Romans 10:17  So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Blueprints. Lists. Tools. Materials. Workbench. Patience. Determination. Care. Discipline. Joy. All of these put together by a master craftsman produce a work that is meant to be both artistic and functional for daily living. The master craftsman "sees" what he will create and then creates what will be seen in the world.

God, our master craftsman, working through His Means of Grace, brings to us the materials and tools by which our very lives are saved for His best works. With written and spoken Scripture, with water, and with bread and wine, we are worked on faithfully by the Holy Spirit to bring the love and grace of Jesus into and out of each of our lives. We are made into new, beautiful creations through which the very life of Jesus functionally works in the world. We are crafted in ways only God can do to be the works of God in our homes and communities.

We are invited to be miniature craftspeople. We are to use the very Word made flesh who lives in us to share God's love and grace in the artistic, functional ways that God has created for us in our lives. For the joy set before Jesus, He saved us. For the joy set before us, we live Him out. Let's get to work!
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

2 Corinthians 1:20  For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him. That is why it is through Him that we utter our Amen to God for His glory.

Take a moment and make a list of ten circumstances that signal an ending. What did your list include? Maybe you thought of checking the last box on a to-do list or a curtain falling after the closing act of a performance, or perhaps you flashed back to the sound of the final bell on the last day of school. Take a moment and notice something about your list. Very often, the end of an event mirrors the beginning. Fireworks shows are one of my favorite examples. A loud, colorful bang signals the beginning. The tempo and intensity build until the grand finale culminates in a glorious burst of sound and color. When done right, the ending leaves you shaken and awestruck.

Reading the Lord's Prayer also brings us full circle while providing a thrilling conclusion. The prayer begins with our eyes turned heavenward toward our Father. The focus then turns earthward as we acknowledge our desire to live in a world where God's name is revered and His perfect will is done. Realizing that our sin separates us from this reality, we humble ourselves before God, asking Him to provide first for our earthly needs, then for our spiritual needs as well. Our eyes once again turn heavenward as our requests turn to praise, declaring with renewed vigor the might and majesty of our heavenly Father. The amen caps it all off with a proclamation in the certainty of God's attention and intervention. It's truly a moment that leaves you shaken and awestruck.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

1 John 5:19  We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

When God created the world, it was very good. And it was for us. He made plants for us to eat, animals to accompany us, and the sun and moon to mark time and give us light. He instituted marriage so we could delight in our spouse and in the children who spring from our love. And in the beginning, we had Him. He walked in the garden with Adam and Eve, and He talked to them face-to-face. It was all very good.

But Satan, who had already rebelled against God, could not abide God's good creation. KNowing God's command to Adam and Eve, he entered the garden and tempted them to eat what was forbidden. They did, and they brought on themselves the curse: division from each other, separation from God, death. And death still stalks us, wreaking havoc through natural disasters, human pride, violence, disease, and the like. We are mostly safe - until we are not. We suffer, and Satan rejoices.

God, however, suffered with us in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. He died under our curse and rose again victorious. In Him, we also have the victory over death and Satan. We therefore pray to God that He would protect us from all the evils that Satan so gladly sees us suffer. And we know that, whatever evils we experience in this life, we will overcome them in Christ and once again see God face-to-face on the Last Day.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

1 Corinthians 10:13  No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

God wants an actual relationship with us, not a false relationship, not half a relationship, and not a pretend version of relationship. Because God values relationships with us so highly, He presents His actual self to us in His Word, rather than a version of Him that may be more comfortable and more palatable to handle. Temptation, God's anger, how they interact, and our sinner/saint reality can be confusing and can lead us to despair. Satan likes to kick us while we're down and put lies in our ears about who we are and who God is. Satan whispers, "God doesn't want you. God doesn't want to hear your sin. You should despair, fall into shame."

The Word in our lives saves us from despair, shame and vice. The Word tells us who God is and all that He has done for us. We cling to God's Word not to avoid temptation, but to walk through temptation with Christ before us and beside us, the sword of the Spirit valiantly swinging, the helmet of salvation firm on our heads, our feet shod with God's peace even when we have a hard time finding exact answers to our questions.

Temptation is common. It will come to us. But our triune God is anything but common, and we trust that His promises are better, brighter, and stronger than anything Satan can toss our way. To Him be glory forever. He saves us!
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Psalm 32:5-6  I acknowledge my sins to You, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to You at a time when You may be found.

Our God is an eternal fountain (Psalm 68:26). He delivers pure, life-giving water (Zechariah 13:1; John 4:13-14). Through His Son and in His Spirit, His grace flows freely (John 19:34); Hebrews 10:22; 1 John 1:7). Should that spring cease, so do we (Psalm 36:9). But the river of life that flows from Him will never run dry (Revelation 22:1).

Saturated in our own sewage, we come to Him for cleansing. He goes to work through water, Word, bread, and wine. He removes the guilt of our own sin and the shame of being stained by everyone else's. Once we are again cleansed, He unstops our lips and fills our mouths with prayer and praise (Psalm 51:15).

If His fountain flows so freely to us, why do we stop it up so easily (Proverbs 25:26)? We let others' sin simmer like sewage in our souls. It's a toxic, deadly mess. Like cracked containers, we fail to deliver the forgiveness God pours out so freely to us (Jeremiah 2:13; Matthew 18:21-35).

But the forgiveness is His. He is the fountain, the water, and the master plumber. As His forgiveness flows freely to us, He works that it might flow freely through us.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Matthew 4:4  Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
 

Round one to Jesus! As He would in rounds two and three of those wilderness temptations, Jesus pins His wicked and wily for to the mat. He does so with the Word of God. Jesus does not belittle the need for physical bread. After forty days without food, He knew that need very well. But bread "alone" will not suffice. We also need "every word" that comes from God.

Luther does not belittle the need for physical bread when it comes to his explanation of the Fourth Petition. Indeed, his list of what that includes challenges our memorization skills! In this petition, we pray for these things and we acknowledge their source, our heavenly Father.

But the Fourth Petition also reminds us of our Father's greatest blessing, the bread of life. Jesus is "the living bread that came down from heaven" (John 6:51). He came down pure and unspoiled. Then He "went bad." God placed the sin that spoils us on Him. Jesus suffered the wrath of God so we never have to. Through faith in this resurrected and living bread, we have new life. We have forgiveness. We live covered by His purity.

Continue to pray for daily bread and thankfully enjoy God's blessings. But also pray, "Give us this day Jesus." We need this bread to strengthen our faith, to turn our will to His, and to give us hope in the midst of life's many struggles.

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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

James 1:7  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

James includes an interesting phrase: "coming down from the Father" (1:17). Christians and unbelievers alike wonder why God doesn't provide according to their expectations. "A loving God would give everyone a million dollars!" "Lord, I need a job today; what are You waiting for?" Recall Exodus 16, when God sent manna to the Israelites in the desert. The Lord instructed the people to take what they needed for each day. Their heavenly Father would certain;y provide, but in such a manner that the people would be mindful of Him. Were God to give all we wanted or even needed immediately, we would be apt to disregard Him and waste all that He has provided. Remember the prodigal son?

We should never doubt or be surprised that God desires to and will provide our earthly needs. Why would He be stingy with food, clothing, or home when He has given us His very self in the Son, our Savior, Jesus blessing those who are His children and reaching out to those who are not. Beyond all the earthly needs and wants God satisfies, He knows that burden of our sins in order to bring sinners back to Himself. Our heavenly Father longs to bring home His prodigal sons and daughters. For when we have Him, all the provisions of this world will seem vain and pale.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,