Month: July 2022

Meaningless! Meaningless! . . . Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.
Ecclesiastes 1:2

Your Life is Meaningful

What is the meaning of life? It is one of those cosmic questions that everyone asks at some point but, since it seems too big for us to get our heads around, we tend to quickly dismiss it and go on to the next meeting or mall or movie.

A man named Solomon asked this question near the end of his life. Solomon was the king of Israel at the height of Israel’s power. He was healthy, wealthy, and wise. Yet, as he neared his life’s end Solomon realized that none of his power, success, or wealth would last. In the book of Ecclesiastes Solomon wrote, “Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless. … For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it.”

If this life is all there is, none of it means anything in the end.

But Jesus changes everything! Jesus promises that there is a life after this one—an eternal life in heaven. He guarantees we can have this life through faith in him because he paid for our sins on the cross and came back to life on Easter morning! This means that this world is NOT all there is. We are only going to live in this world for a few years compared to the eternity we are going to spend in the world to come.

So, we don’t need to get so uptight about how much money we don’t make. We don’t have to be constantly stressed over every little thing that doesn’t go our way. We don’t have to chase after every trend that comes down the media highway into our homes.

Live your life in the Lord, and you will learn how meaningful your life is both in the here and now as well as in the heaven to come.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for making my life meaningful. Thank you for showing me that my life does not just consist of the things of this world. Thank you for promising me an eternal life in the next world. Use this reality to help me realize today and every day just how meaningful my life is. Amen.

“The LORD said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?”
Genesis 18:26-28

Pray With Bold Humility

Prayer is an awesome privilege! You and I get to talk to the almighty God.

How do you pray? Hands folded and eyes closed, or arms extended with your palms toward heaven? Silently in your mind or out loud?

God is less interested in the physical aspect of prayer than he is about the attitude with which we pray. Abraham gives us an example to follow when it comes to the attitude we are to have when praying.

Abraham was humble. He knew he was nothing but “dust and ashes,” and he had no right to expect the Lord to hear his prayer. Yet he asked anyway because he knew that God is gracious and compassionate.

This is an example for us as we pray. We approach God with proper humility, fully understanding that as sinners, we have no right to be heard by a holy God. We certainly have no right to expect him to answer us and grant what we have asked.

But Abraham was also bold. After his initial request, he went back to the Lord five more times. Each time lowering the number of believers that needed to be found for the city to be spared.

We can also pray with boldness. We know the love of our God. He sent his Son to die for us. Because of that sacrifice, we have been washed clean of all sin and given the privilege of approaching God with any and every request.

Be like Abraham and pray with bold humility.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I know that I have no right to approach you in prayer. It is only because Jesus has washed me clean of all sin that I have the privilege of talking to you. Help me to be bold when I pray, trusting that you always hear and answer. In Jesus’ name I ask it. Amen.

[Jesus said] “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Luke 11:11-13

Pray for the Holy Spirit

Be careful what you pray for!

That’s a common expression. It gives the impression that God may somehow give you something bad just because you prayed for it, that he is waiting to punish you for praying foolishly.

But that’s not how prayer works. God is not like that. If you ask for something bad, he will not give you something bad. And if you ask for something good, he will not give you something bad. God is better than that.

God is your Father in heaven. He wants only the best for you. Since God knows everything, he knows what is best for you. And since he loves you, he has figured out how to give you the best.

What is the best thing you can possibly ask for? The reading for today implies that it is the Holy Spirit. Your Father in heaven uses the Holy Spirit to bring you to faith. He sends the Holy Spirit through his Word to keep you in the faith. The Holy Spirit is known as the Comforter, the one who makes sure you are okay when life is difficult.

So, pray for God to send his Spirit! Then spend time in his Word, the Bible, the tool he uses to send you his Spirit. You can be sure God will give you what you’ve asked for.

Prayer:
Father, send me your Holy Spirit through your word. Amen.

Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.”
Luke 11:5-8

Pray With Audacity

Do you know someone with audacity? I’m not talking about the audio editing software. I am talking about the character trait. What is audacity? The dictionary definition starts out with something positive: “a willingness to take bold risks.” But then the definition goes on to say: “rude or disrespectful behavior; impudence.”

If you would like to approach the creator and ruler of the universe with a personal request, I suppose that counts as a willingness to take a bold risk. Asking God for anything can seem like a stretch, especially if you do not know or understand him. Maybe you will appear rude and make him angry, especially if you keep repeating your request.

But if you know God, you know that he wants the best for you. If you understand God, you know that he sent his only Son to be your Savior, removing your shame, and that he invites you to ask him for anything on your heart.

If you pray and you don’t seem to get an answer right away, should you keep asking? Jesus encourages you to do that. He gives the example of someone who shows up at an inconvenient time and asks for something that doesn’t seem essential. Jesus commends the audacity of the person doing the asking.

The message for you is clear. Be audacious in your prayers.

Prayer:
Hear my prayer, Lord; listen to my cry for mercy. Amen.

[Jesus] said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”
Luke 11:2-4

Pray Humbly Confidently and Gratefully

When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he gave them some very simple things to say.

He advised them to call God their Father so that they realized they were the genuine children of the only true God.

He mentioned that they should keep God’s name holy by leading holy lives and living according to God’s Word.

He encouraged them to ask God to preserve them as members of his kingdom by sending the Holy Spirit to lead them to believe what God says.

He tempered their tendency to ask for everything by summarizing their needs as daily bread and helping them to remember to receive everything with thanks.

He emphasized the importance of God’s forgiveness in their lives and forgiving other people.

He influenced every aspect of their daily lives by reminding them to ask that God guard and keep them so that the devil, the world, and their flesh would not deceive them or lead them into false belief or despair.

Jesus wants you to pray this way as well—humbly, confidently, gratefully. And for all those times you have failed to pray this way—or pray at all when you could have and should have—he wants you to know you have the forgiveness he won for you on the cross. That’s how much he loves you. Remember this when you are hesitant to pray. It’s why you can pray to your heavenly Father humbly, confidently, and gratefully.

Prayer:
Jesus, thank you for teaching me to pray. Help me do so with all the confidence your cross provides. Amen.

This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:3,4

Pray For What God Wants

You may have heard Christians offering a prayer for something very specific, like the healing of a relative in medical distress or the success of a plan, and then adding at the end of the prayer, “. . . according to your will, O God.” That brings up an interesting question. How do you know what God’s will is?

The truth is that many times you can’t. He doesn’t tell us what our future holds or what will be best for our long-term spiritual well-being. The only thing we can know for sure about God’s will is what he tells us in his Word–the Bible. And that is where he tells us what he really wants is for all people–to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth about Jesus our Savior.

God invites us to pray that way too. Even as we are asking for him to do one thing or another, we are remembering that the ultimate good is for people to come to faith in Jesus. If more people will be saved through someone remaining in medical distress or relieved of medical distress, only God knows, and his will is that all people be saved. If more people come to know about Jesus because of the success or failure of a plan, only God knows, and his will is that all people come to a knowledge of the truth.

That’s why you can pray “according to your will, O God.” God knows what he is doing, he knows what he wants, he loves you and wants you and all people to be saved. He will answer your prayers according to his will; and that’s all you need.

Prayer:
Lead me to trust your will, O God, and answer my prayers according to it, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people–for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
1 Timothy 2:1,2

Pray For Our Leaders

Most Christians think their prayer habits could use improvement. They notice that they forget to pray. Or when they do remember to pray, their minds quickly wander.

If you are someone who thinks that your prayer habits could use improvement, consider praying for a list of people one-by-one. It doesn’t matter who those people are. The famous missionary named Paul advised the person he was mentoring, a young pastor named Timothy, to pray for all people.

It doesn’t matter where you get the list of people for prayer. You might try praying for the people in your news feed. They are often in your news feed because they have some special need. Pray for the Lord to meet that need according to his will.

If you pray for the people in your news feed, you will soon run across people in authority. They need your prayers as well. What if you disagree with the decisions those people in authority are making? There is a famous bit of prayer advice for those occasions. Pray that the Lord would convert those people in authority, that they would come to know and believe in Jesus as their Savior. And if they will not be converted, pray that the Lord would restrain them.

Why would you ask the Lord to restrain anyone who does not believe in him? The answer is in our Bible verse for today. The more the Lord restrains evil, the more chance you have to live a peaceful and quiet life in godliness and holiness. As you live that life, you have the opportunity to speak words of forgiveness and love, not just in your prayers, but also to the people around you, and not just to them, but also to your leaders.

Prayer:
Lord God, bring everyone to know you better through Jesus Christ, the King of kings. Amen.

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time.
1 Timothy 2:1-6

A Better Place

“What can I do to make this world a better place?” A look at the sad, scary state of current events, both local and worldwide, can lead one to wonder, “Is there really anything I can do that will make a difference?”

Yes, there is. The apostle Paul says to us, “Pray.” Paul urges us to pray for everyone. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, citizens of our country and for people around the world. Pray.

Especially pray for all those in authority. Pray for local authorities and national authorities. And pray for kings and authorities around the world. Whether it is the authorities at home or abroad, Paul doesn’t say, “Ridicule them.” He doesn’t say, “Put them down.” He doesn’t say, “Make sure everyone knows their faults.” He says, “Pray for them.” Pray for them so we can live peaceful and quiet lives.

When we live peaceful and quiet lives, we can live in all godliness and holiness. And then we can proclaim the real difference-maker, Jesus. God wants all people to be saved. That happens when people come to a knowledge of the truth. Not just any truth, but the truth that Jesus Christ is the mediator between God and people. The truth that Jesus Christ is the one who has established peace between God and all people. The truth that Jesus Christ is the one who has opened heaven for us. He did that by giving himself as a ransom, by taking our sins upon himself, by offering his body and blood for us on the cross.

Life with Jesus—that’s what truly makes this world a better place.

Prayer:
Lord God, guide and bless all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. Then guide and bless us as we proclaim Jesus, the difference-maker for this life and for eternity. Amen.

Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?” Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
Genesis 18:10-14

Laugh with Joy

Sometimes you just gotta laugh—the situation is so absurd that it’s laughable. When Sarah, who was past childbearing age, heard the prediction that she would have a child within a year, she laughed. It was not really laughter with joy. It was more like the laughter of disbelief.

What Sarah didn’t take into account is that it was God talking. He was carrying out his plan of salvation, and when God tells you what he is doing for your salvation, a laugh of disbelief is an inappropriate response. Instead, when God speaks, you are encouraged to laugh with joy.

Even when you were still a sinner, Christ died for you. You just gotta laugh because such mercy and grace are so unexpected. But, instead of laughing in disbelief, you can laugh with joy because it’s true.

Your sins are forgiven through faith in Christ. Even when you don’t feel forgiven, even when accusations are still there to try to make you feel guilty, God speaks the word of forgiveness, and you are genuinely and completely forgiven. You just gotta laugh with the joy that comes from a clean conscience.

No matter how bad it gets here on earth, God says that heaven is your home. No more sorrow or tears there—just rest and peace. Laugh with joy!

Prayer: (Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal – 79)
Oh, joy to know that you, my Friend, are Lord, beginning without end, the First and Last, eternal! And you at length—O glorious grace—will take me to that holy place, the home of joys supernal. Amen.

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:41,42

Better

Mary and Martha are sisters. They trust in Jesus as their Savior and know him personally. They are his friends. One day, Jesus arrives in their home. Mary settles down to listen to Jesus speak. Martha, however, has hospitality on her mind.

Let’s stop, for a moment, to appreciate the pressure Martha is feeling. In our casual culture, you and I may handle some company simply by ordering in a pizza. That is not what Martha faces. In the culture of the 1st Century, hospitality is a sober business. When you open your home to guests, you do all you can to treat them well. Failing to do so is an insult to them and a disgrace to you.

And so here is Martha, laboring to show Jesus the best hospitality she can. And what is her sister doing to help? Nothing. She just sits there, listening to Jesus. Perhaps more than a few of us, therefore, can sympathize with Martha when she finally lets off some steam and asks Jesus, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

Then comes Jesus’ affectionate reply, but a reply packed with meaning.

Does Jesus ever say that Martha is doing a bad thing? Of course not. Showing hospitality is a beautiful fruit of faith. In fact, other parts of the Bible praise it. In this moment, however, Jesus is speaking to what is better.

In the current lifestyle of our society, busyness is a badge of honor. When that busyness, however, even in service to God—when that busyness robs me of the opportunity for the Lord to serve me in his Word, then I’ve lost my way. Then I need to repent of my busyness.

But that’s why Jesus came. He came to wash away my sins of busyness. He came to spend his time perfectly on my behalf. In him, all is well. In him, I can begin again.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, when I lose my way, grant me a repentant heart. Forgive my busyness. Refresh me to choose what is better. Amen.