Daily Reflections From Higher Things®

Today's Reading: Introit for the 15th Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 86:4, 6, 15a, 16; antiphon: v. 1a, 2b, 3) Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 2:11-20; 4:1-6; 1 Timothy 2:1-15 Be merciful to me, O Lord, For I cry to You all day long. (From the Introit for the 15th Sunday after Trinity) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Do you really cry out to God all day long? Do you even give the Lord a second thought? Ever gone from waking up all the way through the end of the day without evening thinking of the Lord? Without remembering that God created you and gives you what you have every day? Forgetting that you live as one redeemed by Christ the crucified? Without even thinking that you might need the Holy Spirit for your day? Sure we do! That's why this psalm calls us back in repentance to faith in Jesus and trust in His promises. Tomorrow we have worship at church. We set aside at least one day a week to go and hear God's Word and be reminded that we need to cry to Him all the day long. We need to remember that we so easil

Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 1:1-2:10; 1 Timothy 1:1-20 And they said to me, "The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire." (Nehemiah 1:3) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Nehemiah was a faithful follower of God who lived his life in exile. He was the cup-bearer to King Artaxerxes of Persia. Nehemiah knew his people were in captivity because they had turned away from the Lord. But even while they were in exile the Lord was gracious to them. The King permitted Nehemiah to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the city, including the temple where God Himself dwelt. Jesus once told the Jews to tear down the temple and it would be rebuilt in three days. At that time, the temple was the one King Herod had built. But Jesus meant the Temple of His body, which would be killed and then rise again on the Third Day. From the days of Moses, the tabernacle (tent of meeting), followed by the

Today's Reading: Galatians 5:16-24 Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 36:1-23; Colossians 4:1-18 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. (Galatians 5:25-26) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Paul's lists of the works of the flesh is not exhaustive. I'm sure you could have a lot more sins listed there. But the works of the flesh all have one thing in common: They are selfish. They are all about pleasing ourselves. They are about putting ourselves first and ahead of everyone else. Lust, coveting, anger, and all the rest are all about giving me what I want no matter who gets hurt. Those desires, along with the idol we make of ourselves, need to be crucified with Christ and drowned by the Spirit in Baptism. The gifts of the Spirit, on the other hand, are self-LESS. They put God and others first, ahead of ourselves. That's why there are fruits of the Spirit. The Spirit grows in us those fruits, those gifts and qualities which ar

Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Sacrament of the Altar Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 35:1-7, 16-25; Colossians 3:1-25 How can bodily eating and drinking do such great things? Certainly not just eating and drinking do these things, but the words written here: "Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins." These words, along with the bodily eating and drinking, are the main thing in the Sacrament. Whoever believes these words has exactly what they say: "forgiveness of sins." (Small Catechism: Sacrament of the Altar, pt.3) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The promise of the Sacrament of the Altar not just that it's Jesus' Body and Blood. His Word also tells us why it works and what it does: "Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins." Those words are full of the very promises of the Son of God who made all things. It was the Word of God, after all, which said, "Let there be plants according to their kind: including wheat, and grapes." When the Lord spoke that Word, those things came to be. It

Today's Reading: Proverbs 4:10-23 Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 34:1-4, 8-11, 14-33; Colossians 2:8-23 But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble. (Proverbs 4:18-19) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Ethics. Morality. Virtue. "Good decisions." The world is full of advice on how to get through life successfully and with minimal conflict and irritation. Many people read the book of Proverbs and think that's what is being taught: a religious take on "self-help" and "worldly wisdom." But that's not it. True wisdom is faith in Jesus Christ. It is the knowledge that apart from Jesus we are nothing but condemned sinners who have nothing and live by nothing other than our own selfishness. To have the light of Christ through faith is to acknowledge that it is God alone who saves us and gives us life and strength and patience to live life in this world. Christians often say, "I just

Today's Reading: John 12:20-33 Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 33:1-25; Colossians 1:24-2:7 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. (John 12:24) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We take the cross for granted, as if it's not an awful symbol of death. What if the main symbol of Christianity were an electric chair or hangman's noose, or a guillotine, or a lethal injection needle? Would that be weird? The cross is exactly that: a means of execution—and a painful and awful execution at that! It's a symbol of death. Perhaps the reason we cherish the cross as the symbol of the Christian faith is that no matter how awful, evil, painful, and terrible that death of Jesus was on that Cross, its purpose and what it accomplished was to save us from our sins, to rescue us from eternal judgment and to give us everlasting life. In other words, what was an instrument of torture and death, God Himself turned into the symbol

Today's Reading: Luke 17:11-19 Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 32:1-22; Colossians 1:1-23 "Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" And He said to him, "Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well." (Luke 17:18-19) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Do we think the other nine lepers weren't grateful or thankful that Jesus healed them? I'm sure they were! I'm sure they were ecstatic that they didn't have leprosy anymore. But Jesus isn't asking why they didn't come back to say "Thank you!" He's asking why only one came back to "give glory to God." To "give glory to God" isn't just being polite and minding our manners, and saying, "Thank you." To give God glory is to recognize that the Son of God in the flesh is God with us and He's the most important thing we need. What this Samaritan realizes that the others don't seem to, is that if Jesus can heal leprosy, He can save sinners. He realizes that he doesn't just need Jesus to make his nasty flesh disease go away. He n

Today's Reading: Introit for the 14th Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 84:1-2a, 4, 10b, 11b; antiphon: vs. 9-10a) Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 31:1-21; Philippians 4:1-23 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. (From the Introit for the 14th Sunday after Trinity) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Where would you like to be on Sunday morning? In church? Under your covers? At a friend's house? Somewhere else doing something fun? The psalmist thinks there's no better place to be than in God's house. He'd rather be a doorkeeper (like an usher at church?) even though that's a little job in the temple, than be where the wicked are. For Christians now, this psalm isn't just about going to a particular building. The Temple is Jesus. To desire the Temple is to desire Jesus. Better to be where Jesus is than anywhere else. After all, where else can you have your sins washed away? Where else will the Lord's he

Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 29:1-24; Philippians 3:1-21 Then he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them in the East Square, and said to them: "Hear me, Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and carry out the rubbish from the holy place. (2 Chronicles 29:4-5) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy all describe and detail how the services of the Lord should be held, how the tabernacle and its furniture should be built, what sacrifices were to be made, how the priests would dress and what their duties were, what feasts and festivals the people were to observe, and how the priests and people were to worship the Lord. Once they got settled in the Promised Land, they pretty much did mostly none of that! Over time, the temple fell into disrepair and the people forgot God Himself, much less how to come and receive His gifts. King Hezekiah saw that and said, "We gotta fix this! Okay, you priests, time to get to

Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 9:1-13; 10:18-29; Philippians 2:12-30 Then he arose and went into the house. And he poured the oil on his head, and said to him, "Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I have anointed you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel. You shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel.'" (2 Kings 9:6-7) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The history of Israel (the ten northern tribes that split from Judah and Benjamin) is one of wicked king after wicked king. The Lord continued to send prophets to the evil kings to call them to repentance and urge them to return to following the true God. They didn't, and they persecuted and killed the Lord's preachers, besides. When God got angry enough, He would send along the next king and usually by violence against the current king, the new one would take over. It was God's judgment on His wicked people. God doesn't put up

Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Sacrament of the Altar Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 6:1-23; Philippians 1:21-2:11 What is the benefit of this eating and drinking? These words, "Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins," show us that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation. (Small Catechism: Sacrament of the Altar, pt. 2) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Bread, but barely. Wine, but probably not the kind that tastes good. Kneeling while the pastor gives you a wafer and a sip from the chalice. Looks like a pious ritual. What's the big deal? It's not what we see, but what the Word of Jesus says is going on. That's bread and wine which are also His Body and Blood. There is a gift there that we don't see with our eyes. It is the gift of the flesh and blood of the Lamb of God who has taken away our sins. Are your sins forgiven? Does God really forget about all the bad stuff you've d

Today's Reading: Galatians 3:15-22 Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 5:9-27; Philippians 1:1-20 What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. (Galatians 3:19) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. True or False: God would not have given us the Ten Commandments if we could not keep them. How you answer this question shows whether you believe in a religion of obedience that will be rewarded or a faith that clings to grace that is given to the undeserving. If we could keep the commandments, if it were possible to obey the Law and to love God and our neighbor on our own strength and willpower, then we would not need Jesus. It's as simple as that. So if we can't keep the Law, why did God give it? Why does He tell us to love Him and others if we can't even do it? Paul tells us: He gives us those commandments to show us that we can't fulfill them, and that if we can't, we're doom

Today's Reading: 2 Chronicles 28:8-15 Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 4:48-5:8; Ephesians 6:1-24 Then the men who were designated by name rose up and took the captives, and from the spoil they clothed all who were naked among them, dressed them and gave them sandals, gave them food and drink, and anointed them; and they let all the feeble ones ride on donkeys. So they brought them to their brethren at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria. (2 Chronicles 28:15) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. While it is true that Jesus is the Good Samaritan who rescues us, there is also a call to love our neighbor. Implicit in the young man's question to Jesus was the idea that there could be someone who you don't like who doesn't have to count as your neighbor. During some of the fighting in the Old Testament, some captives of Judah were helped by the very people who should have been their enemies: Israelites from Samaria. Why would they do such a thing? Those who have been loved by Jesus in turn love ot

Today's Reading: Luke 10:23-37 Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 4:8-22, 32-37; Ephesians 5:15-33 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" (Luke 10:29) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The man wanted to justify himself. Don't we all? We want God and everyone else to know why we do what we do, why we behave the way we do, why we should be excused for anything we do wrong and rewarded for anything we do right. We want God to think we are good people and therefore deserve to go to heaven. This young man wanted to justify himself, too. Easy! Just do what the Law says. Love God and love your neighbor. No problem, as long as my neighbor is someone easy to love, right? I mean, I don't have to love people I don't like, right? The story of the Good Samaritan is the way that Jesus turns the tables on the guy who wants to justify himself. Priest? Didn't help the guy. Levite? Didn't help the guy. Samaritan? He helped. There you go, right? Be like the Samaritan and help others. Except the gu

Today's Reading: Introit for the 13th Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 74:1-2, 19b, 21b; antiphon: v. 20a, 21a, 22a, 23a) Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 2:19-25; 4:1-7; Ephesians 4:25-5:14 O God, why have You cast us off forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture? Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old, The tribe of Your inheritance, which You have redeemed--This Mount Zion where You have dwelt. (From the Introit for the 13th Sunday after Trinity) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It's no secret that the world hates God's people. What's troubling is when it seems like God doesn't pay attention to what happens to us! That was often the cry of His people Israel! By the time of Zacharias and Elizabeth, 400 years had passed without a word from the Lord. The Jews were living under the heavy hand of the Roman Empire and her governors. It would be understandable to think they had been forgotten even by God. But then at just the right time, the Son was conceived in Mary's womb an

Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 2:1-18; Ephesians 4:1-24 . . . that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Old man. New Man. Bad you. Good you. God-hater. God-lover. Self-worshipper. Worshipper of the Lord. That's our battle. That's our struggle. Within us are two natures. One is the sinful flesh, corrupted by the lusts of sin and the lies of the devil, wrecked and ruined by the Fall and inherited by each of us since Adam and Eve. The other is the new man, the new creation, born in us from above by water and the Spirit, the renewed self who is made alive by Christ through the gifts of His forgiveness, life, and salvation. Paul is not just giving us a holy pep talk here! This is the language of the life of Baptism! Each day our old man is drowned b

Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 19:1-21; Ephesians 3:1-21 Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. (1 Kings 19:16) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Israel in the days of Elijah was a rough place to live if you were a faithful follower of God. Jezebel, the wicked queen to King Ahab, was a worshipper of the false gods Baal, Asherah, and many others. She had one goal: to make life miserable for Elijah, the faithful prophet. But the Lord told Elijah he would have a successor, Elisha, who would also be a prophet. That's how it is in this world. No matter how nasty people get towards God's people, no matter how much they try to shut them up or persecute them or even kill them to get rid of them—the Lord still keeps sending preachers to call them to repentance and faith. The Lord sent one prophet after another. Sometimes Israel listened and repented. Sometimes they killed the prophet. Then Jesus came in ful

Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Sacrament of the Altar Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 18:20-40; Ephesians 2:1-22 What is the Sacrament of the Altar? It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and to drink. (Small Catechism: Sacrament of the Altar, pt. 1) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. All the questions we could have about Communion are answered by Jesus' Words which give us His Body and Blood to eat and drink. What is it? His Body and Blood. Just as the Passover lamb was killed and eaten, so Jesus is killed for our sin on Calvary and gives us His Body and Blood to eat in this special way. If it were not Jesus' Body and Blood, what good would it be? When the Passover lamb was slain, the Israelites didn't go out for pizza! They ate the flesh and blood of the lamb by which they were saved. Who gave it to us? Jesus Himself! The divine, eternal Son of God who made all things and became man, whose Word brings into existenc

Today's Reading: 2 Corinthians 3:4-11 Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 18:1-19; Ephesians 1:1-23 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? (2 Corinthians 3:7-8 In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Law of God is really neat. You could even call it good and wise. In the Law, God teaches us that the most important thing is to love Him with all our hearts. Not only that, He also teaches us to love our neighbor as ourselves, maybe even more than ourselves. The whole point of the Law is to show us what it means to love. We learn that we love God by clinging to His Name, and hearing and believing His Word. We learn to love our neighbor by doing no harm to him but by preserving and protecting his people and property and helping him in every way. The Law is brilliant! If we lived and did wha

Today's Reading: Isaiah 29:17-24 Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 16:29-17:24; 2 Corinthians 9:1-15 But when he sees his children, The work of My hands, in his midst, They will hallow My name, And hallow the Holy One of Jacob, And fear the God of Israel. (Isaiah 29:23) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It was a poor nobody whom Jesus healed by opening his ears and mouth. This is how the Lord operates. He finds those who have no hope in themselves, who have nothing apart from what the Lord gives them. Then He makes them a part of His family by His grace. He delivers to them the Good News that His death was for them and His resurrection saves them, too. The prophet Isaiah preaches that the Lord will do this and God's people will hallow His Name because they see that He grows His family by forgiving sinners and making them a part of His family. Consider your church for a minute. Do you like the people there? Are there members your age? Does everyone get along? Do you know the names of those little kids who sit behind y