Romans 9:1-2

“I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.” vss. 1-2

After speaking of the incredible love of God in Christ Jesus, Paul’s tone shifts as he continues his letter to the Romans. He knows that large numbers of Jews are refusing to acknowledge Jesus as the messiah and their rejection is causing him extreme anguish–his heart is aching for his own people. In his eyes they are turning their backs on the love of God. And he knows from his own experience that he doesn’t have the words or the argument that can cause them to change their minds. 

Through the years there have been many who have shared Paul’s deep pain. When we have had a spiritual experience that has changed our lives and those who are closest to us refuse to listen to our story of God’s grace, there will often be feelings of sorrow and sadness. That’s especially true when we see that they are walking in ways that will bring them almost certain pain and suffering. 

Still we have to wonder if Paul isn’t underestimating the power of the gospel. He has just said that “he is convinced that neither death, nor life…nor rulers…nor powers…nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Might it not be possible for that love of God to include even those who had rejected Jesus? 

Thought for the Day: What can’t the love of God overcome?

July 29, 2026 Psalm 145:14-21

“The Lord is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” vss. 17-18

Humans have had a dickens of a time describing God, something that is more easily understood when we take the testimony of scripture seriously. Writers there consistently describe God as being beyond understanding. That’s because there are no words in any language that can capture the essence of that which is infinite. Even the much touted knowledge of AI can’t come close!

But we can’t remain silent about the Divine Presence! God is and there is no place in all the universe where God is not. To not speak of God is to deny God’s existence, and ignore the elephant that completely fills the room. But where shall we start? The psalmist has some ideas and begins by affirming the justice and kindness of God. And while those might seem like opposing attributes, they are the perfect, almost paradoxical description of the Incarnate Word as revealed in Jesus.

The psalmist goes on to affirm the near presence of God, something that is readily apparent to people of faith. We seem to know innately, perhaps because we carry the DNA of God in our veins, that God is as close as our breath, and as real as our beating hearts. There is an undeniable connection, and on our better days we have no doubts to speak of.

Thought for the Day: What do I have to say about God?

Psalm 145:8-9, 14-17

“The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down.” vs. 14

Since we live in a world that is both good and broken, it is good to know that the Lord upholds us in our brokenness. It’s not that God is simply content with our inability to walk in righteousness, but God actually raises us up and restores our intrinsic goodness. We saw this reality acted out in the ministry of Jesus, who had compassion on people, reached out and touched them, and then offered them complete forgiveness. 

This same process takes place regularly in the lives of the faithful and is connected with our rituals of confession and absolution. Even though we don’t want to be broken people, that is what we are, and we are reminded of it nearly every day. As Paul put it, we don’t live as we ought, and we do the things that we don’t want to do. Trying to be good while wearing our human skin wears us out and can drive us to despair. 

But God is not content that we remain in that state and has spoken through psalmists, prophets, and Jesus himself to assure us of unconditional love and unrelenting mercy. Our sins are forgiven and we are set free to be good and gracious people, exactly what we were created to be! This is the great Truth of scripture, the very center of our faith, and blessed are those who take God’s mercy and love to heart!

Thought for the Day: When do I need to be reminded of this great truth?

Isaiah 55:1-5

“Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”  vs. 1

It’s hard to believe but our scriptures consistently teach that all the best things about life in this world are available to us free of charge. Nowhere are we told that it is a good thing to store up riches for ourselves and build our retirement portfolios. As the prophet told the Israelites, the wise will find delight in the blessings of creation, and not worry about working for those things which do not satisfy. It is enough to enjoy each day, breathe deeply from the oxygen provided by plants, eat simply, take pleasure in the birds and bees, and work together to provide for the common good.

Because the economic systems humans have developed operate with a good deal of variation, some people will end up with more goods than they really need for joyful living. And because evil lurks in our habits of accumulation there are vast discrepancies in our standards of living. Some are caught up in the tentacles of poverty while others have wealth beyond their wildest dreams. Fortunately, this is a problem that can be overcome! 

Indeed, because Jesus has commanded us to look first to the needs of the hungry, thirsty, naked, imprisoned, and refugees, most congregations are offering support to a multitude of social agencies. We know this world has enough goods for all its people, and we want to make sure that happens.

Thought for the Day: When will hunger end?

Matthew 13:44-52

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” vs. 44

Jesus in this little parable appears to sanction what seems to be a shady real estate transaction. The treasure belonged to the owner of the field. For someone to stumble across it, hide it again, and then go buy the property doesn’t seem ethical. If we were studying this verse in a class we could likely have a good debate about the issue–something just doesn’t seem right. 

Of course that’s not the point of the parable at all. Jesus isn’t talking about the morality of the man’s actions. He’s really lifting up the incredible value of kingdom living. The spiritual value of knowing Jesus is more valuable than all of our possessions. The man joyfully gave up all he had in order to possess the hidden treasure.

This is not a popular message for our times. We have convinced ourselves that material prosperity is the highest value that anyone could imagine. Our greatest heroes, the celebrities and politicians that we admire the most, are the people who have dedicated themselves to winning the accumulation game. And even if we don’t aspire to have billions, inside we do admire people who have “struck it rich.”

And once we’ve gotten “stuff” we are surely reluctant to give any of it up, especially if the joy of giving is our only reward!

Thought for the Day:  What is the joy of selling?

Matthew 13:31-32

“He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field;’” vs. 31

As Jesus taught the people who came to him for refuge, consolation, and healing he regularly used familiar metaphors to describe the kingdom of heaven that was now at hand in his presence. It was a genius way to make the indescribable real. A simple image could open their minds to understand the great truths that were at the core of his message.

The mustard seed was small and yet when it was planted it grew into the greatest of all shrubs and could even provide shelter for the birds of the air.

And Jesus says, “That’s what my kingdom is like. It may not seem like much now, but one day it will spread across the earth and encompass all the nations.”

And he was right! The community of faith he founded was very tiny, only a few dozen people at most. But once it was planted, empowered by the Spirit, it grew quickly, and now can be seen and experienced in every land. And it’s in this community, the Body of Christ, that broken and hurting people continue to be touched by the healing love and compassion of Jesus. It has truly become a house of prayer and refuge for all nations.

And the small acts of kindness done by the faithful still have out-sized results. The deeds we think of as nothing have an astonishing effect.

Thought for the Day: My most potent small act of kindness.

Romans 8:31-39

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” vss. 38-39

Paul holds nothing back as he outlines the unimaginable extent of God’s power and love. We can almost hear him shouting, “Do you hear me people? There is nothing, absolutely nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This is a promise that can lift us up in the lowest times of our lives. These are words of comfort for those concerned about their sin and guilt; they’re a promise to be shared with those worrying about death and the things that are to come.

With these words tucked away in our memory banks there is literally nothing in our lives that can throw us off track. Everything has been taken care of! Oh, there will be days of anger and disappointment and times when we wrestle with the brokenness of existence. We will remember the past and be anxious about the future. Such is the nature of life in this good world. It will have its ups and downs.

But when all is said and done, when it seems all has been taken from us, Paul assures us that the love of God will be there for us, a magnificent power that will give ultimate rest and peace. And really, that’s all we need!

Thought for the Day: How am I sustained by God’s love?

Romans 8:26-30

“We know that all things work together for good, for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” vs. 28

This verse gets a lot of attention from believers, particularly at those times in life when things aren’t going particularly well. Sometimes we can’t figure out any reasons for the things that are happening and our best efforts at living the good life are being thwarted. Things like disease, divorce, job loss, and depression take a real toll on our serenity, and truthfully it doesn’t do much good to hear from our pious friends that “all things work together for good.”

Still, these words are a good reminder that we don’t live as isolated creatures in the world. We are connected in ways that are beyond our comprehension, and seldom do we know the big picture. And sometimes, especially for people of faith, it feels as though we are being led and directed on paths that are not of our own choosing. And it is good to know that even if we aren’t getting our way for a time, our lives are going to turn out just fine.

Of course we gain these insights mostly in retrospect and after we’ve had a chance to look back at our unexpected journey, and see how beautifully things have worked out. In the meantime perhaps it would be best simply to lean back on God’s grace, and say, “I can’t wait to see the good that is going to come of this!”

Thought for the Day: The surprising and good twists my journey has taken.

Psalm 119:133-136

 “My eyes shed streams of tears because your law is not kept.” vs. 136

This psalmist was saddened by the wholesale disregard for the precepts of the Lord. People were not walking in the way of righteousness and his heart was broken. While we don’t know the psalmist or his situation we can surmise that the pain came, not because he was angry at sinners, but because he was seeing the consequences of careless and lawless living. 

Such behavior pains our hearts too as we observe people we know, maybe even members of our families, dabble in immorality and simply coast through life following every whim of their pleasure seeking desires. Often they’re damaged by their actions and can’t figure out what they did to deserve such “bad luck.” Try as we might, we can’t make them see the relationship between their disregard for the ways of the Spirit and the mess that their life has become. Many times all we can do is weep–we’ve learned from experience that words and warnings are ineffective.

When we reach that point, sometimes all that we can do is pray. We commit those we love into the hands of the Lord, and trust that somehow there will be a change. The Spirit will break through the resistance and broken lives will be restored. And really that’s all any of us can hope for in this world of tears and pain. None of us are perfect and all of us wander. Our heealing rests solely on the grace of God.

Thought for the Day: For whom do my eyes shed streams of tears?

Psalm 119:129-132

“The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. With open mouth I pant, because I long for your commandments.” vss. 130-131

Psalm 119 is the longest of the psalms and is devoted to lifting up the law as God’s most loving gift to Israel. Today’s chosen verses call to mind an image of little birds opening up their mouths to receive food brought by a parent. They crowd the nest, their little beaks open as far as they can go, instinctively driven by their hunger and need. Sometimes those who teach the youngest children in our Sunday Schools see that hungry look in the eyes of the little ones in their charge. The kids can’t get enough of the bible stories and they love to hear about Jesus. 

Some of us might wonder why the psalmist loved the commandments so much, principally because we associate them with the law. Few people seem to have much of a fondness or appetite  for rules and regulations. We would rather hear about grace and freedom. 

The psalmist would have been surprised by that attitude. He had nothing but positive and loving feelings for the commandments and cherished them as a guide for how to live. And every believer among us must certainly agree! How could we possibly know how to walk in the Way of Jesus if we’ve never been guided by loving parents or teachers? And when we’ve been taught first as little ones, sitting at rapt attention with mouths open wide, the lessons will remain forever.

Thought for the Day: Who first taught me the Way of Jesus?