Romans 3:21-28

“For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…” vss. 22b-24

One of the great universal truths is that the world is both good and broken, and every human experiences this through their entire lives. Paul described this brokenness as sin, a falling short of the glory of sin, and he told the Romans that all people are sinners. This is one teaching of Paul that we can surely all agree with–the universality of sin is obvious to all who are paying attention. But Paul doesn’t leave us there. He went on to say that there is healing for our brokenness in Christ Jesus, and it’s not just for us but for all people. That healing reveals the goodness that is regularly hidden by our sin. In other words, in Christ the image of God is restored and we once again become the incredibly gifted people God has made us to be. Sadly, though, we tend to be fixated on our brokenness and that of others. Instead of focusing on the light we become obsessed with the darkness, and spend our lives thinking about what is wrong with the world rather than what is right. That’s an ugly way to live, especially when we have such a beautiful option in Christ Jesus, the One who is the healer of our every woe! In him we are fully restored.!

Thought for the Day: What’s right with the world?

Romans 3:19-20

“For ‘no human being will be justified in his sight’ by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.” vs. 20

Paul had grown up believing that God’s covenant with Israel hinged on obedience. Those who kept the commandments and ordinances of the Law would be blessed. But in Christ he had come to believe that the system, for all its goodness, just didn’t work. To put it plainly, it was broken. No human could be justified in God’s sight by doing what the Law required. Why not? The answer was simple. All that could be gained by our best efforts to obey was a heavy load of guilt. We simply couldn’t be good and unbroken by our own efforts. It was an enterprise that was bound to fail. We all know that because we’ve all experienced it. We’ve tried to do and say the right thing in every circumstance, and it seems the harder we try the worse it gets. The perfection we crave eludes us. Those who have made an attempt to learn how to make a golf swing know the feeling. The more that is known about the swing, the more elusive it becomes. Even the very best golfers in the world are aware that their swings lack perfection. But they keep on playing! And we keep on living! Not because we’ve gotten perfect but because God has provided another way, the way of grace and faith! And it’s there that we find our salvation. In Christ mulligans abound!

Thought for the Day: How do I deal with my imperfections?

Psalm 46:4-11

“The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.” vss. 6-7

Even though the nations were in an uproar and the kingdoms were tottering the psalmist chose to believe that the Lord was with them and that God was their refuge. It’s hard to maintain that kind of trust when the world is in turmoil, and for some it’s getting harder and harder. We see the same things the psalmist saw and now the stakes are even higher. Wars are raging and thousands are being killed. Troops are on the streets in American cities. Our plans to curtail global warming are grinding to a halt, and no one even seems to care. When Martin Luther faced that kind of international crisis in the 16th century, he used this psalm to write the hymn “A Mighty Fortress.” Evidently he found in its words some degree of hope for a Europe poised on the edge of disaster. And maybe we can too. In a world enamored of artificial intelligence and in love with cryptocurrencies, it really seems there is nowhere else to turn. When all else fails us, God is our refuge and our strength, a bulwark never failing. Self-serving politicians and billionaires seem helpless to do anything for the common good. There is nowhere else to turn than the God who has been our help in ages past and our hope for years to come.

Thought for the Day: What will we do when things get even worse?

October 21, 2025

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;” vss. 1-2

Most people have had occasion to be frightened in the course of their years in this world. Danger lurks, and we never know when a storm will hit with an unimaginable fury and force. And even though we’ve gotten used to a comfortable and predictable environment, it only takes an instant for everything to be disrupted. Storms can be incredibly intense, and they seem to be getting stronger. And when they hit we are reminded of nature’s dynamic force and power. And the fear we feel is primitive and instantaneous. The psalmist was well aware of such events and took note of them in this moving song of praise and thanksgiving. When everything is falling apart around us, whether it’s the forces of nature or the threat of international disorder and war or even civil war, God is our refuge and strength. In every circumstance God is present, not causing the distress, but surrounding us with a blanket of peace and eternal security. It’s not that we don’t feel fear, those primal feelings are necessary for survival, but beyond the moment there will come moments of calm, and we know that God is at hand. And our good life continues!

Thought for the Day: When have I felt primal fear?

Jeremiah 31:31-34

“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” vs. 33

During the first part of his ministry Jeremiah had a message of doom for the rulers of Judah, saying that if they continued on the course they were following, destruction was sure to follow. And while he never really abandoned that message, in his later years we see in his words a radical vision that totally transforms our relationship with God. It’s a new paradigm that does away with the law-based system that Israel had adopted during their wilderness experience and in the days of the monarchy. No longer will their status be determined by their obedience to external ordinances and commandments. The day was coming when the law would be written on their hearts, and they would be drawn into a deep and profound unity with the Divine. As we read the gospels it is apparent that this vision became a reality in Jesus. In him there was that movement away from Moses and into an intimate fusion with grace and peace. In him, as John wrote, “the Word became flesh,” God became one with humanity. Now it’s not easy to live that way. Some of us prefer the rules and the laws. But what a blessing it is to come to know the God who dwells within!

Thought for the Day: Why do some prefer living by the law?

Luke 18:6-8 “And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them?” vs. 7

When Luke wrote these words of Jesus he was well aware that many disciples were having a tough time remaining faithful. In some places they were being persecuted (and sometimes being put to death), by agents of the Empire, and they were naturally looking for help from God. The parable Jesus told implied that if an unjust judge would grant justice to the widow who kept pestering him, then surely our good God would listen to the pleas of the disciples. We read these words as an encouragement to persist in our own prayers and not give up. And so we do! We keep on praying for family members and loved ones. We keep on praying for an end to war and suffering in the world. We keep on praying for the triumph of the peaceable kingdom. But sometimes it’s hard to persist in our prayers. We wonder if there really is a good God who will one day bring justice and heal our brokenness. Luke adds a word from Jesus that indicates many will give up. “And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” It’s something to think about. How long will we keep praying before we lose heart? But what a tragedy it would be if we stopped! When faith disappears so does hope, and life itself loses all purpose and meaning.

Thought for the Day: What keeps me from losing heart?

Luke 18:1-5

“Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.” vs. 1

When things aren’t going our way, we will regularly turn to prayer in an attempt to get our lives straightened out. In those moments we are looking for almost any source of relief, and there is always the hope that God can make things right. But then when the problem doesn’t go away and in fact the situation worsens, it’s easy to give up hope. We imagine that our prayers are ineffectual and that our load is never going to be lightened. Obviously Jesus knew that his disciples had days like that too, and that there were times when they got discouraged. So he told them a parable that he hoped would encourage them to keep on praying and never give up. In his parable he imagines an unjust judge and a widow who keeps coming to him seeking relief from some injustice. And even though the judge keeps blowing her off, she wears him down. Finally he grants her request, not because he’s just, but just to get her to stop asking. Jesus concludes that if an unjust judge will do that, surely our good Lord will answer our complaints quickly. His words were intended to encourage his disciples to keep praying. Of course it’s never so easy as he implies–because sometimes answers don’t come. We know that! So what shall we do? His instructions are clear: keep on praying and never give up!

Thought for the Day: When have I lost heart in my prayers?

2 Timothy 4:1-5

“For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires…” vs. 3

Early Christian leaders were aware of how fickle their congregations could be. Charismatic preachers traveled from city to city with messages that were confusing and misleading. Often their teaching undermined the centrality of Christ and provided alternate perspectives on the way of salvation. Only by focusing on Jesus and the message of the cross could pastors keep their little congregations from being divided. Through the centuries there has been no shortage of such divisive teaching in the church and we can see it clearly in our time in the work of those who would like to merge the teachings of Christianity with the widely held belief in American exceptionalism. Powerful politicians are joining forces with evangelical Christians to promote America as a Christian nation. For those who love Jesus and who love America this sounds like a reasonable proposal, but one of our country’s guiding principles has always been the separation of church and state. History teaches us that any merger of religion and country will always breed oppression and division. What a blessing it is to live in a nation in which all faiths are respected and honored! It’s in this setting that those who love Jesus can worship and serve to their hearts delight. How sad it would be for that ideal to be undermined!

Thought for the Day: What is it like to have itching ears?

1 Timothy 3:14-17

“All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…” vs. 16

Each part of the Hebrew scriptures has a different origin story. Some came via oral traditions, stories of the ancestors passed on through generations, others came from the court histories of both Judah and Israel, many were preserved and edited by scribes working in the temple. A large number were worked and reworked during the time of the exile, but by about 200 years before the time of Jesus, they had received their current form and content. And most important of all, they were considered to be holy, a reliable source of history and inspiration. These were the scriptures that Paul and Timothy knew, and they taught that these scrolls were  inspired by God, and useful for teaching and training. A couple hundred years later some books associated with the disciples and the early church were accepted as the official canon of the Church and became known as the New Testament. Since then these scriptures too have also been understood as inspired and useful for teaching and training. That’s why we continue to read and study the bible, it’s our family history, and contains the story that unites us as believers. And even though it’s also been used to manipulate and divide, for those who persevere it remains the very best way to know and understand Jesus. 

Thought for the Day: What has the bible meant for my life?

Psalm 121

“The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.” vs. 8

According to Jesus the greatest commandment of the Law was “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one, and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and strength.” This verse is known as the Shema and in Deuteronomy the Israelites were told to write its words on parchment and post them on the doorposts of their homes. The case holding the verse is called a mezuzah and it can often be seen affixed to the external door jamb of a Jewish home. It’s a reminder to the occupants that the Lord will be with them in their going out and their coming in forevermore. That’s a beautiful thought and it’s no wonder that many Christians have adopted the practice. As people go out into the world they can touch the mezuzah and be reminded of God’s constant presence, and then when they come back to their sanctuary they can touch it again as they thank the Lord for all the blessings of their lives. It’s valuable to fill our days with such visual reminders of God’s presence. Many have such feelings when they look at the majesty of the mountains. We feel small in comparison and it’s good to be reminded that our God is bigger than we can imagine, and is present wherever we roam.

Thought for the Day: Where is my mezuzah?