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Faithful Servant

11/5/2021

11 The crowd was listening to everything Jesus said. And because he was nearing Jerusalem, he told them a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away. 12 He said, “A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. 13 Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver,[b] saying, ‘Invest this for me while I am gone.’ 14 But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want him to be our king.’
15 “After he was crowned king, he returned and called in the servants to whom he had given the money. He wanted to find out what their profits were. 16 The first servant reported, ‘Master, I invested your money and made ten times the original amount!’
17 “‘Well done!’ the king exclaimed. ‘You are a good servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward.’ (Luke 19:11-17 NLT)

God calls us to be His Faithful Servants, to use the gifts, talents, and time He gives to us in His Service and for His glory. My time at St. Michael's comes to a close on Sunday. I have tried to be God's faithful servant and to give Him praise and glory. Thank God for His love and forgiveness when I have not been as faithful as I should.

My hope and prayer is that you will be God's faithful servant, that you will use your time, abilities and possessions to the Glory of God. My prayer is that God will bring a Faithful Servant to be the next Senior Pastor at St. Michael's.

Thanks for your love, care, support and encouragement during my time at St. Michael's. This is my final posting as the Pastor of St. Michael's. I encourage you to finish reading the Gospel of Luke to see how faithful Jesus was in fulfilling His mission by HIs death and resurrection.

May God's Peace be with you today and every day.

Pastor Larry

Not Too ...

11/4/2021

Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.
5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”
6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7 But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.
8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”
9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man[a] came to seek and save those who are lost.” (Luke 19:1-9 NLT)

Zacchaeus was not too little for Jesus to see, not to bad for Jesus to dismiss, not to lost for Jesus to find. Jesus called Zacchaeus down from a tree and invited himself to Zacchaeus' house. Zacchaeus' life was changed by Jesus.

No one is too little for Jesus to see, to bad for Jesus to dismiss, or too lost for Jesus to find. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Thank you, Jesus, because I'm lost, sinful and insignificant without you.

The Blind Man Sees

11/3/2021

35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road. 36 When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him that Jesus the Nazarene[f] was going by. 38 So he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
39 “Be quiet!” the people in front yelled at him.
But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
40 When Jesus heard him, he stopped and ordered that the man be brought to him. As the man came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?”
“Lord,” he said, “I want to see!”
42 And Jesus said, “All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you.” 43 Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus, praising God. And all who saw it praised God, too. (Luke 18:35-43 NLT)

The blind man saw something very few others could see. He saw that Jesus was the Son of David, the Promised Savior. He believed that Jesus would have mercy and give him the ability to see. Jesus did. The Blind Man first saw Jesus with the eyes of faith and then saw Him with his own eyes.

We can see Jesus now with the eyes of faith. When He returns, we will see Him with our own eyes.

IMPORTANT!

11/2/2021

31 Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus said, “Listen, we’re going up to Jerusalem, where all the predictions of the prophets concerning the Son of Man will come true. 32 He will be handed over to the Romans, and he will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit upon. 33 They will flog him with a whip and kill him, but on the third day he will rise again.”
34 But they didn’t understand any of this. The significance of his words was hidden from them, and they failed to grasp what he was talking about. (Luke 18:31-34 NLT)

Jesus predicted His crucifixion and resurrection at least three times to His Disciples. But they did not understand. Jesus did a lot of important things and helped a lot of people. Jesus said some amazing things and taught thousands of people. But the most important thing Jesus did was die on the cross to pay the price for our sins and rise from the dead to give us the gift of eternal life. Don't ever forget who Jesus is and what he has done for us.

The Possible Impossible

11/1/2021

23 But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich.
24 When Jesus saw this, he said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God! 25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”
26 Those who heard this said, “Then who in the world can be saved?”
27 He replied, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.”
28 Peter said, “We’ve left our homes to follow you.”
29 “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, 30 will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come.” (Luke 18:23-30 NLT)

God can do what we cannot do. Love of money can cut us off from God because we can't serve both God and money. God can do what we cannot do. Jesus opened God's Kingdom by His death and resurrection. He invites us to follow Him. Anything we leave behind because we are following Jesus does not compare to being in God's Kingdom forever.

Jesus makes Possible what is Impossible for us.

Not Enough

10/29/2021

18 Once a religious leader asked Jesus this question: “Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Only God is truly good. 20 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother.’[”
21 The man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”
22 When Jesus heard his answer, he said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
23 But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich. (Luke 18:18-23 NLT)

This Rich Man had two big problems. He tried to be good, but he was not good enough. He was rich, but he did not love enough. His attempts to justify himself before Jesus failed.

Our attempts to justify ourselves are guaranteed to fail, too. We can never be good enough to earn our way into heaven. We can never have enough money to buy our way in either. We need faith in Jesus' love and forgiveness. Nothing else will work.

Childlike

10/28/2021

15 One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But when the disciples saw this, they scolded the parents for bothering him.
16 Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. 17 I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” (Luke 18:15-17 NLT)

There is a difference between being childlike and childish. Childlike is trusting. Childish is throwing tantrums. Jesus welcomes all of His Children who trust Him and place their lives in His hands. Lord, give us Childlike Faith in You.

Righteous or Self Righteous

10/27/2021

9 Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: 10 “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14 NLT)

What a contrast between the self-righteous Pharisee and the humble and repentant tax collector. The Pharisee thought he was doing enough to earn God's favor and bragged about it. The Tax Collector knew he needed God's love and forgiveness and asked for it.

Humility is a virtue in the Christian faith. Pride is not.

October 26th, 2021

10/26/2021

One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. 2 “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. 3 A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ 4 The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, 5 but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”
6 Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. 7 Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?” (Luke 18:1-8 NLT)

There is a big difference between Justice and Social Justice. Justice is doing what is right. Social Justice is trying to make up for a "wrong" in the past by making someone else now pay for the "injustice."

God is a God of Justice. He will put everything right. He is also a God of Mercy. Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins and put us right with God. God's Justice is Redemptive, Eternal. That is why we can put our trust in the Lord.

When You Least Expect It, Expect It!

10/25/2021

26 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 27 In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all.
28 “And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building-- 29 until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day a person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return home. 32 Remember what happened to Lot’s wife! 33 If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it. 34 That night two people will be asleep in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. 35 Two women will be grinding flour together at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.”
37 “Where will this happen, Lord?” the disciples asked.
Jesus replied, “Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.” (Luke 17:26-37 NLT)

When will Jesus return. The answer is we don't know exactly when. We do know Jesus' return will be when people least expect it. He tells us to always be reading by living in faith and being faithful to Him. Don't worry about being left behind. God promises that nothing can separate us from His love for us in Jesus Christ.

Some of the warnings Jesus gave were to prepare His followers for the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD by Titus and the Romans. Christians paid attention to the warnings and fled Jerusalem before it happened. People who do not understand this have created what I believe to be incorrect understanding of Jesus' return. Jesus never said that people left behind after His return will be given a second chance. He tells us to watch and pray for His return.

Author

My name is Larry. Right now I am serving as the Intentional Interim or Transitional Pastor at St. Michael's Lutheran Church, Richville, MI. This blog is part of my daily personal time reading the Bible and talking with God. It is more of my personal thoughts than a deep theological discussion. Thanks for taking the time to join me in reading and thinking about what God has to say to us today.

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