Deus Misereatur

  A treasure, in it's own right. Charles H. Walker (d. October 24, 2009) tells his story of being a combat officer in the South Pacific, rising through the ranks from 2nd Lieutenant to Major, in "Combat Officer: A Memoir of War in the South Pacific." He was a member of the 164th Army National Guard Infantry Regiment of North Dakota. A true citizen-soldier, he often served under the direction of regular Army officers and their West Point fraternity. A sore spot that is clear all the way through the book.  Though the episodes Walker recounts are not gory, they are gritty and real. He narrates the fear, anger, frustrations, insensibleness, and sadness of being a combat officer leading his unit into harrowing situations. From the time he landed in New Caledonia in October of 1942 until his discharge in October 1945, the reader who plows through these pages walks with someone who saw, smelled, and heard live-fire combat. It was hard to put the book down. The value of a volume ...

  In my devotional reading this morning I came back to something Jesus said that is worth sharing. I was in Matthew 7, and it was especially Matthew 7:1-12. It goes like this: [1]"Judge not, that you be not judged. [2] For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you . [3] Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? [4] Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? [5] You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.  [6] “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. [7] “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. [8] For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seek...

  With Paul and all of the Apostles, along with the saints and martyrs who have gone before, and with our brothers and sisters world over, we lift our hearts in adoration: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. ...

  (Our Jobs): LORD God, you told your people, “ Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the LORD in all your dwelling places ” (Leviticus 23:3) . You not only tell us how important sacred rest is, but also how valuable our vocations are. You point out that we have callings, jobs, and careers that are good and worth investing into during the vast majority of our week. Thank you for acknowledging our work. We ask for your help, direction and focus in our jobs. Honestly, Father, work can grind down our hearts; bosses can grate against our nerves making Monday a sheer drudgery; customers and clients can almost make us pull our hair out with frustration. Therefore, help us to recapture and be recaptured by your Scripture’s valuable reminder, “ whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him ” (Colossians 3:17)....

  Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth (Psalm 121:2). Hear us, O Lord our help, and for Christ’s sake answer us. O Lord of the Harvest, have regard to the prayers of your servants in this church; send us forth as laborers into your harvest; fit and prepare us by your grace for our vocation and ministry; increase in us the Spirit of power, love and a sound mind; strengthen us to endure hardships as good soldiers of Jesus Christ; and grant that your Holy Spirit may prosper our work, that by our life and doctrine we may show forth your glory and be instrumental in the salvation of many. Also, look upon your Church throughout the world, including these congregations in the greater OKC area; Soldier Creek Baptist Church, Son Rise Southern Baptist, Sooner, and South Lindsay Baptist Church. Give your church your comforting, courage-inspiring aid. Strengthen your people in their longing to serve you more faithfully and cause them to succeed in genuine godliness. ...

  I spoke on Psalm 73 on 1 January 2023. You can watch and listen here , and you can follow along with the manuscript below. New Year 2023 Psalm 73 (2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1, Titus 2:1-10) O God, who is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart; bring us, this day to see that you are continually with us, you hold our right hand, and you guide us with your counsel. Amen .   I quoted this statement last Sunday, and it is worth more thought: “Anything that erodes the fear of God will intensify the fear of man” (Edward T. Welch, “When People are Big and God is Small,” 79). And this is true in the other direction, anything that intensifies the fear of man will erode the fear of God. For a new year, I think this is a rock-solid subject to ponder. And you see Welch’s point played out in Psalm 73. And it begins with the slip.   The Slip (1-3): Asaph was a Levite, one of those from the priestly clan who were to exemplify the difference between the clean and unclean...

  Almighty God, though a man’s heart plans his ways, it is you who directs his steps (Proverbs 16:9). Therefore, we pray for this world, your church, and ourselves for this new year. Lord God, as we plan our ways and means for this year, guide us step-by-step. May our confidence in you increase throughout 2023. May we come to know you more than ever before, love you more deeply than we have in the past, and serve you with greater enjoyment and enthusiasm. May we have eyes to see you doing great things – even in the modest and mundane moments. May we have hearts and voices ready to rejoice in your great goodness, even if the wind gets kicked out of us. May we be known as a people who enjoy making much of you! We ask you to alleviate the suffering, angst and fretfulness of those who are in dire need of your healing or help (…). For all of them we ask you to restore them by filling them with your unsurpassable peace to guard their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and give them rock-h...