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Weekly Devotional

August 3, 2009

God’s Peace be with you all.

2 Peter 3:3-10  ³ First of all you must understand this, that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and indulging their own lusts  ⁴ and saying, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since our ancestors died, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation!"  ⁵ They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago and an earth was formed out of water and by means of water,  ⁶ through which the world of that time was deluged with water and perished.  ⁷ But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the godless.  ⁸ But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.  ⁹ The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.  ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.

            Well I would love to tell you all that I am sitting on the beach enjoying an ice cold beverage and relaxing.  But instead, I have been on the phone quite a bit, it has been raining, and the mosquitoes are horrible.  Go figure.  But after all, that is the way that God created the world.  As the author of Peter said, “all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation!”  In other words, God is still at work in the world, and the world around us is still his creation.  For me, being away from Boiling Springs for the week gives me the opportunity to do a little work, but at the same time realize just how awesome the power of God truly is.  Everything that we all take in on a daily basis is the work of God in the world.  Whether that is the trees around us, the water in front of us, the rainbow in the sky, or the beautiful sunset, we see God in the world. 

            This week I hope that each of you will try to focus a little bit differently on the world around you.  Next time you are riding in the car, take a moment to turn down the radio and just have a moment of absolute silence.  Enjoy the breeze if it happens to be blowing, or take a chance to marvel at a beautiful sunset over the mountains.  I hope that you all can think of the way that God created the world around you, and how truly special it is.

In our prayers this week: 

Ann, Doris, Mary Netta, Joseph, Jane, Irene, St. John’s Lutheran Church, and Michael (serving in Iraq).

This month the Upstate Conference of the Synod also lifts up in prayer Joy Lutheran Church, their pastor the Rev. Lane Bembenek, and all their members.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Judson