Pathways Press.com

MEDITATION:

Written by Tommy Nelson, a contemporary pastor, speaker, and author. This is an excerpt from his book “A Life Well Lived.”

I wish I could tell you that if you would just go to church, read your Bible, or send money to my ministry, nothing evil would ever happen to you. But I can’t. As a matter of fact, the current “God wants you to be prosperous” and “Bad things can’t happen to Christians” idea is incorrect, cruel, and dangerous. God is not that easy to understand. Solomon says all men are in the hand of God. He is sovereign and doesn’t let us in on all of His plans. But we can be sure that He is a loving Father who will never forsake us. Martin Luther was a German monk who took his religious duties very seriously. He felt the weight of his sin and guilt and worked as hard as he could to earn the favor of God. As a professor at Wittenberg University, he began to read and study. One day he read the text where Jesus Christ said on the cross, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” Luther could not understand it. In all of his monastic life, he had tried to earn heaven by his good deeds. Why did evil crush Jesus – someone who had done no wrong? The simple truth of salvation through the cross that you and I rejoice in, he couldn’t understand. Why did this perfect man have to die? Why? Later on, Luther came to the Book of Romans and saw that “the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith” (Romans 1:17). Luther finally understood that the righteousness of God comes by faith alone. He understood that men are not righteous because they earn the righteousness from God, but because the righteousness of God is given to man through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Suddenly it all fit together for Luther. Jesus was forsaken so that God in His infinite wisdom could save sinners. Christ died for our sins as a perfect man so that God’s wrath would be satisfied. Martin Luther bowed his head and trusted Christ for his salvation. He said he had such great joy that it was as if he had entered into the very gates of heaven. Have faith in your loving Father, who gave up His own Son to be reconciled to you, proving His ultimate lasting love for you regardless of what current difficulties may cause you to think. Obey what you know to obey, enjoy what you can enjoy, and, for the rest, wait on the timing and purposes of God.

PRAYER:

Written by John D. Rayner (1924-2005), a rabbi and author.

When evil darkens our world, give us light. When despair numbs our souls, give us hope. When we stumble and fall, lift us up. When doubts assail us, give us faith. When nothing seems sure, give us trust. When ideals fade, give us vision. When we lose our way, be our guide! That we may find serenity in Your presence, and purpose in doing Your will. Amen.