JESUS MADE HIMSELF NOTHING, TAKING THE FORM OF A SERVANT, BEING BORN IN THE LIKENESS OF MEN.  Philippians 2:7

We just celebrated another Christmas. And it seemed like everybody has been trying to outdo themselves.  The world thinks that bigger is better.

Faster is better.  More is better.  Winning is better.  Everyone except God!

Our Lord Jesus emptied Himself and took on the form of a servant.  He could have come with great force.  He could have come in all His majesty.

He could have come with all His angels.  But He chose to come as a tiny baby, helpless, and dependent upon Mary and Joseph to care for Him.

Jesus came to be one of us.  He came to show us the Father. He came to be our Savior.  He did not demand that you and I do great things to earn our way into His favor.  No, He came to us.  He came to do everything for us so that we had His favor.  He came in weakness to make us great. And it’s all because of His grace.

Blessings on your day, 

IN YOUR PRESENCE IS FULLNESS OF JOY; AT YOUR RIGHT HAND ARE PLEASURES FOREVERMORE.   Psalm 16:11

The focus of Advent is usually “God’s presence is more important than presents.”  When we say that and encourage that it is the truth. But if you look at the amount of time spent on shopping for gifts it reveals something else.

In some countries people give gifts on December 6th.  Isn’t that a great idea?  We could get it out of the road early so that we could spend the rest of December focusing upon the real reason we celebrate Christmas, God’s perfect Gift to us.

But often we want other gifts from God, things like health, wealth, knowledge, a better job, a job itself, or a better place to live.  And sometimes we want them more than we want God Himself.

Presents may make us happy for a time, but God’s presence is what gives lasting joy and peace.  I pray that God’s presence would fill you with joy this Christmas season and that the other presents are simply add-ons to your celebrations.

Blessings on your day, 

THE GODLY WALK WITH INTEGRITY   Proverbs 20:7

This is the time of year when everyone is shopping, when many are attending parties, and when there are lots of events going on with lots of people.  And as a result people share germs.  Cold germs.  Flu germs. All kinds of germs.

This year perhaps more than ever we are being made aware of how we need to be careful.  Wash your hands.  Don’t touch your face with your hands.

Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough.

Sickness and illness can throw a wrench into our holiday celebrations and gatherings.  But sickness and illness is as a result of sin and it’s because of sin that we have a holiday celebration. It’s because of Sin that our Lord Jesus Christ came to this world to do something about.  He came to overcome sin and death by going to a cross to suffer, die and rise again for us.

We’re still going to get sick. We’re still going to share germs. And it’s still going to cause a bump in our holidays.  But Jesus has set us free.

We are forgiven and we can rejoice in His grace.

Blessings on your day, 

THE SON OF MAN DID NOT COME TO BE SERVED, BUT TO SERVE. Mark 10:45

Every Thanksgiving and Christmas we hear how the Mayor or the Governor even the President of the United States goes somewhere to serve – maybe a meal at a food kitchen or to hand out groceries at a pantry, or something.

I have always wondered why is this such a news item?

The people in public offices are public servants.  They are serving all the time.  That’s the way it should be with each and every one of us.  We are called to be followers of Jesus Christ.  He was always serving.  He came to serve.  He came to do for us what we could never do for ourselves.

He came to give His life as a ransom for all. He came to go to a cross to suffer, die and rise again for us.

So He is our model and example. We are to follow in His footsteps.  We are to be servants just like He was.  He made it rather clear to us what He expects from us.  “Whoever of you desires to be first shall be the slave of all.”  Service.  We appreciate good service when we receive it. So we should give good service to others.

Blessings on your day, 

HE GAVE UP HIS PLACE WITH GOD AND MADE HIMSELF NOTHING Philippians 2:7

I trust you had a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving.  The news always tells us that SO MANY people travel during these days.  Why?  Why do we do it?

Why do we pack up and get into the car? Why do we go to the airport?  Why do we fight the crowds and all those cars on the busy highway?

I’ll tell you why. It’s because of family.  It’s because we want to be with them. It’s because we want to be with those people we love.  And it all came together as we were gathered around the table holding hands and giving thanks for family, for blessings and for food.

Let me tell you that’s exactly the way it is with God also.  He wants to be with those He loves.  He wants us to be with Him.  Why else do you explain what He did?  Sin had built this wall between us.  And He couldn’t stand it.  So, He sent Jesus to do everything about it.  Jesus gave up His place so that He could remove it for us and bring us back to God.

Blessings on your day, 

NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, ALWAYS BE THANKFUL, FOR THIS IS GOD’S WILL FOR YOU WHO BELONG TO CHRIST JESUS.  1 Thessalonians 5:18

 This is Thanksgiving week and I have to remind you that you can’t always control the kind of service you receive, but you can control the kind of gratitude you deliver.

 Service is big these days. Everyone proclaims it.  But what if the package doesn’t arrive the next day? What if your server at the restaurant messes up your order?  What if the clerk behind the counter is on the phone instead of helping you?  What do you do?  How do you respond?

 Sometimes it is necessary to say something to correct a wrong, but for the most part a little poor service is just an inconvenience.  You can deal with it.  You’ll be okay.  How we respond says a great deal about who we are.  Paul encourages us to ALWAYS be thankful.

 We can certainly be thankful for the service we receive from God and our goal is to pass along that service to others.  No matter what happens – always be thankful.

Blessings on your day, 

EVERYONE WHO ASKS WILL RECEIVE. EVERYONE WHO SEARCHES WILL FIND.   Matthew 7:8

I don’t usually do this but I read this devotion that I thought was very good.  I have to share it with you:  “Once there was a man who dared God to speak:  Burn the bush like you did for Moses, and I will follow you.

Collapse the walls like you did for Joshua and I will fight. Still the waves like you did on Galilee, and I will listen.

And so the man sat by a bush, near a wall, close to the sea and waited for God to speak.

God heard the man and answered. He sent fire, not for a bush, but for a church. He brought down a wall, not of brick, but of sin. He stilled a storm, not of the sea, but of a soul.  And God waited for the man to respond. And He waited…and waited.

But because the man was looking at bushes, not hearts; bricks and not lives, seas and not souls, he decided that God had done nothing. Finally he looked to God and asked, Have you lost your power?

And God looked at him and said, "Have you lost your hearing?”

Blessings on your day, 

LET US RUN THE RACE THAT IS BEFORE US AND NEVER GIVE UP. Hebrews 12:1

 I am attempting to set up a 5K race for July here in Omaha.  And as I have made several phone calls I have been met with several hurdles.  But I remember that the Greek word for race is AGON.  It’s the word from which we get agony.

 I could say it is getting to be a bit of agony to set this up or at least to attempt to.  I keep thinking: It will be worth it.

 But as a runner I also know that races can literally be agony.  Having run several 10K races I know what that last stretch of pavement is like.

 The Christian life is like that as the writer describes.  It’s not a jog but a demanding and sometimes difficult race.  It’s easy to give up, but the race, any race, takes persistence and effort to hang in there.  So let me encourage you today to never give up.

 Let me point you to Jesus.  His best work was his final work.  He endured through a difficult and agonizing time.  And He did it for you.

Blessings on your day, 

YOUR FAITH SHOULD NOT BE IN THE WISDOM OF MEN BUT IN THE POWER OF GOD.  1 Corinthians 2:5

 I was reminded of the problem that mapmakers have when they try to put our round world on a flat map. The Arctic and Antarctic Regions are out of proportions on a flat map. 

 I feel the same way about some books that I read.  I am reading one right now that suggests the author to be a person out of the book of Revelation in the Scriptures.  I think his claim is out of proportion with what the Bible says.  I think he is not seeing things clearly when he says that Jesus will return soon to take over as the world's Ruler. I think he is way off claiming that he knows when the end of the world will happen.  

 I think we all need to be careful that we are following the teachings of God that He reveals in the Holy Scriptures.  Thus we need to get to know them by spending some time with Him in devotion and prayer.  He loves us and He has our best interests at heart. He desires for us to spend eternity with Him in heaven.  THAT is for certain.  You can trust Him for that.

Blessings on your day, 

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD; I WILL BE EXALTED AMONG THE NATIONS, I WILL BE EXALTED IN THE EARTH.  Psalm 46:10

My wife is going to the dentist this week to get a tooth crowned.  I have had three so I know what is ahead for her.  I remember the second time I had it done the dentist kept saying to me "It's okay. Try to relax." 

But think about those two words for a moment.  They don't seem to go together, do they?  Try - that takes effort and work. Relax - that is an absence of effort and work, isn't it?

TRY TO RELAX.

Yes, that's what the Psalmist is encouraging us, isn't he?  Try to relax.  Relax and let God be God.  "Be still."  Be still and know that HE IS GOD! Let Him be God so we can be His creatures, the ones He cares about and cares for.  Let Him be God which means that our task is simply to trust Him and rely upon Him.  Let Him be God and relax.  Give Him your stresses and anxieties today. It will be okay. 

Blessings on your day, 

CAST ALL YOUR CARES UPON HIM BECAUSE HE CARES FOR YOU. 

1 Peter 5:7

Today I still hear some young people respond to adults with one word.  "Whatever", You've heard it. It gives you the feeling that it means "who cares",

Well, it's obvious that the adult giving some direction and help or guidelines cares.  They are taking the time to help this young person.  They are going out of their way to give some advice.  But the youth does not want to hear it. 

It needs to be obvious to us as well that our God cares.  He cares very much.  He cares about us. He cares what we do. He cares what happens to us.  He cares about what we say.  He cares about what our thoughts.  HE CARES! 

And because He does care and because we know He does, we can come to Him with our burdens, our struggles, our problems and ask His wisdom, help and direction.  The fact that He sent Jesus demonstrates the depth of His caring for us.  Remember that, please.

Blessings on your day, 

YOU WERE BOUGHT WITH A PRICE. SO GLORIFY GOD IN YOUR BODY. 

1 Corinthians 6:20

I like to read the Garage Sales section in the newspaper.  I have found some very good bargains there.  I have purchased several coffee pots for church at $2 or $3. I bought a lawnmower for $4. And I was even able to find a snow blower at a great price.

Our God has purchased us with a price, He says.  It wasn't a bargain for it cost Him plenty. In fact it cost Him the life of His own Son.  But God wasn't looking for a sale. He was looking at how He could make it possible for us to spend eternity with Him in heaven. 

But sending His Son to the cross to suffer and die for us demonstrates to you and me how much He cares about it and for us.  He wants us to be with Him.  He wanted that so much that no price was too high to pay.  He was willing to do that for us. 

Now knowing how much He paid for us, means that we are worth a great deal.  And if we are worth a great deal that means that we need to live our lives in a very special way. So as Paul says, let's glorify Him in our bodies.  Let's honor Him in all that we say and do and think.

Blessings on your day, 

NOW I KNOW IN PART; THEN I SHALL KNOW FULLY, EVEN AS I HAVE BEEN FULLY KNOWN.   I Corinthians 13:12

Every once in a while as I get into Nursing homes or Assisted Living homes I notice tables with puzzles on them.  I imagine that some of the residents like to put puzzles together.  Sometimes I stop and look. Sometimes I even put a piece or two into the puzzle.  There are times when I can tell what the picture is and sometimes not. 

You can't always tell what the puzzle looks like from one piece.  But as many pieces get put together it begins to show what the picture is. 

I think the same thing is true with life.  You can't what it looks like from one day or from one experience.  You need to have lots of pieces put together.  We need to see life from a broader perspective to see what it means.  It's like when we look back at events and situations in our lives we may begin to see a reason or two or we may come to know that what seemed like a tragedy was really a blessing.

It's hard for us to see the big picture, because now I know only a few details.  But one day, one day we get to see it all.

Blessings on your day, 

BE ON YOUR GUARD AGAINST EVERY FORM OF GREED.  Luke 12;15

In 1900 the average person living in the United States wanted seventy-two different things and considered 18 of them essential.  Today the average person wants five hundred things and considers one hundred of them essential.

One of the things that this recession has demonstrated is that we wanted stuff and lots of it. And we did everything we could to get it.  Which means that we have a lot of stuff.  But as a result 82% of us battle the pressure of overdue bills.  We spend 110% of our disposable income trying to manage debt.  And all of that puts a lot of pressure on us.

Our Lord Jesus warns us rather boldly about greed.  Where does this desire to have all this stuff come from?  Do we need all the things we have?  Does it make us feel better to have our garages stuffed full?  We do need to be on our guard.

When I was in Germany I noticed that people don't have a lot of stuff.  Many of them do not have a car. They have a bicycle.  They don't own a house, but they live in a flat. They live day by day going to the store to purchase the necessary food items.  How different is their life style from ours.  Be on your guard!

Blessings on your day, 

GOD IS NOT A MAN, THAT HE SHOULD LIE, HE IS NOT A HUMAN, THAT HE SHOULD CHANGE HIS MIND.  HAS HE EVER SPOKEN AND FAILED TO ACT? HAS HE EVER PROMISED AND NOT CARRIED IT THROUGH?  Numbers 23:19

The Bible tells us that God made man in His image.  But as I look at the world I see that we have turned that around.  A lot of people have created God in man's image or at least that's the way they think of Him.  We think or we want Him just like us.

But I, for one, do not want God to be like us.  I don't want Him acting like we do.  I don't want Him doing the things we do.  I want Him to be God.

As Moses states that means that He does not lie.  He does not change His mind.  He does not fail to keep His word and promise.  He doesn't judge unfairly. And He doesn't love conditionally. 

I rejoice that He is God and that He loves me.  And in that Love for me and you He has sent His only begotten Son.  His love will not grow less or grow more for us.  He loves us.  Rejoice in that today.

Blessings on your day, 

DO NOT BE GRIEVED, FOR THE JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH.  Nehemiah 8:10

Recently in my reading through the Old Testament I was reading in the book of Nehemiah and once again I was reminded that in the revitalization process of the people in Jerusalem after the Exile, Ezra, the Scribe, read to the people for six hours, teaching them what the Word said.

Six Hours!  And it says that the people listened attentively.  Some times you and I have a difficult time listening attentively to the Word read in worship for 6 minutes.  So, I can't imagine listening to someone read from the Bible for six hours. 

But these people had experience a drought of God's Word.  They hadn't heard it for a long time. And they were eager to listen and to learn.  They had been without.  And so they listened attentively.

If only you and I could acquire a desire for the Word like that.  If only you and I could have a hunger like that.  If only you and I would commit to a daily time to feed our hunger and to enable us to learn more carefully about our God's love for us. It would be of great benefit to us.  You don't have to work at it for 6 hours, just a few minutes.

Blessings on your day, 

IF ANYONE SERVES ME, LET HIM FOLLOW ME; AND WHERE I AM, THERE MY SERVANT WILL BE ALSO.    John 12:26

Don't you just love those people who ask you, you know, those questions, the questions that make you think?  I remember reading about this college student who worked with a man who was like that. 

This student announced to this man that he was transferring to another school.  The man asked "Why?"  The student said "Because all my friends are transferring."  The man thought for a moment and responded "I guess that's one way to pick a school."

That caused the student to think if that were a good reason to choose a school, to follow his friends.  And would he always follow his friends?

Jesus stated 25 times in the New Testament "Follow Me". Of all the friends that we have He's the best Friend to follow.  He knows the way.  In fact He is the Way.  If we want to find our way through life, then we need to follow Him.  I encourage you today, to heed His invitation to FOLLOW HIM.

Blessings on your day, 

THE HEARTS OF THIS PEOPLE HAVE GROWN DULL. THEIR EARS ARE HARD OF HEARING AND THEIR EYES THEY HAVE CLOSED.   Matthew 13:15

A couple of weeks ago our Gospel Lesson talked about the people who had heart trouble.  Jesus said that these people honored Him with their lips but that their hearts were far from Him.

I am wondering about your heart today.  Sometimes we tend to focus on believing with our minds and working with our hands but our hearts are pushed to the side.  But if you notice the first thing that a doctor does is listen to your heart.  The first thing that you and I need to do is ask ourselves "How's our heart?" For faith and serving are probably more a matter of our heart than anything else. 

So, HOW is your heart?  It's easy to neglect them.  Just like it might be easy to keep them in good shape with exercise, so it might be easy also to gloss over the minor pain of a heart attack, in the same way it might be very easy to let our heart relationship with Jesus slide.  It's dangerous to do both. 

Work on your heart today.  Keep them in tune with Jesus by staying in His Word and let Him keep your heart healthy.

Blessings on your day, 

AND HE WHO WAS SEATED ON THE THRONE SAID, "BEHOLD, I AM MAKING ALL THINGS NEW."  Revelation 21:5

Summer is over!  I think that means that vacations, at least for students and teachers, are over!  As many of you know the word "vacation" comes from the Latin for "freedom".

And that's what they are supposed to be.  Freedom.  Freedom from schedules.  Freedom from routines.  Freedom from phones.  Freedom from computers.  Freedom from stress. Freedom from a lot of things.

But I don't think that really applies today to vacations.  We take our work with us. We do that by taking our phone.  Our phone can do everything. We can check our email. We can check in at the office. We can do a lot of things without being there. We can.

But the words from Revelation remind us that our God still sits on the throne and wants us to take time for Him.  He has made us new creations in Jesus Christ and in fact every day He re-news us in His grace.  Please stay in contact with Him.  You can't use your phone for that but you can use His Word.  Take time today.

Blessings on your day, 

". . .MAKING THE BEST USE OF THE TIME. . ."    Ephesians 5:16

That was part of yesterday's New Testament Lesson.  I think Judy and I tried to do that while we were in Germany. We walked between 3 and 5 miles every day seeing as much as we could. 

From one end of the community of historic Wittenberg to the other was close to a mile.  Along the way was the Luther House where Martin Luther actually lived. It was the former Augustinian Monastery.  Then there was the Melanchthon House where Philipp Melanchthon actually lived. 

But there were other places. We walked the 15 or so blocks to the Hunterwasser School, the 20 blocks to the cookie factory, and the 20 blocks to the Elbe River. 

In the evening we either spent time talking or reading because all the shops close at 6 pm.

Being in Wittenberg was a time to reflect and consider just how we do use our time.  We are busy, too busy.  And certainly we need to spend more time with our families but especially with the Lord.  My encouragement to you today is to think about how you might make better use of the time that our God gives to you.

Blessings on your day, 

GRACE ALONE, FAITH ALONE, SCRIPTURE ALONE

Greetings from Wittenberg, Germany, the home of the Reformation.  These past two weeks have been an incredible time of learning not only the history of the Reformation but also some of the history of Europe.  I am amazed at how our God used not only Martin Luther but so many people including Frederick the Wise to accomplish His will in this matter.

And I praise Him that He continues to give us men and women who desire to share His message of Grace alone, Faith alone, and Scripture alone with our world.  It truly is by Grace that we are His children, and that we are able to believe in Him and trust Him for forgiveness and salvation. 

It has been good to see buildings and places that are so important to our history as Christians.  And what a joy to have been able to stand in the two churches, especially the Town Church of St Mary (the Stadtkirche) where Martin Luther actually preached.  The first part of this building was built around 1280.  How many people have been touched by God's Word proclaimed from its pulpit?

But it especially was a blessing to me to receive an actual picture of the home that my Great Grandfather lived in from a man in his hometown!  And it truly was by the grace of God that I was able to meet this man and visit with him!! 

How He loves us and cares for us!

Blessings on your day, 

August 3

Pastor Holling is in Germany