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Morning lessons: Psalms 86, 87; 1 Samuel 24; Romans 5.  Bow down your ear, O Lord, and hear me, for I am poor and in misery.  

Today I want us to look at the last phrase of this verse, "accordingto His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." These few words reveal notonly that God provides for His children, but they tell us how He provides andwhere our provision comes from. Noticefirst that Paul says God supplies "according to His riches,"not merely "out of His riches." There is a tremendous difference. Supposea billionaire handed someone ten dollars. He gave out of his riches, butcertainly not according to his riches. The gift was only a tiny fraction ofwhat he possessed. But if he gave according to his riches, the gift wouldreflect the greatness of his wealth. That is exactly what Paul is saying aboutGod. Our Heavenly Father does not ration His grace. He does not measure Hismercy with a tiny spoon. He supplies according to the infinite abundance of Hisown riches. Howrich is God? He owns everything! Psalm 24:1 reminds us, "The earth isthe LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwelltherein." Haggai 2:8 says, "The silver is mine, and the goldis mine, saith the LORD of hosts." David declared in 1 Chronicles29:11, "Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory,and the victory, and the majesty... all that is in the heaven and in the earthis thine." God never faces a shortage. Heaven never experiencesinflation. The storehouses of His grace are never depleted. YetPaul is speaking about something even greater than material wealth. He says, "accordingto His riches in glory." Throughout Paul's letters, the word"riches" most often refers to the immeasurable wealth of God's grace,mercy, love, wisdom, and power. In Ephesians 1:7, Paul speaks of "theriches of His grace." In Ephesians 2:4, he writes of God being "richin mercy." Just a few verses later, in Ephesians 2:7, he tells usabout "the exceeding riches of His grace." In Romans 11:33, heexclaims, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledgeof God!" God's greatest riches are not found in streets of gold orgates of pearl. They are found in His glorious character—His grace, His mercy,His love, His faithfulness, His wisdom, and His power. That is the treasurefrom which He supplies His children. ThenPaul tells us that all of this comes "by Christ Jesus." JesusChrist is the channel through whom every blessing flows. Every spiritualblessing we possess comes because of Him. Every answered prayer comes throughHim. Every provision of grace comes through Him. Every promise of God finds itsfulfillment in Him. Without Christ, we would have no access to the Father. Butbecause of Christ, we have been welcomed into God's family and become heirs ofall that belongs to Him. No wonder Paul wrote in Romans 8:32, "He thatspared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not withhim also freely give us all things?" If God has already given us Hisgreatest gift—His own Son—we can trust Him to give us everything else we trulyneed. AsI think back over our recent mission trip to Guatemala, I am reminded againthat this is exactly how God works. He supplied every need according to Hisriches. He provided strength when we were tired, wisdom when decisions had tobe made, protection as we traveled, unity among our team, open doors forministry, and joyful fellowship with believers we had never met before.  Friend,perhaps today you are facing a need that seems overwhelming. It may befinancial. It may be physical. It may be emotional. It may be spiritual. Rememberthis promise. Your need may be great, but God's riches are infinitely greater. TheGod who created the universe, who redeemed you through His Son, and who hasnever broken a promise will supply every need according to His riches in gloryby Christ Jesus. So trust Him today. Rest in His faithfulness. Obey Himwholeheartedly. Serve Him joyfully. Give generously. And leave your needs inthe hands of the One whose resources are limitless. 

August 3, 2026Today's Reading: 2 Samuel 22:26-34Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17:48-18:9; Acts 27:9-26“For you are my lamp, O Lord, and my God lightens my darkness. For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. This God–his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.” (2 Samuel 22:29-31)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.David isn't a very good man… We think quite fondly of him, and perhaps we should, but tell me, after reading through 2 Samuel, can you really come to the conclusion that David was the type of guy you would want your son to emulate? Sure, the first part of his life is pretty commendable. Humble shepherd boy who trusts in God even when all of Israel doesn't. Grappling with Goliath and with Saul alike, just in different ways. Never striving for the throne, even though it had been promised to him. Just trusting in God to protect, provide, and fulfill all that He had promised…And then that whole Bathsheba and Uriah thing happened when David was in his 40s, and the rest of his life was but double, double toil and trouble. It's amazing the dominoes that can tumble in the aftermath of adultery (and that is putting the best construction on 2 Samuel 11:1-5) and murder. David's sons go mad: they abuse their sister, kill each other, and try to commit regicide.For two long decades, David's life had been in turmoil, and yet the Lord had seen him through it for His sake alone. All that David did along the way was believe the promises of God (and even that he had trouble doing at times)... The Law would crush him, and the Gospel would revive him, and all along David would know that his salvation had nothing to do with him and everything to do with Yahweh.And so near the end of his life, only five more trips around the sun to go, David pens this song of deliverance. We find it in 2 Samuel, but it is also in Psalm 18. It is a song and a Psalm about the work of God, who He is, and who he is for David. It can and should be your song, too. For you and I are no different than that Israelite king of old: Simul Justus et Peccator, the whole lot of us. Christ is the lamp that lightens our dark world of sin, death, and the devil; our Rock and our fortress; our strong refuge, making us blameless for His sake alone!In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Word of God incarnate, O Wisdom from on high; O truth unchanged, unchanging, O Light of our dark sky: We praise You for the radiance That from the hallowed page, A lantern to our footsteps, Shines on from age to age. (LSB 523:1)Rev. Eli Lietzau, pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

Rest in the grateful and victorious words of Psalm 21, read from the King James Version and accompanied by the gentle sound of ocean waves.Psalm 21 is a Psalm of thanksgiving, joy, and confidence in the strength of the Lord. It speaks of answered prayer, blessing, mercy, and the gladness that comes from trusting in God's salvation. The king rejoices not in his own power, but in the strength and favour of the Lord Most High.In this episode of Psalms and Tides, the steady rhythm of the sea creates a peaceful space for Scripture, prayer, reflection, and rest. As you listen, may Psalm 21 help you remember the goodness of God, give thanks for His mercy, and rest in the assurance that His strength is greater than every trouble.Whether you are settling down for sleep, pausing for devotion, or reflecting on the Lord's faithfulness, may this gentle reading draw your heart toward praise, confidence, and quiet peace.Psalm 21, King James Version.If Sleepy Psalms has been a blessing to you, please consider leaving a small gift to help keep these peaceful Scripture readings available.Highlighted versesPsalm 21:1 — “The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!”Psalm 21:2 — “Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips.”Psalm 21:6 — “For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.”Psalm 21:7 — “For the king trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.”Psalm 21:13 — “Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.”

In the fourth installment of our church security series, Lloyd discusses the importance of training and the different kinds of training your church security team should partake of and how to role-play emergency situations inside your church worship space. Support the Show  Armed Lutheran Radio is a listener-supported podcast. If you value the information and entertainment we provide, consider supporting the show by joining our membership site, The Reformation Gun Club! http://www.ReformationGunClub.com  Links of Interest American Red Cross - https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/cpr/cpr-training American Heart Association- https://cpr.heart.org/ SABRE Personal Safety Training - https://www.sabrered.com/personal-safety-training AVADE Pepper Spray Training - https://avadetraining.com/product/avade-pepper-spray-defense-e-learning-course/ USCCA Free Guide - https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/uscca-info/guide/protecting-house-of-worship-guide/ Sheepdog Church Security - https://sheepdogchurchsecurity.net/ Gatekeepers - https://gatekeeperstx.com/ NOCSSM 2026 Conference - https://gatekeeperstx.com/nocssm-conference/ Buy Duty to Defend, Volume 2 on Amazon – https://amzn.to/3D3frE5 Prayer of the Week Grant, O Lord, we implore You, that the course of this world may be so peaceably ordered by Your governance, that Your Church may joyfully serve You in all godly quietness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord. Amen. Get in Touch Visit our Feedback Page - https://armedlutheranradio.libsyn.com/contact Please tell your friends about us, leave an iTunes review, and like us on Facebook Join our Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/fansofarmedlutheranradio Subscribe to us and follow us on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/armedlutheran Check Out More at our Website- http://www.armedlutheran.us Original Music by Reformer  https://www.youtube.com/ReformerBand   

August 2, 2026Today's Reading: Luke 16:1-9 (10-13)Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17:20-47; Acts 26:24-27:8“[Jesus said,] ‘The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness.'” (Luke 16:8a)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.We want to make this parable about us— about us being the actor, about us being the active player; we want the Law to be the lens through which we view it. But, goodness, that is what we want to do with every parable. The problem is that that is the worst way to go about reading the parables. And this one is no exception…For when the Law is the lens, then we have an almost impossible task of figuring out what to do in this parable. The man isn't very ethical; he isn't very upright. Go ahead and live your life according to the rules that this man was following, and I dare say that you would be left out on the street with no friends in sight.The strange thing is, after the manager found out that he was going to get canned, he went out and started rewriting the ledgers. Now, some might want to argue that this man was being magnanimous, but you can only be magnanimous when you are giving away your own money. But that isn't what the dishonest manager was doing; he was giving away his boss's money.Well, the time for the books to be reviewed arrives, and wouldn't you know it, surprise of surprise, the rich man is happy! So much so that he commends the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. This makes absolutely no sense at all because it would appear as if at the beginning of the parable this man had been cooking the books, and here at the end he was doing the same…But what if we have that wrong? What if the man wasn't cooking the books at the beginning, but was playing fair, was making everyone pay exactly what they owed by the letter of the Law? And what if the rich man hated that? Could it be, could it maybe just be that the rich guy wanted to pay for the debts of his debtors all along? Could it be that in this parable, as in all parables, the Gospel must prevail, and where you find someone forgiving/canceling/rewriting ledgers from red to black, then you have finally found Jesus?Could it be that this whole strange and crazy parable and everything that Jesus says surrounding it is said for the purpose of turning us to the Gospel and the forgiveness of sins, no matter how strange and confusing it might be, so that we can rest assured that at the end of the day, Jesus has turned our dead debts to live ones once again? Yeah, let's go with that…In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Let Your merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of Your humble servants; and that they may obtain their petitions, make them to ask such things as shall please You; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.Rev. Eli Lietzau, pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

Delivered by Elyanne from the Parish of Saint James in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. Jeremiah 28: 1-17; Rs psalm 119: 29.43.79.80.95.102; Matthew 14: 22-36.GOD IS TO BE FEARED OF, NOT GHOSTS The theme for our meditation today is: God is to be Fearedof, not Ghost. During a time of economic hardship due to a long dry season, afarmer and his family prayed in these words: "O Lord, do not let us gohungry or thirsty." This prayer was shared on a WhatsApp group in the localparish community, and soon many farmers and their families were saying the sameprayer. God heard their prayers, and it seemed that even during this difficulttime, the farmers did not run out of food from their fields.  In the Old Testament of the Holy Scriptures, it is saidhow God's people who wandered in the desert often experienced hunger becausefood was not enough. Therefore, God provided them manna and meat, even though itwas not enough to satisfy them. They still complained and protested becauselife as a wanderer in the desert was full with difficulties and sufferings. Jesus Christ fell pity over many people who followedand heard Him along the way of His public ministry. He was so moved with pity forall those who were experiencing difficulties, not only those who were hungryand thirsty, but all the problems both physical and spiritual of people of Histime. One of those problems which was spiritual in nature is fear. This fearmust be overcome with a life of peace, calmness and trust in God as well as inourselves as believers. In general, people become worried, doubtful, afraid,and distrustful when trials and difficulties come upon them. In today's Gospel,we are told that the apostles were in a boat and they were so disturbed bystrong winds and violent waves. In such difficult circumstance the Lord came tohelp them. They became afraid because they thought that it was a ghost. Inanother occasion, the people of Israel who had lived for a long time in exile,were visited by a shocking news that caused fear, namely their freedom and thepossibility to return to their homeland. A man's fear of God is a sign that he has a truefaith. God always comes to our favors and He certainly saves us. Therefore,this fear is useful to help us prepare ourselves as best as we can, so that Hefinds us in a state of true faith, we are prepared to welcome Him, and we areactive in our daily undertakings. Such fear is very contrary to the type offear towards others who are not God such as ghosts, demons, and other subjectsthat only intend to disturb and tempt us. For us Christian and our journey ofsalvation, we must fear God, not ghosts. God is with us to help us, whereasghosts do not. Let'spray. In the name of the Father ... In Your love and mercy, O Father, we wishto put all our needs, especially today, so that we can receive Your blessingsthroughout this day. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit... In the name of the Father ...

You Are Worthy, Oh Lord! "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." Revelation 4:11 Each morning, as the sun rises and spills its golden light across the horizon, I find myself grappling with a profound truth: Our lives are a tapestry woven together by the grace and glory of God. In moments of vulnerability, when the weight of the world feels heavy, I whisper, "You are worthy, O Lord." It's in these fleeting moments of doubt that I'm reminded of His unwavering worthiness. Scripture does not shy away from proclaiming the glory of the Lord. In 1 Chronicles 29, we read, “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty.” Revelation 4:11 echoes this sentiment beautifully, declaring, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power.” These verses remind us that worship isn't just a duty; it's a sacred response to the splendor of our Creator. 1 Chronicles 29:11 says, "Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in heaven and on earth belongs to You. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all." In our daily lives, we encounter trials that challenge our faith, we encounter success that help to praise him. Perhaps you're facing uncertainty in your job, struggles within your family, or a battle with loneliness. or any positive way. In those moments, remember that every breath you take is wrapped in God's love. As Colossians 1:16 states, “For by Him all things were created,” we understand that we are part of a magnificent design. Our worth is not determined by our circumstances but by who we are in Him. As we declare, "You are worthy, O Lord," let this affirmation propel us into action. Align your faith with deeds — like the woman in Mark 5 who pressed through the crowd to touch the hem of Jesus' garment. Her faith was a testament to her belief in His worthiness. Let us also exemplify this bold faith, reaching out to those in need and proclaiming His goodness with our lives. Amen. John 1:3 says, "Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made." Amen. Prayer for the Day!Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of this beautiful new day. May we always recognize Your worth in our lives, even when we doubt. Fill our hearts with the assurance of Your love and lead us in paths of righteousness. In Jesus' name, Amen. https://maglife.org

In this episode of The Reformed Brotherhood, Tony Arsenal delivers a rich expository sermon on James 5:1–6, one of the most striking prophetic passages in the New Testament epistles. Drawing on the Jewish literary and cultural context of James's original audience — Jewish Christians scattered from Jerusalem by persecution — Tony unpacks why this text is not a blanket condemnation of wealth, but a devastating judgment oracle against those who hoard riches and oppress the vulnerable. Along the way, he explores the eschatological weight of accumulated wealth, the theology of God's omniscient justice, and the stunning comfort available to the suffering believer. The episode closes by returning to James's thesis: that trials of every kind, including economic oppression, can be counted as joy because of who God is and what He has done in Christ. Key Takeaways James is a deeply Jewish book written to a specific audience — Jewish Christians dispersed from Jerusalem by Saul's persecution, not a general audience of wealthy or Gentile believers. The prophetic "Come now" signals a judgment oracle, not a direct address — James is not rebuking wealthy members of his congregation, but pronouncing eschatological judgment on oppressive landowners using a technique common in Amos, Malachi, and Micah. Hoarding wealth is not morally neutral — it is self-condemning — The corroded gold and moth-eaten garments are not just symbols of decay; they serve as legal evidence against those who refused to use their wealth for God's glory and the good of others. Withholding wages from laborers constitutes a form of murder — In the ancient world, depriving workers of their wages could literally cost them their lives. James draws on Old Testament law to frame predatory economic exploitation as a capital sin. God sees and hears the cries of the oppressed — The wages of defrauded workers "cry out" to the Lord of Hosts, echoing the blood of Abel in Genesis 4. God's justice is not passive or delayed out of ignorance — it is certain and coming. Matthew 25 reframes Christian mercy as care for the body of Christ — The sheep-and-goats judgment is not a general humanitarian mandate, but a specific call to care for persecuted brothers and sisters — and to recognize that mistreating them is mistreating Christ Himself. Trials are counted as joy through the doctrine of imputation — Suffering is not stripped of its pain, but it can be moved from the loss ledger to the profit column because God uses adversity as the instrument of sanctification and glorification. Key Concepts The Prophetic Address: Who Is James Actually Talking To? One of the most common misreadings of James 5:1–6 is assuming James is directly rebuking wealthy Christians in his own congregation. Tony Arsenal corrects this by grounding the passage in its literary and historical context. James employs a well-established prophetic technique — seen in Amos, Malachi, and Micah — of addressing an absent party in order to pronounce judgment on them, while simultaneously comforting those who overhear the oracle. His audience is the dispersed, impoverished Jewish Christians who fled Jerusalem under Saul's persecution. There were almost certainly no wealthy landowners in the room. The "Come now, you rich" is a judgment declaration directed outward, designed to assure the suffering poor that God has seen their oppressor and will act. Far from being a proof-text for radical poverty, the passage is a pastoral comfort wrapped in prophetic fire. Corroded Gold as Legal Evidence Against the Soul James's claim that gold and silver have "corroded" is deliberately shocking — and theologically precise. Gold, uniquely among metals in the ancient world, does not corrode. By saying it has already corroded, James is not making a metallurgical claim but a moral and eschatological one. The accumulated, hoarded wealth of the oppressor has lost its purpose. It sits idle while workers starve, and in doing so it becomes evidence — a legal witness — against its owner in the court of divine justice. Tony draws a direct line between this image and Jesus's teaching in the Sermon on the Mount about treasures stored on earth being subject to moth and rust. Both brothers — Jesus and James — appear to be drawing on the same shared wisdom, likely rooted in the same household and the same mother's instruction. Unused wealth does not just fail to help others; it actively indicts its holder. Counting It All Joy: The Accounting Logic of Sanctification Tony closes the sermon by returning to James 1:2 — the thesis statement of the entire letter — and unpacking the word "count" as an accounting term, directly related to the doctrine of imputation. Just as righteousness is reckoned to the believer in justification, so suffering can be reckoned as joy in sanctification. This is not a call to pretend pain isn't real, or to perform contentment. It is a theological reframing: what belongs in the loss column of the ledger can, by faith, be moved to the profit side — not because the trial was pleasant, but because God is sovereign, good, and working all things toward the believer's conformity to the image of Christ. The oppressor means their wickedness for evil. God means it for glory. The supreme example is the cross itself — the only truly innocent man, suffering the worst evil ever committed, for the redemption of His people. Memorable Quotes The corrosion of that gold serves as evidence for the condemnation of those who are harming you — and the corrosion of this wealth is an indication of the corrosion of their very souls. He sees your pain. He sees your suffering. He sees your victories even when no one else is celebrating them. He sees you — and that should be a great source of comfort. Imputation is an accounting term. And when we count it all joy, we're taking what should be a red line in the loss ledger — what should be an expense — and we're able to move it to the profit. Not because it didn't hurt, and not because we wanted it to happen, but because our God is good enough to not rob us of the chance to be sanctified. Full Transcript Tony Arsenal: Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you." It's always a little, uh, strange to sort of jump into the middle of a series, and, um, you know, Wes is one of the most competent preachers that I know personally, so I trust that he has given you a good and satisfying overview. Uh, but I don't feel like I would be doing my responsibility if I didn't at least touch on a few things, uh, related to the, the intro to James that I think is relevant for this particular passage in a way that maybe is not relevant for the rest of the book. So some of this I hope is review, I, I anticipate is review, but I think it's worth, uh, touching on. James, as you know, is the, the half brother of Jesus. He was the leader of the Jerusalem church, and specifically he was sort of the figurehead of the Jewish church as a whole. Um, the Jewish church was the only church for the very early part of the church's growth. There were always, uh, Gentile believers. Even in the Old Testament, there were Gentiles who trusted in the Lord of Israel and the God of Israel. They were often called God-fearers. They rarely converted all the way to Judaism, but they were sort of seen as an attachment to the Jewish people. They didn't participate in all of the blessings of the Jewish people, but they did participate in most. They often had the same kind of protection. They were in a form of covenant with God. Um, they were able to worship and offer sacrifices. The temple itself had a whole portion of the temple dedicated called the Court of Gentiles, specifically for these Jewish worshipers. And as the church spread, primarily through persecution, which we'll touch base on here in a minute, as the church spread out from Jerusalem into Judea and Samaria, and ultimately to the ends of the earth, it took on a, an increasingly Gentile Greek flavor. As more and more primarily initially Greek converts came into the church, and then of course, as it spread to other sort of non-Hellenistic lands, other, other types of people, other nations, other people groups joined the church, the scriptures which-- the New Testament we receive primarily from Paul, at least in terms of the epistles, um, also began to take on a more Gentile flavor. Not because Paul was a Gentile, but because Paul was ministering primarily to Gentiles What we'll see here is that James is a very Jewish book. I'm sure that along the way there's been several kinds of things pointed out to you to show that, but I wanna show a couple things that not only establish James as the author, James the brother of, of Jesus, but also root the, not only the author, but the audience in a distinctly Jewish Christian, uh, context. So you don't have to turn there, I'll read this, but in Acts, uh, 15, which is the, the great Jerusalem Council, uh, we read this. It says, "With the following letter..." So the, the council meets, they make a decision about what k- what parts of the Jewish law were going to be commended to and recommended, uh, and required for the Christian believers, the Gentile Christian believers, and when they're done, they send this letter to all of, all of the churches. And it says, "With the following letter, the brothers, both apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are at, of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings." Now, I don't know about you, but I always sign my emails the same way, right? I've got, like, my work signature that I have to use, that the, the hospital makes me use with all the proper formatting and colors and fonts, but I always have the same signature. Mine is very simple. I just say, "Thanks," right? I just sign it as, "Thanks," above my signature, and I'm sure you all have that sort of characteristic way you sign a s- sign an email, or maybe it's the way you say goodbye at the end of a phone call. My father-in-law always says, "So long," which is a phrase you don't hear very often, so it's very distinct to him. We all have these little tells in our communication that sort of tip off who they're from. If you turn quickly back over to James 1, so just flip the page, uh, to the left here, he starts his letter by saying, "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the 12 tribes in the dispersion, greetings." It's the only two letters in the New Testament that we have where the author identifies himself, sends to a sort of generalized audience, and then signs it, "Greetings." Now, James, the brother of Jesus, was the leader of the Jerusalem Church. He was the leader of the Jewish ch- the Jewish Church in general, and he signed the letter coming from the Acts Council as sort of the presiding minister. If, if we were, y- you might call them, like, the moderator of your business meeting, or we would call them the moderator of our presbytery or our session in the Presbyterian context I come from. He was the one who sort of, like, presided over there, and so the letter that went out to the churches was signed in his name and written, drafted by him. So we see this characteristic way that the letter is addressed with this final word, "Greetings," which is not used frequently in the New Testament We also see when we look at the language carefully that the audience of this, uh, of this letter, it's debated and there are good arguments, but i- in my opinion, it's very clear that the audience of this letter is not Jewish Christians in general or, uh, Jews who have not yet converted. There are some people who would say that 'cause they're called the 12 tribes. But instead it is the Jewish Christians who originally dwelled in Jerusalem and were sent out into the countryside after the persecution that was started primarily by Saul. If you look at Acts, Acts 1 which is, uh, the passage where Saul begins to persecute the church or where Saul kinda comes on the scene as the persecutor of the church, there's a couple distinct, um, distinct linguistic markers we should touch base on. Starting in verse one it says, "And p- Saul approved of his execution. And there arose a day-- that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem. They were all scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made a great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church and entered the house after house. He dragged off men and women and committed them to prison." When we look at this and we compare it to that, uh, again, that first verse of James where he says to the ones who are scattered, we see that there's a pretty strong linguistic parallel that tells us that the people he has in mind for this letter, the people he's addressing, are the same people who were dispersed or scattered out of Jerusalem in the persecution. When he says to the 12 tribes in the dispersion, that word dispersion is not really a translation. It's what we call a transliteration. So it's not like we've taken a word and sort of given it an English word. We've just changed the word, the letters over to English letters. In Greek, the word is diaspora, dispersion, and in, uh, Acts 1, the verb used to, to sort of describe this scattering of them is diaspero. And it is a picture of scattering seed. This is what a farmer would do. So it's not even the normal word we would use when someone is fleeing persecution. It's this idea that God has scattered Christians out into the world, in this case by persecution. He scattered them out into the world to be planted. A lot of this is where we get phrases from Tertullian about the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. Now, why does this matter? As I mentioned, we often think in Gentile categories when we're reading the New Testament, and for good reason. One, we're all, all Gentiles, I'm presuming. I, I don't, I don't think-- I think I mentioned this last time, and no one came up and corrected me. I don't think anyone here is ethnically Jewish with ancestry that they're directly aware of, you know, where they trace their lineage directly back. Europe is a, a big amalgamation of just about everything, so most of us probably have a smattering of different ethnicities. But none of us are ethnically Jewish to the idea that we would, uh, identify as such in the same way. And even if we were, we've been raised and grown up in a Gentile context. We live in the West. We have-- We think in different categories. And what's more is most of the New Testament is written primarily to Gentiles by someone who is ministering to Gentiles. So Paul uses a fair amount of, of Hebraisms or things that are related to the Old Testament. Of course, he's explaining the Old Testament, and he makes ample reference to the Old Testament because that is the word of God, and it is profitable for our teaching, our correction, our reproof, and ultimately for our, our sanctification. But he uses metaphors and language in a way that is not common to the Israel context that Jesus and James and Peter and the other apostles were raised in. We don't have time to go there, but there's even some metaphors that Paul uses that are actually used the opposite way in, uh, in the more Hebraic Jewish, uh, epistles we have. One example that comes to mind is, um, Paul looks at the concept of milk, and that's not necessarily a good thing, right? It's not a bad thing, but it's what immature believers use, right? They can't handle the meat of the Bible. They have to be given the milk of the gospel before they can progress to the meat. In the Book of Hebrews, which I don't think was written by Paul, and in other places, Peter uses milk as a way to talk about nourishment, right? We think of the land flowing with milk and honey. Milk was not seen as some sort of substandard food that was only for babies. It was seen as, like, the richest, best thing that you could eat. We all have a linguistic environment that we grow up in. We all have a shared vernacular. You know, if I say something like, "You can't get there from here," everyone knows what that means. Obviously, you can get there from here, but you have to take this circuitous route. We know what that means. I think if we went around the room, we probably would find that there is this shared language. And then if we took individual families, we'd find that even within those families, there's further narrowing down of sort of like inside jokes and words that are used in ways that are not necessarily the same as others So when we read James, or when we read the letters of Peter or the letters of John, we should default to thinking more along the lines of comparing them to the words of Christ in the Gospel, first and foremost, and then to the Old Testament before we start to think about them necessarily comparing them to Ja-- or to Paul or to other kind of first century Hellenistic literature. That's not, of course, to say that Paul and James contradict. I'm sure that we went through a long explanation with much detail when you got to James chapter two, which is, of course, the most famous example. Paul uses the word justification or justify in a legal sense to make or to declare someone to be righteous. It's the verdict that the judge delivers, and it communicates the status. It actually performs what it says. When the judge says, "I find you not guilty," it changes your status from being potentially guilty to being cleared of all charges. Paul uses it slightly differently. He's not using it in the sense of to make someone righteous or to declare them righteous. He's using it to say they've been shown to be righteous. They've been validated. They've been vindicated. And if we get that mixed up, that's the source of all sorts of confusion. So when we come to this passage, and we'll get there, I promise, when we come to this passage, we have to understand some of the metaphors and the language that's being used draws from an existing body of shared cultural language that is foreign to us and is in some ways foreign to the rest of the New Testament, apart from what we see in the Gospels And it's important to remember, and this is why it's so key to land, that the audience of this letter is the persecuted, poor Jewish Christians who probably had a fairly comfortable life, relatively speaking, living in Jerusalem. These are city folks. These are people that live in Jerusalem or farm into the fields immediately around Jerusalem. They were established. They owned land. They probably had family that they had to leave, and now they're scattered out into the country with nothing. They're sent out into the world with no jobs, no family connections, no social welfare. Because they've left the Jewish faith, at least from the perspective of the Jews, they can't even go to their Jewish brothers and sisters and rely on the hospitality that's required in the law of Moses This is so important when we think about how James opens the letter and delivers what I think is his thesis statement. "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you face trials of every kind." Trials like not knowing where the next meal is gonna come from, not knowing where the next roof over your head is, not being sure you can feed your children. We all face real trials and tribulations in our life. Some of them are related to our faith, and some is just the fallen human condition in the fallen world we live in. But we're talking here about a totally different category of, uh, trial and persecution than most of us hopefully will ever experience That brings us to our actual passage now. James opens up this section with a linguistic marker that signifies this is a change in topic. He says, "Come now," or another way to translate it might be, "Now listen. Listen up." When my son is doing something that, uh, I need him to stop or I need to give him instructions, I hold him by his shoulders and I say, "Look at my eyes. I want your eyes right here. Look at my eyes." That's what Paul is doing. He's stopping and he's interrupting the flow of language. This shows us this is a new topic and a new audience. James is not speaking to rich Christians in his audience. First, 'cause there likely weren't any rich Christians directly in his audience. Remember, these are the, the poor Christians scattered out into the Judean countryside, into Samaria He's using a technique that's really common in the prophets. It's common in Jesus, where he's addressing the people who are not really listening as a way to establish that they will be judged, to hold them accountable, but also to comfort those who are hearing the message. This is a form of prophetic address. We see this in Amos, where he's chastising the Jewish leaders. Uh, in Malachi and Micah, this happens. Malachi is primarily, at least initially, is primarily, uh, a book that is railing against the rich leaders in Jerusalem who had oppressed their own brothers and sisters. The chances that those Jewish cr- uh, Jewish leaders were reading his prophecy or hearing his prophecy is pretty slim. So he was addressing a different group to establish the judgment that he was proclaiming on another party. Jesus does this when he says like, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees." There were probably scribes and Pharisees in the audience there, but he wasn't just talking to the people in front of them. He was pronouncing a judgment oracle, a judgment prophecy on all people who fit that category, and James is doing the same thing here James is not opposing wealth generally. Sometimes James is used as kind of a New Testament example to justify the idea that we should all be poor and wear shabby clothing and walk around barefoot and dirty all the time. Right? This is a key passage that's used, uh, in parts of the church that really emphasize sort of a poverty-based lifestyle. Think of like the wandering monks of the Middle Ages or the, the, um, sort of more radical exclusionists that exist even in our day. I remember when I was in college, I was really enamored with this figure named Shane Claiborne. Some of you have probably heard of him, and I remember I was so impressed because he, he didn't buy new shoes. He just cut new shoes out of duct tape and put them back together. Now, there's some, you know, there's some rugged, uh, rugged get-it-done-ness that, uh, I think us, uh, New Englanders can appreciate, but God does not call us to wear duct tape shoes, at least not universally. I'm not gonna comment on whether he calls Shane Claiborne to do that. I also don't think Shane Claiborne does that anymore. Um, some of us he may call to a lifestyle of poverty in association with a mission field or in association with a specific calling. He does not call us generally to be poor or to not gain wealth What he is opposing here is the refusal to use wealth appropriately for God's glory and the accumulation of wealth just for wealth's sake We'll see that as we unpack the language here a little bit. He establishes that he's not just talking about the earthly hoarding of wealth, as though somehow the very act of accumulating wealth was itself the problem. What he's doing is he's pronouncing an eschatological judgment on those who hoard wealth and use it to oppress others. We see here he says, "Come now, you rich, and weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you." Th- that word weep and howl, those are li-- those are words that are most commonly used in prophetic literature to describe the final cry of anguish. Think about the weeping and gnashing of teeth that Jesus talks about. This is the language he's using. He's talking about the final estate of those who refuse to submit their wealth to God He says, "Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be the evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasures in the last days." Now, remember what we said. We, we should read this not in light of some general wisdom, although it is general wisdom that if we accumulate wealth, it tends to not actually go well for us if we're not utilizing it in God-honoring ways. But we should read this in light of the most obvious connection, his big brother, Jesus, who taught his people, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be." To maybe land this linguistic, uh, this linguistic connection a little more, I don't know, vibrantly, I'm gonna speculate a little bit. So if you don't like it, then you can disregard it. This is not God's Word. This is a speculation. I can just imagine little Jesus, little nine-year-old Jesus, and probably little six or seven-year-old James and the rest of their siblings, and there's quite a few of them. And we have Joseph, uh, who maybe at this time was still living, although probably not. We know he was living until Jesus was later, you know, 12, he was still around, but we don't know exactly when he left the picture. But he was a carpenter, and he was not, probably not overly wealthy. Uh, they had had to pick up and move, you know, cross-country anyways. They-- We don't know exactly where they were from initially, but they went to Bethlehem, and then they returned to Nazareth. They probably didn't have a lot. There were a lot of mouths to feed and only one business. They didn't have a farm. They didn't own livestock that we know of. I can just imagine a time when little J- little James or one of his sisters was frustrated about the fact that they didn't have anything. And I could picture Mary getting down and going, "Do not store up treasures in, in, uh, in heaven or on Earth. It's all gonna waste away." The same way we might tell our children kind of a, a moral kind of story. Sometimes we have this picture, last time I was here I, I spoke on Philippians 2, we have this idea that Jesus was somehow like Superman, that he, he was just pretending to be a normal human most of the time. As it touches his humanity, as, as we think about Jesus as a human, he had a, his own human set of thinking faculties, his own human knowledge. He grew in wisdom and stature is what Luke teaches us. Well, where did he get some of this wisdom? There's a good reasonable argument to be made that some of the pr- more proverbial type sayings that we see in Christ, that they actually come from the wisdom of his mother and father. And a really good reason to believe that is James relies on the same exact, uh, sort of proverbial wisdom to l- land his point. He doesn't create his own metaphor, he goes back to, at the very least we can say he goes back to the words of Christ. That's a very safe position to take. But this is the shared linguistic context that they both grew up in And he says, "You've done this in the last days." Now, the, the phrase last days in the Bible, uh, in the New Testament generally refers to the time period from Christ's resurrection to his return. We, for a lot of reasons, think about it as kind of like that climactic end period in time. Depending on your, your persuasion, maybe this is when the Antichrist comes, or maybe this is before or after, or maybe during the time when the church is raptured. But in either case, we think of that sort of last period in time before Christ finally comes back. But the New Testament writers are really talking about the entire duration, from Christ's resurrection to his return is what they're referring to. But it does have in view this idea that we are in the last times. The, the final judgment is not necessarily strictly something that's out there in the future. We are living in the last days now, and so what we do and what we say and, and how we worship and if we worship is eschatology. It is the theology of the last times He also positions this as though this is a universal thing going on with those who hoard wealth. This is a very shocking image. Um, we have very good ways to preserve things in our modern world, right? We have ways to m- to make, uh, stainless steel that won't rust, or at least won't rust quickly. But most things in the ancient world, even most precious metals, corroded. Um, I remember when I was growing up, there was this project in my hometown. I lived in a, a little town called White Bear Lake in, in, um, Minnesota, although little is relative. It's pretty big compared to most of what we have out here. And I remember when I was maybe 12 or 13 years old, they had this big building project to build this brand-new, beautiful lakeside pavilion in the center of town, and it w- just gleamed in the sun. It was so gorgeous, and it was made of copper, and everybody loved it, and two years later, it was bright green. I think it's still bright green. I think they figured out it wasn't worth repairing, so they, they just, they just make sure it doesn't keep getting worse, and at some point, I'm sure they either have or will tear it down. But the one metal in the ancient world that didn't do this was gold. It's part of why gold is such a durable measurement of wealth is because it doesn't wear out. It doesn't corrode. It's very soft. It's very easy to damage it, which is why we don't build statues out of it, or we don't build, uh, buildings out of it usually, but it didn't corrode. So when James says here, "Not only your silver, which tarnishes and corrodes, but your silver and gold have corroded." Not are corroding, but have corroded. The rich hearer of this is probably, you know, sitting around like Scrooge McDuck with a pile of gold coins thinking, "Ah, it looks pretty good to me." And what James is saying is, "No, no, no. No, it's corroded. It's eating away at your heart. It's lost its value because you refuse to use it, and so it sits in a pile doing nothing for no one, except serving to further your own condemnation." This is such a crazy, shocking situation that the insanity of not using your wealth, period, the insanity of sitting on your wealth in the ancient world is going to serve as a form of evidence justifying the condemnation of these wicked fools And further, the corrosion of this wealth is an indication of the corrosion of their very souls. There's something about money. I was-- When I was here a couple times before, I preached one of the wealth passages out of Ecclesiastes, and there's something about money that has a unique way of really, really wrecking us. Either we don't have it and we want it, or we have it and we don't wanna lose it, or we have it and we don't spend it wisely. It seems like there's an infinite number of ways to screw it up. And we landed last time that the gospel is good news because with the nearly infinite ways of screwing it up, we're going to screw it up. But the one way that he talks about screwing it up here is hoarding it and sitting on it and not using it Moving on into verses four and five, James moves us now to a more sort of temporal register. He starts out by talking about what wealth is and what it's doing and how it will ultimately affect the entire life and eternity of those in his targeted audience, those he's proclaiming this prophetic, uh, judgment against. But in verse four, he moves back to the behaviors that are being, uh, being engaged in to show the state of these people's souls. He says, "Behold, the wages of the laborers you, who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter." James here points at the, at the behaviors that show this hoarding behavior, and he does it for a number of reasons. One, he needs to call out sin. That's part of the role of a Christian, and especially a leader or a minister in the church, is, um, to not only call out sin in the body of, of Christ, but in a, I think a very particular way, and there's all sorts of, uh, all sorts of theological controversies flying on around about Christian nationalism and other associated things. Some of it is just the spirit of the age. Um, post-COVID, there's a, a real strong sense that our government has failed us and we need to replace it with something else. But there is a, a true way, and I, I think some of those things are a little misguided, but there's a true way that the church, particularly her leaders, should be speaking to the culture around us, and yes, even to the government, to proclaim the truth of God into a wicked and godless culture. This might take the form o- of a m- minister who goes to a town hall meeting to speak out against a gambling association that's going to be forming, or a, an elder in the church or a deacon in the church who goes to speak to, uh, to the city hall or to the state legislature about the wickedness of abortion and about what we see it does to women's lives when they are fooled into thinking that this is the right thing for them. Again, the church is not the state, and the state is not the church, and we should be very careful not to cross those lines for all sorts of reasons. But we as a culture, as a Christian culture, in the United States particularly, have lost sight of our responsibility to speak truth in all circumstances to those in power So James is doing that, of course. But even more so, this is a way that he establishes for his direct audience, for the Jewish poor Christians who have been scattered in this diaspora, in this dispersion. He looks at them in a sense and says, "I see you. I see what's happening to you." And as God's representative, as his chosen voice for this message, as his inspired author, God sees you too This goes back again, the first two chapters of James serve as kind of a thesis statement and table of contents for the whole book. We get an idea of what may have been happening, the actual, uh, acts that were being engaged in, in, in chapter two verse six, he says, "You have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?" James has in mind here a form of predatory land purchasing, where the rich were sort of sweeping up property. They were sweeping it up, and then they were charging probably exorbitant prices to those who would lease the land to try to eke out a living. Does that sound at all like any of our current context, right? When's the last time any of us have tried to buy a house and found anything reasonable? Well, a large part of that is that there are big companies that are scooping up all the land and buying all the, the developments. Now, I'm not commenting on those particular situations. I don't know those people. I don't know their hearts, and some of those things actually are doing good things for the community. But we're familiar with this idea of someone who will purchase a resource, who will then jack the price up in order to turn a profit on it. I'm not opposed to turning a profit. Y- y- yeah, it takes money to run a business, and you have to, you have to recuperate those funds if your business is going to survive. But there's a, there's a way that that can be done that is a predatory act These rich landowners were getting fat on those that they were victimizing In our, in our modern world, we tend to think of someone who is overweight as unhealthy, for good reason, right? Too much weight, and I say that with someone with a little too much padding around the middle, so no, no judgment on this, but too much weight is not healthy, right? We hear that from our doctors, that there's a healthy weight range and there's an unhealthy weight range. In the ancient world, obesity was not the concern, right? Malnutrition was the concern. And so when you see, uh, a king in the Old Testament who's, who's noted to be fat, that's not always negative. Sometimes it is, but he's noted to be fat or he's noted to be large. Even the word for glory, I'm sure you've heard this before, the word for glory in the Old Testament has to do with being heavy. So this idea of weightiness or, um, being able to eat enough to actually gain weight instead of being thin was seen as a good thing, but not when you use it as a way to victimize other people. A person who gathers wealth honestly and enjoys it, that's, that's Proverbs right there. That's the Book of Ecclesiastes in its sort of positive sense, is that we, when we accumulate wealth and we use it for God's glory, it's perfectly okay for us to also use it for our enjoyment. God wants us to enjoy the fruit of our labor. But when we accumulate wealth and use it as a way to gain power over someone and to abuse them, that is what James is railing against here And ultimately, with the audience that James is writing to, this is a form of murder. This is why he says, "You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter." Because a person who can't feed their family in the Old Testament or in the New Testament era was likely to see them die. There are not a ton of people in modern America that are starving to death on the streets. It's not to say it doesn't happen. It's not to say that there's not things like food insecurity or malnutrition, but there are, there are plenty of places people can go to get their basic food needs met. It was not like that-- It's not like that in most of the world now, and it certainly was not like that in the ancient world. And so a, a landowner who again refuses, we're talking about the Jewish landowners, refuses to obey the Jewish law to leave some leftovers for the poor, and instead gleans all the way to the corner so that they can turn a little bit of extra pro-profit, is not only sinning against the Old Testament law, but is committing murder in the strictest sense by refusing to preserve the life of these poor, uh, Christians who are destitute And again, James is encouraging his readers here that the Lord has not ignored their plight. We can think back to the Book of Habakkuk, where Habakkuk basically lodges a lawsuit against God, saying, "You are not paying attention. You're not doing your thing. You're not being faithful to your covenant." And God says, "Let me show you how faithful to my covenant I am. The Chaldeans are on the way." And Habakkuk is like, "Whoa, wait a second here. That's not what I had in mind." God sees the oppression of the poor. He knows when His people are targeted. He knows when children are abused or when widows are ignored. He knows when the government does something to shut down a church, or when the medical institution refuses to acknowledge your personal rights. He sees those things, and He's not ignorant, and He's not static. He's not sleeping on those things. The purpose here is to comfort the oppressed by showing that God is not ignorant of what has happened to them. Just two quick Old Testament examples that use similar language. In Genesis 4, we read of Cain and his murder of Abel, and in verse eight it says, "Cain spoke to Abel his brother, and when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, 'Where is Abel your brother?' He said, 'I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?' And the Lord said, 'What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground.'" Numbers, uh, 35 verses 30 says, "If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death. And you shall accept no ransom from him who has fled to the city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the high priest. You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land except for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it." There's a rich history in the Old Testament of language of inanimate things, land, blood, wealth, other kinds of things that give testimony to God in some way, and specifically of these inanimate, uh, impersonal things testifying to the sin of the people that dwell around them. Even Christ says, "If these people do not worship me, the rocks will cry out." Now, the rocks are not literally crying out, although it certainly would be within God's power to make the rocks sing. But Christ is not saying in that passage that the rocks are going to form mouths and begin singing Hosanna or whatever song they might have been doing. What he's saying is that the very rocks themselves give testimony to the glory and goodness of God. So even if the people around here fail to do so, the entire rest of creation is doing so, and that is what James is saying here. My dear brothers and sisters scattered in the dispersion who have nothing, and in society's eyes are nothing, some of you are facing persecution. Some of you will be killed for your faith, but God sees because the wealth that is being accumulated on the breaking of your own backs is crying out. The corrosion of that gold serves as evidence for the condemnation of those who are harming you We often want justice in the moment. I think we always want justice in the moment, don't we? I think it's a really hard discipline to say, "That person wronged me, but I'm okay letting God sort it out." That is a hard pill to swallow, but it is often the pill that we have to take. It's the medicine that God uses to further our justification, our j- our, uh, excuse me, our sanctification Paul says, you know, "Do not take vengeance. Let the Lord do that." We can trust, and this is where the comfort of this passage comes for us, brothers and sisters, we can trust that when we are wronged, that when someone has done something to us that is a violation of God's law, that that sin will be punished. Now, when we're dealing with other Christians, that sin has already been punished, and so it is not, it is not appropriate for us to hold onto that and to take vengeance. That's what the parable of the unmerciful servant is all about If I as a Christian refuse to forgive my brother and sister when they've wronged me, it's me saying that I'm a better judge of their sin and I'm a better executioner than the Lord is when he punished that sin on the cross. But that sin was not atoned for when we're talking about unbelievers. When we're talking about those who will ultimately end their earthly life and find themselves waking up in flames, that sin has not been atoned for, and so God will have his justice, and we will have our justice. We won't turn there, but in Revelation, we're familiar with the passage, I think it's chapter six, where the martyred saints are under the throne and they say, "How long, O Lord?" Well, God doesn't answer their question, but he gives them new clothes. When Job cries out and he's, he's saying, "I don't understand why this is happening. Why are you targeting me, God? Why, why are you a hunter with your arrows in my liver?" God doesn't tell him why, but he says, essentially, "I'm God and you're just going to have to trust me that this is right." We see a very similar, uh, kind of situation here when we think about when, uh, when Abraham, uh, when God tells Abraham what he's about to do to Sodom and Gomorrah, and then Abraham negotiates, apparently negotiates with God, uh, trying to secure the salvation of the city for the sake of the righteous. And we read starting in verse 20 of chapter 18, he says, "The Lord said to, to Abraham," he says, " 'Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. If not, I will know.' " God is always seeing and investigating the sin of people We're, we're teaching my son, August, the children's catechism, which is a, a great resource. Um, and one of the questions is, "Can you see God?" And the answer is, "No, but he always sees me." Now that may feel at first to some people like a little bit of a heavy-handed answer, but knowing that God sees us is not just there to correct our sin. It should do that, right? Even the secret sins we commit in the dark when, when we're not being watched by anyone else, even, even those God sees. But do you know what else He sees? He sees your pain. He sees your suffering. He sees your victories even when no one else is celebrating them. He sees your progress. He sees you, and that should be a great source of comfort Now this passage, especially verse six, can be a little bit hard to apply because although we're the targeted audience, we're not the target of the judgment oracle. So I think what we have to do, we have to, we have to think about this in light of the way that God talks about the judgment of unbelievers in other places in the scripture, and how that helps us to understand kind of what our, what our status is. If you'll take your Bibles and open to Matthew chapter 25, I think the, um, the account here of the goat and sheep judgment, uh, is instructive for us Starting in verse 31, it says, "When the Son of Man comes in his glory and the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King answered them, 'Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those on the left, 'Depart from me for you for, uh, depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, I was naked and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also, uh, they also will say, answer saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not minister to you?' Then he will answer them saying, 'Truly I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Now, this passage is sometimes understood as a general command to feed the poor or the sick, or to visit those in prisons, or any of the f- the sort of mercy ministry things that, that, um, are mentioned here. And those are all things that Christians should do, right? We should be engaged in, um, in mercy ministry to the poor, to those who are destitute. We should be mindful and thoughtful of those who have needs around us. What this passage is teaching, though, is not a general command to feed all people, but a specific command to care for your brothers and sisters in Christ when they have a need He doesn't say to the righteous, "You did these to everyone." He says, "Whatever you did to the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me." All of the things that are listed here, the, the six mercy ministries that are listed by Christ here, are things that persecuted Christians were suffering at the time, persecuted Jew- Jewish Christians, and that would be common experiences for, for Jewish Christians and for all persecuted Christians. Right? They're hungry. They don't have food. Our diaspora Jewish Christians don't have land to farm, and even if they're able to scrape together enough funding to lease out a farm, they're being, uh, they're being totally overwhelmed by the cost of that. The sort of homeowners association dues of these pyramid schemes that were going on in the first century, they were so exorbitant that it wasn't even subs- subsistence farming. Christians were being thrown in, uh, in prison. They didn't have enough money to replace their clothes when it wore out. They couldn't have access to clean water. We take clean water as such a, such a basic thing, and it's so easy. You just turn on the tap, or you just go to the store and you buy a bottle of $7 water. It wasn't like this in the first century. If you didn't have a well, you didn't have water, unless you had someone who cared enough to share this precious resource with you. And so what Christ is saying to, to his people, both in the immediate audience on the Sermon on the Mount, uh, and in this, the Olivet Discourse here, what he's saying to his people is when someone in the body of Christ does not have what they need, the body of Christ should step up and make sure that that is the case, that they take care of that person. And likewise, he's saying to those who are not a part of the body of Christ, "Depart from me, I never knew you." Now, the intro to this, why it sometimes is called a parable, is the sheep and the goats. We sometimes go way too far into the arena of comparing the behavior of sheeps with the behavior of the people here, right? Sheep are nice, they're affable, they listen to you. In reality, from what I understand, sheep are pretty dumb and can be very stubborn, right? And then we, we read and we go, "Goats are stubborn, they're rebellious, they're not really good for anything." Well, there's a reason people have goats on farms. They, they can be stubborn, right? They can be destructive, but they also serve a purpose. So the point here is not that sheep are good and goats are bad. The point is that sheep are not goats and goats are not sheep. And, uh, another point that comes with this is sheep don't become goats by behaving like goats, and goats don't become sheep by acting like sheep. I have some friends that will tell you they have very affectionate, friendly, lovable goats, right? I'd, I would... If I could get my kids one of those little pygmy goats that everybody loves, I would do that, 'cause they can be very kind, very sweet, and they're very smart. But they're not sheep. And if you read this passage carefully, this fact that those who are taken to the right are, are in fact taken to the right is not because they fed the poor. It's not because they ministered to Christ by feeding the least of these. They did those things because they were part of the kingdom The King says to those on His right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." The sheep on the right were always going to be the sheep on the right. They were predestined according to the counsel of God's will before all time to live and walk in good works. That's just Ephesians 2 there. That's also just James 2 there. You have faith, I will show you my faith by my works. This is evidence language, loved ones Likewise, the ones who are told to depart into eternal darkness were also predestined not to inherit this kingdom. No kingdom was prepared for them before the foundation of the world. They have no inheritance. They have nothing. They will end up in the state that they are trying to impose on these poor Jewish Christians. They will end up in the state that they may be trying to impose on some of us in this room And for the final verse here in, in chapter five, in verse six here, there's a lot of discussion and debate in the commentaries about who the identity of this righteous one is. It says, "You've condemned and murdered the righteous person, he does not resist you." Now, some commentators will take the fact that this is the singular righteous person, that he has been murdered and h- was condemned, and will take this as a reference to Christ. And that would, would make good sense, right? The Jewish, the wealthy Jewish landowners, the wealthy Jews in Jerusalem who per- who persecuted and cast out, um, the Christians, they were in the same group of people who condemned and murdered Jesus And at least at the time of writing this, and in many ways in our own day, God is not necessarily resisting them. He's allowing them to store up judgment for the coming day of wrath There are others who will take this as sort of the hypothetical singular, right? The righteous one or the righteous person is this, uh, representative hypothetical person that represents all of the persecuted Christians. And so it's more like saying, um, to the, the wealthy landowners who are persecuting Christians, "You have condemned and murdered the Christians, the righteous people, and we do not resist you." Now, at the end of the day, it's, it's always good to have good, sober, well-intentioned, text-based debates about what the Bible means. We can and we should try to convince others, uh, when we think they're wrong about what the scripture means. So that's not what I'm saying here. But in many ways, which of those two perspectives it actually is doesn't change the interpretation of this passage. Like we read in Matthew 25, like we read in Acts 9 when Christ comes and confronts Saul, what you do to God's people, you are doing to Christ himself. What you do to the body, you have done to the head. It's a little bit weird to say that when I stub my toe, I injure my head, but that's true, right? I don't injure my toe as though it's some separate piece. It's not like I'm a Lego man where I can just swap out a hand that gets cracked and put it back on. When I injure my toe, I injure myself. My whole body is injured even though it's specific to a part of my body. When you-- when someone persecutes you, when they, uh, try to extort your wealth, your funds, when they try to harm your body, when they try to take away your children, all things that are happening not just out there in the world, but in our country, even in our own region. When they try to tell you that because you don't wanna play a basketball game, that you can't play sports at all. When a city taxes a portion of a church's property because they don't think it's being used for religious purposes, they are doing that to Jesus Christ himself, and God will not be mocked This should call us both to faithfulness and to encouragement How people treat Christ or how people treat Christ's people, including how we trust, tr- uh, treat Christ's people, shows us what we think about Christ. The people who take care of the church do so because they love God, and they do it out of a regenerated heart that already loves God. And the people who hate the church do it because they hate Christ, and they do it out of their wickedness and out of their wicked heart This brings us back again to the thesis statement of James. "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." And then he says later in that, uh, first chapter in verse nine, "Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like the flower of the grass, he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower fails, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." Now, you're all coming up to the end of James here. Um, we probably have two, two more sermons, I would guess, and the rest of this chapter is reinforcing this. It's unpacking for the immediate audience and therefore for us, it's unpacking that although the rich have their punishment coming to them, that likewise our consolation, our comfort from Christ is also coming to us. He closes the whole letter out, he returns to his thesis statement to say, "I'm not going to pretend that the trials you're going through are joyful, but you can count it all joy." You can reckon it, you can impute it as joy, my brothers and sisters. You can put it in the joy column instead of the t- the pain column, right? We had discussion about the beautiful word imputation in the announcements and scripture reading in the beginning here Imputation is a, is an accounting term. And when we count it all joy, we're taking what should be a red line in the, in the loss ledger, right? We're taking what should be an expense, and we're able to move it to the profit. We're able to move it to the positive side, not because it didn't hurt and not because we wanted it to happen, but because our God is good enough to not rob us of the chance to be sanctified When we are oppressed and opposed, those who are oppressing and oppose us mean it for evil, just like Joseph's brothers, uh, and Pharaoh, and all sorts of wicked men in, in the Old Testament and in our own world. Pilate, Herod, you mean, you name it in the Bible, this applies. They meant their wicked acts for wicked things, but God, rich in mercy, works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. And what is that purpose? That we might be transformed into the image of Christ so that Christ may be glorified and He may be the firstborn among many brothers. When we face trials and suffering of every kind, it leads us to our sanctification and to our ultimate glorification. We do not earn those things. We don't sanctify ourselves any more than we justify ourselves, or that any more than we will glorify ourselves or will raise ourselves from the dead. That is all God's work from start to finish. But God does use these things that He brings us through as a way to bring about that work It's like he bends us over the hammer, over the anvil of trials, and he hammers us until we become a sharp sword in the hand of, in his hand. Or he polishes us with a rough cloth until we become a smooth, beautiful gem, right? Think of any number of refining things that need to be done. It always involves, if the thing was, uh, was a person, it always involves something that would hurt a little bit. It always involves a little bit of damage to wear away the impurities. Our sanctification and our glorification is no different than that. He uses adversity. He uses the wicked actions and intentions of, of evil men and women. He uses those things to glorify us. So although we should never, uh, we should never seek those things, right? You don't have to go and make yourself the soft target to the wicked people. It's okay to keep your head down. There's nothing wrong with that. The Jewish Christians were probably doing their best to keep their heads down most of the time, and that's fine. There's not any words in scripture about being a coward if you don't, if you don't put a target on your back. But your target is gonna get there eventually, and that's not a bad thing. We can welcome that. We can count it as joy because of who God is and what he's done. The supreme act of suffering, the supreme act of, of evil happened to the only innocent person there ever was, and it happened to him for us.  this episode is available below.

What do you do when your prayers seem to go unanswered and God feels silent? In today's Crosswalk Devotional, we reflect on Psalm 13:1 and David’s honest cry: “How long, O Lord?” Seasons of waiting can leave us questioning whether God is listening, but Scripture reminds us that faith is not the absence of questions—it is choosing to trust God's character even when we cannot see His hand at work. Psalm 13 shows us that God welcomes our honest prayers. Like David, we can bring our fears, doubts, and disappointments to Him without hiding them. As we remember His past faithfulness and cling to His promises, we discover that His silence is never the end of the story. Highlights: Discover how Psalm 13 teaches us to trust God during seasons of silence and unanswered prayer. Learn why honest questions can strengthen, rather than weaken, your faith. Understand how David models lament by bringing his pain directly to God instead of pulling away. Be encouraged to remember God's past faithfulness when waiting for His future answers. Explore why trust is a decision rooted in God's character—not simply a feeling. Find hope in knowing that God continues to speak through His Word, even when His answers seem delayed. Join the Conversation Have you ever experienced a season when God felt silent? What has helped you continue trusting Him while you wait for His answers? We'd love to hear your story in the comments. Continue the conversation with the Crosswalk community here: https://forums.crosswalk.com/ Do you want to listen ad-free? When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts! Sign Up Today! Full Transcript Below: Holding on When God Feels Silent By: Sarah Frazer Bible Reading: “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” - Psalm 13:1 (ESV) I looked at my journal from the beginning of the year. Six months had passed, and I realized several of my prayer requests remained unanswered. Several family members had been going through trials and needed help, but as I glanced at the list, God had not yet answered them. The phrase from Psalm 13 entered my mind: "How long, O God?" Instantly, I felt guilty for having questioned God. But then I remembered that Psalm 13 was in the Bible, and if the psalmist was allowed to say those words, so was I. As I have begun to pray more, I have found it to stretch my faith. Mostly because many of my “big” prayers have yet to be answered. God’s silence is often very hard. Have you ever just wondered: Is God listening? Faith doesn’t ignore silence—it learns how to speak honestly to God within it. In Psalm 13, we see the language of lament. David, the author, asks multiple “how long” questions here. Suffering, hardship, and sorrow were regular parts of David’s life, especially as he ran from the murdering king Saul. Including those questions here, David reminds us that God gives us permission to feel this longing. To feel the tension of having faith but feeling distant from God. Faith includes honest questions. “How long, O Lord?” - Psalm 13:1 David continues in Psalm 13, bringing his pain to God. He doesn’t withdraw, but turns toward God. The whole of Psalm 13 is a prayer to God. We might shy away from being honest or be too hesitant to express our frustration with the unanswered prayers, but David helps us remember that God is big enough to handle all of our requests and questions. David asks for light, help, and intervention. Just because God hasn’t answered a prayer or feels silent doesn’t mean we stop praying. In faith, we continue to come to God and talk to Him. In the midst of his questions and doubts, David says, “But I trust…” (Psalm 13:5). The circumstances haven’t changed, but David’s focus has. Trust is a decision, not a feeling. David is honest about his feelings, but then holds on to the truth of God’s character. The rest of the psalm, the last verse especially, ends with a declaration of praise. It is a future praise - one that has yet to happen, but David says he knows God will answer! How? Because David has focused on two things. David says in Psalm 13:3, “O Lord, my God…” David has a personal relationship with God. One that was tested over time. God had already proven Himself faithful to David in the past, because in Psalm 13:6 Davida says,“ he has dealt bountifully with me.” A faith that holds on, in the midst of silence and doubts, focuses on these two things: a personal relationship with God and God’s past actions. Don’t think that this quiet season is a reflection of God’s love for you. God loved us first (1 John 4:19). You can question God and still trust him. In fact, Psalm 13 reminds us that God welcomes our questions. Silence is never the end of the story. Keep holding on! If you’re in a season where God feels quiet, I walk slowly through Psalm 13 on my podcast, Psalms to Help You Sleep, helping you turn your questions into prayer. Listening to God’s word can be a soothing balm to our weary souls. If prayer feels like too much, start with just a simple: “God, I want to trust you, but it's hard.” Intersecting Faith & Life: God’s silence seems harsh, doesn’t it? One thing I need to remember, and I hope to encourage you to remember as well, is that ultimately God is never silent. Yes, our hearts feel as if God isn't speaking to us or answering our prayers. The truth we need is that God is always speaking, through His word. The Bible is always available to us, and it is the light, the help, and the guidance we need in times of great hardship. In the midst of any situation, God’s word, the Bible, can provide hope. God welcomes you, even your questions. The silence is not the end of the story. As you go to God, no matter how you feel, answer these questions honestly before him. Start here: Where does God feel silent right now? What honest prayer needs to be spoken? Further Reading: Lamentations 3:22-23 Psalm 55:22 Philippians 4:6-7 1 Peter 5:7 Exodus 16:18-21 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com Garth Heckman   Point 4:  Pain Trains, It Doesn't Just Test Greek: γυμνάζω (gymnazo) — Hebrews 12:11: "no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness for those who have been trained (gymnazo) by it."    Samuel 30 - David has been on the run for 14 years from King Saul… now they get sent packing from the Philistines… “not good enough”. They get back to camp and all of their wives, children, goods, food everything was taken by the Amakelites.  His men have had it… they want to stone him. V. 6 But David found strength in the LORD THIS IS DAVID IN TRAINING -  HE found strength   And he wrote Psalm 13 Psalm 13: 1 O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? 2 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand? 3 Turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die. 4 Don't let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!” Don't let them rejoice at my downfall. 5 But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. 6 I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me   This verse is from David in the midst of his final crushing painful experience running from Saul…   He is ready to give up… his life. Literally… I'll just let them kill me!    But he goes to God… seeks his guidance. - what should I learn from this pain… They go and kill the Amalekites and not only get everything back but more….   HERE IS THE POINT HE WAS ONLY MONTHS AWAY FROM BEING KING!     What is around your corner of pain?

Teach Me Your Paths[a] Of David.25 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.2 O my God, in you I trust;    let me not be put to shame;    let not my enemies exult over me.3 Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;    they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord;    teach me your paths.5 Lead me in your truth and teach me,    for you are the God of my salvation;    for you I wait all the day long.6 Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,    for they have been from of old.7 Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;    according to your steadfast love remember me,    for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!8 Good and upright is the Lord;    therefore he instructs sinners in the way.9 He leads the humble in what is right,    and teaches the humble his way.10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,    for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.11 For your name's sake, O Lord,    pardon my guilt, for it is great.12 Who is the man who fears the Lord?    Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.13 His soul shall abide in well-being,    and his offspring shall inherit the land.14 The friendship[b] of the Lord is for those who fear him,    and he makes known to them his covenant.15 My eyes are ever toward the Lord,    for he will pluck my feet out of the net.16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,    for I am lonely and afflicted.17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged;    bring me out of my distresses.18 Consider my affliction and my trouble,    and forgive all my sins.19 Consider how many are my foes,    and with what violent hatred they hate me.20 Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!    Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me,    for I wait for you.22 Redeem Israel, O God,    out of all his troubles.+++For more information about this group, please visit their website at reformationboise.com. Every weekday at 3:30 am and 7:30 am you can listen to The Gospel for Life on KSPD 94.5 FM and 790 AM Boise's Solid Talk in the Treasure Valley,  Idaho, USA.If you have a question, comment, or even a topic suggestion for the Pastors, you can email them.  If you enjoy The Gospel for Life, please give us a rating and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. That helps us a lot!Phone: (208) 991-3526E-mail: thegospelforlifeidaho@gmail.comPodcast website:  https://www.790kspd.com/gospel-for-life/to donate on line https://www.reformationboise.com/donate

Send us Fan Mail“Give ear to my words, O Lord,Consider my meditation.Give heed to the voice of my cry,My King and my God,For to You I will pray.My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord;In the morning I will direct it to You,And I will look up” (Psalm 5:1-3).As the Amplified Version expresses it, “In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; in the morning I will prepare [a prayer and a sacrifice] for You and watch and wait [for You to speak to my heart].”“At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you” (John 14:20).“Abide in Me, and I in you” (John 15:4).“That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:21).“He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him” (1 Corinthians 6:17).Freshly written and sent out immediately "morning by morning" from the morning prayer time of Tommy Hays each day.God bless you and you have a great day!—Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministrieshttp://messiah-ministries.org

Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in anguish. How long, O Lord, how long? (Psalm 6:1-3). This is a prayer of confession and repentance. The psalmist is under a great weight, feeling wretched and miserable, all because of God's anger, which, in turn, is caused by human sin. God is not peevish, nor does he get miffed when he doesn't get his way. He becomes angry when he sees his bountiful creation getting wrecked. Not just the physical creation, but also, the stain our selfishness puts on human relationships. We beat each other up with silence and words. Injust systems keeping some impoverished arouse God's anger. Many of us want a nice God. But our God isn't revealed as nice. To quote C.S. Lewis, "He is dangerous, but good." His anger is in response to the hard of heart, the unrepentant, those sinners who turn their backs and deliberately refuse His grace. "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness" (Romans 1:18). God's anger is not directed towards us every time we do something bad. It is aroused when we deliberately and willfully move away from him, hardening our hearts towards him. When we choose to deface the image of God in us or in others, to selfishly ruin what God created good and refuse to change course, that is what arouses God's anger. This psalm calls us to take our own sin seriously; not to end our prayers with a quick "and forgive us our sins" and assume confession is accomplished. Rather, it invites the introspection with which Psalm 139 ends, "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting" (23-24). It brings us to the space in which, because of our sin, we recognize that we are under God's judgement: his anger and wrath. We have turned away from God and made a mess of things. His anger has been aroused. We are in trouble. Thankfully, the psalmist does not leave us with God's anger. Instead, we are pointed towards God's mercy. "Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint...Turn, O Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love" (2, 4). We need to make such prayers because hardness of heart remains a possibility for all of us. The only way out from under God's anger is God's mercy. The God of the Bible is not quick to anger, but he is quick with his mercy. God's anger is in service of God's love. His anger is not a permanent state but arises because of human violence against other creatures whom God also loves. We are encouraged to pray for God's mercy with confidence. The wages of sin are death. But the mercy of God is vast and rich and without end. To know this mercy, we must know our sin first. So don't read this psalm too quickly. Take the time to make it real for you. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

(This podcast was previously published on September 9, 2021)   Jesus Ministries, Joan Boney  ...   Without problems, would we see the victories of God?   The children of Israel greatly rejoiced when God brought them through the Red Sea and when God drowned Pharaoh and his men in the Red Sea.   Exodus 15   1 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for HE hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath HE thrown into the sea.   2 The LORD is my strength and song, and HE is become my salvation: HE is my God, and I will prepare HIM an habitation (making myself ready for God to live in me); MY father's God, and I will exalt HIM.   3 The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is HIS name.  

8:1 O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. 8:2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. 8:3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 8:4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 8:5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. 8:6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: 8:7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; 8:8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. 8:9 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

Send us Fan MailIt is better to be righteous than it is to be right. Therefore, put on the breastplate of righteousness. Ephesians 6:14b.Hello and welcome to CGM Presents: In the Word. This is Episode 14, Spiritual Warfare Scriptures, Season 14.Our spiritual warfare scripture for this episode is Ephesians 6:14b. Put on the breastplate of righteousness.I attended an event with a group of ladies, and one of the women made the statement. “It is better to be righteous than it is to be right.” I do not recall to whom the statement was originally attributed and could not find the author after researching the quote.Nevertheless, it is a powerful statement which caused me to think about what righteousness means in the biblical sense. Why is it better to be righteous rather than to be right? Because God is righteous, Jesus exemplified righteousness when He was on earth, and the Holy Spirit gives us the power to live righteously.My simple definition of God's righteousness is that He always does what is right. He does what is right, holy, faithful, and true. Here are just a few of the over 500 scriptures derived from the root word “righteous” or “righteousness” in the Bible.Psalm 11:7 — “For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds.”Psalm 97:2 — “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.”Psalm 119:137 — “Righteous are you, O Lord, and right are your rules.”Psalm 145:17 — “The Lord is righteous in all his ways.”Deuteronomy 32:4 — “A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright ishe.”Daniel 9:14 — “The Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done.”Romans 1:17 — “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith.”Romans 3:21–22 — “The righteousness of God has been manifested apart from thelaw… through faith in Jesus Christ.” God is righteous, and because he is righteous, he expects us to be righteous, and when we are righteous, we are able to wage spiritual warfare more effectively. Let's consider the breastplate of God's righteousness.The breastplate in the military sense was a metal vest that guarded the vital organs, in particular the heart. In comparison, the breastplate of righteousness is the spiritual armor that protects the heart and vital organs from spiritual attacks designed against you. It is your Holy Ghost armor.The Holy Spirit uses the breastplate of God's righteousness to cover your heart from attacks that prevent you from waging spiritual warfare. Whatever you are going through right now, you can focus on the spiritual fight instead of being concerned about other influences because God has your heart covered. Proverbs 4:23 tells us, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."Desiring righteousness will make you want to serve God and be pleasing to Him; being righteous will help you to walk more closely with God. It will make you want to be more like God. We have a tendency as human beings to want to be right. Nobody really wants to be wrong, and it's very difficult for us to admit when we are wrong.Basically, we would prefer to always be right or right most of the time; consequently, because we have difficulty admitting when we are wrong, it could cause us to be puffed up and not be humble. Humility, as we have already discussed in a previous podcast, is important. So, righteousness keeps us humble as well because righteousness takes precedence over being right. So, the next time you want to be right about something, ask yourself the question, is it righteous? If the answer is “no” tighten up your righteousness breastplate and move forward into the next spiritual warfare battle.  Thank you for joining us today. Now, Dr. Charles Wright will close us out with information on how you may contact us and access other podcasts.Until next time.If you want to contact us or comment on this podcast, please visit our website and select www.cgmissions.com/podcasts, where all episodes are available by category in series format. You can see some video and audio podcasts at: www.youtube.com/@cgmissionsinc then select from the video or podcast"Playlist."   CGM is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Donations may be made on our website:https://www.cgmissions.com/donate-here-general-and-wecare/

Our chapters in Romans (5 & 6) need to be read and digested slowly – like rich food!  Paul proclaims that believers “having been justified by faith … have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ …  have also obtained access by faith in to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” [Ch.5 v.1,2]       This causes a wonderful peace of mind – the result of our faith in God's word – like those who have lived before, such as Noah who “being warned by God concerning events yet unseen” acted “in reverent fear” [Heb. 11 v.7]   We rejoice because we are convinced that God is “a living God” ready to be involved in our lives so that “we feel sure of better things – things that belong to salvation” [Heb. 6 v.9, note also v,11,12]    Let us “rejoice in hope” sustained by this hope when times are difficult, but usually not as bad as they were at times for Paul.  Note his words, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed” [2 Cor. 4 v.8-9]    There is a graphic account of this in our Jeremiah chapter (20) when “Pashur the priest … who was chief officer in the house of the LORD, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things.  Then Pashur beat Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks …” [v.1-2] Jeremiah then prophesies – “you Pashur and all who dwell in your house, shall go into captivity … and there you shall die” [v.6]        Then Jeremiah has anxious thoughts, comparable in some ways to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, he writes, “For the word of the LORD has become for me a reproach and derision all day long.  If I say, ‘I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,' there is in my heart a burning fire … I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.” [v.8,9]  We pondered v.12, “O LORD of hosts, who tests the righteous. Who sees the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.”       Do we desire to see God's vengeance poured out on today's Godless world?  Well God will decide whether we live to see it or not – or whether there is a brief period of rest until we awake and, through his grace, rejoice to have a part in the endless wonder of his kingdom, the great and wonderful thing is that “we rejoice in hope.”

"Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD!" Psalm 25:6–7 

Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #312 Title: Our Prayer for Our Nations   Web Description: Daniel's prayer for Israel while they were in captivity is not simply a historical story. It is an example for us to follow. Just as Israel ignored the warnings from God that led to Jerusalem's destruction, the nations today are ignoring the abundant warnings in the Scriptures about the destruction set to happen in our day. It is time that we follow Daniel's example of seeking God, asking His forgiveness, and praying for His blessing to be on our nations.   Show Notes: The United States of America has enjoyed tremendous blessings since its founding. And we celebrate those blessings every July 4th. But even more than that, we celebrate the fact that God was involved with our founding. This nation began because people were seeking God and acknowledging Him in its formation. But we must do more than remember what great things God did in the founding of this country. We need to be walking with Him today in such a way that the blessings, the gifts, and the peace that we have experienced in this country will continue.   This applies to all nations; and Christians everywhere need to be seeking God that His covering and blessings will rest on their nations. A great example of this from the Scriptures is Daniel. Daniel was very concerned about his nation, the nation of Israel, and he prayed, "Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You." When we look at all that is turning our own nation away from God and away from the values that are the source of the blessings we enjoy, we should feel a deep personal shame and seek God as Daniel did.   Daniel walked uprightly before the Lord and had not done any of the things God was judging Israel for. Yet he humbled himself and accepted responsibility along with all Israel for the situation they were in. As Christians we cannot exclude ourselves from responsibility for our country. Let us evaluate our own hearts and minds. Let us lift our own thinking and ways of acting before the Lord for Him to examine. Let us be honest with ourselves about why we are in the circumstances today that are troubling the nations. Those circumstances are God's way to get us to turn to Him. Let us turn to Him with all our hearts and seek Him for His blessings to be restored to us.   Key Verses:   •       Daniel 9:2–12. "Open shame belongs to us … because we have sinned against You." •       Psalm 132:14. "This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it." •       2 Chronicles 7:16. "My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually." •       Daniel 9:16–22. "For Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary."   Quotes:   •       "I wish we as a global community of the Body of Christ would seek God on behalf of all our nations." •       "God so loved the world and He so loved mankind that He's bringing about an opportunity of grace for us to cry out to Him and find deliverance through Him." •       "If we get instruction and answers from God, let us not this time harden our hearts. Let us not at this time close our ears and our minds to what His Word is speaking to us. And let's believe that He brings, in this generation, the insight and the understanding that will, by His grace, bring deliverance to this age."   Takeaways:   1.    We should be those who acknowledge our own responsibility for whatever direction our nation is going and whatever troubles it finds itself in. And we should be seeking God for our nation to return to Him and see His blessings return to us. 2.    Let us not follow the example of those who ignored the warnings, hardened their hearts, and turned away from the prophets and the Word God was speaking. Instead, let us follow Daniel's example of admitting our guilt and seeking God for His grace and forgiveness. 3.    We need to change the atmosphere of anger in this country. The drive to not listen, to not learn, to not love, but rather to hurt one another leads to violence. And violence will beget violence until we find ourselves on the brink of civil war once again.

1Blessed is the one who considers the poor![a]     In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him; 2 the Lord protects him and keeps him alive;     he is called blessed in the land;     you do not give him up to the will of his enemies. 3 The Lord sustains him on his sickbed;     in his illness you restore him to full health.[b] 4 As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me;     heal me,[c] for I have sinned against you!” 5 My enemies say of me in malice,     “When will he die, and his name perish?” 6 And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words,     while his heart gathers iniquity;     when he goes out, he tells it abroad. 7 All who hate me whisper together about me;     they imagine the worst for me.[d] 8 They say, “A deadly thing is poured out[e] on him;     he will not rise again from where he lies.” 9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted,     who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me. 10 But you, O Lord, be gracious to me,     and raise me up, that I may repay them! 11 By this I know that you delight in me:     my enemy will not shout in triumph over me. 12 But you have upheld me because of my integrity,     and set me in your presence forever. 13 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,     from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.

Why Have You Forsaken Me?To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.22 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?    Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,    and by night, but I find no rest.3 Yet you are holy,    enthroned on the praises[a] of Israel.4 In you our fathers trusted;    they trusted, and you delivered them.5 To you they cried and were rescued;    in you they trusted and were not put to shame.6 But I am a worm and not a man,    scorned by mankind and despised by the people.7 All who see me mock me;    they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;8 “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;    let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”9 Yet you are he who took me from the womb;    you made me trust you at my mother's breasts.10 On you was I cast from my birth,    and from my mother's womb you have been my God.11 Be not far from me,    for trouble is near,    and there is none to help.12 Many bulls encompass me;    strong bulls of Bashan surround me;13 they open wide their mouths at me,    like a ravening and roaring lion.14 I am poured out like water,    and all my bones are out of joint;my heart is like wax;    it is melted within my breast;15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd,    and my tongue sticks to my jaws;    you lay me in the dust of death.16 For dogs encompass me;    a company of evildoers encircles me;they have pierced my hands and feet[b]—17 I can count all my bones—they stare and gloat over me;18 they divide my garments among them,    and for my clothing they cast lots.19 But you, O Lord, do not be far off!    O you my help, come quickly to my aid!20 Deliver my soul from the sword,    my precious life from the power of the dog!21     Save me from the mouth of the lion!You have rescued[c] me from the horns of the wild oxen!22 I will tell of your name to my brothers;    in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!    All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,    and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!24 For he has not despised or abhorred    the affliction of the afflicted,and he has not hidden his face from him,    but has heard, when he cried to him.25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation;    my vows I will perform before those who fear him.26 The afflicted[d] shall eat and be satisfied;    those who seek him shall praise the Lord!    May your hearts live forever!27 All the ends of the earth shall remember    and turn to the Lord,and all the families of the nations    shall worship before you.28 For kingship belongs to the Lord,    and he rules over the nations.29 All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;    before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,    even the one who could not keep himself alive.30 Posterity shall serve him;    it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;31 they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,    that he has done it.+++For more information about this group, please visit their website at reformationboise.com. Every weekday at 3:30 am and 7:30 am you can listen to The Gospel for Life on KSPD 94.5 FM and 790 AM Boise's Solid Talk in the Treasure Valley,  Idaho, USA.If you have a question, comment, or even a topic suggestion for the Pastors, you can email them.  If you enjoy The Gospel for Life, please give us a rating and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. That helps us a lot!Phone: (208) 991-3526E-mail: thegospelforlifeidaho@gmail.comPodcast website:  https://www.790kspd.com/gospel-for-life/to donate on line https://www.reformationboise.com/donate

What if David's famous stone could talk?Join David and his hilarious pet rock, Dwayne, as they face a hungry bear, a fierce lion, and the mighty giant Goliath in this fun-filled Bible adventure! Through laughs, unforgettable characters, and exciting action, kids will discover that God teaches His children how to face life's biggest challenges with courage and faith.Based on the biblical account of David, this episode reminds children that true courage doesn't come from being the biggest or strongest—it comes from trusting God and following His wisdom.Bible Memory Verse:"Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path because of my enemies." — Psalm 27:11In this episode, kids will learn:• Why it's important to ask God for wisdom• How God prepares us for bigger challenges• What David learned before facing Goliath• How memorizing Scripture helps us every day• Why God can use ordinary people to do extraordinary thingsFish Bytes for Kids is a fun, Christ-centered podcast and YouTube series that teaches biblical truth through original stories, lovable characters, and laugh-out-loud adventures designed especially for children ages 6–12.⭐ Perfect for family devotions, homeschool, Sunday School, Christian classrooms, bedtime listening, and car rides.Subscribe for more Bible adventures that help kids put Jesus first!#DavidAndGoliath #BibleStoriesForKids #ChristianKids #KidsBible #FishBytesForKids #SundaySchool #FamilyDevotions #BibleAdventure #ChristianPodcast #KidsFaith #BibleMemoryVerse #TrustGod #Psalm2711

"My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear... O Lord, all my longing is before you" (Psalm 38:4, 9). Psalm 38 is one of the Bible's great psalms of lament, where David gives us an accurate picture of how we should view and respond to sin in our lives. Our sin against God has far greater effects than we could even imagine. We get a glimpse of how sin makes us feel, what it does to our relationships, and how it is we can find relief from it. Join us for this sermon as we learn how to bring our burdens to the Lord and find grace in the One who is our salvation.

"Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long." Psalm 25:4–5 

Sermon Title: "We've Got A Hearing Problem"*****There is a solitary, humble, wooden structure on a windswept hill in rural New England. To open the door is to engage our minds, our hearts, and our imaginations. In this place, preachers and professors, past and present, come alive as they walk the aisle, ascend the pulpit stairs, and teach…from theology, from history, and from the Word of God. Welcome to the Saybrook Meetinghouse, an audio production of Saybrook Ministries. Saybrook Ministries' vision is to inspire and invigorate Christians with imaginative and intellectual content.Saybrook Ministries' mission is to provide didactic and devotional content from the Christian faith delivered to the saints; recovered and refined by the Protestant Reformation.Saybrook Ministries' prayer is that our content will be (1) to Christians convinced of Reformation truths: encouraging & powerful; (2) to Christians unconvinced of Reformation truths: educational & persuasive; (3) to non-Christians: engaging & prophetic.Saybrook Ministries' four foundational scriptures are: The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times (Psalm 12:6). The people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. And the wise among the people shall make many understand (Daniel 11:32b-33a). And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD have not forsaken those who seek you (Psalm 9:10). Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth (Hosea 6:3).

Morning lessons: Psalms 71; 1 Samuel 17; 2 Corinthians 11.  In you, O Lord, have I put my trust; let me never be put to shame.

Evening lessons: Psalms 70, 72; Nehemiah 5; John 4:1-26.  Hasten, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O Lord.

The Law of the Lord Is PerfectTo the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.19 The heavens declare the glory of God,    and the sky above[a] proclaims his handiwork.2 Day to day pours out speech,    and night to night reveals knowledge.3 There is no speech, nor are there words,    whose voice is not heard.4 Their voice[b] goes out through all the earth,    and their words to the end of the world.In them he has set a tent for the sun,5     which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,    and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens,    and its circuit to the end of them,    and there is nothing hidden from its heat.7 The law of the Lord is perfect,[c]    reviving the soul;the testimony of the Lord is sure,    making wise the simple;8 the precepts of the Lord are right,    rejoicing the heart;the commandment of the Lord is pure,    enlightening the eyes;9 the fear of the Lord is clean,    enduring forever;the rules[d] of the Lord are true,    and righteous altogether.10 More to be desired are they than gold,    even much fine gold;sweeter also than honey    and drippings of the honeycomb.11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;    in keeping them there is great reward.12 Who can discern his errors?    Declare me innocent from hidden faults.13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;    let them not have dominion over me!Then I shall be blameless,    and innocent of great transgression.14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart    be acceptable in your sight,    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.+++For more information about this group, please visit their website at reformationboise.com. Every weekday at 3:30 am and 7:30 am you can listen to The Gospel for Life on KSPD 94.5 FM and 790 AM Boise's Solid Talk in the Treasure Valley,  Idaho, USA.If you have a question, comment, or even a topic suggestion for the Pastors, you can email them.  If you enjoy The Gospel for Life, please give us a rating and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. That helps us a lot!Phone: (208) 991-3526E-mail: thegospelforlifeidaho@gmail.comPodcast website:  https://www.790kspd.com/gospel-for-life/to donate on line https://www.reformationboise.com/donate

July 27, 2026Today's Reading: Jeremiah 23:16-29Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 12:1-25; Acts 22:30-23:11“I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied.” (Jeremiah 23:21)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Years ago, a man began attending my home church. He was enthusiastic, appreciated the Word that was preached, and it seemed like he was a potential new member. However, after the third time coming when the pastor was going to ask if he wanted to take adult instruction, the man jumped the gun. “Preacher, again, I really appreciate what you've said. But next Sunday, I want to preach. The Holy Spirit has given me a word to say, too.” The pastor informed the man that in the Lutheran church, only the called and ordained preacher was to preach. The man left annoyed, and never came back. So be it. The pastor did the right thing.Just because someone thinks he should publicly proclaim a Word because of the Holy Spirit doesn't make it true. Man's feelings are not a reliable way to say whether the Holy Spirit wants him to publicly preach. What is needed is the training, the call of a congregation, certification, and ordination of a man. Otherwise, the man runs in the way of the false prophets of Jeremiah 23, who were not sent, yet went anyway, and who did not listen to the Word of God, yet spoke as if they had.The early Lutherans warned that any man who publicly proclaimed God's Word without being called to the Office of the Holy Ministry would soon fall into error. Such a man would soon lead people astray, even if he seemed faithful at first. For God only sends immediately and directly, like the apostles who were sent by Jesus (Matthew 28:16-20). Or God sends proclaimers mediately and indirectly, like He did for Timothy, Titus, and all pastors since. God calls these pastors through the Church as though through an instrument. And just because someone is called to be a parochial school teacher or a DCE does not give them any call to publicly preach and teach God's Word. Those who do are also in danger, according to Jeremiah 23:21.Now, certainly, some who are called and ordained men fall into false doctrine. But the problem is not that God didn't call such men to preach. The problem is that they themselves set out to proclaim a different word. The true Word, however, is centered on the crucified and risen Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, true God made man, whose word and sacraments work, who saves all who trust in Him, and who guides our feet in the way of righteousness. Give to Your Church more faithful, called preachers, O Lord!In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O Lord, bless the preaching of all called and ordained pastors, that these men may proclaim Your Word purely. Amen.Rev. Robert Mayes, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church, Beemer and Wisner, NE.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“We all are born into the world looking for someone looking for us, and…we remain in this mode of searching for the rest of our lives.”~Curt Thompson, psychiatrist and author “Instructions for living a life.Pay attention.Be astonished.Tell about it.”~Mary Oliver (1935-2019), Pulitzer Prize-winning poet “What you pay attention to shapes what you care about. And what you care about shapes what you become.”~Jonathan Haidt, social psychologist and professor at New York University “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” ~Augustine (354-430), North African theologian “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak.”~C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) in “The Weight of Glory” “There is no duty we so much underrated as the duty of being happy.”~Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), Scottish writer “…if we doubt or do not believe that God is gracious to us and is pleased with us, or if we presumptuously expect to please Him only through and after our works, then it is all pure deception, outwardly honoring God, but inwardly setting up self as a false god…. [God] has promised His grace freely, and wills that we begin by trusting that grace, and in it perform all works, whatever they may be.”~Martin Luther (1483-1546) in his “Treatise on Good Works” “God wants so much to be trusted.”~David Wilkerson (1931-2011), Christian leader and founder of Teen Challenge SERMON PASSAGEPsalm 67 (NASB95)1 God be gracious to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us—   Selah.2 That Your way may be known on the earth, Your salvation among all nations.3 Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. 4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy; For You will judge the peoples with uprightness And guide the nations on the earth.          Selah.5 Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. 6 The earth has yielded its produce; God, our God, blesses us.7 God blesses us, That all the ends of the earth may fear Him. Numbers 6 (NASB95)22 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them:24 The Lord bless you, and keep you;25 The Lord make His face shine on you,And be gracious to you;26 The Lord lift up His countenance on you,And give you peace.'27 So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.” 

Lamentations 21 How the Lord in his angerhas set the daughter of Zion under a cloud!He has cast down from heaven to earththe splendor of Israel;he has not remembered his footstoolin the day of his anger.2 The Lord has swallowed up without mercyall the habitations of Jacob;in his wrath he has broken downthe strongholds of the daughter of Judah;he has brought down to the ground in dishonorthe kingdom and its rulers.3 He has cut down in fierce angerall the might of Israel;he has withdrawn from them his right handin the face of the enemy;he has burned like a flaming fire in Jacob,consuming all around.4 He has bent his bow like an enemy,with his right hand set like a foe;and he has killed all who were delightful in our eyes;in the tent of the daughter of Zion,he has poured out his fury like fire.5 The Lord has become like an enemy;he has swallowed up Israel;he has swallowed up all its palaces;he has laid in ruins its strongholds,and he has multiplied in the daughter of Judahmourning and lamentation.6 He has laid waste his booth like a garden,laid in ruins his meeting place;the Lord has made Zion forgetfestival and Sabbath,and in his fierce indignation has spurned king and priest.7 The Lord has scorned his altar,disowned his sanctuary;he has delivered into the hand of the enemythe walls of her palaces;they raised a clamor in the house of the Lordas on the day of festival.8 The Lord determined to lay in ruinsthe wall of the daughter of Zion;he stretched out the measuring line;he did not restrain his hand from destroying;he caused rampart and wall to lament;they languished together.9 Her gates have sunk into the ground;he has ruined and broken her bars;her king and princes are among the nations;the law is no more,and her prophets findno vision from the Lord.10 The elders of the daughter of Zionsit on the ground in silence;they have thrown dust on their headsand put on sackcloth;the young women of Jerusalemhave bowed their heads to the ground.11 My eyes are spent with weeping;my stomach churns;my bile is poured out to the groundbecause of the destruction of the daughter of my people,because infants and babies faintin the streets of the city.12 They cry to their mothers,“Where is bread and wine?”as they faint like a wounded manin the streets of the city,as their life is poured outon their mothers' bosom.13 What can I say for you, to what compare you,O daughter of Jerusalem?What can I liken to you, that I may comfort you,O virgin daughter of Zion?For your ruin is vast as the sea;who can heal you?14 Your prophets have seen for youfalse and deceptive visions;they have not exposed your iniquityto restore your fortunes,but have seen for you oraclesthat are false and misleading.15 All who pass along the wayclap their hands at you;they hiss and wag their headsat the daughter of Jerusalem:“Is this the city that was calledthe perfection of beauty,the joy of all the earth?”16 All your enemiesrail against you;they hiss, they gnash their teeth,they cry: “We have swallowed her!Ah, this is the day we longed for;now we have it; we see it!”17 The Lord has done what he purposed;he has carried out his word,which he commanded long ago;he has thrown down without pity;he has made the enemy rejoice over youand exalted the might of your foes.18 Their heart cried to the Lord.O wall of the daughter of Zion,let tears stream down like a torrentday and night!Give yourself no rest,your eyes no respite!19 “Arise, cry out in the night,at the beginning of the night watches!Pour out your heart like waterbefore the presence of the Lord!Lift your hands to himfor the lives of your children,who faint for hungerat the head of every street.”20 Look, O Lord, and see!With whom have you dealt thus?Should women eat the fruit of their womb,the children of their tender care?Should priest and prophet be killedin the sanctuary of the Lord?21 In the dust of the streetslie the young and the old;my young women and my young menhave fallen by the sword;you have killed them in the day of your anger,slaughtering without pity.22 You summoned as if to a festival daymy terrors on every side,and on the day of the anger of the Lordno one escaped or survived;those whom I held and raisedmy enemy destroyed.Sermon Questions:Think of a time you felt completely out of control — an illness, a job loss, a relationship ending. What did you do with that feeling? Did you try to regain control, or did you have to just sit with it?The sermon compares trusting God to trusting a pilot you've never met. Is there anyone or anything in your life you trust that way — where you don't need to understand every detail to feel secure? What makes that trust possible?Einstein's quote — "The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know" — got used to make a point about faith. Where in your own life have you had to accept "I don't know" as an answer, and how did you make peace with that (or not)?The sermon suggests that sometimes the best response to someone's suffering isn't a theologically deep explanation, just showing up. Can you think of a time someone's presence helped you more than their words did? What did they do (or not do)?Do you think personal pain can become part of something meaningful over time — a "bigger story," even if you can't see it yet? Or does that idea feel like wishful thinking to you? 

In part three of our series on the topic of church security, Lloyd discusses how to create a security team for your church. Support the Show  Armed Lutheran Radio is a listener-supported podcast. If you value the information and entertainment we provide, consider supporting the show by joining our membership site, The Reformation Gun Club! http://www.ReformationGunClub.com  Links of Interest  Buy Duty to Defend, Volume 2 on Amazon – https://amzn.to/3D3frE5 Prayer of the Week Grant, O Lord, we implore You, that the course of this world may be so peaceably ordered by Your governance, that Your Church may joyfully serve You in all godly quietness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord. Amen. Get in Touch Visit our Feedback Page - https://armedlutheranradio.libsyn.com/contact Please tell your friends about us, leave an iTunes review, and like us on Facebook Join our Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/fansofarmedlutheranradio Subscribe to us and follow us on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/armedlutheran Check Out More at our Website- http://www.armedlutheran.us Original Music by Reformer  https://www.youtube.com/ReformerBand

What is the evidence that leads to belief?  Well it depends what is  the object of belief – the urgency of our minds in searching for evidence to convince us of belief!  For some it is the opposite, the searching for evidence to convince their disbelief: this is seen most clearly today in those who do not want to believe in a Creator. In God's wisdom he has allowed for us to need a degree of faith, the need for us to put together the evidence – and then appreciate how it all dovetails together.  Our meditation on this arose from today's reading of ch. 27 in Matthew and the dreadful account of the unjust trial and crucifixion of Jesus.  They had seen and heard of so much evidence of the remarkable God-given heavenly powers that Jesus could exercise, also, if they had really known the words of the prophets,  they would have realized the clear evidence that Jesus was their expected Messiah.   The climax of the determined scepticism came when “the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, ‘He saved others; he cannot save himself … let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in him.” [41,42]What does it take for us to believe?  Just as important if not more so, do we possess such a conviction of belief that it makes a profound difference to our way of living?  Our chapter in Jeremiah today (16) provides a very interesting piece of evidence to encourage the faith of Jeremiah.  He is told, “the days are coming, declares the LORD, when it shall no longer be said, ‘As the LORD lives who brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt', but ‘As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them, ‘For I will bring them back to their own land …” [v.14,15]   That this refers to more than the return from Babylon 70 years later is made even clearer in v.17-18 “ … afterward I will send for many hunters and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill …”   Then we read a wonderful prayer by Jeremiah in reaction to this vision of the future, ‘O LORD, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in the day of trouble, for to you shall the nations come from the ends of the earth and say: ‘Our fathers have inherited lies,  worthless things …” [v.19]Let us echo Jeremiah's prayer and say, “O LORD, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in the day of trouble” … we do believe in your Son O LORD, we wait to see the wonder of your revealing of yourself to Israel, we are increasingly sure the time is near when, as God's words at the end of our chapter state, “… I will make them know my power and my might, and they shall know that my name is the LORD.”  

"How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!" — Psalm 84:1The journey continues.This Sunday, Pastor Joel will lead us through Psalm 84, a beautiful song of longing that reminds us there is no place like the presence of God. When our hearts are set on Him, even the hardest journeys become paths of blessing.Whether you've been with us each week or this is your first time, we'd love for you to join us as we continue our sojourn through the Psalms.

How long, O Lord? Psalm 13 reminds us that God welcomes the honest cries of His people. In seasons of waiting and suffering, we're invited to bring our fears to the Lord, trust in His unfailing love, and rest in His faithfulness. Join us this Sunday as we see how God transforms lament into confident hope, not because our circumstances have changed, but because He never does.

Live transmission for mission radio - GK Chesterton Orthodoxy plus Kenneth Hagin's Believer's Authority and Don Basham Spiritual Power on this Michael Basham Broadcast!VISION AND PROPHECYWhat looks like temporary tents and halls with the tent poles being raised will become permanent structures. Time to start building on the mountains behind your house as well. They do not need to stay wild as the entire landscape is eternal and belongs to Me. Also theres no more room for the ships that are going to come, as there are too many being produced. Your house will be a base for many planets and space stations, and finally the family above will become the family below.I HAD A VISION OF THESE BEUATIFUL HALLS with white drapes on either side, the light was incredible and beautiful. 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. Some of these saints will come and work with you as well, who were slain. I'm sure you're sick and tired of working with those who do not honor my name, and so am I. No longer will you have to bear with that which detracts from My true kingdom, because it's above and not below. Start building with wise builders above who are meaning business of the Spirit and not an earthly government buildt by their own hands.

The company of apostles praises you, O Lord.

Malachi 4 Tells Us God Takes Care of His Own and that Those Who Wait Upon Him and “fear my {God's} name” Will Not Be Disappointed MESSAGE SUMMARY:  Isaiah, in Isaiah 64:3,8, says that God is the awesome God who created everything: “When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence . . . But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”. In Isaiah 65:11-13, Isaiah expresses God's disappointment in being snubbed by His chosen people, the Jews. However, Isaiah expresses how pleased God is with being welcomed by the Gentiles {my servants}: “'But you who forsake the LORD, who forget my holy mountain, who set a table for Fortune and fill cups of mixed wine for Destiny, I will destine you to the sword, and all of you shall bow down to the slaughter, because, when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not listen, but you did what was evil in my eyes and chose what I did not delight in.' Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame.'". Malachi tells us, in Malachi 4:1-3, that God will punish evildoers while sparing those who fear His name: “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts.". God takes care of His own, and those who fear the Lord and who wait upon the Lord will not be disappointed.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, help me to be still and to wait patiently for you in silence. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 125). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because I am in Jesus Christ, I will entrust to Him my future. I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.  From 2 Timothy 1:12 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Isaiah 64:3-10; Deuteronomy 28:58; Nehemiah 4:1-11; Malachi 4:1-6; Psalms 66b:11-20 A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Following Jesus – Jesus Calls Us to Follow Him Without Reservations” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

“Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause. Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.” (

"To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame." Psalm 25:1–3a

"If You, O Lord, should mark iniquities, who could stand?" Discover why repentance—not self-justification—is the path to true freedom and peace.Every night, join Father Joseph Matlak as he ends the day with prayer and reflection. In a few short minutes, and using the Douay-Rheims psalter for his reflections, Father Matlak guides you in prayer and shares a brief reflection and a thorough examination of conscience providing you with the encouragement necessary to go forward with peace and strength. ________________

Psalm 36 invites us to draw our strength from the Lord, the fountain of our lives.  (Lectionary #398) July 23, 2026 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com  

Today's Uncertainties Call for a Deepening Personal Relationship with God Through Prayer, Fasting, and Listening MESSAGE SUMMARY: There are times when you need clarity, understanding, knowledge, and insights from the Lord about the specific issues that you are facing. The Lord will speak to you, but sometimes it takes your listening and fasting to hear Him. For example, when Joel received a Word when the land was to be destroyed, he called a fast (i.e. Joel 1:14): “Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.”. Some things you are facing in your life must be dealt with by both prayer and fasting. Fasting releases a spiritual power – in your weakness, God is made strong in your life. Daniel's prayer, from Daniel 9:3-5, provides a context for asking direction from God: “Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, ‘O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.'". After Jesus responded to the Apostles request of “teach us to pray” by providing the “Lord's Prayer”, Jesus instructed the Apostles and us, in Matthew 6:17-18, how to fast: “But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.". Our fasting will be rewarded as a deepening link to God in our personal relationship with Him.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Father, I confess that when difficulties and trials come into my life, large or small, I mostly grumble and complain. I realize the trials James talks about are not necessarily “walls,” but they are difficult to bear, nonetheless. Fill me with such a vision of a transformed life, O God, that I might actually consider it “pure joy” when you bring trials my way. I believe, Lord. Help my unbelief. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 94). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Past Failures. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Grace. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Joel 1:13-16; Matthew 6:16; Daniel 9:3-7; Psalms 114:1-8. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Following Jesus – Jesus Calls Us to Follow Him Without Reservations” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

SCRIPTURE- Proverbs 3:7"Do not be wise in your own eyes fear the LORD and turn away from evil;"REFLECTION- Fr. JimMUSIC- "Da Pacem Domine" from The Best of Gregorian Chant- "Rising Cumulus" by Jeff GreinkeNOTES- English Translation of "Da Pacem Domine"Give peace, O Lord, in our days, for there is no one elsewho fights for us except You, our God.Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  May those who love you prosper.Give peace, O Lord, in our days...May there be peace within your strength and security within your towers.Give peace, O Lord, in our days...For the sake of my brothers and my friends, I will speak of peace concerning you.Give peace, O Lord, in our days...PRAYER OF LETTING GOTo You do I belong, O God, into Your hands I surrender my life. Pour out Your Spirit upon me that I may love You perfectly, and serve You faithfully until my soul rests in You.

I'm examining the need for and the benefit of learning when and how to lament. Unfortunately, lamenting is sometimes seen as spiritual immaturity. You just haven't learned to trust God, some would say. I want to reassure you God has given us the green light to lament when it is needed. He invites you to pour out your heart to him, no holds barred, and express the deepest sorrow and grief you're going through. And a lament always begins with talking to God first. In Psalm 13 David began with questions—almost accusations to God from his broken heart and his puzzled mind. He prayed, consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death… And again, in Psalm 88:2, let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry! What questions of lament do you need to bring to God today? It could be you've never really allowed yourself to verbalize your questions—the ones that sound like accusations. Like: Lord, I don't understand why you haven't healed my friend. I know you can, but you haven't. Or, Lord, I know it is your will for my son to be born again, but even though he knows the truth, he refuses to accept you. Why? Or, Lord, you know how totally unfair and abusive this situation is at work, and I've prayed and prayed about it. Why haven't you changed it? Maybe those are the kind of questions you've thought, but you've never asked God. You probably won't get answers to all your questions—God is not obligated to answer all our questions—but you will find comfort from bringing those questions to God. Remember, don't neglect the Word of God which will give you guidance and comfort. Talk to God and let him talk to you through his Word. You probably won't feel like reading the Bible or even taking time to pray. That's because when you're in the midst of a troubling situation, your emotions become jumbled messes sometimes. But don't let the enemy keep you from reading the Bible and praying your prayer of lament. Lean into what you know is true, not to your unreliable feelings.

Read OnlineA Model of Holy Love and DesireOn the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him.” John 20:1–2When Jesus first encountered Mary Magdalene, she was afflicted by seven demons. Many Church Fathers interpret this number as symbolizing a complete domination by evil spirits. Though later traditions identified Mary Magdalene with the repentant prostitute or the woman caught in adultery, the Gospels themselves do not explicitly make that identification. What is certain is that she had been grievously afflicted by demons (cf. Luke 8:2).To fall into such spiritual bondage suggests a life marked by serious sin. However, diabolical possession is not always the direct result of mortal sin; at times, God may permit such affliction for reasons known only to His providence, allowing a greater good to emerge from it. Whatever the cause of Mary Magdalene's prior affliction, it is clear that God, in His infinite mercy, transformed her into a radiant model of holy love and desire. From her profound healing flowed a singular devotion to Christ.Today's Gospel beautifully portrays the emotion, desire, sorrow, and love flowing from Mary's heart. She was one of the few faithful disciples who remained with Jesus during His Passion and death. She stood by the Cross alongside Jesus' mother, the Apostle John, and a few other holy women. Her strength and devotion likely sprang from her heartfelt gratitude toward Jesus for delivering her from diabolical affliction. The freedom she experienced through Him enkindled in her an unwavering faith, recognizing Him as the Messiah and the Son of God.On Easter Sunday morning, before the sun had even risen, Mary made her way to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body. Since Jesus had died shortly before the Sabbath began—sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday—Mary and the other women had been unable to properly anoint His sacred Body. We can imagine that from the moment the Sabbath began, her heart was fixed on one desire: to return to the tomb and perform this final act of love. Her devotion could not wait. Love compelled her to act as soon as it was permitted, and in doing so, she became the first to behold the empty tomb—and soon after, the Risen Lord.We see Mary's holy love and desire also in her determination to remain at the empty tomb. After seeing the stone rolled away, she ran to tell the Apostles, and then returned with Peter and John. But after they departed, Mary remained. She stayed, weeping, loving, and longing. She was so consumed with desire for her Lord that, when she saw two angels seated in the tomb, she was neither startled nor impressed—not even when they spoke to her: “Woman, why are you weeping?” Her only thought was for Jesus: “They have taken my Lord, and I don't know where they laid him.”Even when Jesus appeared, His identity veiled from her eyes, she still sought only His body. Yet it was His voice—tender, familiar, unmistakable—that pierced the veil and opened her eyes of faith: “Mary!” She responded with that beautiful, personal cry of recognition, “Rabbouni!”Reflect today on the transformed soul of Saint Mary Magdalene. She went from diabolical affliction to a heart overflowing with holy love and desire for our Lord. She is a model for each of us. We must allow ourselves to be filled with the same gratitude for His grace and reconciliation, cultivate the same unwavering devotion, and burn with the same longing to find Him. When our hearts mirror Mary's, we too will hear the Lord call us by name. Be grateful. Desire Him. Listen for Him. And like Mary, you will find that He is already standing before you.Rabbouni! With Saint Mary Magdalene, I give thanks to You with all my heart for the freedom You have mercifully bestowed upon me. You have forgiven my sins, restored me to grace, and kept me safe from the snares of the enemy. With Mary, I pray that my passions and every movement of my soul may be caught up in love of You, driving me to seek You with all my being. Speak my name, O Lord, call me lovingly, and open my eyes to see You always before me. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image: St Mary Magdalene, by Lawrence OP, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.Source: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:  2 Kings 18–19; 2 Chronicles 3; James 5 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible for July 22nd, day 202 in our year-long journey through the Scriptures. In today's episode, Hunter guides us through some powerful passages: we'll hear the story of King Hezekiah's faith and courage in Second Kings, the intricate details of Solomon building the temple in Second Chronicles, and words of encouragement from James chapter five. As we reflect on what truly sets God's people apart, we'll see how trust in God makes all the difference, empowering us to face challenges with hope and confidence. Join us for a time of Scripture, prayer, and encouragement, as we are reminded to place our trust in the one who is the ultimate difference maker. TODAY'S DEVOTION: The ominous question Hezekiah hears from King Sennacherib was, why should you be any different? In other words, why should you expect any other outcome than the one everyone else gets? Sennacherib had a track record, and if you're looking for a track record to prove your own impending doom, you'll have no trouble finding it. Your own Sennacherib will surely show up to tell you that you're no different either. But King Sennacherib had a problem because King Hezekiah was different. In 2 Kings 18:5, we see that Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after his time. The difference was that God had anointed him. God's presence was with him. Instead of rolling over and defeated, as some might, Hezekiah rolled with his anointing and into the presence of the Lord. Second Kings 19:14 says, after Hezekiah received the letter from the messenger and read it, he went up to the Lord's temple and spread it out before the Lord, and Hezekiah prayed. He asked his God, the only God, the God of Israel, to listen, to bend down, to deliver. He asked God to show Sennacherib and Israel that God's people are not like everyone else, and that he is a God like no other. In verse 19, it says, "Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power. Then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone are God." God did that very thing. He proved to Hezekiah and King Sennacherib and all the kings of the earth that he alone is God. He answered the question that was crashing in on Hezekiah's heart. The question was, what makes you think you are any different? The difference was God. Our God is the difference maker, and he's come to make a difference in your life. He's come to live and abide in us as we live in him. It makes all the difference in the world. We are able to face those accusations of our own personal Sennacherib and all those that come to terrify us. We can roll with our anointing and into the presence of God, drawing close to the one who is the difference maker, the one who gives us victory. So draw near to the one who makes the difference. Find your strength in him. When you hear the words, "what makes you any different?" respond like Hezekiah and roll into the presence of the Lord. Place those accusations at his feet. Ask him to show you what the difference is once again so that you might stand up, stand strong and see the victory that he alone can bring. That's the prayer that I have for my own soul. That's the prayer that I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, my son. And that's the prayer that I have for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

God loves to make us work for it by Autumn Dickson Asa is one of the kings we read about this week. He was a king of Judah, the southern kingdom. He starts out his reign really strong, tearing down idol worship and deposing his own grandmother who worshipped idols. He encouraged people to seek the Lord. Unfortunately, he also took a turn for the worse and started trusting in human solutions over God, and he died. There is one verse in the midst of his story that I want to share. 2 Chronicles 14:6-7 6 And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the Lord had given him rest. 7 Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the Lord our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered. Asa had a time of peace during his reign, and in the midst of this peace, he built fortified cities in Judah. Asa goes on to face an Ethiopian army, and he is vastly outnumbered. As he faces his enemy, he cries out to God. 2 Chronicles 14:11 And Asa cried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O Lord our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee. The Lord proceeds to smite the Ethiopians, and they are driven back. So here is my question…why did they fortify their cities? Over and over and over again in the Old Testament we read about this same pattern. The Israelites (or in this case, Judah specifically), do all of the things only to have the Lord completely fight their battles. The Lord parted the Red Sea. He made the walls of Jericho come down. He struck down 185,000 Assyrians outside Jerusalem's walls during Hezekiah's reign. This is a consistent pattern throughout scripture. The Lord fights the battles. Entire armies are defeated or become confused or simply flee. So why bother even fortifying the cities? Even in this specific story where the Lord defeats an army of a million Ethiopians, it doesn't say that the fortified cities made a difference in the slightest. So why? Why fortify the city when the Lord defeats the enemy? The only way I can think to explain it is this: chores. Every Monday, our house gets totally cleaned. Bathrooms, mopping, dusting, vacuuming, all of it. Then, throughout the week, my three oldest kids are assigned one chore a day. It is usually the same list of chores that is done on Monday. I remember watching my four year old wipe down the mirrors in the bathroom on Tuesday. That mirror went from clean to streaked in no time flat. My soul kinda died a little bit watching her make the mirror dirtier, and then it died a little more when I had to sneak back in to clean it a third time in two days. But. I have to remind myself that it's not about a clean mirror. It's about a healthy, growing child. She doesn't clean the mirror so that I can have a clean mirror (obviously). She cleans the mirror so that she learns how to clean a mirror (eventually). The Lord paid for our sins. He paid for the sin you committed years ago, the sin you committed yesterday, the sin you're going to commit today, and the sin you're going to commit years into the future. The mirror is already clean. But He still asks us to learn how to clean a mirror. Even when we're actually just making the mirror dirtier again or when we're cleaning an already clean mirror. Being saved means you're clean again, and to some extent, all of us will be saved in some degree of glory. Being saved means you're clean, but being exalted means you grew up. And that's important because it determines our level of happiness. There is inherent worth in knowing how to clean a mirror. There is inherent worth in learning how to fortify your city and do labor. There is inherent worth in growth even if it's not actually contributing to anything yet. There is inherent worth in work even when it's not paying for our salvation. The Lord saves us. He cleaned the mirror. He protected His people throughout the scriptures. But He asks us to learn how to clean the mirror because we won't find happiness unless we know how. Some of the most miserable people I know are the ones who don't appreciate the value of working hard. It won't do you much good for the Lord to save you if you're still miserable, and He's not going to hook you up to constant happy drugs in heaven. Where do you think happiness comes from? It doesn't really come from the mirror simply being clean. It comes from growing, and the clean mirror enables you to live with God again. So we follow the Lord and His commandments so we learn how to be happy, and then He pays for the whole experience. He cleanses us so we can return to live with Him, and we return with the knowledge and experience required to find deep and lasting joy. I'm grateful for the scriptures that teach true doctrine. I'm grateful that I get to watch these patterns over and over and over throughout the Old Testament. The Lord does the work, but then He asks us to grow. I see it everywhere. I'm grateful He paid the price for me to get messy and come home with the knowledge and experience I need. I'm grateful that I get to learn, through my own experience, the good from the evil. I testify that the Lord saves, and I also testify that He gives commandments for our good. Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR's 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Chronicles 14–20; 26; 30 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.