Month: May 2017

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PWTE Daily Devotion

Seeking Nourishment

Hungry to be fed by God’s Word.

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

“For the word of God will never fail.”
Luke 1:37 New Living Translation

One beautiful day, we were driving near a lake when a herd of cattle crossed the road in front of our Jeep. Slowly, most of them ambled to the side of the road then to pasture. However, this cow stopped just before the road’s end because her calf began to nurse. The calf must have been hungry, as it was oblivious to the potential danger of cars on the road. The mom stood her ground to accommodate her calf and guard her offspring. The calf trusted its mother to take care of it, even if the situation was dangerous, drinking the milk she provided as nourishment. The calf wanted to be fed right where it was.

“Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.”
Proverbs 30:5 New Living Translation

I long to be that trusting in my Heavenly Father, no matter what situation I find myself in—even in the midst of the most daunting circumstances. I know God’s heart longs for me to stop right where I am and be nourished again by His Word.

“And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.”
Romans 15:4 New Living Translation

I’m sure you long for His presence and the peace that comes from His words, too. Let me assure you—no matter what state you find yourself in, He loves you and desires your complete trust. His promises are real. He will never leave you, nor forsake you. Spend time in Scripture and let your Father in heaven reveal His true nature to you.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, CO

Categories
PWTE Daily Devotion

Clinging to Jesus

Stringing hop plants

Will you follow?

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

“Then a teacher of the law came to Him and said, ‘Teacher, I will follow You wherever you go.'”
Matthew 8:19

A few weeks ago, our local hop farmers had their crews out in the fields “stringing hops.”  A “hop yard” is a field where tall poles support a grid of wires; strings hooked to the wires and to the ground below.  The hop plant, a climbing vine, is induced to grow up the string and back down to the ground.

Stringing hop plants

It is essential to get the vines to grow up these strings.  Without this guide the vines would crawl along the ground, impossible to harvest, and then there could be no good German beer! (Hops are used in the brewing of most beer.)

A man came to Jesus and said, “I will follow You wherever You go.”  Jesus expresses some doubt in the ensuing passage, that this man would follow Him when he saw the hardships into which Jesus would lead him.  Will this man really cling to Jesus and follow Him wherever He goes?  Even to the cross?

What about you?  Will you follow Jesus wherever He goes?  Will you cling to Him when things get really tough, when it no longer is a happy journey walking after Jesus?

What is the alternative?  To not follow Jesus where He leads is to go your own way, your own destructive, sinful, doomed way.  You and I do not have the strength to cling to Him in the tough places, the scary places, and the dark places. What shall we do?

Thank God that Jesus reaches out to you and me and gently winds His vines back into His heart, His way, and His life.  As you and I call out to Him in our wandering ways, He does not forsake you, but forgives you and brings you back to Him.

Thank you, Jesus, for connecting me to You in your love and grace.  Jesus, lead Thou on, till our rest is won… Amen.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, CO

 

 

Categories
PWTE Daily Devotion

Celebrating the Blue Hour

Finding hope in the promise of the sunrise.

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

“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.”
2 Corinthians 4:8-10 English Standard Version

Photographers and painters love the blue hour.

The blue hour is that time before the sun rises or after it sets when the blue wavelengths emitted from the sun scatter through the earth’s atmosphere, but the red wavelengths pass deeper into the universe. Either the blue will soon give way to the warm tones of sunrise, or the rich, warm tones of the sunset will fade into gray.

Yet the color blue not only describes a entrancing moment in each day, it also depicts a downcast spirit. We all know what it means when someone states that a friend is blue.

Maybe you feel like you’re experiencing a blue hour. You feel “afflicted…perplexed…persecuted.” The people in your inner circle don’t understand you. You don’t understand yourself. It seems that someone is constantly pointing a finger at you, declaring that you’re a failure. Your blue hour is anything but a pretty painting or a fabulous photograph.

Paul admits to the Corinthians that he too was “afflicted…perplexed…persecuted.” Life had knocked him down, but he wasn’t destroyed. In his persecution, perplexity, and affliction he understood that he was connected to the suffering of Jesus. But he doesn’t fixate on Jesus’ suffering because he also knew that being connected to Jesus’ suffering meant that he was joined to his life.

We celebrate the “blue hour” not because of the pain, but because of the life that God works in the midst of the pain. Remember, the blue hour not only occurs when the sun is setting, but before it rises too. God desires that we look to his future promises of grace, glory and gladness even when all we see is blue.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, CO