The God of Our Fathers

 The God of Our Fathers

Guest Blog by Gary Riedel

S - SCRIPTURE:  Acts 24:14b “I worship the God of our fathers believing everything laid down by the law and written in the prophets, having a hope in God.”

O - OBSERVATION: This is a part of Paul’s confession to Felix, the Roman governor. God of our fathers means the God of all the great patriarch’s in the Old Testament, the one and only Eternal Triune God! The very same God we worship today as we are part of the Communion of Saints. Paul is witnessing to the Roman authorities that he will stand on the precepts of “The God of our Fathers”, regardless of the consequences! This is a courageous statement and his very life may be at stake because of it.

A - APPLICATION: Paul’s courage is of course a reflection of the faith given to him by God’s Holy Spirit. We can have the same courage of our convictions if we read God’s word daily, meditate on it and ask His Spirit to work in our hearts. Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. One word of caution, we cannot force ourselves to have faith but we can enhance the opportunities for God’s Spirit to work faith in our hearts. 

P - PRAYER: Gracious Father, open the eyes of our heart so that we may see Jesus, so that our faith would grow and by faith we will see Jesus in Eternity as we live forever with “The God of our Fathers.” In Jesus Name, Amen

Be in God's word - Daily!!!

S - Scripture
Psalm 104 v. 34  May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.

O - Observation
Meditation. Webster defines meditate as to "clear your mind and enter into complete calm." I think Webster has this definition only half right, when I think of meditation for God. The calm part. Psalm 46 v. 10a, "Be STILL, and know that I am God, I am exalted among the nations, I am exulted in the earth." With life buzzing around at a 100 miles and hour, we need to pause, eliminate our distractions so we can focus. Unlike Webster, once we're still, we don't want to clear our mind, instead we want to fill it with God's word. We need to find a verse in the Bible and SOAP it, pray on it, think about how it can apply to your life. This  is the meditation that is pleasing to the Lord.
 
A - Application
Am I meditating? Is it pleasing to the Lord?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Let my meditation be pleasing to you.  Love Will

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Play the Game God has called you to

S - Scripture
Psalm 104 v. 33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.

O - Observation
Play the entire game. Sports people talk about playing the whole 60 minutes. Every second counts, whether its in the first half or the second half. So it should be for us. 2 Timothy 4 v. 7-8a, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness." Playing the entire game of life for Christ will reap eternal rewards. We need to recognize that everyday is an opportunity to show/reflect God's love. Just as in sports, there are key moments in a game, sometimes those moments are born from the routine, a hand off down the middle, becomes an 80 yard touchdown. So it can be for us. The routineness of going to work could result in a key play for us and for Jesus. We just need to be in the game.

A - Application
Do I put on my game face every morning?

P - Prayer
Jesus, As long as I live, I want to play the game for you.  Love Will

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God Understands

S - Scripture
Psalm 103 v. 14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

O - Observation
Thank God for his memory! Thank God that he knows we are born sinful. He knows that we are mere mortals. He knows our thoughts, our strengths and weaknesses. Paul sums this up quite nicely in Romans 7 v. 15, "I do not understand my own actions, for I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." That's the beauty of this Psalm. God understands. And better yet, he cares. He cared enough to send his Son Jesus so that through him we can be forgiven of our sinful nature and bonded to him in perfect harmony. Romans 7 v. 24-25a, "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God though Jesus Christ  our Lord!"

A - Application
How well do you know your frame? How well do you know that God knows your frame?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Thanks for understanding and loving me.  Love Will

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Be sure to Pause and Thank Jesus for all he's done for you

S - Scripture
Psalm 103 v. 12 As far as the East is from the West, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

O - Observation
Blameless. Pure. Holy. That's what this verse is saying about us. Through Jesus, God has removed all our sins, all our violations against God and man. Think about it, if all our sins are pulled out of us and thrown away, so far away that it isn't even a memory, then we become Pure. Why is this so important? Hebrew 9 v. 27-28. "And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that COME JUDGMENT, so Christ having been offered once to bear the sins of many (removing transgression from East to West), will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." So on that day of judgment, where we gave an account of our life, we can rest in comfort with the words from Hebrew 10 v. 18, "I will remember their sins and misdeeds no more."

A - Application
Have I paused and thanked Jesus what he's done for me?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Thank you for removing my sins, for making me pure.  Love Will

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God's Love for your is unimaginable

S - Scripture
Psalm 103 v. 11 For as the Heavens are high above the Earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him. 

O - Observation
Unattainable love. That is the sort of love Jesus has for us. It is something we can never match. Think about how high the heavens are. Even with Super high powered telescopes we are seeing galaxies 100's of light years away. Such a big gap, but realize this, nothing can separate us from God's love. Romans 8 v. 38-39. "For I am SURE that neither death nor life, nor angles, nor principalities, not things present, nor things to come, not powers not HEIGHT, nor dept, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." That is what is so special about Jesus, He loves us more than we love him.

A - Application
Knowing that you have God's unending love, how does that change your outlook on life?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Thank you for your love as HIGH as the heavens.  Love Will

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The Lord has Steadfast Love for you

S - Scripture
Psalm 103 v. 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast Love.

O - Observation
A Fave!!! This one's worth rereading again slowly. This is the description of my God. This verse gives me confidence on days that I screw up. My God still loves me. My God is patience with me. My God sacrifices all for me. 1 Corinthians 13 v. 3 really points this all out for us. "If I gave away all I have , and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing." Think about it. God gave away his only Son. Jesus gave up God ship to become man. Jesus delivered his body to be destroyed, all this while maintaining love. This is evident by his words on the cross, Luke 23 v, 34, "And Jesus said, :"Father forgive them for they know not what they do." Jesus gained everything since he did this out of Love for us. We win because of his bounding steadfast love!!!

A - Application
Have I committed this verse to memory?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Thanks for your steadfast love.  Love Will

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Everything Possible

 Everything Possible

Guest Blog by Gary Riedel

S - SCRIPTURE: 

Mark 9:23 “If you can?”Jesus said, “Everything is possible for him who believes."

O-OBSERVATION: 

This is the response of Jesus to the father of a boy possessed by a demon since birth. After Jesus said this the father said, “I believe, help me overcome my unbelief.” The result, the demon was tossed out and for the first time in his young life the boy was normal. The lesson here is that God is faithful to those who put their faith and trust in Him, Jesus always triumphs over every evil the devil can throw at us. Jesus gives us the faith to believe, and rewards that faith by purging the evil from us if we but in faith ask Him to do it.

A - APPLICATION: 

I write this for two reasons: one in our visioning process, I believe God will reveal His will for us in this process, help us with any unbelief. Secondly; Covid has again reared it’s ugly head, Jesus has dominion over this for sure. Jesus has conquered every evil and that includes any variant of Covid. That doesn’t give us license to act stupid in the face of this disease, but in faith we understand God is in control, He cares about us, the very hairs of our head are numbered, Luke 12:7. His ministry in our Church must continue as an act of faith!

P - PRAYER: Gracious Father, help us with our unbelief, and strengthen each of us through Your word and Sacrament. Help us to trust You above all else! In Jesus Name, Amen

Bless the Lord with all you got!

S - Scripture
Psalm 103 v. 1 Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his Holy Name!!

O - Observation
100% We  need to give all that we have to honoring God. Jesus tells us in Matthew 22 v. 37, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." Why wouldn't we? After all, through him we will have eternal life in Heaven. I find it interesting that this psalm talks about blessing the Lord. Isn't this usually done visa versa? One of the definitions of Bless that Webster has is to "to make Holy." But isn't God already Holy? Yes, but don't forget our part. 1 Corinthians 3 v. 16, "Do you knot know that you are God's temple and that God's spirit dwell in you?" If we "house" the Lord, would we not want to bless it?

A - Application
Am I blessing the Lord with my body, mind and spirit?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Bless you O my soul, and all that is within me.   Love Will

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Serve the Lord with Gladness!!!

S - Scripture
Psalm 100 v. 2 Serve the Lord with Gladness! Come into his presence with singing!

O - Observation
Serving with Gladness. 2 Corinthians 9 v. 7, "Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly, or under compulsion, for God loves a Cheerful giver." This is the heart work of a Christian. Am I serving God because of the Law, or because of the Gospel? Serving God because of the Law is serving under fear of punishment. We know the rules, but we can't keep them. So we try harder! But, freeing yourself from the Law, recognizing that Jesus died on the cross and rose again for your sins removes the burden, the fear of the Law. 1 John 4 v. 19a "There is no fear in love, but PERFECT LOVE DRIVES OUT FEAR." Life without fear, is reason to serve with Gladness.

A - Application
What's motivating me to serve the Lord? Law or Gospel?

P - Prayer
Jesus, I serve you with Gladness.   Love Will

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Make your life a Melody for the Lord

S - Scripture
Psalm 98 v. 5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody.

O - Observation
Music. Music for the soul. Music to reflect how we feel. Music is such a critical thing in our lives. This verse is the follow up to the previous verse where we talk about making a joyful noise This verse is all about coordination, composition, intentionality. Music is a lot about our lives. We need to be coordinated. We need to meet regularly with other believers. We need to understand each of our gifts and how they work together. We need to compose. We need to take the word of God and apply it to our lives. Compose, if you will, who we are and what we are about. Finally we need to be intentional. We need to share the music, the source of music of our lives with others.

A - Application
Am I making music for the Lord?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Let my life be the sound of Melody for you.  Love Will

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Look around! The earth reflects God's Glory

S - Scripture
Psalm 98 v. 4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth, break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

O - Observation
All the earth! The whole creation should sing to the Lord. After all, we are marvelously and wonderfully made. God has positioned the earth just perfectly and spins it just perfectly to sustain the life that he has created. Any closer to the sun and we would fry. Any further away, and we would freeze. Night and day, the right amount of gravity. Rain. All this sustains us. Perfect. His plan for our salvation - perfect. John 3 v. 16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, who so ever believes in him will be saved. " - Perfect. In all these things, what have we've done to make it so? Nothing! Its all God. Which is all the more reason why the whole earth should break forth in song!

A - Application
Am I making a joyful noise to the Lord?

P - Prayer
Jesus, I am amazed by all that you have done! Whoot, Whoot!!   Love Will

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Be Consistent!!!

S - Scripture
Psalm 96 v. 2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.

O - Observation
Consistency. I really appreciate the second half of this verse, "tell of his salvation from day to day." The inertia of sin pulls us away from the truth. The goal of the Devil and the plans he has for us, "Steal, kill and destroy" only makes the Pull stronger. That is why we must be daily in the word of God. This is the antidote to the Pulls of sin and the devil.  Moses’s instruction to the nation of Israel as give by God was right on then and now. Deuteronomy 6 v. 7b, "And (you) shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise." We must continually keep our eye's focused on our salvation - Jesus!!

A - Application
Am I telling or reading of Jesus salvation on a daily basis?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Help me to be consistently in your word.  Love Will

Remember, Each Day is a Fresh Start

S - Scripture
Psalm 96 v. 1 O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth!

O - Observation
A new song. This morning I can totally relate. Yesterday, Blizzard. Today the sun is shining, and everything is covered in snow. Lots of it. The past two days is a great reflection of faith in Jesus. Life has its storms, loneliness, guilt, sin. Just like yesterday, there was no end in sight. But, Today is new, it is refreshing , the sun shines. Hope springs forth. Just like having Jesus in our life. The sun comes out, brightens our outlook, covers our sins with the white snow. Isaiah 1 v. 19b, "Thou your sins are like scarlet, they shall be a white as snow."  So today begins the word of shoveling, digging out of the snow. Just like our faith in Jesus we need to work at it.

A - Application
Do I sing a new song? Am I thankful for my fresh start?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Thank you for the new days.  Love Will

God's Plan

 God's Plan

Guest Blog by Gary Riedel

S - SCRIPTURE: 

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

O - OBSERVATION: As we at AIC look for God’s vision for our future, this is a good verse on which to meditate. God’s plans for us only include what is best for us, God will not conceive anything evil for His people, the important action for us is to seek His face, His will, and for all of us to diligently be in prayer about what’s next for our Church. The beautiful thing about which we can be certain is that God already knows what our next steps should be, we must pray He reveals it to us. 

A - APPLICATION: We must remember God has promised us a future and hope, I need to repeat, understanding God’s will for us necessarily means prayer. Diligent, fervent prayers to

let His will be done among us. God is faithful and just with His people, thankfully He is also gracious and merciful. His Mission is our salvation and that of the world. 1 Timothy 2:4 God would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of His truth. So, what is God’s plan? To bring Salvation to the world, may He show us our part in this marvelous plan!

P - PRAYER: Gracious Father, Give Your people a heart for You, the wisdom to know Your will, and the will to seek Your ways, for they are not our ways. May Jesus be in all we do.

In Jesus Name, Amen 

Approach God with Confidence

S - Scripture
Psalm 95 v. 2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving , let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise.

O - Observation
Come into his presence. Wow!! Think about it. Coming into the Presence of the Creator of the Universe. Now that a knee dropping experience. Talk about feeling insignificant. But, we're not. We were bought with a price. God sacrificed his son so that we may be saved. Because of that, this verse really rings true. Hebrew 4 v. 16, "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may find mercy and find grace to help in the time of need." Yes, approaching God's throne with confidence will be a lot like coming into his presence with thanksgiving.
 
A - Application
Do I feel confident to approach God?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Thank you for having your door open to me.   Love Will

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Be Noisy!!!

S - Scripture
Psalm 95 v. 1 O come, let us sing to the Lord, let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our Salvation!

O - Observation
Joyful noise. I love this verse. Joyful noise could very well describe my singing. Noise is loud, noise is notable, noise draws attention. I think one of the most joyful noises I have heard was watching a Mizzou football player return the opening kickoff for a touchdown against Oklahoma. 70 thousand people went crazy. I'm sure you could heart that joyful noise for miles. I think about that emotion, which was good for a fleeting second, compared to what Jesus has done for us, which is good for eternity. Now that should be a noise that should be heard around the world! We can do it. We need to be noisy. We need to be joyful in singing  to the Lord.

A - Application
Am I being noisy?

P - Prayer
Jesus, WHOOO WOOT, WOOT, WHOOOO!!!! You are the Rock of my Salvation.  Love Will

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He is NOT going away

S - Scripture
Psalm 94 v. 14 For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage.

O - Observation
He is not going away. He is not turning his face away from us. This is one of the more comforting verses. Regardless of how much I make a mess of me, God, Jesus will not abandon me. How do I know this? Because I am his. Jesus said in Matthew 12 v. 50, "For whoever does the will of my Father is heaven is my brother, and sister and mother." I am family and my Heavenly Father is VERY interested in me. But what is the "will of the Father?'  What do I have to do to earn this? 1st) The will of the Father is that everyone be saved by believing that Jesus saved us thru his death and resurrection. 2nd) Ephesians 2 v, 8-9,"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and  this is not of your own doing, it is the Gift of God, not because of works, least any man should boast.

A - Application
How does my approach to live change knowing God will not forsake me?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Thank you for always being with me.   Love Will

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We have 24x7 Protection

S - Scripture
Psalm 92 v. 2 to declare thy steadfast love in the morning, and the faithfulness by night.

O - Observation
Day and night. 24 hours. I like how this verse used different verbs for Day and Night. Love during the Day. Love during the waking hours. Love is a verb. Love is commitment. Love is showing as well as telling. 1 Peter 4 v. 8b, "Love covers a multitude of sins." Jesus love for us does this one better than covering our sins, he REMOVES them. Isaiah 1 v. 18b, "Thou your sins be like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." Then at night, after the waking hours, when you retire to recharge, you get faithfulness. Loyalty. Security. Much like the warmth of a blanket that we wrap ourselves in when we sleep. We sleep secure. we know that God is faithful and just. He has kept every promise. His word is a lock. He tells us in Matthew 28 v,. 20b, "Lo, I am with you always."

A - Application
Am I thankful for the 24 hour protection I have in Jesus?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Thank you for your Love and Faithfulness.   Love Will

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Remember to do the Good Thing!!!

S - Scripture
Psalm 92 v. 1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to thy name, O most High.

O - Observation
Its a good thing. Martha Stewart must of borrowed this from the Psalmist, David. Maybe NOT!! But, she was on the right track, conceptually. It is a good thing to thank and praise the one who has save us. 1 Corinthians 6 v. 20, "you were bought with a price. So Glorify God in your body."  The price was steep, our value high, the cost was - God the Father sending his only son to be human, to feel and experience what we do, to be physically punished and tortured, to dies on a cross. All that for you and I . But it gets better, Jesus rose from the Dead. Jesus conquered Death. Thru him we have no fear. Now that's a GOOD THING.

A - Application
Am I doing good things by thanking and praising God?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Thank you. You are name above all names. .   Love Will

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