As God works in our hearts through the message of Jesus as our Savior, what a glorious change occurs! The message may seem small and insignificant compared to the other urgent and important messages we hear each day, but only the gospel causes a complete change of heart. We are snatched from the curse of hell and delivered to the glory of heaven! By faith, you can see how huge of a miracle God has performed in your life. By faith you see the importance of growing closer to Jesus. Only he can change you and make you a person who is eager to serve others with all your gifts and abilities. Jesus’ parable reminds us of the tremendous blessing we have from knowing Jesus as our Savior. Don’t let anything in life (the daily routine or traumatic events) cloud your view of the glorious gift that is yours through faith in Jesus.

"Jesus told them another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.'” (Matthew 13:31-32 NIV)

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To know who you really are, you have to look at yourself by faith. In the following quote, Martin Luther reminds us of our new nature through faith in Christ Jesus.

"This is our comfort and confidence. For a good reason we are able to boast with assurance and to say: We are holy people and holy brethren at Wittenberg, Rome, Jerusalem, etc., and wherever Holy Baptism and the Gospel are; and we regard one another in no other light than that of God’s saints. Although we still are sinners and many frailties permanently stay in our flesh and blood, yet if we continue to cling to Christ, remain loyal to His Baptism, and rely on His blood, He covers our sin and impurity and moves God to consider us entirely pure and holy. . . . If we are to confess the Creed aright: “A holy Christian Church,” we must not doubt that we are holy; just as you must not doubt that you are baptized and that Christ shed His blood for you. If you believe this, you must also confess that you are holy; for it is certainly the Holy Spirit who gives you Christ and His holiness and works faith in you. It is true, the Holy Spirit at times allows Christians to err and stumble and allows sin to remain in them. And He does so for the very purpose of keeping us from taking pleasure in ourselves, as if we were holy on our own account. Rather we are to learn what we are and from whom we have our holiness; otherwise we could become too arrogant and presumptuous." (What Luther Says, p. 237)

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" -2 Corinthians 5:17

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Fear occurs when we look in the wrong place. Whether it is a child afraid of the dark or an adult afraid of the uncertainty in our economy, fear focuses on the problem and we might even forget about how much God loves us and his promises to take care of us. In Psalm 56 David says, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?” (vs. 3-4)

Where do we look for security? At the cross of Jesus Christ we see God’s love shining brighter than the sun. Our hope for today and tomorrow is that our Savior will not and cannot leave us. The devil wants to fool you by getting you to focus on your troubles. Instead, listen to the promises of God in the Bible and see the truth!

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"The Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him."
Isaiah 30:18-19 (NIV)

The verses above are from a section of Isaiah in which God was warning the Israelites of looming punishment for their sins. The warnings were stern. Those intent on ignoring the Lord would face his anger.

But that isn’t what God wanted! He didn’t want to punish. He wanted his people to repent and trust him. He wanted to forgive them and show compassion to them.

The voice of the cursed liar, the devil, and even our own sinful hearts don’t think God should forgive or that God wants to forgive. Guilt is a powerful voice that often convinces us that God is angry with us and that God prefers to punish us. Living in this sinful world, we see seeming evidence in the troubles all around us.

Isaiah’s words above remind us that God does not want to punish us. He wants to forgive! He already punished your sins when he punished Jesus on the cross. God wants to you to know the peace of that forgiveness. He wants your fears silenced and your heart renewed with an earnest desire to serve him.

By faith, see God for who he is. He is God of compassion and love who is at work in your life to bless you.

Pastor Aufdemberge

Pastor Kneser

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