Daily devotions

Tuesday devotions ~ Psalm 50

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and perform your vows to the Most High,
15 and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

Worship
Obedience
Prayer
These are things that people of faith do, but they are things that can be faked, at least for a while. For those who follow Jesus as their Lord and Savior, worship, obedience and prayer are threads intimately woven into the fabric of their being. It is what they do without thinking; an automatic function like breathing or blinking your eyes. You do not think about doing those things, nor does a disciple of Jesus think about worship, obedience and prayer. Imagine needing to consciously remind yourself to breathe. Those who need that help are usually on ventilators and thus without artificial means they would die. The same goes for those who have to think about worship, obedience and prayer. They are empty actions devoid of meaning because it is not part of them and thus it is an insult to God.

That is the issue at hand in this Psalm. God has gotten to the point of rejecting their sacrifices (vs 9) and their recitations of His statues from their lips (vs 16). They have become empty rituals in which the people are seeking to justify themselves before God. They do religious things and say the “right words”, but their lives reflect anything but a transformed life that glorifies God.

I am not saying that regenerate people perfectly follow Jesus. Sometimes you do not feel like worshiping and your obedience is lacking and your prayer life is flat. But try holding your breath for an extended period of time. Eventually that which your body needs will force the issue. The child of God does not worship to gain God’s favor, rather worship is a natural outflow, like obedience and prayer.

Child of God, you will have those bad days when worship, obedience and prayer are difficult, but do not fear. Do not worry that God will reject you because those things are difficult sometimes. Rejoice that He has already chosen you through Jesus Christ. Run to Him in confession and know His mercy and grace, and thus give you a renewed reason to worship Him.

LET US PRAY: Holy God, I praise You that I know You intimately enough to praise You with my whole being; without thinking. In my low moments and in those dark valleys, show me Your light and remind me of my chosenness. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Monday devotions ~ Psalm 49

/ The Pastor

5 Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,
6 those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?

Here we go, let the rich bashing begin. “Boycott Amazon!”, “Boycott Wal-Mart!”, “Boycott Elon Musk!”. Nope, that is not where this devotion is going. Sure, the psalmist is encouraging people to fear not when they are being oppressed by the rich; being cheated, but rich bashing other people is not what we ought to be doing. We can not point our fingers and say, “They are the problem”. No, that is not where we are going.

“So where are you going, Pastor?” You see, you cannot point your finger at the rich and sit smugly, thinking that you are not like them; that you have a higher sense of morality and ethics. The fact of the matter is that you and I are counted among the rich. You may not have the bank account of Elon Musk, but you are blessed nonetheless and thus you and I need to pay attention.

What convicts me in this Psalm is verse 5, “…those who cheat me surround me.” How have I cheated those around me? You see, God blesses you that you may bless others. You are blessed with Spiritual gifts to bless your church. You are blessed with talents to help others. You are blessed with knowledge to help your community. You are blessed with resources to help those who can not help themselves. But too often I find myself like the rich landowner who builds bigger barns to horde his stuff.

When you withhold your God-given blessings, keeping them for yourself, you cheat those that God wants to bless through you. Have you looked at it that way before? I haven’t, but I will now. Your blessings are not because of any worthiness of your own. Your blessings have a purpose, a God-glorifying purpose.

[Pastor, don’t go there]

Sorry, I have to. Thus when you withhold your blessings, you not only cheat others, you cheat God.

[You went there]

Yup, but what now? What will you do with what God has blessed you with?

LET US PRAY: Father God, You have blessed me to be a blessing, but all too often I get short-sighted and only think of myself. I confess that sin and ask that You may grant me repentance, and the faith see what You have given me and whom You want to bless through me. Help me, God, honor You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Sunday Morning Prayer ~ Matthew 16:13-20

/ The Pastor

Sunday mornings are a little different as we join in prayer using the text I will be preaching today.

LET US PRAY: Holy God, who are you? You are Creator, Mighty God and Father. You are revealed to me in Jesus. But who is Jesus?
Jesus is Lord, Savor and King,
He is the One to whom my voice sings.
Who is Jesus?
Jesus is Redeemer, Shepherd, and friend,
He is the One who has no end.
Who is Jesus?
Jesus is Servant, Master and Son.
He is the One who for me has won.
Who is Jesus?
Jesus is MY Lord.
Jesus is MY Savior.
Jesus is MY Life.
Jesus is the only way to You, Father God, and thus may Your Spirit teach me more and more of him and may Your Spirit draw me closer and closer to him. For if Jesus shows me You, and he does, then I want more of Jesus.
Who are You Father?
You are Love.
You are Grace.
You are Mercy.
You are.
And thus to You be all glory, praise, honor, thanksgiving and worship, and I do so through Jesus Christ, Your Son and MY Lord, Amen.

Saturday devotions ~ Psalm 48

/ The Pastor

The greatness of a building, city, or nation is not due to its beauty, size, strength or any other physical characteristic. In Mark 13, the disciples make note of this very thing with Jesus, “And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” To which Jesus responds, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” He did not say that the temple and the buildings were not beautiful, rather, he was emphasizing that they are only buildings. Greatness belongs to God.

1 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain,
2 beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. 
3 Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress. 

Across this country of ours, and even in Europe, you will find large beautiful church buildings. The stained glass windows are a sight to behold. The steeples and bell towers are great. The artwork outside and in are beautiful. The sanctuaries are large and acoustically pleasing. But, there is very little life in them. Back in the day, these buildings were teaming with people but now they struggle to stay open with the handful of members left.

It is sad to see these buildings largely inactive and struggling today, but what happened? Though I do not know details in each particular case, one thing that often happens is that too many resources are invested in the structure and not the ministry. The beauty of the building is emphasized over the greatness of God. Council meetings focusing on the budget and how to “make money” instead of ministry and how to spend money.

Jerusalem was a great city, but it was not great because of its size and walls and gates and beautiful stones. Jerusalem was great because of the greatness of God. When the people forgot about that, Jerusalem fell, eventually being burned to the ground. And likewise, the Church is great because of its head, Jesus Christ, who died and rose to redeem his bride, the Church. May we be able to, “Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation that THIS IS GOD (emphasis mine), our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.”

LET US PRAY: Holy God, you are great and mighty. You are awesome in power and beautiful. You have saved us through Jesus. You are our King and You reign on high. May Your majesty be made known throughout the whole world. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Friday devotions ~ Psalm 47

/ The Pastor

When you have a bunch of someones striking their hands together you have a loud sound. When those someones are doing that in unison (somewhat) for a unified reason, then you have an applause. And what is an applause other than a bunch of people, in unison, showing how much they appreciate what someone(s) has done. Hmmm, strange how much this sounds like worship. After reading this, you may never look at an applause in the same way again. Sorry, well, not really actually, because it is what it is. When we applaud someone we are giving them our attention and showing them how much we value what they just did, and that is what the psalmist is doing here.

“Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!” (vs 1)

And what is the reason for applause”
~ He is a great King over all the earth.
~ He has subdued peoples and nations.
~ He chose our heritage for us.
~ He reigns over the nations.
~ He sits on His holy throne.
~ The shields of earth belong to God.
~ He is highly exalted.

And when I think about all that God has done, maybe we should be applauding more often, in worship perhaps. Can you imagine hearing the Word of God read and then people bursting into applause and cheering, not because the person did such a great job but rather because it is the Word of God? How about after the sermon? Yes, I know, applauding in worship would be weird and it would look like we were praising people and not God. But maybe we need to applaud God more. The next time you notice an amazing God moment, stop and acknowledge God, and if you are so moved, applaud. I can see it now. You are driving home some evening and you see a beautiful sunset. You pull over to the side of the road. You get out and applaud. Yup, I can see it, because, well, God is worthy.

1 Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! 
2 For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth.

LET US PRAY: Holy and awesome God, I applaud You. I clap my hands and sing. I raise my voice and glorify You, for You are indeed a great God, worthy of all praise. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Thursday Devotions ~ Psalm 46

/ The Pastor

I remember the day very well – Tuesday, September 11, 2001. I was in seminary at the time. I had just returned to my dorm room after studying in the library early that morning. After I logged into my computer and pulled up my news source, I was horrified by what I saw. Being in disbelief, I immediately turned on the TV where my fears were vividly verified. I stood in the middle of my room stunned. Soon others who had walked by my open door joined me in silence. Not a word was said. Soon we heard the bell calling us to the chapel. In unison we left my room. I do not even remember turning the TV off or locking my door. We simply made our way across campus to the chapel. Tuesdays typically were not a highly attended chapel day, but that day was different. It was packed. We needed a refuge. We needed a Word. The Dean of Students opened the service with Psalm 46. I do not remember much else, but that opening moment I do remember, because verse 1 was what I needed. I think we all needed it.

“God is our refuge and strength, 
   a very present help in trouble.”

When someone is in trouble, there are two needs that often bubble to the surface. The first is a safe place. Sometimes the person feels embarrassed and wants to hide. They might feel attacked and thus the need to be shielded. They might feel they are on shaky ground and thus want something firm that they can trust. The second need that bubbles up is the need for strength. When in trouble the person might feel powerless about their situation. They might feel like they have no defense or no way to fight back. These needs are ingrained. It is the fight or flight response. In that moment I had no fight in me, only flight.

And that is where we were on 9/11 and thus when our Dean read this Psalm, we re-discovered the fact that God is our mighty and impenetrable fortress. We were reminded of the fact that God is sovereign and thus He is in control since He has all power. In that moment, we found our comfort in the promises of God. Though it appeared everything was crumbling down around us, we were being held in God’s loving arms. Though it appeared the enemy had struck a crippling blow, we heard victory proclaimed in the name of Jesus.

Whatever your trouble, run to God. He will never turn you away. He will never lock you out. Run to God and find your refuge and strength in Him. God will fight for you, and when you need to hide, He will shield you.

“God is our refuge and strength, 
   a very present help in trouble.”

Amen to that!

LET US PRAY: Father God, when trouble finds me or when I find trouble, I praise You that You are my refuge and strength. You are my comfort. You are my shield and buckler. You are my home. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Wednesday devotions ~ Psalm 45

/ The Pastor

“My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.”
(Psalm 45:1)

As a person who likes to write, I just love the beauty of this verse. It speaks to why I write on a daily basis. People have asked how I can do this, but believe me, it is not because of some talent I have (far from it). It is ALL Holy Spirit. It is ALL about God. It is a natural outflow of what GOD has done, the “pleasing theme” in my heart. And therefore, I have updated the description line on my blog (www.heartofapastor.blog) and my blog’s Facebook site with this verse to communicate that fact. And so, as a “ready scribe”, allow me to continue and address my king because of the pleasing theme He has put in my heart.

And the “pleasing theme” that flows out of my heart today is this:

Faithfulness

That is the word that came to mind as I wrote the closing line of the opening paragraph. God’s faithfulness is what is ringing in my heart, giving me notes for the new song that He has placed there. And what a pleasing theme it is. It is pleasing because God does not have to be patient with this sinner, but He is. God does not have to promise anything to me other than condemnation, but He has promised me Life through Jesus. God does not have to sustain me with His Holy Spirit, but He does. God does not have to give me daily bread, but He provides. God’s faithfulness and steadfast love endures forever. It is no wonder that the psalmist echos that phrase over and over in the Psalms,

“for His steadfast love endures forever” (read Psalm 136)

It is a song in his heart that is sung in this sinful heart. It is a pleasing theme that is flowing, running around the twists and turns, and over the rocky rapids of this life. It is a pleasing theme that puts a smile on my face but more importantly, joy in my heart. It is a pleasing theme that I know will never end. And thus I praise and worship God.

What is your “pleasing theme” today?

LET US PRAY: Father God, thank you for the song that You have placed in my heart. May my worship bring You glory, for you are deserving of more than I can possibly think of giving. Thank you for this “pleasing theme”. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Monday devotions ~ Psalm 43

/ The Pastor

Have you ever been driving during a dark, moonless night on a lonely highway and shut off your headlights for a moment? Of course not, that would be silly and extremely dangerous. Now imagine doing that on a curvy mountain road with no guard rail – once again, dangerous and stupid. When it is dark, we need light. No one can possibly think it is wise to drive at night without light. In the same way, we need light to make our way through this life…

3 Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! 

The psalmist here knows the dangers of maneuvering in the dark without light. And no, he is not talking about driving in the dark in northern Iowa. The psalmist is talking about reaching his desired destination through a dark world. And what is his destination? His destination is “your holy hill” (vs 3). This is a clear reference to Jerusalem, but more specifically the temple, the dwelling place of God. The psalmist asks for guidance “because of the opposition of the enemy.” (vs 2), the source of his mourning. The psalmist knows that the only way through this life is by the light of God’s Word. And of course, that brings to mind a great song.

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path
When I feel afraid
Think I’ve lost my way
Still you’re there right beside me
And nothing will I fear
As long as you are near
Please be near me to the end

Our destination is not literally the temple in Jerusalem, but we are heading to the dwelling place of God. And, like the psalmist, we have opposition, which is often a source of mourning for many. And again like the psalmist, we cry out, “Send out your light and truth; let them lead me” You see, you will never get to God on your own. You need His light to show the Way. The world will never lead you to God, only God can do that, and He has done that through His Son, Jesus, the Light of the Word and, the Way and the TRUTH and the life. Jesus was sent as the light and the truth to save sinners, YOU, and bring them/you back to God. And once there…

4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.

Yes, we will praise our God, forever.

LET US PRAY: Father God, You have shown me the way to You through Jesus, the way, the truth and the life. Light my path and grant me the faith to faithfully follow that light, and not seek the darkness. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Sunday Morning Devotions ~ August 20, 2023

/ The Pastor

SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 13:1-9 and Isaiah 55

LET US PRAY:
For as the rain and snow come down from heaven, and do not return to You, oh God, without watering the earth, making it bring forth and spout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall Your Word be that goes forth from Your mouth.
It shall not return to You empty.
It shall not return to You void.
It shall not return to You having failed.
Your Word, mighty God, is powerful and therefore it shall accomplish that which You purpose.
Your Word, my awesome God, shall succeed in whatever You send it to do.
Your Word, Creator God, is the only word that can breathe life into dry bones.
As for me, because of Jesus Your Son and my Lord, my bones have life and thus I shall go out in joy and peace.
May the mountains and hills break forth in singing.
May Your people bow down in worship.
May Your works be made known to all people.
May Your servant be faithful with Your seed.
For Your Word has rained down and has given me living and daily bread, and thus seed for this sower. Therefore,
May the words of my mouth sing Your praises.
May the words of my mouth spew Good Seed.
May the words of my mouth be carried and blessed by the Spirit to create New Life; beautiful fruit from rich soil, growth that can only come from You.
Oh God, You are a faithful God and thus all glory belongs to You. In Jesus’ name I pray,
Amen.

Saturday devotions ~ Psalm 42

/ The Pastor

I was driving the kids home last night from a spur of the moment ice cream run. As we left Forest City to head home, my daughter started to complain that she was thirsty. “Then drink some water”, I said. But she did not bring her water bottle as we have instructed our kids over and over. I said, “Well, you are going to have to wait. We’ll be home in about 20 to 25 minutes.” But that was not good enough. More complaining ensued, as one would think she was dying of thirst.

And thirst is something that demands your attention. It is hard to ignore. Try as I may, if I am thirsty while lying in bed at night, I am not going to fall asleep. I must deal with that thirst NOW. The psalmist, in like manner, is panting for the living water that is God. He longs for His Word. He desires, with all His being, to be in the presence of God. He feels separated from God and does not like that separation. Like a parched mouth, the psalmist wants to be refreshed. It feels that if he does not receive those “flowing steams” (vs 1) he will die (which is true) But he still clings to hope…

11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. 

In dry moments of your life, instead of wallowing in your dryness, drink in the Word of God. Drink and drink, and be refreshed. Be reminded of God’s promises in Jesus Christ FOR YOU. Read about His victory over Satan, sin and death through Jesus’ death and resurrection FOR YOU. See the many moments of God’s faithfulness, and know that that faithfulness, FOR YOU, will never end. Meditate on the grace and love of God, FOR YOU, and be reminded of when the Holy Spirit first began to flow in and through you. It is a river that is unceasing, never to dry up. Feeling refreshed yet? Then drink this in…

13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
(John 4:13-14).

LET US PRAY: Loving God, I long for refreshment and for my thirsty soul to have more of You. This world has nothing for me that can last, and thus I long to drink Your Word, for only Jesus is Living Water. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.