Month: May 2017

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PWTE Daily Devotion

The Three Amigos

Near Parkdale, Colorado

Strength in Community

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

“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” 
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 New Living Translation

Instead of eating dinner with our fellow pastors at a recent conference, my friend, Don, and I took the opportunity to go hunting with our cameras. We both share the same passion for photography, though in different areas. Don is an excellent wildlife photographer and I love landscapes. Unfortunately for Don, most of our pictures were of landscapes. That is until we returned home.

Near Parkdale, Colorado

I took this picture at Five Points campground on the Arkansas River. Having retrieved our cameras from our vehicles, we slowly walked into a meadow where a number of ewes and rams were feeding and laying in the lush green grass. Three rams decided to stand and walk toward the woods. I guess they were tired of posing for us. Thankfully, they were not in a  great hurry to move to higher ground and we captured a few more pics of them.

Hanging together in the body of Christ can be a good thing for us to do.

The above passage is often used at weddings where the third chord is often referred to as Christ at the center of the marriage. I’m not going to argue with that usage, but the Preacher of Ecclesiastes is probably using it in a more generic fashion. He has stated how two people can help each other succeed, aid each other in difficult times, and keep each other warm. And then, as an afterthought, he states that a triple-braided chord isn’t easily torn apart. Enter the third person.

Three is not a crowd in the Christian church, it’s community and there is strength in community. May we experience the strength of Christ in fellowship with each other no matter how many of us there are.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, CO

 

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PWTE Daily Devotion

Look!

How Much More Ministry.

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

Our God’s bias is towards “much more ministry.“ To be exact, it’s a “how much more ministry.“ As Jesus says in Matthew 6:26—

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?”
New International Version

Many of our English translations conveniently label this section with something like “Do Not Worry.“ Who says God isn’t concerned about our earthly realities?  Those realities sometimes find us worrying.  At times, I could likely vie for a gold medal if worrying were only an Olympic sport.

God is a God of compassion.  He is creator, our creator.  He is redeemer, our redeemer.  He is sanctifier, our sanctifier.  Father.  Son.  Holy Spirit.  God, our God, is concerned about the whole creation he has made us to be.

Take a look in the mirror today.  You are no accident.  God created you on purpose, with purpose, for the purpose of living to his glory.

I enjoy feeding birds.  Among other things, it reminds me of Christ’s words in the Sermon on the Mount.  Not just the “feeding“ words.  Oh, no.  I am reminded of the “how much more ministry“ of our God.  It’s much more than we could ever hope or imagine.

When worries assail you, look for the birds.  God is caring for them.  God is feeding them.  How much more does God care for you!  How much more does God feed you!  He feeds you physically and spiritually – and emotionally.  The Lord who redeemed the whole person cares for the whole person by his grace.

When we are consumed with worry, we are consumed with ourselves and our needs.  “Look,“ Jesus says.  To follow Jesus’ command we must look up, look out, and look away from ourselves.  Now we can see what he’s talking about. We can see the point he’s making.

Where are you at today?  God loves you so much.  And, yes, how much more.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, CO

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PWTE Daily Devotion

National Day of Prayer

Praying With Our Eyes, Ears and Heart.

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

“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.”
Colossians 4:2 New Living Translation

Today is the National Day of Prayer, established in 1952 as a day set aside, other than a Sunday, as an official day for all to pray. We are blessed to live in a nation that has a law in place requiring our President to proclaim a National Day of Prayer each year on the first Thursday in May. We can still worship and pray to God in the US. Many places do not have the freedom to do this. So take some time today to reflect and pray to the Lord who created us, loves us and wants to be in communication with us.

Some thoughts for potential reflection and prayer:

Praying with the eyes

We see so much beauty in the world but often take it for granted. Praise God for the beautiful things that stir your soul, that move you to joyful tears, which take your breath away. Lift up prayers of praise and thankfulness to the Lord who creates beauty and blesses you to enjoy it.

We see so much ugliness in the world. Pray even more fervently for the things you see that make you look away, that tear your soul apart with grief or sadness, that melt your heart in helplessness.

Praying with the ears

Bells ringing at a nearby church. A choir singing your favorite hymn. A child’s laughter. A roaring stream in the mountains or wind rustling aspen leaves. Neighbors fighting so loud you can hear it with their windows closed. Sirens piercing the night. We’ve all heard the sounds, but have you ever prayed for the sounds? For the nearby church to be a blessing to its community. For the children to know how much God loves them. Prayers of praise for the sounds of creation. Heartfelt prayers for those on the traumatic end of the sirens. Listen for the sounds that activate praise. Hear the sounds around you that command your prayers.

Praying with the heart

What consumes your heart each day? Children, grandchildren or friends? Our nation, neighbors, health or finances? If thoughts like these consume chunks of your day, lift them up in prayer believing that our Lord hears them. Not as a Santa Claus God whom we expect an answer that we are comfortable with, but as a loving Lord who uses our prayers to change us and others into his children—deepening our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

“When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.  Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.”
Ephesians 3:14-21 New Living Translation

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, CO