“May there be abundance of grain in the land; on the tops of the mountains may it wave; may its fruit be like Lebanon; and may people blossom in the cities like the grass of the field! May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!” (Psalm 72:16-17)

Look to the Lord and ask for blessings. Do not ask just for yourself, but for everyone. We are called to bless others as we have been blessed. We have not been blessed because we are good, but because God is good. See in the Lord the hope of all people and know that in Him is life and liberty. The Lord allows this age that those who seek Him may come to Him willingly and freely.

Lord, set my eye upon the prize of salvation to know the hope that You implant through salvation. Guide my thoughts, words, and deeds to be those which are pleasing in Your sight. Help me to be a servant of others by the model of Christ and guide me to live in a way that is pleasing to You. May my life be in Your hands as You shape me into the way You have always intended.

Lord Jesus, You are a model of the godly life and You have showed us that the way of truth comes in constantly serving others. You were willing to go the whole distance and did not stop short. By Your example, teach me to be a blessing to others without regard for recompense. Lead me in the godly way to be both inwardly and outwardly the same person, free to receive and free to give the same grace which You have lavished upon me. Amen.

“From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight. Long may he live; may gold of Sheba be given to him! May prayer be made for him continually, and blessings invoked for him all the day!” (Psalm 72:14-15)

The Lord does not want destruction, but life. Precious in the Lord’s sight is life and He offers it to those who want to flee from oppression and violence. The way of the sinful man is destruction, but the way of the Lord is life. Look to the Lord and He will raise you up to the kind of life for which you were created to live. Pray for those who do not know that one day they will meet Him.

Lord, it is difficult in this age where there are so many who seem bent on violence and destruction, Guide me to live humbly and with care for others. Help me to see them with the same hope that You put in me. May I live in the redemption You have promised and be guided by Your Spirit to see more clearly the ways in which You have called me to live. Guide me always, O Lord.

Lord Jesus, You know violence and oppression and it is because of these things that You went to the cross. There are those who meant it for destruction, but You did it in completion of the Father’s plan as the way of redemption for those who believe. Guide me in Your way of truth, Lord, that I may abide in You now and always and reflect the light of truth in the world for all to see. Amen.

“For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper. He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy.” (Psalm 72:12-13)

Lord You have always provided even when those who are given the responsibility to do so will not. Help me join in Your work and do those things which are pleasing to You. Help me look beyond the struggles of this age, knowing they are always present, to see the truth that Your ways shall prevail. Lead us, O Lord, in the way of righteousness and peace to take care of our neighbors.

Lord, You know the struggles I have, for I judge others and do not simply do what You ask me to do. Help me now and always to see the truth and walk humbly in Your ways doing what You give me to do. Lead me in righteousness so that I simply do what You place before me and am not hindered by the thoughts in my mind which may get in the way. Lead me in the way of peace.

Lord Jesus, You demonstrated godliness by living a sinless life and taking care of those whom You met each day. By Your example, guide me to do the same. Help me be about Your business and leave all judgements to You. Help me to be both shrewd and innocent in my daily dealings as I live the life to which You have called me. May I this day follow in Your footsteps as You lead. Amen.

“May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!” (Psalm 72:10-11)

If the nations would simply acknowledge that the Lord is God and bow before Him, the world would be at peace. See that the Lord is not looking for dominion, for it is already His. We strive for power that will never be ours. Oh that the nations would simply come into the truth and know that the Lord is good and desires that we live in peace. May they come and fall before Him that we may have peace.

Lord, I know this is the desire You place in our hearts and also how the world rebels against this. Help me to live in peace in so far as it is up to me. Keep me from warring against my neighbor and even when others do not bow to You, help me to be a witness of how things truly are. Guide me in the way of peace that I may live in harmony with Your will and Your ways.

Lord Jesus, it was no real temptation when the devil wanted to make you think that He was offering You the nations. All is Yours for You created all things. Let this simple truth resonate within me that I would hold fast to the truth You have revealed knowing that all things are in Your hands. Guide me to be at peace with all around me and not get caught up in the lies of this age. Amen.

“May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth! May desert tribes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust!” (Psalm 72:8-9)

What is the goal of the Lord? Is it not that the nations live in peace with each other and that their people love one another as neighbors? Is this not what He has said from the beginning? We are to live toward this goal, for this is the command of the Lord. It does not matter in this age what actually happens; we are to strive for what is right in the Lord’s sight knowing He will make of us what He wills if we trust in Him.

Lord help me to not get caught up in the despair of a world that is in constant conflict, but have the goal of living according to Your will. Let me learn how to press on and simply do what is right in Your sight though all I do goes down in flames. Lead me, O Lord, according to Your purpose to be the kind of person You are creating me to be, knowing that our hope is in You alone.

Lord Jesus, as You walked the earth the crowds gathered around You in hope. Then You were crucified and they scattered. Help me to see the simple truth that You are up to bigger things than we can at first see that I may not become disappointed at what I think are setbacks. Grant the ability to persevere that I may continue to fight the good fight of faith knowing the Father’s will is being done. Amen.

“May they fear you while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations! May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth! In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more!” (Psalm 72:5-7)

Have compassion on those who do not know the Lord. The Lord desires that none would perish. Those who act wickedly do not know what they are doing. This is no excuse, but the truth. In the Lord, there is love and love covers a multitude of wrongs. The righteous do flourish and the wicked will perish. Live the way life is meant to be lived and be blessed by the Lord.

Lord there are those who do wrong and I react with anger. Lead my heart to be compassionate, gentle, and caring. Teach me what to do in every circumstance, knowing that in all I do, You are to be praised. Lord, water the earth with Your goodness and bring to peace those who do not know it, that we may live in peace and be content in the circumstances in which You have placed us.

Jesus, from the cross You said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Help me as one who does not know what He is doing to take Your hand and follow wherever You lead. Help me grow in wisdom and lead me in Your righteousness. Grant me a heart of compassion by which I do not see enemies, but only those who do not yet know You. Amen.

“Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness! May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!” (Psalm 72:3-4)

The world has always been filled with those who take and oppress. They do these things and twist words to proclaim that it is good. The Lord gives to all freely and takes care of the orphan and widow. The wicked look at the exception and say God is not good. They lift up that exception to say they are good. See through the lies in this world to perceive how the Lord does provide for all every day.

Lord open my eyes to see through all of the garbage that gets thrown around to see clearly that this world that You have made provides for us all. The wicked one perverts truth and people run amok with lies; but guide me into truth that I would see through the lies and humbly share with others what You have given to me. You are the eternal prosperity for all. Lead me into You.

Lord Jesus, You came humbly into the world to show goodness and mercy and to make possible the eternal salvation for all. You healed the sick, bound up the broken hearted and raised the dead. Let me see and rejoice in the provision You give that I may fill my days with praise and thanksgiving. Lead me, Lord Jesus, into the new life You have given me to help others as You have helped me. Amen.

THERE IS A CURE FOR THE SNAKE BITE
Devotional for March 11, 2018 based upon Number 21: 4-9 and John 3: 14-21

Our Old Testament reading for this coming Sunday starts out by telling us that God’s people “became impatient on the way” because they were now going to have to go back into the desert and around the land of Edom in order to get to the Promised Land. And so they began complaining. Have you ever become “impatient on the way” and so you began complaining?

One more time the Israelites said, “Moses, why did you make us leave Egypt?” Which simply was not true. How often are our complaints based upon information or perceptions that simply are not true? Moses had not forced them to leave Egypt. Rather they were desperately clamoring to escape slavery in Egypt. But still the people said, “Moses, why did you make us leave Egypt? Why have you brought us out here to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water here, and we are so tired of manna.”

Now I do not believe that God deserves our complaints. God desires and deserves our thanks and praise. The Israelites should have been thankful for all that God had been doing for them. But instead, they were complaining.

What about you? Should you be spending more time and effort thanking God for all that He has done for you, and less time and effort complaining?

How about this one? If you were an Israelite during the time of Moses, you would have lived in the desert for almost forty years by now. Most of your friends would be dead. You would have eaten the same food three times a day for almost forty years. You would not have been able to take a shower for almost forty years. And you would have been wearing the same clothes – which you would not have been able to wash – for almost forty years. All of which seems like plenty of reasons to let Moses – and God – really have it and complain.

But look at all this from God’s perspective. God is the one who had brought them out of slavery and was leading them through the desert to the Promised Land. He was leading them to a place where they could have entered forty years before if only they had had more faith in Him. And so, because one more time they complained instead of giving thanks, God sent snakes into the camp.

What if the same thing were to happen to us every time we complain? Well, the truth of the matter is that we are all snake-bitten. God has been so good to each one of us in so many ways. But we will not stop complaining. He puts food on our tables – and not just manna – three times every day. He gives us His guidance and blessing, but we will not stop complaining. He gives us a place to live and the health and strength to go to work, but we will not stop complaining. We are all snake-bitten.

And for all who are snake-bitten, our story for this morning from Numbers 21 has good news. There is a cure for the snakebite. Let me give it to you in the form of an equation. CONFESSION + INTERCESSION = HOPE.

First, CONFESSION. Numbers 21: 7 tells us, “The people came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.” They confessed their sin. If you want to have hope, you must confess your sins.

Now confession is not talking about somebody else – what they have done – which is far worse than anything that I have ever done. Confession is not complaining about what other people have done to me. Rather confession is my talking about me. Confession is about what I have done. And notice something. The people did not say, “We have made a mistake.” Or, “We have made an error in judgment.” Even a very bad error in judgment. Rather they said, “We have sinned.” If you want the cure for the snake bite, you must confess your sins to God, as well as to any other person whom you have sinned against. We need to stop complaining and start confessing.

Second, INTERCESSION. Also in Numbers 21: 7 – “So Moses prayed for the people.” Intercession is praying for the people. Intercession is the job of every baptism-washed, blood-bought, and Spirit-filled child of God. Intercession is not telling God about something that somebody else did to you so that now you feel that you should be able to complain. No, intercession is my asking God to help, heal, forgive, restore, lift up, bless, lead, comfort, and keep another person. Moses is a great example of someone who engaged in the ministry of intercession. In fact, Moses often interceded for the people, even when they did not ask him to. Sure, Moses got fed up with their attitudes and got tired of their complaining. But he was always willing to stand in the gap and intercede for them.

And as children of God we also are to intercede for other people. We do not have the option of badmouthing those who bad mouth us. Instead of cursing them, our Heavenly Father tells us that we are to bless them and intercede for them. Being a Christian means that we are to be intercessors – for each other, as well as for our local community, our nation, and the entire world.

So let’s get back to our original formula. CONFESSION + INTERCESSION = HOPE. According to Numbers 21: 8, the Lord said to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent and set it on a pole. Everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” Now one thing that is really interesting here is that God did not do what the people had asked Moses to ask God to do. In verse 7 the people asked Moses to ask God to remove the snakes. But there is no indication that God ever removed the snakes. Rather God provided a way for people to live in spite of being bitten by a snake. Why? Why did God not get rid of the snakes?

I believe for two reasons. First, so that the people would have a constant reminder of what could happen again if they were to start complaining again. And second, because the serpent on the pole was a picture of a future, greater event that would give even greater hope to the entire human race for all time. For we all are snake-bitten. We have all been bitten by the serpent of sin. But because of the one who was lifted up on another pole – on a cross – we all can have hope.

In our Gospel lesson for this coming Sunday from John 3 Jesus is having a conversation with a man by the name of Nicodemus, a leader of the Jewish people. In that conversation Jesus tells about the second reason why God had Moses make a pole and put a bronze serpent on the pole. In John 3: 14 and 15 Jesus said, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.”

The snake on a pole was a symbol of the cross of Jesus. On the cross He who had never sinned took on our sin so that we could have hope. Because He died, we can be forgiven. We can have peace and hope.

Now the Bible tells us that when the people got to the Promised Land they took the serpent on the pole and placed it in the Ark of the Covenant. In the same way, after Jesus died, He was taken down from the cross and laid in a borrowed tomb. And then on Easter Sunday morning He rose from the dead and came out of the tomb. And now we can have hope because Jesus is alive.

All we need to do is to look to Him in repentance and faith. All we need to do is to look and live. For looking and living is lifting high the cross.

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

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18)

Please note: it’s the word of the cross that strikes some people as folly, and not the cross itself.  The world has a weird ability to justify punishment, suffering, and death.  Such crosses are necessary, people say, to discipline society, or to strengthen our character, or to make us appreciate our blessings.  Something in the human soul wants to make the cross reasonable.

But the word of the cross, the preaching of Christ crucified—now here is something wholly unreasonable.  This word proclaims that rule and might, wisdom and power belong to the One whose cross did nothing good.  Who shall dare to justify the murder of God’s Son?  The word of the cross renders all explanations absurd and unmasks the foolishness of the human race.  What horror to hear that the salvation of our race comes from such absurdity!

Yet to you who are being saved, surely this word is the power of God.  By the proclamation of Christ’s absurd death, you are given a Savior who redeems you in your own foolishness.  For now, having risen from the death that did nothing good, He has the authority to bind or release those who do nothing good—and for you, His word is, “Release!”

LET US PRAY: Speak Your word into my flesh daily, O Lord, that my body and soul would revive in faith, endure in hope, and shine with love, to the glory of Your Name.  Amen

Pastor Steven K. Gjerde

Zion, Wausau

“Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son! May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice!” (Psalm 72:1-2)

Lord, the nations battle one against the other. Peoples vie for power. Bring justice that the nations may live in righteousness. Unless the Lord influences the kings and rulers, there will be war and destruction. The poor suffer and innocent children are murdered. The cry for justice has always been present in this age of wickedness. Bring righteousness to those who lead.

Lord, I hear Your Word which speaks of it getting worse before the end. I do not want to experience the suffering of wicked rulers. I do not want my children or grandchildren to suffer. Lord, everything is in Your hands, but do bring to power those who will not bring mass destruction and ruin among the nations. Lift up rulers that benefit the people, the poor, and the children.

Lord Jesus, You came at a time when the rulers were wicked and turned a blind eye to the thievery that was all around. You know corruption and have seen it over the ages. Help me trust that where we are today is in the Father’s will and that I am still able to do my part. Where it befits Your purpose, bring those who lead into Your will and not the will of this age, so that all may see glimpses of Your goodness. Amen.