Month: June 2017

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PWTE Daily Devotion

Rejoice in the Lord, fellows!

Anxious for Nothing.

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

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6

Let me introduce two friends of mine, Robert and James.  They are two brothers who are members of our church, and they both have cerebral palsy.  They are confined to wheelchairs and need assistance for many things.  It is difficult for them to communicate easily.  Some people are hesitant to speak to them.  They have every earthly reason to complain and be grouchy about their handicaps.

Instead, they constantly rejoice in everything.  They love to laugh, sing, visit, joke, and generally have a good time.  They love to have Bible stories read to them from their Bible story book, and they especially love to sing “How Great Thou Art.”

Where does this joy come from?  Robert and James would tell you that their joy comes from Jesus.  They thrill at praying to Jesus, praising Jesus, and hearing about Jesus.  Jesus is their Friend, their Savior, and their Lord.

Every problem that the fellows have they take to Jesus.  They know He is their Good Shepherd and they are His lambs.  They thrill at His presence in the Sacrament. They know that one day they will be with Jesus in heaven, and they especially rejoice in that too.

I thought that, when I met Robert and James, I would be teaching them quite a bit about Jesus.  Actually, just the opposite has been true.  They have taught me so much about rejoicing in Jesus and giving God thanks in everything.

Dear Lord, thank you for my friends, Robert and James.  Thank you for their joy, their prayers, and especially their constant witness to you, Jesus.  Amen.

 

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PWTE Daily Devotion

The Fog Is Clearing

Creation Stewardship.

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

“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time”
Romans 8:22 New International Version

A Redwood forest is a majestic thing.  The fog wafting through the trees is not just an accidental characteristic of the Northern California Redwood forests.  Fog is essential to the redwoods.  Botanists estimate that up to 40% of hydration needed for the Coast Redwoods is absorbed through the needles from the fog.  The problem is that over the last 60 years, the characteristic fog of the Coast Redwood area has markedly decreased.  The jury is still out on what effect that will have on the redwood forests.

Not only was the whole creation affected by humankind’s sin, the whole creation still is affected by humankind’s sin.  God placed us in the world to be stewards of creation, according to the creation accounts in Genesis.  Although the full consummation of the revealing of God’s children is not yet at hand, we are nevertheless restored custodians of creation.

Our family has lived on the rich, black-dirt, land of rural south-central Minnesota. We have lived in the high Sonoran Desert in Tucson. We have lived in the rich, forested, landscape of Northern California, and the Pacific Northwest.  Each of those places is beautiful in its unique way.  God is a master artist.  He looked at his creation, and it was good.  That included our role as stewards, custodians, and gardeners.  Call it what you like, but it’s a God-given relationship to creation.

From the backyard gardener to the back-country backpacker, we all have this God-given relationship to creation.  It is not a relationship of power.  It is one of service.  To serve creation, to care for and maintain creation, is to serve the Lord.  We serve the original vision and purposes of God in his creative activity.  That is a mighty act of worship as well.

Summer now claims us.  Perhaps you have already been out and about in God’s glorious creation.  Enjoy it.  Praise God for it.  Revel in it.  Play in it.  Care for it.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, CO

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PWTE Daily Devotion

Longing For a Legacy

Remember Me.

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

Bench at Frantz Lake

The plaque on the bench in the picture says:

“Enjoy the View”
Norm Eggleston
1921-2011

I never knew Norm, but I’ve sat on his bench many times. It overlooks a beautiful view of Frantz Lake and the Collegiate Peaks in Colorado.

We all want to be remembered when we die. Some might give a sizable charitable donation so a building will be named after them. Some create video messages to their children or scrapbooks of life experiences so they will be remembered. Most of us have headstones so future family members can find us and maybe look us up to see how we lived. And then there’s Norm, who just wanted us to know that he lived 90 years and hoped we would enjoy a view that was special to him.

As children of God we have assurance that He remembers us every day.

“You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed.
How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
    They cannot be numbered!”
Psalm 139:15-17 New Living Translation

Because He never forgets us, this is our most important legacy—to share Christ’s love with others so their names might be written in the Book of Life. As Jesus promised,

 “I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine.”
Revelation 3:5 New Living Translation

So don’t strive to establish an earthly legacy, for eventually your memory will fade over many generations. Focus on your undying legacy, for your name is written in the Book of Life for all eternity.

Copyright Text and Picture Desiree Bustamante