January 26, 2024 — “Satisfaction is the Foe of Progress”

“Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near…” Isaiah 55:1-6

“As long as people are satisfied, they are content to remain as they are. Satisfaction is the foe to progress. As long as you are fully satisfied, you are like a sailing-vessel in a dead calm. The sea about you may be very smooth. Everything may be very peaceful and serene. But all the time this calm prevails you are getting nowhere; you are at a standstill. It is only when the wind rises and the swells begin to move the vessel up and down and the sails begin to strain that good progress begins.” (C.W. Naylor, “Heart Talks”, p. 21)

Can our comfort in this life, our satisfaction in Jesus make us poor Christians? What do I mean? If we are happy in the Lord, and content with our faith, does this satisfaction keep us from doing the work that needs to be done? Our satisfaction in Jesus should make us bold Christians eager to share out of our abundance of resources and satisfactions. If you think about it, dissatisfaction is the mother of progress. If people would have been satisfied with candles lighting our homes, or gas lanterns being the norm, then we would never have sought out the need for electricity. If people were grateful for the wagon wheel, and satisfied with “horse” power by real horses, then we would never have had a need for the automobile. Dissatisfaction is the mother of progress – it has always and will always be. As such, as we grow in our faith, and begin to internalize the teachings of Jesus, then we should begin to grow dissatisfied with the direction the world is heading – in terms of care for creation, in terms of how we treat the strangers among us, in terms of how we treat the elderly and the homeless, and in terms of how and whether we offer forgiveness and offer love to all people. In other words, we have to be careful not to rest comfortably in our satisfaction of unlimited Grace that comes through Jesus Christ.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, while there are so many in this world who will never have all they need, help me to be your hands and feet so others will know the satisfaction of a life in you, sharing your love, mercy and grace. Amen.

Pastor Dave

January 25, 2024 — “Positive Trust brings Positive Results”

“Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit. The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse—who can understand it? I the Lord test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings.” Jeremiah 17:7-10

When Luther had a papal bull placed upon him, he burned it on December 10, 1520. This act resulted in his being called to the Diet of Worms, in 1521, to defend his books and other writings. When Luther went to the Diet of Worms, his friends not only tried to deter him from going they also accompanied him to protect him. In fact, when the Elector Frederick the Wise asked Luther if he was willing to go to Worms, Luther said: “If I am called, I shall go; and if I were too sick to go, I shall have them carry me.” The “trial” went as expected – the emperor Charles V wanted him to recant his writings, and Luther refused. He was soon “kidnapped” and taken to the Castle in Wartburg to “go into hiding”.  Now, these events could have put the brakes upon Luther – but the opposite happened. He would take the time while he was in hiding to translate the bible into the German language so that all could read the scriptures. In his unwavering trust in his understanding of Grace and his faith in the Word of G-d, Luther used his time to bring “Positive Results from Positive Trust”. And this kind of trust can be seen not just from Martin Luther but from many a theologian and prophet throughout the millennia.

Our “positive” trust in Jesus should lead us to live into and to live out that same trust in all our relationships. It is our challenge to continue in the footsteps of so many theologians, martyrs and teachers who lived their lives in that trust, no matter the troubles it brought them along the journey.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, I may not have the wisdom of Luther or the resources of Frederick the Wise, but in You I have your love, your grace and your wisdom. Amen.

Pastor Dave