Morning Grace

For the season of Lent I'll be sharing devotions from Grace Lutheran's devotional book: "Forgiven."  While these devotions  are not my words and may not represent my own faith or theological understanding, they are  valuable personal faith perspectives of 40 of Grace's members and I am so grateful for their generosity in sharing them. Part Two: Understanding Forgiveness Genesis 50:15-21 (Joseph forgives brothers) Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, “What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?”  So they approached  Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this instruction before he died,  ‘Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.’ Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him.  Then his brothers also wept,  fell d...

For the season of Lent I'll be sharing devotions from Grace Lutheran's devotional book: "Forgiven."  While these devotions  are not my words and may not represent my own faith or theological understanding, they are  valuable personal faith perspectives of 40 of Grace's members and I am so grateful for their generosity in sharing them. Part Two: Understanding Forgiveness Joel 2:12-13  (need for repentance) Yet even now, says the Lord,      return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;      rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God,      for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,      and relents from punishing. God loves us and is always urging us to come back to him. Verses twelve and thirteen are about repentance and the desire to return to God. In verse twelve the Lor...

For the season of Lent I'll be sharing devotions from Grace Lutheran's devotional book: "Forgiven."  While these devotions  are not my words and may not represent my own faith or theological understanding, they are  valuable personal faith perspectives of 40 of Grace's members and I am so grateful for their generosity in sharing them. Part One: Forgiveness & Wholeness Isaiah 53:4-6 (forgiveness/healing through God’s servant/Christ) Surely he has borne our infirmities      and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken,      struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions,      crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole,      and by his bruises we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray;      we have all turned to our own way, and the  Lord  has laid on him  ...

For the season of Lent I'll be sharing devotions from Grace Lutheran's devotional book: "Forgiven."  While these devotions  are not my words and may not represent my own faith or theological understanding, they are  valuable personal faith perspectives of 40 of Grace's members and I am so grateful for their generosity in sharing them. Part One: Forgiveness & Wholeness Psalm 130   (plea for forgiveness) The Psalms are a book of songs. The psalmist in 130 is repenting. He is telling God that he is sorry for breaking God’s rules. He has reached rock bottom.  He knows God is constantly forgiving us; which is a reason why we worship Him.  We love Him because he loves us enough to forgive us.  The last part of the song the psalmist predicts that God is sending the Great Redeemer(Jesus) who will forgive the sins of everyone who loves God.  So when you feel at your lowest go to Psalm 130, read as a prayer, and it will give...

For the season of Lent I'll be sharing devotions from Grace Lutheran's devotional book: "Forgiven."  While these devotions  are not my words and may not represent my own faith or theological understanding, they are  valuable personal faith perspectives of 40 of Grace's members and I am so grateful for their generosity in sharing them. Part One: Forgiveness & Wholeness Proverbs 17:9 (forgiveness as love) "One who forgives an affront fosters friendship, but one who dwells on disputes will alienate a friend." Forgiveness is a concept we understand.  It is harder often times to turn that concept into a reality.  When we feel that we have been wronged; we need to resist the “eye for an eye” response urge.  On Sundays we confess our sins and pray to God for forgiveness.  Let us truly be as one made in God’s image and forgive others.  It will not be long before we will need the favor returned in kind.  As it is stated...

For the season of Lent I'll be sharing devotions from Grace Lutheran's devotional book: "Forgiven."  While these devotions  are not my words and may not represent my own faith or theological understanding, they are  valuable personal faith perspectives of 40 of Grace's members and I am so grateful for their generosity in sharing them. Part One: Forgiveness & Wholeness John 1:24-34 (Jesus takes away sins of world) Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.  They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah,  nor Elijah, nor the prophet?”  John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know,  the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.”  This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing. The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  T...

For the season of Lent I'll be sharing devotions from Grace Lutheran's devotional book: "Forgiven."  While these devotions  are not my words and may not represent my own faith or theological understanding, they are  valuable personal faith perspectives of 40 of Grace's members and I am so grateful for their generosity in sharing them. Part One: Forgiveness & Wholeness Genesis 1:26-31 (made in image of God, relational) Then God said, “Let us make humankind  in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth,  and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” So God created humankind  in his image,      in the image of God he created them;      male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and...