Tag Archives: God

August 1
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“But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”  (Psalm 86:15, NIV)

God is powerful, but He isn’t expecting us to be strong.  Instead, God wants us to rely on His strength.

God is everywhere, but He never expects us to be in more than one place at one time.  Instead, God wants us to be sensitive to His calling, so that we will always be at the right place at the right time to do His work, according to His plan.

God is all-knowing, but He never requires us to have all of the answers.  Instead, God wants us to temper our measure of knowledge (however large or small) with wisdom.

In today’s psalm, David tells us that God is compassionate.  Who among us will choose to be like God in that regard?

David tells us that God is gracious.  Who among us would dare to be gracious?

God is slow to anger — and so should we.

God is abounding in love and faithfulness.  From the overflow of our heavenly Father’s love and faithfulness to us, we are expected to be channels of love and faithfulness to others.

This is what it means to be like our heavenly Father.  – Luther
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July 21
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“Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.  I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”  (Romans 8:17-18, NIV)

The way of Christ is the way of the cross.

The way of the cross is the way of suffering, as defined as “sustaining injury, disadvantage, loss, or any unpleasantness.”

As disciples of Jesus, it is our lot to suffer; not for the sake of suffering, but in order to identify with Christ as He identifies with the persons that God created, and for whom He (Christ) died.

Remember this as an encouragement to suffer — with grace — all physical and emotional injuries; to suffer — with hope — each loss; to suffer — with patience — the unpleasantness of others; to suffer — with peace — the appearance of disadvantage.

Paul reminds us that every and each of our present sufferings — whatever they may be — pale in comparison to the glory that will be revealed in us when we see God, face-to-face.

For each hurt, there is healing.  For each loss, there is a greater gain; for every humiliation, a revelation of unassailable greatness.  – Luther

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July 20
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“He (Jesus) said to them (the demons), ‘Go!’  So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water.  Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men.  Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus.  And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.”  (Matthew 8:32-34, NIV)

As disciples of Jesus, we must apprehend the fact (and resist its seduction, at the same time) that in this world, possessions, power, and money are valued more highly than people.

We see this clearly in today’s scripture, the context of which is the healing of two demon-possessed men by Jesus.  In their deranged state, these two men were terrors of the town, and lived among the tombs.  People avoided all contact with the pair.

By his healing act, Jesus returned these men to society, to their families and friends; and removed the “town terrors.”  He ordered the demons into a herd of pigs.  In the culture of that day, pigs were considered unclean. Their purpose was to consume refuse.  They were not highly-valued.

You would think the townspeople would be happy with the report of those who were tending the pigs, but they were far from happy.  The town went, en mass, to Jesus to ask him to leave. Money/Power/Stuff: 1  People: 0.

While we may be discouraged because the value of humanity is discounted the way that it is by those in this world; we should be encouraged by the fact that with God, the people that He created and for whom Christ died are always — always — preferred to the lure of money; the pull of power; and the seductions of possessions.

We follow in the steps of our heavenly Father when we, too, choose the eternal potential of people over the passing value of all of the things we cannot keep.  – Luther

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