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Reflections
Today's Reading: Introit for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 27:3-4a, 5; antiphon: v. 1-2)
Daily Lectionary: Joshua 10:1-25; Acts 11:19-30
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? (From the Introit for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In a sense, our problems are manifold. The devil tempts and accuses us. The world threatens us. We try to avoid pain, suffering, and death, but trouble has a way of finding us and death cannot be avoided forever. We are our own worst enemy. We have to struggle with our own depression, fears, anxieties, and guilt.
All of that is true, but there is one problem that outweighs them all – the judgment of God. Think about it. If God is on your side and delights in you, then you have nothing to fear. The devil and the world are no match for the Almighty. God can resurrect the dead. He can forgive your sins and give you worth.
On the other hand, if God is opposed to you, then you are doomed. God is a far greater enemy than the devil or the world. God can kill the body and the soul as well. You might be mighty pleased with yourself, but that won't prevent God from condemning you.
At the end of the day, God's attitude toward you is what matters. Thankfully, you know that God favors you. God delights in you. God loves you. He is on your side. Whatever wrath your sins have stirred up has been poured onto Jesus. God handed Him over to the evil one and to the world. God abandoned Him to the grave. God allowed Him to suffer shame and despair. God permitted this to happen to His Son for your sake!
Since Jesus died for you, God is free to adopt you in Baptism, pardon you in Absolution, and grant you life in the Lord's Supper. Through these means of grace, your God assures you that Jesus has achieved full reconciliation.
The Lord is your light and salvation. So, whom shall you fear? Nobody! You don't have to fear anything! God is on your side. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
If God Himself be for me, I may a host defy; For when I pray, before me My foes, confounded, fly. If Christ, my head and master, Befriend me from above, What foe or what disaster Can drive me from His love? ("If God Himself Be for Me" LSB 724, st. 1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor René Castillero
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By Higher Things®Today's Reading: Introit for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 27:3-4a, 5; antiphon: v. 1-2)
Daily Lectionary: Joshua 10:1-25; Acts 11:19-30
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? (From the Introit for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In a sense, our problems are manifold. The devil tempts and accuses us. The world threatens us. We try to avoid pain, suffering, and death, but trouble has a way of finding us and death cannot be avoided forever. We are our own worst enemy. We have to struggle with our own depression, fears, anxieties, and guilt.
All of that is true, but there is one problem that outweighs them all – the judgment of God. Think about it. If God is on your side and delights in you, then you have nothing to fear. The devil and the world are no match for the Almighty. God can resurrect the dead. He can forgive your sins and give you worth.
On the other hand, if God is opposed to you, then you are doomed. God is a far greater enemy than the devil or the world. God can kill the body and the soul as well. You might be mighty pleased with yourself, but that won't prevent God from condemning you.
At the end of the day, God's attitude toward you is what matters. Thankfully, you know that God favors you. God delights in you. God loves you. He is on your side. Whatever wrath your sins have stirred up has been poured onto Jesus. God handed Him over to the evil one and to the world. God abandoned Him to the grave. God allowed Him to suffer shame and despair. God permitted this to happen to His Son for your sake!
Since Jesus died for you, God is free to adopt you in Baptism, pardon you in Absolution, and grant you life in the Lord's Supper. Through these means of grace, your God assures you that Jesus has achieved full reconciliation.
The Lord is your light and salvation. So, whom shall you fear? Nobody! You don't have to fear anything! God is on your side. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
If God Himself be for me, I may a host defy; For when I pray, before me My foes, confounded, fly. If Christ, my head and master, Befriend me from above, What foe or what disaster Can drive me from His love? ("If God Himself Be for Me" LSB 724, st. 1)
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor René Castillero