It is not fun to feel small. But when we consider the history of the world, we are all small. Even the greatest leaders die. Their names are in history books, but they do not exist any longer. Likewise, nations and empires come and go. Fame, glory and power are fleeting in this world.

Isaiah’s words above are a powerful commentary on the world. They are a powerful commentary on our personal existence. What seems important and lasting to us is small to God.

Which makes the message of God’s love for us more amazing. God’s love for you is personal – Jesus died for you! God’s plans for you are eternal – he will take you to heaven.

God does NOT view you as small and insignificant. He sees you as part of his family. He worked to save you and continues to work so that your faith sees the reality of his love for you.

The Lord of all creation has your name written into his book. Live in that peace and confidence!

Isaiah 40:15 (NIV) "Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust."

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“Outwardly we are wasting away.” That often describes the reality of life, doesn’t it? Troubles, pain, broken relations, illnesses. The barrage of these can make it seem like we never get ahead.

“Yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” The promises of God’s love renew the hearts of believers. We know that Jesus has set us free from sin and that he is at work for our good. As we hear God’s Word, we see the love of God again. These promises remain true, even when the troubles of life don't go away.

You are, no doubt, facing a variety of burdens and trials. Left unchecked, they will wear you down. Make time to be renewed! Make time for Jesus and his Word. Make time to hear the message of God’s presence and love for you so that you are renewed and strengthened for your life of faith and service.

Do not lose heart! The Lord Jesus is with you and will give inner you strength to face life’s many challenges.

2 Corinthians 4:16 (NIV) "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."

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"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24 NIV)

Jesus made this powerful point numerous times. Notice that he used the word “has” when talking about eternal life. Likewise, when talking about crossing over from death to life, Jesus used the word “has.” Believer, these are things that have already occurred in your life!

Obviously, you will experience the fullness of eternal life in the future; we have not yet attained the glory of heaven. But through faith in Jesus Christ, we already have been made part of God’s eternal family. You “will not be condemned” because Jesus Christ has washed away any reason God had to condemn you. Through faith in Jesus you live in the security of God’s perfect love.

Of course, you only see this by faith. Your eyes still see failures – in yourself and in the world. You still suffer the sorrows and pains that come from living in a sinful world.

But faith sees much more. Faith sees the promise of Jesus Christ who has already given you eternal life. Faith sees the certain reality of heaven. Faith sees that you are alive right now to live as his child – even though the sorrows and pains of life do not go away.

You have already won because Jesus Christ is your Savior. Look at what you already have because of him and be strong and faithful to him.

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Last Sunday we remembered Jesus’ Temptation. It is an important story for you. It is your story of perfection. In the verses above we read, “we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.” Jesus was perfect in all he did! He was perfect for you.

The perfection that we all lack is given to us by Jesus. He was busy as your Savior every moment of his life as he lived perfectly for you.

The result of Jesus’ perfection is that we can “approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

God wants you to live with the confidence that he hears you and will help you. He does not want you plagued by doubt or fear, but to trust that he will be with you. The proof of this is that Jesus lived perfectly for you. God views you through Jesus’ perfection.

Yes, the season of Lent is a time of repentance. But true repentance always ends in faith – faith that rests on the solid promises of God. Be at peace and live with confidence that you are God’s child and he is working for your good.

Hebrews 4:15–16 (NIV) "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

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We begin the season of Lent with a special day, Ash Wednesday. Lent is a season of repentance, with Ash Wednesday’s worship service focusing on that theme.

Godly repentance requires us to find a balance — a middle road. On the one extreme is a fear of repentance. Sometimes we imagine that if we hide our sins and don’t confess them then they don’t really exist. Perhaps we just don’t want to talk or think about our sins. I supposed this attitude could lead a person to think about skipping the Ash Wednesday worship service in hopes of not having to think about the reality of a sin that has too much control of a life. Of course, hiding sins may work on us, but God is not so easily fooled. We need to admit the reality of our failures.

On the other extreme is the idea that repentance is easy. After all, God says, “Return to the Lord your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in faithful love, and He relents from sending disaster” (Joel 2:13). The promise of free forgiveness — a certain promise that is often repeated throughout the Bible — leads some to mistakenly make repentance into something quick and easy. True repentance, that believes the free forgiveness that is ours because of Jesus, seeks to change . . . and that is not easy. “Throw off all the transgressions you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit” (Ezekiel 18:31). God’s forgiveness never leads us to think about continuing a sin. By God’s grace we are eager to change.

We need to find the middle ground between not repenting and repenting without thinking about change. Let the law of God work in your heart. The pain that comes from seeing sin will be relieved by the blood of Jesus who takes away every sin. Don’t hide sin or the poison will continue to work in your life. As you again recall what Jesus has done for you, let the gospel create a new heart in you. On Ash Wednesday the message of forgiveness is proclaimed in the liturgy, hymns, readings, sermon, and the Lord’s Supper. As that forgiveness sinks into your heart, don’t be afraid of change — turning from sin to find new, God-pleasing paths. Engage in the beneficial struggle against sin and be guided by the Spirit to form new habits and to act as the child of God that you really are! “This is the Lord’s declaration. I will look favorably on this kind of person: one who is humble, submissive in spirit, and trembles at My word” (Isaiah 66:2). Humbly take God’s Word to heart — believing in Jesus and turning from the sins the Bible condemns.

These fruits of repentance are God-pleasing. Let the season of Lent have the purpose for which it is intended. This is a time for spiritual growth that happens when God’s people turn from the ways of the world and are recommitted to following their Savior in a life of faith and a life of service.

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God has a gift for you in this life. The gift is finding contentment in the place where God put you. This is true for every Christian! We are equally saved because of Jesus. We are equally God’s holy people. But we have been given different places in life. Solomon encourages us to find the joy in the place that God has given us.

In our Sunday morning Bible Class we are studying the book of Ecclesiastes. The book was written by King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived (1 Kings 3:12), and offers practical insight into the joys, frustrations, and purpose of life. Below is a section that we will be looking at.

Ecclesiastes 5:18–20 (NIV) Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.

If you have not been attending this Bible Class, this insight from Solomon is just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many useful observations and encouragements in this book. Give the class a try! Time spent in God’s Word is always a blessing!

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In the book of Hosea, God spoke to a rebellious time in Israel's history. All sorts of sins were common. In particular, the worship of false gods was everywhere. This idolatry was deeply offensive to God.

In spite of the godlessness of Hosea's day, God could not help himself. He could not help but love his people! Admah and Zeboiim were cities near Gomorrah - which God destroyed in Genesis 19. But God's compassion was aroused; his heart was changed; he did not want to do the same to the people of Hosea's day.

This is who God is! In spite of our failures and sins, his heart is filled with compassion for us. You know the reasons that God should be angry with you and make you miserable - now and for eternity. Instead, he sent you a Savior who took away your sins. Instead of anger, you know God's love and forgiveness.

Nothing fills the heart with more joy and hope than to know God's compassion. Nothing compels us to trust God more than the confidence that he is filled with compassion. Nothing inspires a greater desire to live in ways that are pleasing to God than to know he is filled with compassion.

God will not give up on you! Trust in his compassion for you. Look to Jesus who has taken away your sins and know that God is on your side!

Hosea 11:8 (NIV) "How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboiim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused."

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Among the many blessings that the Bible wants to give to you, one of them is certainty. Imagine, for a moment, the opposite of certainty in matters related to God. Maybe God loves me. Perhaps I’m forgiven and will get into heaven. Who knows? This might work out for my good.

The verse listed above is just one of many examples of the Bible giving you certainty. Your faith is not based on the pious wishes and hopes of people who lived a long time ago. Your faith is not just optimism.

Your faith rests on the certainty of God’s own promises and that he has fulfilled those promises in Christ Jesus. Your sins are forgiven because Jesus died for you. Death is powerless against you because Jesus rose from the dead. Your eternity in heaven is etched in God’s own handwriting. God has not and never will abandon you.

Luke begins his Gospel by making sure that his readers know, with certainty, that the events of Jesus’ life really happened. That means that the consequences of Jesus’ life really happen too! Live with confidence and certainty that your God saved and will always love you.

Luke 1:3–4 (NIV) "Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught."

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Knowing that Jesus will coming again, the Christian is eager to live in the light of God’s Word. This is our faith guiding us! But the Christian life is a paradox. We are not perfect and face many temptations and trials. How are we to view our present situation knowing that we are called to lives of faith and service? Here is something that Martin Luther wrote that I believe gives us useful insight into our lives.

“Though sin lets itself be felt, or death shows its teeth, and the devil frighten, here is far more grace to rule over all sin, far more life to rule over death, and far more of God to rule over all the devils. Therefore, in this kingdom of heaven sin, death, and the devil are like dark clouds under the physical sky, which, it is true, cover up the sky for a while; but they are unable to rule over it. They must remain under it and let heaven remain over them, to govern and to rule. Just so, though sin bite, death terrify, and the devil let himself be felt in temptation, these are, after all, clouds; the heaven of grace rules and wins out; they must stay under it and must finally pass away.” (What Luther Says, p. 239-240)

Perhaps you’ve flown on an overcast, cloudy day. When the plane break through the clouds you see that the sun is still shining. You just couldn’t see it.

God’s love is always shining on us. We are always under his perfect care. Living in the light of his grace that is yours because of Jesus Christ, give careful thought to how you live. Temptation and troubles, thought quite real, are not the final word in your life. You always belong to Christ!

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Your faith in Jesus as your Savior has a powerful impact on your life. You live in the confidence of knowing that your sins are forgiven and that you will live in heaven. You live with the certainty that God is working for good in all that happens in your life.

Your faith in Jesus also changes how you live. You are no longer a slave to sin or your selfish impulses. God called you to “live a holy life” when he brought you to faith in Jesus. God has opened your eyes to the joy of serving others. The love of Jesus lives in your and motivates you to actively look for ways to do good.

There are all sorts of ways we can do good. The circumstances of your life may be different from what others are facing, but God has given you opportunities to “live a holy life” by serving the people around you. Keep your eyes open to the work God has called you to do. Seize those moments with the joy of knowing that you are serving God when you serve others!

1 Thessalonians 4:7 (NIV) "For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life."

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