“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.

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning and Your faithfulness by night, with the ten-stringed lute and with the harp, with resounding music upon the lyre.” (Psalm 92:1-3)

You have given good gifts, Lord, and give them freely. May I learn from You to give praise and thanksgiving for all of Your goodness. Put praise on my lips and let the gifts You have given be freely used to praise and worship You in and through all things. You are faithful and worthy of all praise and honor. Guide me, O Lord, to learn to worship and praise You at all times.

Lord, I often think of worship as a routine and not as a part of my daily life. Lead me, O Lord, to learn that You have created me to live a life filled with praise and thanksgiving. Teach me to truly worship that I may spend all of my days the way You would have me spend them. Bring me to those places in Your Word where I may learn from You the purpose for which I have been created.

Holy Spirit, come and direct my thoughts and desires that I would live in thanksgiving for all of the goodness You bring. Put praise on my lips and guide kind words to issue from them. Fill my heart with the love You desire I have for all. May my life be a devotion to You and the wonder You have brought forth in creation. Guide me according to the Father’s will now and always. Amen.

Tuesday, December 5, 2017 Devotion

“But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength; yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning, for You have been my stronghold and a refuge in the day of my distress.  O my strength, I will sing praises to You; for God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness.”  (Psalm 59:16-17)

What is the direction, the outcome of your life?  Is it to live the few years on this earth, or is there a higher calling?  Come into the Lord’s presence and sing to Him.  Let the One who created you be the center of Your being.  It was for this that you were made.  Come and rejoice, sing songs of praise and worship the Lord your God.  He is your strength and your stronghold.

Lord, I am confused by all the offerings around me, yet they really offer nothing but momentary distractions.  Guide me in the way of life as You created it to be lived that I may live according to Your purpose.  Help me see through the nonsense of this world and focus on the things that have always been true.  Lead me in the way of righteousness for Your name’s sake.

Lord Jesus, God in the flesh, You have come to lead the way.  Help me now and always to walk in the way You have established.  Guide me according to the timeless principles You have given through Your Word.  Help me take Your hand and follow You alone through all that this world will force my way.  Help me see clearly the way I should go and then by Your Spirit guide me to walk that way.  Amen.

WHY DO WE GIVE?

Devotional for October 22, 2017 based upon Matthew 22: 15-22

A young boy wanted a hundred dollars, so he prayed to God for an entire week, but nothing happened.  Finally he decided to write God a letter, requesting the hundred dollars.  When the Post Office got the letter addressed to God, they forwarded it to the White House.  The President was very impressed and touched, so he instructed an aide to send the boy five dollars.  He figured that five dollars would mean a lot to the boy.  Which it did.  So the young boy sat down and wrote a note, which read, “Dear God, Thank you very much for sending me the money.  However, I noticed that for some reason you sent it through Washington.  As always, they kept most of it.”  

In our Gospel reading for this morning Jesus said, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (verse 21)  Most of us accept the fact that we do have to give to Caesar.  What Caesar wants, Caesar gets.  And most of us just kind of accept that.

Giving to Caesar is not a problem for most of us.  But for many, giving to God is a huge problem.   So I would like to ask the question, WHY DO WE GIVE?  Many churches hold their annual stewardship campaign during this time of the year.  Why would we want to tell God in writing what we plan to do in providing financial support for and being involved in the ministry of the Church this next year?

First, we give to God the things that belong to God in RESPONSE to all that He has done for us.  Times are tough.  Money is short.  Maybe financially times are tougher for you than they were a few years ago.  But do you still have your health?  Do you have people who love you?  Do you have food to eat and a warm place to sleep?  Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins?  Do you have a home in heaven?  The truth is that we all have much to be thankful for.  And so we give to God the things that belong to God, first of all, in RESPONSE to all that God has done for us.

Second, we give to God the things that belong to God as a REMEDY to the enslaving power of wealth.  There comes a time for all of us when we have to decide what role money is going to play in our lives.  Will we have money, or will money have us?  It’s really interesting – and tellingly significant – that as people’s income grows, the percentage of their income that they give to charities declines.  The more people earn, the less proportionately they give.  You would think it would work the other way around.  The more I earn, the more discretionary income I have, so the more I should be able to give.  But that’s not the way it works.  

A wealthy TV evangelist was dying in his mansion.  He gathered his followers all around him to hear his one last wish.  “Before I die,” he said, “I would like to take one last ride.”  They asked him what he would need for that one last ride before entering into the Kingdom of Heaven.  He replied, “I would like a very small camel and a very large needle.”

It’s happening to people all around us.  No one of us is immune.  People who used to worship God now worship money. And so we give to God the things that belong to God as a REMEDY to the enslaving power of wealth.

And then third, we give to God the things that belong to God as a REMINDER of who is number one in our lives.  According to Deuteronomy 14, the whole purpose of the tithe is to teach us to always put God first.  It’s simply a matter of priorities.  It is simply a matter of doing what Jesus said – “Give back to God the things that belong to God.”  Seek first His Kingdom, and then trust Him to provide and to take care of you.  

This coming week ask yourself, “Am I truly giving back to God the things that belong to God?”

May the Holy Spirit so live in your life that you will find giving back to God easier, more important, and certainly more enjoyable than giving back to Caesar.

Dennis D. Nelson

President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE