Faith is the gift that allows us to follow Jesus! But how do we manage our faith? Do we simply regard it as an internal state of our heart, or something that flows from our heart in our actions that blesses those around us? One of the way that we can grow our faith and manage it well, and bless those around us, is in how we steward our financial resources.

Get to know Concordia’s newest Pastor!

One of the reasons so many people struggle in silence is because they believe they’re the only one and that others would not understand – or, worse, judge them – if they ever found out what they were going through. The preacher of Hebrews reminds us that we always have someone who understands – Jesus – and we can bring Him anything.

Dr. Steve Notley is in charge of the El Araj archaeological site in Israel near the Sea of Galilee. He was part of a dig there this past July (2022). Dr. Notley presents what was found and the significance of that discovery.

Have you ever made someone your “project”? You think you can fix them, change them, or, perhaps, even save them? Paul reminds us that at the same time we may try to change someone, they are also potentially changing us. He encourages us, then, to choose our relationships wisely and reminds us that the deepest change comes through Christ.

When life gets challenging, it can be tempting to give up. We can be tempted to quit everything from our jobs to our relationships to even our very lives. Jesus encourages perseverance by telling a story about a woman who goes through terribly trying times. He also reminds us that our strength to continue comes from God through prayer.

Last weekend, we talked about how sometimes we don’t feel as if we’re enough. This weekend focuses on how we often think we don’t have enough. “If I just had more money or more time or more energy or more whatever, life would be great!” When Paul writes to the Philippians, he speaks of his concern of not having enough, but also trusts fully that God will provide everything he needs.

“I’m not enough” is an interesting lie we tell ourselves because it’s not totally untrue. We do fall short of being enough because we are sinful. Yet, God’s Son Jesus is enough and redeems us from our sin to make us whole – to make us enough. Isaiah’s call from God is a beautiful picture of how God makes people enough.

Right before Joshua dies, he invites the Israelites to serve the Lord, knowing they will not be able to. In their pride, the Israelites claim they will be able to serve Him. The next book of the Bible – Judges – tells us otherwise. Humility is the key to spiritual growth. How have we fallen short serving the Lord? Out of His grace, God continually invites us to try serving Him again.

As Joshua nears the end of his life, he reflects on how he has been merely a steward of God’s Word and ways. It is God’s Word that lasts. When we get to the end of our lives, will we have spent our lives with an eye toward what lasts?