Author Archives: Daily Encouragement

May 8
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“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.”  (1 Chronicles 16:8, NIV)

Today’s scripture is taken from the first words spoken by the priests that served before the ark of the covenant of God.  The ark was the physical representation — a reminder, if you will — of the presence of God.

These words were prescribed by David, and are as good today for us as they were thousands of years ago for the Children of Israel.

First, we are invited to “give praise to the Lord.”  May all that we do speak well of our heavenly Father.

Next, we are to proclaim His name: That is, to “advertise” that God is.  There are many forms of advertising.  Some of it is active, and some of it is passive; but all forms carry a message.  Are we proclaiming His name, or are we hiding our relationship to God as if it is of no consequence to us?

Third, our advertising has the purpose of making known to the nations — that is, those who know not God — what God has done for you.  This is your story, and no one should be able to tell your story as well as you.

Today, let your life be an advertisement for the goodness of God.  – Luther

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May 7
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“Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.”  (Jude 1:3, NIV)

In this letter, Jude encourages the disciples of Jesus to “contend for the faith,” because there are individuals and circumstances that would render powerless the Good News — except for the existence of persons willing to make a good stand for the truth.

It is worth noting that Jude says that he would have preferred to write about our common salvation; but that he is, instead, compelled to urge them to stand for our historic faith.  The former topic embraces; the latter topic is fists and elbows.

As disciples of Jesus, it is sometimes necessary to take-up the dirty duty of standing for the whole truth, when half-truths are the fashion of the day.  Yet, even in such uncomfortable circumstances, remember to stand in the strength of the Lord; to maintain a posture of grace and, when possible, good humor.

There is no higher compliment for a disciple of Jesus than he or she be known as a contender for the historical faith on which we stand.  – Luther

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May 6
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“’Truly I tell you,’ Jesus said to them, ‘no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.'”  (Luke 18: 29-20, NIV)

While some may classify these words of Jesus as a “hard saying”; in reality these words are some of the most gracious in all of the bible.

There is a worthy tale that illustrates what Jesus is saying: A rich man had a son who painted a self-portrait.  Though no one would ever mistake the painting as the work of a skilled artist, the father treasured this painting above all else, because the son — who was his sole heir — had been killed in war and the painting was a reminder of his beloved son.

In his will, the rich man required that the painting be sold at auction with all of his other possessions.  On the day of the auction, estate agents and bargain hunters from far and wide converged at the rich man’s estate for the sale.  The first item up for bid was the son’s self-portrait.  The crowd grumbled.  They had not traveled to the sale to bid on the work of a third-rate artist.  They were there there to buy houses, land, livestock, and fine furniture!

At first, no one wanted to bid on the painting, but the auctioneer made it clear that in accordance with the rich man’s will, the painting must be sold ahead of all other property.  So, to move along the process, one person made a small bid for the portrait.  Hearing no other bids, the auctioneer  said, “Sold!” to the lone bidder, then added, “You’ve just purchased the entire estate: Houses, land, livestock, and fine furniture.  The lot is yours.”

The crowd was stunned.

The executor of the rich man’s estate appeared at the podium to address the unhappy gathering of would-be buyers, and said, “In accordance with the desires of the father, the person who gets the son, gets it all.”

We can make our lives “a la carte” and risk missing the One; or we can take the One above all others and ahead of all else — and having gotten the Son, get it all.  As Jesus taught us: “Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all of these [other] things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)  – Luther

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