I deleted my Twitter account a few weeks ago. I just couldn’t take it anymore. While it started as a way for me to keep up with news and current events, the longer I stayed on Twitter the more I didn’t like what I saw. I saw angry virtual mobs saying vile things about other people whom they knew nothing about. I saw coordinated efforts to ruin the lives of people who held opinions that the Twitter hordes found objectionable. In short, I saw a glaring lack of the kind of thing that James talks about in our Bible passage today. I saw far too many people who failed to love their neighbor as they loved themselves.
Getting off Twitter, however, did not separate me from the problem of people failing to love their neighbor as themselves. That’s because getting off Twitter did not separate me from my own sinful heart. The failure of people to love their neighbor as themselves is not just an “out there” problem. It is an “in me” problem. My sinful nature loves me above all else. And it finds the whole idea of loving my neighbor as much as I love myself utterly offensive and absurd.
So how are we supposed to fulfill this demand when our sinful hearts resolutely refuse to do so? Praise God that in his undeserved love toward us he sent his Son Jesus to fulfill this demand for us. In fact, in his perfect living, Jesus not only loved all his neighbors as he loved himself, but he also loved God above all things. In doing this, Jesus fulfilled God’s entire law in our place. And through faith in him, we now have his perfect love toward God and neighbor credited to us, just as if we had done it ourselves.
Getting off Twitter won’t separate us from our old sinful selves. But in Jesus, we’re no longer just our old sinful selves. Through faith in Jesus, we are new people. And in him, we will keep the royal law found in Scripture and love our neighbor as ourselves.
Prayer:
Dearest Jesus, may your love for me fill my heart that I always love my neighbor as myself. Amen.
My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? James 2:1-4
How would you react if you were in the situation that James describes in today’s Bible passage? An obviously wealthy person and a homeless person both walk into the place where you are. It is your job to greet them and make them feel welcome. How will you do that? Will you view them both equally? Or will you value the wealthy person more than you value the homeless person? And will the subjective value you place on each person affect how you treat each of them?
None of us like to admit it, but we all are guilty of assigning value to people based on wholly external factors. We value those with wealth more than we value those without it. We prefer to be with people we believe will bring us some benefit rather than being with people who might need our help. It’s bad enough that we make these distinctions in our minds. But rarely does this favoritism remain hidden inside us. It’s very difficult for us to treat people equally when we don’t value them equally.
How thankful we can be that Jesus never showed favoritism! Jesus never valued one person more than he valued another. He loved (and loves) all people equally, and that includes each of us. In fact, Jesus loved and valued each of us so much that he willingly lived, suffered, and died for us all without distinction. As we see how Jesus loved and valued each of us equally, we are equipped to love and value others in the same way. And we will see that all people are equally valuable because Jesus loves them all.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help me always to love and value all people equally, just as you do. Amen.
St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church
313 East Montello St.
Montello, WI 53949
Emmanuel Ev. Lutheran Church
W1568 Evergreen
Lane
Montello, WI 53949
Pastor Peter Zietlow
608.297.2866
www.stjohnsmontello.org
Like us on Facebook
XW E L C O M E
T O O U R C H U R C H X
We extend a warm welcome to
everyone today, especially our visitors.
In the bulletin you’ll find an outline of today’s service, a
calendar of events and other bits of information. In the red hymn book you’ll find the
songs we sing and the order of service that we follow. If you would like a large print hymnal or bulletin please ask one
of our ushers and they will gladly assist you. Restrooms and nursery area are located in
the parish hall at Emmanuel and in the lower level and link-way at St.
John’s. It’s nice to have you visit
today. “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of
doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more, as you see the
day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). Welcome to God’s house! May God bless our worship together.
XG O D ’ S W O R D F O R T O D A Y X
“Hey,
that’s my seat!” School children get
in fights day after day, arguing over their special place. Adults look and laugh, and yet we do the same in life when we take pains to
assure that we get what’s coming to us – at work, at home, among friends
and family – and that everybody sees and knows how important we are. But in these lessons we are reminded that
our King is coming, the Almighty Ruler of the universe, Jesus Christ, next
to whom, because of sin, we are nothing and deserve the lowest place. But, because of His love for us, Jesus
invites us to the place of honor.
XP R A Y E R B E F O R E W O R S H I P X
O Lord Jesus
Christ, preserve this congregation of believers with your never-failing
mercy. Help us avoid whatever is
wicked and harmful and guide us in the way that leads to our salvation. Through your Holy Word and by your Holy
Spirit, come to us, forgive our sins, and cause our faith to grow in
strength and productivity–so that, with your help, we produce many fruits
of faith pleasing to you. Bless our
worship today, in Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen
XP R E P A R A T I O
N F O R W O R S H I P X
We
prepare ourselves to worship the one Savior God by expressing our humble
repentance, offering our fervent prayers and singing our thankful hymns of
praise.
OPENING
HYMN478
With the Lord Begin Your Task
Please stand
CONFESSION
OF SINS
hymnal page 38
We confess to God that we have failed
to live up to the perfect standards in his
law, and we plead for his mercy.
ANNOUNCEMENT
OF FORGIVENESS
hymnal page
38
The pastor announces the forgiveness of
sins won for us by the perfect life and innocent sufferings and death of Jesus,
our Savior.
OH TASTE AND SEEhymnal
page 39
This paraphrase of Psalm
34:8 reminds us of how sweet the good news of salvation is for Christians.
Those who take refuge in Jesus, our Good Shepherd, are blessed.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
M: Almighty God, your Son our Savior was taken up
in glory and intercedes for us at your right hand. Through your living and abiding
Word, give us hearts to know him and faith to follow where he has gone; who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: ♫ Amen.
Please be seated for the day’s Scripture readings
XT
H E W O R D X
The
Lord Jesus speaks to us in Scripture reading, preaching and song.
FIRST
LESSONProverbs 25: 6, 7
Summary: Humility
is appropriate for Christians
Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place
among great men; it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,”
than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman.
PSALM 119a hymnal page 109
Men
sing first line, women sing second line and all sing refrains and Gloria.
SECOND LESSON Hebrews 13:1-8
Summary: A humble Christian loves
people and uses money
Keep on loving each other as brothers.
Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have
entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those in prison as if you were
their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were
suffering. Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure,
for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. Keep your lives free from the love of money and
be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave
you; never will I forsake you.” {Deut. 31:6} So we say with confidence, “The Lord is
my helper; I will not be afraid. What
can man do to me?” {Psalm118:6,7}
Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the
outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday and today and forever.
VERSE
OF THE DAYJeremiah 15:16
Alleluia. Your words became a joy to me, and
the delight of my heart. Alleluia.
C:♫
Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! These words are written that we may believe that Jesus is
the Christ, the Son of God. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Summary: Jesus pictures true humility
and generosity
One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent
Pharisee, he was being carefully watched.
When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table,
he told them this parable: “When someone invites you to a wedding feast,
do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may
have been invited. If so, the host who
invited both of you will come and say to you, `Give this man your seat.’ Then,
humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest
place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, `Friend, move up to a
better place.’ Then you will be honored
in the presence of all your fellow guests.
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself
will be exalted.”
Then Jesus
said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your
friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they
may invite you back and so you will be repaid.
But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame,
the blind, and you will be blessed.
Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection
of the righteous.”
C:♫
Praise
be to you, O Christ!
Please be seated
HYMN OF
THE DAY 454 I Gave My Life for Thee
SERMONLuke 14:1, 7-14
“Jesus’ Lesson on Attitude Adjustment”
Let’s learn:
Genuine humility
Unselfish
charity
Please stand
APOSTLES’ CREED hymnal page 41
Please be seated
X O F F E R I N G S O F G
I F T S & P R A
Y E R S X
THE OFFERING
The ushers now gather the
“Thank-Offering.” Members of this
congregation show their thanks to God for all he has done for them by returning
a portion of their income to the Lord.
Through these free will offerings, this congregation and its ministries
are maintained. Guests need not feel
obligated to contribute. Please
also sign our Friendship Registers and greet one another.
PRAYERS
The Offering Prayer, Befriend a Mission Prayer
and Intercessory Prayers are spoken by pastor. Please see announcements for
those on our Intercessory Prayers list (pg. 8).
Please stand
LORD’S PRAYERhymnal
page 43
Please be seated
HYMN
439:1-2 Lord, Take My Hand and Lead Me
Please stand
CLOSING
PRAYER & BLESSING hymnal page 43, 44
Please be seated
CLOSING
HYMN439:3Lord, Take My Hand and Lead Me
As you leave today’s
service, please give your completed Friendship Register sheet to an usher or
pastor.
XAnnouncements
X
Activities for the week of September 22-September
28
Sun.
8:00 A.M.
Emmanuel Worship
8:30 A.M.
St. John’s Sunday School
9:00 A.M.
SJ Adult Bible Study at St. John’s
10:00 A.M.
St. John’s Worship
11:00 A.M.
St. John’s Welcome Home phone tree meeting
Mon.
6:30 P.M.
Choir at St. John’s
7:30 P.M.
Adult Bible Study at St. John’s
Tues.
6:30 P.M.
Men’s Bible Study at St. John’s
6:30 P.M.
St. John’s Evangelism meeting
Wed.
8:00 A.M.
St. John’s School Chapel
10:00 A.M.
Adult Bible Study at St. John’s
1:40 P.M.
St. John’s School/Little Lambs Early Release
2:15 P.M.
Public School Teen Confirmation Class at St. John’s
6:30 P.M.
St. John’s Worship
7:30 P.M.
Bible Information Class begins at St. John’s
Thurs.
8:00 A.M.
St. John’s School Confirmation Class
10:00 A.M.
Montello Care Center Devotion with
communion
6:00 P.M.
Griefshare at St. John’s lower level (4 of 13 weeks)
6:30 P.M.
Preschool Family Night at St. John’s
Fri.
8:00 A.M.
7th/8th Grade Visitation at WLA
Sat.
Theme for Next Sunday September 29 ,
2019
Pentecost 16:
“Be Wise! Know the Lord and Know Yourself”
316NOW
Mission Festival w/ guest pastor Jim Kleist
8:00 A.M.
316NOW Mission Festival Worship at Emmanuel
8:30 P.M.
St. John’s Sunday School
9:00 P.M.
St. John’s Adult Bible Study at St. John’s
10:00 A.M.
316NOW Mission Festival Worship at St. John’s
11:15 A.M.
316NOW Mission Festival Lunch and Presentation at St. John’s
INTERCESSORY PRAYERS – For
those hospitalized, ill, shut-in and facing trials: Ron Blada, Liola Crown
& son Terry, Agnes Dassow, Reinold Eckelberg, Lilah Farrell, Xzander Jahr,
Chris Krause (Gordy and Linda’s son), Earl “Pete” Laun, Robert
Lederer (Jackie and Jeanne Buchholz’ father), Delvin Mittelsteadt, Mark and
Peggy Russell (Elsa’s son and daughter in-law), Doris Smith, Jennifer Strauss,
Karl Whitrock, Shirley Wilkens – (added this week: )
– For Dustin Loveland and Melanie Shadel who were
united in marriage on 9/14
– For submission to God’s will
– For those straying from the church
SAVE THE DATE FOR WELCOME HOME SUNDAY: OCTOBER 13TH
Worshiping our God—listening to him
speak to us in his Word and responding with our praise—is always special.
However, it can be especially joyful when the house is packed. Think of the
singing on Christmas Eve… or the way we need to set up chairs on Easter Sunday.
Yet, even on those days, we have members who are out of town.
The goal of Welcome Home Sunday is to have a day
when everyone that is part of our Christian family comes together. After all,
church is supposed to be a home, and believers are kin. Our focus of worship on
this day is the blessing of Christian community. Thus, we want 100% of our
members there.
Please do everything possible to set
that date aside so that we can pack the house that day. Following the 10:00a.m. St. John’s service, breakfast will be served in
the lower level of church.
PLEASE
JOIN FAMILY AND FRIENDS AS WE CELEBRATE WITH A PARTY IN HONOR OF BETH JOHNSON’S
90TH BIRTHDAY Saturday,
September 28th from 1:00-4:00pm Open House, Location: Senior Dome
140 Lake Ct. Montello, WI (Behind Fire Station) No gifts please.
CHOIR Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful
people; praise his holy name. – Psalm 30:4. If you love to sing, please
consider joining the joint choir of St. John’s and Emmanuel. Choir practices
are Monday evenings for just an hour at 6:30. Please contact Lynn Sellnow if
you are interested in joining the choir, or if you have questions.
SUNDAY BIBLE STUDY We begin to gather by 9am and are ready to go by
9:15am. “They” were watching Jesus. We need to be be watching him
too! How? Why?
MEN’S BIBLE STUDY Faith is not a good feeling you have. Faith is not
the cause of but the result of Truth. Faith says “Yes” when
everything else says “No.” This week we will look at the faith of
Abel. What made him a hero? Tuesday, 6:30pm. Church basement. Men – about 15
other guys would love to have you join them!
ACTS–ACTIONS OF THE HOLY
SPIRIT THROUGH THE GOSPEL IN THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH Adult Bible Study meets Monday at 7:30pm & Wednesday
at 10am in the St. John’s conference room.
NEW LIFE IN CHRIST Bible Information Class (leads to membership) is at
7:30pm in the St. John’s conference room (alternate times may also be
scheduled).
ST. JOHN’S CHURCH DOORS To
keep updated on the St. John’s Church Door Project, check out the bulletin
board located in the Information Room at St. John’s. The given donation did not
cover the full cost of our new doors so donations are still accepted to help
offset the remaining cost.
FRIENDSHIP REGISTERS Please
complete the friendship register page each week. This helps your pastor and
other church leaders stay in touch and keep contact information up to date.
Thanks!
GRIEFSHARE The 13-week
session of Griefshare has begun. Sessions are held at 6:00p.m. in the lower
level of St. John’s. Join us for week #4, September 26. If you have any questions or concerns, please
call Mark Emond (608) 697-1600.
CHILDREN’S CHURCH BAGS Please
help yourself to the bags that are hung on the tree in St. John’s Information
Room at St. John’s and entry way at Emmanel. Please return them after each
service.
ACH What is ACH? Automated
Clearing House is an electronic payments network use by individuals,
businesses, financial institutions and government organizations. The network
functions as an efficient, electronic alternative to paper checks. It allows
funds to be electronically debited or credited to a checking account, savings
account, financial institution general ledger account or credited to a loan
account. Please pick your form up in the Information Room or the office and get
started today!
FORWARD IN CHRIST Please do
not turn in any past Forward in Christ magazines as we no longer accept them
due to the personal information that is provided inside. Thanks!
MEDITATIONS New
“Meditations” WELS daily devotional booklets are available in the
church entry (many thanks to our generous members for donating!)
CHRISTIAN ONE-LINERS
(from a WELS pastor): “Forbidden fruits create many jams.”
SCHOLASTIC BOOKFAIR
St. John’s is looking for an individual(s) who would want to run the Scholastic
Book Fair. This has been a big success for our school and students in the past
and we would love to continue this. Call the office if you or someone you know
is interested!
EASTER FOR KIDS
COORDINATOR WANTED If you, or
someone you know, are interested please contact Linda Wachholz 608-369-2635.
Linda is willing to train!
FALL MISSION OFFERINGS ARE BEING
COLLECTED DURING SEPTEMBERPlease use the collection
container where you are a member: in the church entrance both at Emmanuel
and at St. John’s. Home
Mission-Outreach to Asians and World Mission-Ukraine Project will
benefit. Offeringsare welcome from anyone with a heart for
missions! DEADLINE: Sunday, September 29.
HAVE YOU ENTERED THE LWMS TRIVIA CONTEST OR VISITED THE BE-A- FRIEND
TREE AT THE LINKWAY DISPLAY at St. John’s?
The women of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary Society (LWMS) thank you
for supporting WELS missions!!
316NOW
MISSION FESTIVAL ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29Learn
about the ministry committed to proclaiming grace across China NOW. Special
Freewill Offering for 316NOW at both services. Guest speaker is one of the
administrators of this ministry. Schedule for the day:
8:00 a.m. Emmanuel
Mission Festival service
9:30 a.m. Learn
about 316NOW’s Sheep to Lambs Initiative (school classroom)
10:00 a.m. St.
John’s Mission Festival service
11:15 a.m. Luncheon
in St. John’s lower level for EVERYONE!
(Freewill Offering)
12:00 noon 316NOW
power point presentation by guest speaker..come learn more!
FALL SERVICE
PROJECT FOR PERIDOT-OUR SAVIOR
LUTHERAN SCHOOL IN APACHELANDThe
women of the LWMS invite our church families to help us 1) collect 4 items for
Peridot: crayons, markers, pencils, & glue sticks. 2) collect monetary donations to help Peridot
purchase Scholastic books. Collection
containers at each church. Your help is
appreciated! We will collect through
Sunday, October 13.
BE A
FRIEND!God tells us in Proverbs 17:17a that “A friend
loves at all times.” This week would YOU be a friend and share
God’s love & encouragement by sending a card/note/email to these WELS
missionaries. It would mean a great
deal to:
Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among great men; it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,” than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman. Proverbs 25:6,7
Do you want to get ahead in life? Here’s the advice of Stanford University business professor Jeffrey Pfeffer: “Leaders are not modest, and more importantly, the extensive social science research on narcissism [and] self-promotion . . . shows that these qualities and behaviors are useful for getting hired, achieving promotions, keeping one’s job, and obtaining a higher salary.” In other words, if you want to get ahead in life, let everyone know how great you are. Trumpet your accomplishments. Place yourself among those who are recognized to be the greatest. And make it seem unthinkable that anyone would consider you unworthy of being in that position.
Greatness for a follower of Jesus is very different from greatness as the world defines it. Worldly greatness is all about promoting yourself and having others serve you. Greatness in Jesus’ Kingdom is all about taking attention away from ourselves and selflessly serving others.
Jesus, of course, is the perfect example of such selfless service. Jesus’ entire life was not about promoting himself, even though he was the Son of God. His life was about serving us by keeping God’s law perfectly in our place and dying on the cross to pay for our sins. Jesus’ greatness came through his service to us, and in his humble service, he was exalted.
By his humble service, Jesus has also exalted us. We who believe in him are great, but not because of who we are or anything we have accomplished. We are great because in Jesus God has made us his dearly loved children. Regardless of how the world may see us, in God’s eyes, we are kings and queens. And we who have been exalted by God have no need to seek to promote ourselves.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for humbling yourself so that I might be exalted. Help me always to find my greatness in you. Amen.
No doubt you’ve seen pictures or video of Mount Everest. Its beauty is stunning. And its height—nearly 6 miles above sea level—makes it the highest mountain in the world. It’s the stuff of legend.
That much you know. What you may not know is that Mount Everest is littered with bodies.
Over the years, about 4,000 people have tried to climb Mount Everest. Almost 200 of them have died in the attempt. The terrain is so extreme near the summit, however, that it’s simply impossible to recover many of the bodies. And so they remain on the mountain to this day.
It’s a sobering thought: A mountain littered with scores of people who gave their lives for a fleeting moment of glory.
The Lord introduces us to a different kind of mountain—”Mount Zion,” he calls it. The heavenly Jerusalem. The city of the living God. Here there is only one person who gave his life. His name was Jesus. Only he didn’t do it for a moment of glory. He did it to wash us clean of every sin. He did it to give us eternal life.
And now he lives. And because he does, Mount Zion is ours. And not just for a moment. Because Jesus lives, Mount Zion—HEAVEN—is ours forever.
Prayer:
Dearest Jesus, you died to wash me clean. And now you live again. Because you do, Mount Zion is mine. Keep me from every forgetting, or taking for granted, what I have through you. Amen.
The Welcome Home initiative is an attempt to address the challenge of members drifting away from church. Learn more from the video below.
Welcome Home Video
“Welcome Home” will kick-off Sunday 10/13 with a special service, sermon and a free breakfast served after the 10am service in the St. John’s church basement. More “Welcome Home” services will continue through November.
“There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. People will come from the east and west and north and south and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.” Luke 13:28,29
There are many misconceptions about hell. False ideas are all over television, social media, and the internet. Some will say that hell is not a real place. Others argue that it is a place reserved only for the terribly bad people and most of us don’t have to worry about it. A recent Twitter discussion argued that hell will be a lot more fun than heaven. Some will even say that hell is an invention of the church made up to scare people into doing what the church tells them.
In Luke, chapter thirteen, Jesus tells us the truth about this awful place. Contrary to what many in this world believe, there is a hell and people can end up there. Hell will not be a big party. Jesus says, “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth.” Scripture is clear about the intense pain, suffering, and torment that those in hell will experience. But, the worst part of hell won’t be the heat, pain, or suffering. The worst part will be the eternal regret of knowing that you had a chance to believe in Jesus and chose not to.
Thankfully, those who believe in Jesus will never have to worry about that. There will be a large crowd of people going to heaven. “People will come from east and west and north and south and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.” Through faith in Jesus, we will never have to face eternal suffering in hell. Rather, through his life, death, and resurrection, we will be with him forever in his kingdom, enjoying all that heaven has to offer.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for winning heaven for me. Help me to keep my eyes focused on the heavenly goal. Help me encourage others to put their faith in you. Amen.
[Jesus] said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.” Luke 13:24
My family and I recently went on a vacation and found ourselves on a highway that was seven lanes across. And those were just the lanes going in our direction! That many lanes and cars can be overwhelming. Knowing when to exit is key because you must make plans to get over to the correct lane in time. The flow of that much traffic moving at high speeds can be very difficult to navigate across.
That’s how life is for the Christian too. Jesus tells us that the door to heaven is narrow. Life flows so swiftly before us and so many people are not looking to exit on the narrow road. We can get swept up in the materialism and greed of our society. We can get pulled along by the sports-crazy culture. We can get caught up trying to pass the guy ahead of us at work. All the while, we find ourselves moving with the traffic and we have taken our eyes off our exit. If we aren’t careful, we will speed down the highway that leads away from God and our heavenly home.
So, we want to keep our eyes open and be aware of what the world around us is steering us toward. We want to turn on the “GPS” of God’s Word and read and listen to it daily. We want to continue to learn more and more about our Savior Jesus, who is the only way to heaven. After all, only Jesus lived, died, and rose again to give us the gift of eternal life.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, keep my eyes and my faith focused on you, so that I do not get swept along by the ways of this world. Amen
The LORD said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.” So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred. Judges 7:7
Do you ever feel overwhelmed? Do you ever feel like things have gotten away from you? Like the odds are stacked against you? Imagine how Gideon felt as he watched God strip away his army. The troops were whittled down from 32,000 to just 300 men. A strong, confident fighting force was reduced to a small band of soldiers. Did he feel hopeless? Helpless? Worried? Panicked? Afraid for his life? Gideon was left in a spot where the only thing he could do was trust in God to deliver him.
Perhaps God has led you to a similar spot. Maybe it is the upcoming surgery that has you feeling helpless. Maybe it is the loss of a job or a move to a new city that has your family panicked and worried. Maybe life has just beaten you down that you feel so hopeless and don’t know where to turn. Our enemy, the devil, uses these situations to tempt us to blame, doubt, or even get angry at God.
Jesus sure had those moments throughout his life too. Imagine what he could have been feeling as he dragged that cross up the hill to the spot where he was going to be nailed to it. Yet, through it all, even as he was suffering and dying for you and me, Jesus trusted in his Father to deliver him. And he did! Jesus has risen, ascended into heaven, and is ruling all things for our good.
So if you find yourself in a spot like Gideon, don’t panic. Instead, realize what a good place that is to be! It is an opportunity to trust him! And, you can be sure that, in his own way and in his own time, he will deliver you.
Prayer:
Dear God, help me to lean on you always. Help me to trust in your deliverance. Amen.
The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’” Judges 7:2
Giannis Antetokounmpo recently won the NBA Most Valuable Player award. For Milwaukee Bucks’ fans, this was especially great to see. The “Greek Freak” amazed basketball fans all year with his ball-handling skills, powerful slam dunks, and all-out effort. At just under 7 feet tall and 242 pounds, Giannis is just about unstoppable. And so, when he took the stage to give his acceptance speech, you may be surprised to hear the first thing he said: “I want to thank God for blessing me with this amazing talent.” He went on to thank God three times before saying anything else.
It is refreshing to hear someone give God credit rather than boasting about his own abilities. Boasting about ourselves is a strong temptation. But, think of what happens when we do. We take credit away from God. We forget who is ultimately responsible for anything we accomplish.
God knew this would be a temptation for Gideon and his men. So, he said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’” Boasting is a strong temptation.
And never is boasting a more serious sin than when we are tempted to think that our own strength saves us from hell and earns us heaven. This is why the devil is constantly trying to convince us that we can get to God on our own. He knows that if we trust in ourselves, rather than in Jesus, we will never get to God. Only Jesus’ perfect life and innocent death could do that. It is his gift to us, not something we earn. Remember this the next time you are tempted to think you are good enough for God. Remember the story of Gideon and give God the glory for your salvation.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, help me always to realize that I cannot be saved by my own strength. Help me always to look to you for salvation. Amen.
Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
