Month: November 2016

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PWTE Daily Devotion

I Promise You

You Can Count On Me!

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ.”
2 Corinthians 1:20a

I suppose rainbows can be symbols of many things, but whenever I see a rainbow I am reminded of the first rainbow, the sign of God’s covenant with Noah in Genesis 8.  With this rainbow God gave Noah and all people a sign that He would never destroy the earth again with water.  Hence, anytime I see a rainbow I am reminded of God’s good promises to His people.

rainbowGod’s promises are not like my promises.  My promises are not always wisely done and many times broken.  One promise that I cannot keep is to promise someone, “I will always be there for you.” I have not the omnipresence nor the omniscience nor the immortality to fulfill that promise!

But when Jesus says, “I will be with you always, even to the end of the age”, he will keep that promise.  He who promised to save us no matter what the cost, did just that.  The cross and the resurrection are two sure signs of God’s love, faithfulness, and ability to keep His promises.

The picture above with the rainbow upon Trinity Lutheran Church is a very visible reminder that all of God’s promises are “yes” in Christ Jesus.  He will not fail His church.  He who promised to send His Son, did so.  He who promised to save you from your sin, did so.  He who promised to send His Holy Spirit, did so.  He who promises to come again, will do so!  His answer to His promises are always a resounding “YES!”

Sinful, fallible, mortal people will fail you.  But the holy, infallible, immortal, only wise God will never fail you nor forsake you.  He always keeps His promises!

Lord Jesus, thank you for being so loving and faithful to me and all your people and creatures.  I trust You and Your Word in every circumstance.  You are my “Yes” in a world of broken promises… Amen.

Text Copyright Steve Nickodemus

 

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PWTE Daily Devotion

Square It Up!

Is everything square between us?

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar.  First go and be reconciled with your brother; then come and offer your gift.”
Matthew 5:23-24

Emilto, one of my house framers, is carefully measuring diagonally both ways across the garage wall he is building, checking to see if it is perfectly square.  He wanted to do this before he added plywood sheathing and we stood the wall up.

nov-15-2Why?  Because the wall must be square and level or nothing would fit properly, not the roof, the doors or the windows. And sure enough, Emilto found that the wall was not square and we spent a good half hour getting that wall lined up properly.  When it was done squarely, that wall was a thing of beauty!

In human relationships, we have a question we ask to check if all is right between us.  It is, “Is everything square between us?”  In other words, is our relationship sound, are there any attitudes that cause it to be out of kilter?

Jesus tells us in today’s verses that when we are coming to God in prayer, if we remember that in one of our friendships all is not square between us, to leave our time with God and go and be reconciled with our friend.  For if our relationship with our brother and sister is not square, our relationship with God can not be sound.

How are your relationships today?  Are they all square?  Are they sound?  Or is God calling you to get something right with your brother or sister?

Because God has loved you and me in Christ Jesus, you and I can love one another.  Because our Lord has resolved our differences with Him by sending His Son on the cross, you and I can repent and forgive freely with others.

Holy Spirit, convict me where I need to get square in my relationships with others.  Thank you that you have straightened out our relationship with the blood of Jesus so that I can be straight with others in the love You have given me in Christ.  Amen.

Text and Picture Copyright Steve Nickodemus

 

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PWTE Daily Devotion

Weathering the Waves

Near Cape Arago, Coos Bay, Oregon

Faith holds on to the promise that God will rescue us.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

I am numb with pain and severely battered;
I groan loudly because of the anxiety I feel…
Yet I wait for you, O LORD! You will respond, O Lord, my God!
Psalm 38:8,15 New English Translation

I long for the day when I’m able to stand at the Oregon Coast when a major storm hits. Granted, I’d like someone to be with me, you know, just in case… There’s nothing like the power of the ocean when it’s thrown into pure chaos by the wind. The waves crashing into the seemingly unmovable cliffs can’t be copied. It’s relentless, deafening and sovereign. Nothing wins against the ocean’s fury…except these cliffs.

Near Cape Arago, Coos Bay, Oregon
Near Cape Arago, Coos Bay, Oregon

It’s one thing to experience this fury from a distance and another to be caught in the tempest. Over 2,000 ships and 700 lives have been lost at the mouth of the Columbia River, giving it the name, “The Graveyard of the Pacific.” The Peter Iredale stands as a monument to these shipwrecks with its skeleton rising out of the sand at Ft. Stevens State Park.

Some of us see our lives as being in danger of shipwrecking. We’re tossed by the wind and waves of life. We’re “numb with pain and severely battered.” We “groan loudly” because of the anxiety that we feel each day.

Though our lives might be tossed about by our daily battles, God’s love stands firm against these struggles. These rocks will eventually erode from the force of the ocean, but God’s love will never change. He stands in the middle of our storms – of your storms.

The full tempest of sin beat on Jesus as he died on his cross, yet sin didn’t win. Our sin was buried with Jesus, and in exchange he has given us life. Too often we think that we’ll only experience real life when we’re with Christ, no longer beaten by the waves. However, Jesus said that he came to give us abundant life now, even while the storms rage.

Faith holds firm to the promise that through Christ, we’ll weather the waves.

Text and Picture Copyright Douglas P Brauner