DEVOTIONS

We all gotta eat, but man does not live on bread alone

Posts tagged evil

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Evening Devotion: Satan Is The Mighty Foe

But SATAN as our enemy? As a real, personal being, who actually exists and is our enemy? Well, THAT conjures up images of pitch forks and spiked tails; of red tights and horns and goatees. And THAT is just silly! Satan, surely, is merely some sort of Christian boogey man: the thing that followers of Jesus talk about to scare their children.

Surely we’re too sophisticated now to believe in something like that. We are too enlightened, spiritually, of course. We know too much know to worry about things like demons and spirits and the like, clean or otherwise.

Only, here’s the problem with that: it seems as though JESUS is VERY concerned about Satan and his demons. JESUS OF NAZARETH confronts them. He battles them. He speaks of them. He WARNS us of them. He certainly acknowledges their existence. And he sees them as the enemy.

So, fellow Christians, you know what we do. We are not more “spiritually sophisticated” than the Son of God. We have not come farther than him in seeing the world for what it REALLY is. And if JESUS says to be weary of Satan; and if he calls us out and speaks that we are in a WAR; though it is even a war unseen;

Then WE ARE AT WAR. And Satan is the mighty foe.

Filed under Christianity faith satan Jesus God evil

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Morning Devotion: No More Suffering. No More Death.

To have your sins forgiven; to have the evil that you have done PAID FOR by the blood of Jesus; means that you are RIGHT with God. “Right with God.” That’s what we call being “righteous”. And that means that, no matter what happens, there will be a day when you will live in a Kingdom; in a world; in a universe; that has been made right; made the way it was supposed to be made.

No more suffering. No more death. No more evil. No more being tempted to do the wrong thing and FAILING and doing it over and over and over. No more worry. No more anxiety. No more loneliness. No more heartache. No more loss.

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor

Filed under Christianity faith suffering anxiety worry loss heartache evil death loneliness Jesus God

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Morning Devotion: How Are We Suppose To Live?

This is how we are supposed to live. Not harbouring secret grudges. THAT is not life in Christ. But speaking of evil, in order that EVIL MAY BE DESTROYED by the giving of forgiveness; and then, peace and love may reign among us; just as the PRINCE of peace and the GOD of love will reign over for us forever in the Kingdom to Come.

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor

Filed under Christianity evil Jesus God Christ forgiveness peace love Lutheran lcms faith

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Morning Devotion: Wrongs Are To Be Confronted, Not Ignored

In speaking of the 8th commandment in the Large Catechism, Luther himself is overtly concerned with “reputation”. He knows that reputation is one of the most precious things to us. And breaking the 8th commandment, Luther says, ALSO breaks the 7th because essentially you STEAL someone’s treasured possession from them: their good name.

So he says only to SPEAK of evil when you are certain that evil is taking place. Otherwise, you are at all times to assume the best about your neighbor. The best about their motives. The best about their intentions. The best about whatever you THINK may be going on with them.

But he also balances these two principles: two principles that WE need to make sure to balance as well:

  1. Assume the best of others, and never assume they are doing wrong. And unless it is your vocation to watch over them, and/or unless you are sure of another’s “wickedness”, do not speak against them to others.

  2. Wrongs are to be CONFRONTED, not ignored.

I’m going to say that again: wrongs are to be CONFRONTED; not ignored.

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor

Filed under 7th commandment 8th commandment Christianity God Jesus Lutheran Martin Luther faith large catechism lcms reputation ten commandments evil