Shade tree wisdom 2/28/17

Shade Tree Wisdom 2/28/2017 And a prayer for mealtime. “Come, Lord Jesus, be our Guest, and let this Food to us be blessed”. GPD 2//28/17

Shade tree wisdom 2/27/17

Shade Tree Wisdom 2/27/2017 Luther’s evening prayer. “I thank you, my heavenly Father, Through Jesus Christ, Thy dear Son, that you have graciously Kept me this day; and I pray You would forgive all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep This night. For into Thy hands I commend Myself, body and soul and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, That the evil foe may have no power Over me, Amen.” Small Catechism page 31. GPD 2/27/17

Shade Tree Wisdom 2/26/17

Shade Tree Wisdom 2/26/2017 Luther’s morning prayer. “I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, That You have kept me this night From all harm and danger, and I Pray that You would keep me This also from sin and every Evil, that all my doings and Life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, My body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, That the evil foe may have No power over me.” GPD 2/26/17

Shade tree wisdom 2/25/17

Shade Tree Wisdom 2/25/2017 Just because we are sinful we need to be assured again that “I am the one who helps you”, as Isaiah tells us here. “For I, the Lord your God, Hold your right hand; It is I Who say to you, “fear not, I am the One Who helps you.” Isaiah 41,13 The Bible in many places when God speaks starts with “fear not”. And it is so true, for God loves us. GPD 2/25/17

Shade tree wisdom 2/24/17

Shade Tree Wisdom 2/23/2017 St. Paul is simply reminding us not to misuse our freedom in Christ Jesus. “For you were called to Freedom, brothers. Only Do not use your freedom As an opportunity for the flesh, But through love serve one another.” Galatians 5,13 As sinful human beings we have this tendency of misusing the freedom we have in Christ Jesus, and we need to keep it check. GPD 2/23/17

Shade tree wisdom 2/23/17

Shade Tree Wisdom 2/23/2017 St. Paul is simply reminding us not to misuse our freedom in Christ Jesus. “For you were called to Freedom, brothers. Only Do not use your freedom As an opportunity for the flesh, But through love serve one another.” Galatians 5,13 As sinful human beings we have this tendency of misusing the freedom we have in Christ Jesus, and we need to keep it check. GPD 2/23/17

Shade tree wisdom 2/22/17

Shade Tree Wisdom 2/22/2017 Unity is a powerful witness to the world. Jesus taught, That they may all be one, Just as You, Father, are In Me, and I in You, that they also May be in us, so that the World may believe that You have sent Me. John 17,21 Yes, a congregation that lives with affection to each other is a wonderful example to the world. GPD 2/22/17

Shaade tree wisdom 2/21/17

Shade Tree Wisdom 2/21/2017 Understand this truth and stop worrying about things you’ve done, because what Jeremiah says is so true. “The heart is deceitful Above all things, and Desperately sick, who Can understand it? Jeremiah 17,9. Indeed, “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”, hence our gratitude for Jesus Christ, who died to pay for our sins. GPD 2/21/17

Shade tree wisdom 2/18/17

Shade Tree Wisdom 2/18/2017 Do we who are believers in the saving Gospel ever wonder what it’s like not know? “Truly ,truly, I say to you Whoever believes has Eternal life. I am The bread of life.” John 6,47.48. We know what this means. But do they? That’s why Jesus, in His final command, told His disciples to Go and Tell. GPD 2/18/17

Shade tree wisdom 2/17/17

Shade Tree Wisdom 2/17/2017 In the small catechism under the 8th commandment Luther speaks of our neighbor and how we treat them when he says “and put the best construction on everything.” “Therefore, having put away Falsehood, let each one of you Speak the truth with his Neighbor, for we are members Of one another.” Ephesians 4,25 Our sinful nature is always inclined to jump to the wrong conclusion when we notice some act or other. Dr. Luther warns this wrong, see the best, not the worst. GPD 2/17/17

Shade tree wisdom 2/15/17

Shade Tree Wisdom 2/15/2017 Jesus is telling His disciples how it is hard for the wealthy to enter, then He ads. “With man it is impossible, But not with God. For All things are possible With God.” Mark 10, 27 For it is God Who sent His Son to die to pay for our sins. GPD 2/15/17

Shade tree wisdom 2/14/17

Shade Tree Wisdom 2/14/2017 “Behold, the Lord’s hand is Not shortened, that it Cannot save, or His ear dull, That it cannot hear.” Isaiah 59,1. Today it’s valentines day. Valentine was a priest and physician I n Rome under emperor Claudius. He was martyred for his faith I in 270. Tradition says he left an encouraging not for his jailor’s daughter which was written on an irregularly shaped piece of paper, hence the heart shaped valentines we send. GPD 2/14/17

Shade tree wisdom 2/13/17

Shade Tree Wisdom 2/13/2017 This was the voice which Paul heard to begin his ministry. And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision. “Do not be afraid, but go On speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attach you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are My people.” Acts 18, 9-10. And the command still holds. For us too. GPD 2/13/17

SHADE TREE WISDOM 2/11/17

Shade Tree Wisdom 2/11/2017 The Psalmist has been struggling, and he has reach this conclusion. “For it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord my refuge, That I may tell of all His works.” Psalm 73,28. This shows us the end result of such a struggle, and the other result, to ”tell of all His works”. In short, tell the story of Jesus. GPD 2/11/17

SHADE TREE WISDOM 2/10/17

Shade Tree Wisdom 2/10/2017 So, our God is always there. The Old Testament prophet, Habakkuk says: “For still the vision awaits Its appointed time; it hastens To the end – it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; It will surely come; It will not delay.” Habakkuk 2,3. Psalm 33,20 writes, “Our soul waits for the Lord, He is our help and our shield.” Patience is a virtue most of us have to work to achieve. GPD 2/10/17

Shade tree wisdom 2/9/17

Shade Tree Wisdom 2/9/2017 Our lives for the most part are very busy. Do this, join that, let us go here, or we must attend that. Always on the move. So Jesus said to His disciples: “Come away by yourselves To a desolate place And rest a while.” Mark 6,31 Do you do that? Maybe go to your room alone simply to pray, read the Scripture, or just nap ? Jesus suggested that sort of thing for His disciples, and He said “desolate place”. Which really means getting away, really getting away. Try it. GPD 2/9/17

Shade tree wisdom 2/8/17

Shade Tree Wisdom 2/8/2017 There is found food for our spiritual needs “I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the House of the Lord.” Psalm 122, 1 And what is the church like? Do you find welcome, or more to the point, are you being spiritually well fed, told the salvation story, that Christ died for you? GPD 2/8/17

SHADE TREE WISDOM 2/7/17

Shade Tree Wisdom 2/7/2017 This is most important for any preacher. “For I decided to know Nothing among you Except Jesus Christ, And Him crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2,3 This Gospel would be a wonderful sermon when one begins a pastorate. Nothing but the Cross, till it becomes a ’given’. The Good news first and always. GPD 2/7/17

Shade tree wisdom 2/6/17

Shade Tree Wisdom 2/6/2017 Some bad things happen to us because God loves us and means to strengthen our faith. The writer to Hebrews writes: “For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives.” Hebrews 12,6 That should explain everything that goes on in our lives, either good or bad. God has our good in mind, always. GPD 2/6/17

SHADE TREE WISDOM 2/5/17

Shade Tree Wisdom 2/5/2017 St. Mark seems to be in a hurry to tell the Salvation story when he writes. “The time is fulfilled, And the kingdom of God Is at hand, repent and Believe in the Gospel,” Mark 1,15 Getting the Gospel into the world is our job and God invites us to be busy with it. Afraid you will be ignored, pitied, get people angry or upset. God can and will support us. GPD 2/5/17

Shade tree wisdom 2/3/17

Shade Tree Wisdom 2/3/2017 We are always getting lost and need guiding. Let the poet help us. “Jesus sinners doth receive; Oh, may all this saying ponder. Who inn sins delusions live And from God and heaven wander? Here is hope for all who grieve, Jesus sinners doth receive.” TLH 609,1 GPD 2/3/17

SHADE TREE WISDOM 2/2/17

Shade Tree Wisdom 2/2/2017 The prophet Ezekiel speaks of life when he says, “Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine; the soul who sins shall die.” Ezekiel 18,4. Our life is a gift from God, and He offers forgiveness through Jesus Christ. And that forgiveness is freely available to every soul GPD 2/2/17

Shade Tree Wisdom 2/1/2017 Like St. Paul, we too can be sure. He said, “For I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have Believed, and am convinced That He is able to guard until That day what has been Entrusted to me.” 2 Timothy 1,7. Paul taught, “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” This is the message he was not ashamed of, for it is sure. GPD 2/1/17