Category: Devotional Thought

“I’m even lonely at home.”

“At work everyone talks to me about their careers and their families. Somehow I don’t think they even know who I am.”

“At home the loneliest place is my kitchen! My husband and three teenagers fly in and out. They eat their meals and say, ‘Hi, Mom,’ or an occasional, ‘Nice dinner, Hon.’ But I’m all alone. Everyone’s in his own little world, and I’m not included.”

“Today, to top it all off, I got a letter and picture from my friend, Lisa, in Montana. She’s standing in a field all alone — a kazillion miles from anybody else — and she’s perfectly happy! So, what does Lisa have that I don’t have?”

Loneliness is cruel. It drives us to paralyzed emptiness. We have a need for others to take a deep interest in us. If no one cares for more than just our job or our Jello, then we are lonely.

What does Lisa have? Lisa has the love and attention of her family andfriends. Above all, Lisa has the intense interest of Christ Jesus, her Savior.

Jesus dedicated his entire life to us all. He gave his life to free us from sin. He paid the ultimate price to bring us back into God’s family. There’s nothing he wants more than to take us to heaven with him.

God our Savior “wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).

Jesus cares about you. He is keenly interested in all you do. He wants to hear from  you. He wants to share with you the truths about being really fulfilled.

Jesus isn’t missing from your life. He’s present through his Word, his church, and his actions. He will never leave you. He promised, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

Jesus wants you near him in all life’s events.

Pray to him. Listen to him. Come to his house each Sunday, and learn how to never be lonely again.

Pastor R.

Aaron eagerly tears through the wrappings of his package. His fourth birthday is exciting! He loses the card and forgets who gave him the present. Finally he smiles broadly as he holds his new toy.

Aaron’s mother asks, “What do you say?” He gazes around at those at his party, not knowing whom to thank.

Our lives can be like that of an overwhelmed child at a birthday party. We daily receive the blessings of food, clothes, and shelter. We enjoy family and friends, work and rest, reputation and respect. Like that child, we may forget to be thankful. We also may not even know whom to thank.

God’s Word reminds us whom to thank. It says, “Every good andperfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights” (James 1:17). The daily provisions and the special blessings we receive throughout our lives are provided by the hand of a gracious God.

No wonder the Bible says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever” (Psalm 106:1).

What if we are not thankful? What if we think we deserve God’s gifts? Sin is the culprit! Sin confuses us and threatens to make us ungrateful toward God.

To remove our sin God gave his greatest gift of all — his Son, Jesus Christ. The most familiar passage in the Bible says, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son” (John 3:16). Jesus, our Savior, won eternal life for us. This is why we give thanks.

Like four-year-old Aaron, we need to be guided to our God in order to properly respond to him for all his gifts. God’s Word does that. Christian worship also provides a wonderful opportunity to regularly think about his gifts and to give him thanks for them.

Join us for worship at our Thanksgiving Eve Service on Wednesday, November 21, at 7:00 p.m. Join us as we remember all the blessings we have and who gave them to us. Praise God with us for his great gifts!

Pastor R.

Two gang members had just beaten up a teen girl at the local high school. “Why did you do it?” the police officer asked. “Because she was wearing the tattoo of a rival gang,” the boys answered. “She deserved what she got. We hate them all!”

There is so much anger and hatred in our world and in our communities. Every day we see or hear about senseless acts of violence.

Hatred isn’t just a problem for gang members. It is a problem for all of us. Hatred is a result of sin. It is a part of our sinful human nature. Hatred can fill up our lives and waste us away — physically and spiritually.

When someone is in an accident, internal bleeding can be a serious danger. The person may look good, but if left untreated, may die.

You may be good-looking and respected, but is the internal bleeding of hatred poisoning your life? Do you hate someone right now? Has someone hurt you so badly that you wish him or her harm?

Jesus tells us in the Bible, “Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him” (1 John 3:15).

The sin of hatred can fester in our hearts and easily lead to outward sins of violence and injury.

Jesus wants us to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). St. Paul writes, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. . . . Live in harmony with one another. . . . Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:14ff).

There is a solution to hatred. Jesus Christ is the solution! He is the source of love and harmony. “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish about have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Sin leads us to hate; faith in Christ leads us to love. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

Pastor R.

An airline pilot had a peculiar habit. Whenever he took off from his hometown of Minneapolis, he would ask the copilot to take thecontrols. Then he would stare out the cockpit window.

Finally the copilot’s curiosity got the best of him, so he asked, “What do you always look at down there?”

“See that boy fishing on the river bank,” the pilot replied. “I used to fish from that same spot when I was a kid. Whenever a plane flew over, I would watch it until it disappeared and wish that I could be a pilot.” With a sigh he added, “Now that I’m a pilot, I wish that I could be back down there fishing.”

It’s natural for us to spend time thinking about where we’d like to be, what we’d like to be doing, and what we’d like to have. We all have our own personal hopes, dreams, and desires.

There is nothing wrong with wanting a vacation, or a different job. Theproblem is that many people want things they shouldn’t.

A woman who has grown tired of her husband’s increasing sloth and his lack of personal hygiene begins to look for a new partner, if even for a night. A man unhappy because he isn’t making as much money as his neighbor looks up the corporate ladder. He begins to scheme how he can get someone fired and replace him.

Driven by a lust for sex and wealth, people desire fulfillment. What they receive instead is emptiness and heartache.

Scripture tells us that true satisfaction can only be found in a relationship with God. “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).

When our desires are in harmony with God’s will, we won’t waste time lusting for things that we shouldn’t have. Real satisfaction comes from knowing that all of our hopes, dreams, and desires are fulfilled through our relationship with Jesus. His love is the source of our joy, hope, andsatisfaction.

If you are dissatisfied with your life, don’t try to solve your problem all by yourself. Look to Jesus. Trust in him. You won’t be disappointed. Through him satisfaction is guaranteed.

Pastor R.