now and always that I may live into the eternity You have promised to all who come through faith by grace to the Father. Amen.

“EVERYTHING ON MY FLASH DRIVE HAS BEEN ERASED”
Devotional for July 29, 2018 based upon John 6: 1-21

Those were the first words out of my mouth when I tried to find a document that I wanted to work on. About a minute before I had been unable to access the files on my flash drive. A window came up on my computer, which said, “Click here to scan and repair.” I clicked there, but instead of scanning and repairing, it erased everything on my flash drive.

Now fortunately I do have paper copies of most everything on my flash drive. I am one of those digital-later-in-life people who do not totally trust computers, so I make sure I have paper copies of almost everything. And on my computer’s hard drive I had earlier versions of most of the documents – just not the final version. But most fortunately of all, I remembered that most of the documents that I still wanted I had sent to someone else. I could retrieve them from “Sent” emails. I still had them because I had sent them. I had them because I had given them away.

The pastor of one of the churches where I attended when I was in seminary once told of his brother, who also was a pastor. His home office suffered a terrible fire. All of his books, and all of his sermon files, were destroyed. Fortunately, he had made a habit of mailing copies of his sermons to family and friends. After the tragic fire he said, “The only sermons I had left were the ones I had given away.”

The feeding of the five thousand must have made such an impression upon the disciples, because all four Gospels record it. But only John’s Gospel tells us where the five loaves and two fish came from. According to John 6: 8-9, one of the disciples, Andrew, who (as always) is called Simon Peter’s brother, said to Jesus, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?”

What if the boy had not given Jesus his lunch? Five thousand people would not have been fed, and we would never have heard of him and the story of his generous giving because of his deep faith and trust in Jesus.

We have all heard it said, “The purpose of an apple is not just to produce an apple tree. The purpose of an apple is to produce a whole orchard of apple trees.” If every apple – indeed, every apple seed – has within it the potential to produce a whole orchard of apple trees. If that kind of expansion and multiplication from one seed to a whole orchard or field is something that we can see, then why should it surprise us – why should we doubt – that Jesus is able to speed up the process of making a small amount into something great? Something small – given in faith and trust and obedience to Jesus – becomes enough. In fact, it becomes more than enough. The disciples gathered up twelve baskets full of leftovers. They had more left over at the end than what they had when they first began.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians, “My God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (4: 19).

Like the boy, we may only have five loaves and two fish. Like Andrew, we may wonder, “What are they among so many?” The needs are so great, and what I have to offer is so small.

But, like the boy, we can trust Jesus. Like the boy, we can give what we have. We can give generously from what God has given to us. For God is able to supply our needs. God is able to take what we give and then bless it, multiply it, and make it do more than it ever would have done if we had held on to it for ourselves.

Like the Israelites who tried to collect more than enough manna, we will find that hoarding stinks. Like the boy who gave his lunch, we will find that what we give to Jesus, He will make it into more than enough. Like the pastor and his sermons – like myself with the documents on my flash drive, we will find that we only are really able to keep what we give away.

What do you have to give – what will you give to Jesus?

Dennis D. Nelson
President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE