Resurrection Lutheran Church, 201 Princess Drive, Corpus Christi, TX (2026)

05/06/2023

Better Than You Can Imagine

Good morning:

Blossoming wildflowers carpeted the meadows amidst the mighty rock outcroppings which dominated the landscape. Simply put, the view was beautiful. In addition to the view, the songs of cardinals, flycatchers, and swallows carried across the air. At that moment, you could hardly imagine a more beautiful location. Yet each and every place on this earth has its own unique beauty. The world is so beautiful that some people spend their entire lives searching after the next breathtaking view.

Even better than beautiful scenery though, is the beauty you can find in the human heart. Compassion, love, and concern for others are beautiful traits to behold. These emotions can draw out the best that humanity has to offer, yet even the best, most selfless, loving acts of mankind cannot compare to what God's compassion, love, and concern for humans caused Him to prepare. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:9 "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." These things which Paul writes of are everything that God has done and will do for His people. Primarily, Paul is speaking of the redemption of sinners and the sanctification of Jesus' Church here on earth.

God did not limit Himself to these mighty acts. Jesus prepared mankind's salvation through His death on the cross and with His resurrection prepared His people's inheritance of heaven as well. Man could not imagine how God could use the wicked acts of unjust men to accomplish the salvation of the world through His own death on the cross. Man also cannot imagine the beautiful reality of heaven that still awaits the faithful. It will be more beautiful than anything you have ever seen, heard, or imagined. In fact, even the best imagination can only imagine so much before it runs out of ideas. How wonderful then, that God does not need to imagine a perfect heaven, for He has already created it and now waits to bring us safely there.

In Christ,
Pastor Naumann

04/29/2023

A Worthy Goal

Good Morning:

President Theodore Roosevelt is famously quoted as saying "Nothing in this world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty" or to put it more succinctly, "worthy goals require effort, pain, and difficulty." Now some worthy goals are certainly easily achieved, yet this is usually because some time prior in life the effort, pain, and difficulty was already put forth in order to make the goal easier to accomplish today.

King David wrote of a worthy goal he had in his life in Psalm 27:4 "One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple." Every Christian knows the effort, pain, and difficulty that David and indeed all Christians go through as they strive to dwell in the house of the LORD. David does not mean physically residing in a temple or church or only asking of God when at an altar. David means that he seeks to lead a life where his heart dwells in the presence of the almighty by aligning with the LORD's will and direction. There are certainly many times in every Christian's life that subduing the sinful flesh in order to follow the LORD's will causes great effort, pain, and difficulty. Yet this goal is worth every ounce of struggle for the way of the LORD is far better than any other way, even if Christian's follow it imperfectly.

Finally, although David did not mean it this way, one can hardly hear of the dwelling in the house of the LORD without thinking of becoming part of His family. This too is a worthy goal, that took effort, pain, and difficulty. Yet this goal was not accomplished by David but rather by David's greater Son, Jesus Christ, the Savior. Jesus set forth on the worthy goal of redeeming lost mankind. This goal was worthy not because of who He was saving, but because of the love and justice of the Savior, Himself. Jesus put forth the effort of a perfect life in humiliation, the pain of watching many people reject Him as their Savior, and the difficulty of carrying the punishment of the sins of the world. Through these actions, Jesus accomplished what no other could, justified the world, and will one day welcome all who call on Him in His name to eternity in heaven.

In Christ,
Pastor Naumann

03/26/2023

The Greater Truth

Good morning:

Any well crafted lie is going to look like the truth. Take for instance the time that Barney Fife from The Andy Griffith Show was swindled by a nice little old lady selling him a lemon of a car. Though, she seemed sincere and the car seemed nice, the supposed truth of her story ended up being a bag full of lies. The comical naiveness of Barney, the fortunate reclamation of his lost nest egg, and the just desserts the little old lady and her accomplices are not usually the ways that lies play out in real life. Lies in life hurt, harm, and wreck. This is true of lies about both earthly and spiritual matters.

Earthly lies can often be sniffed out with the help of sincere friends and family, who really do want the best for both you and the liar. They want you to stop being deceived and the liar to repent and stop the lies. Spiritual lies though need some extra help to spot. The sinful flesh is never going to spot the spiritual lie and instead will happily go along with it. Even the sinful flesh of friends and family will miss the lie. Even the new man is not always equipped to notice every lie false prophets speak. Ultimately there is only one who spotted every lie of the devil and He is the same one who still sees them all for the lies that they are. Thankfully the apostle John sayss that this mighty God lives with you. "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them [false prophets], because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4)

The lies of false prophets who preach great errors such as salvation by works, decision, or personal sincerity can at times seem full of truth. Every great lie seems like a great truth to those who believe the lie. The lies of false prophets who preach small seemingly insignificant errors can at times seem close enough to the truth to be the truth. The greater truth however is that God has given us his pure word, which is the ultimate truth and shows the lies for the what they are. In addition even to that He has given us the truth of the forgiveness of all our sins of believing those lies at times and every other sin in our life as well. Praise be to God for this most wonderful and greatest of all truths.

In Christ,
Pastor Naumann

03/11/2023

50 Cents

Good morning:

In the 1960s there was a certain young boy. Each Saturday, his parents gave him fifty cents to place in the offering plate at church on the next day. He was told that it was important to give money to Jesus and important to learn to be responsible by keeping track of the money. Each week he placed those two quarters into the offering plate both because he wanted to and because his parents told him he had to.

When he was about six years old, the local corner store had a sale on swiss army knives. The price was fifty cents. The boy saw this sale and was tempted. He was tempted to take the money his parents had given him to put in the offering plate and instead buy the swiss army knife. Fifty cents might not seem like much today, but to the boy in the 1960s it meant a whole lot. It meant the difference between having a brand new shiny utility knife or putting his parents' money where it was supposed to go.

The boy had a small responsibility. The church was not going to live or die based on his fifty cent offering. However, when the boy bought the swiss army knife, he failed in his responsibily to his parents and to his Savior. Jesus survived without the fifty cents. His parents took away the knife when they found out and the boy learned a lesson in responsibilty.

As much as we have here on this earth, in the grand scheme of things, we only have fifty cents. Even if we were the richest person on earth, it is nothing compared to riches that await us. God wants us to use the little that we do have to be faithful to him. Faithful in our talents, faithful in our time, and faithful in our treasures. Large or small God's want us to be faithful. Jesus said in Luke 16:10 "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much."

We are not always faithful, but how grateful we can be that our God is faithful to us. He is faithful in the small things of caring for us here on earth, and he is faithful in the much larger event of our salvation. Praise be to our faithful God.

In Christ,
Pastor Naumann

03/04/2023

Good Morning:

When the food industry talks about preservation they mean that they remove all harmful bacteria from a can, jar, or jug before sealing off the product from all harmful bacteria outside of the product. When the Psalmist speaks of preservation in Psalm 121:7 , He does not mean that you will not be exposed to evil and harmful people, situations, and experiences, but that He will see you through them. He says "The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul."

At first it might seem like a wonderful idea to be preserved from all evil and harmful people, situations, and experiences. You might wonder why God would not simply preserve you from all of these and simply keep you in a sealed jar until the last day. However, as you consider that idea you'll see the first error of it involves being sealed off from all good in the world as well. Though sin has infested every aspect of earth and humanity, God did not let it destroy all good. Christians bring true joy to each other. God's creation, understood as His creation, brings true joy to those who see the wonderful world He created for us to live in. God does want you to be sorrowful over your own past sins and the effects of sin in general, but he also wants you to see the good in the world that He has preserved here for us, for when God created the world it was indeed very good.

The other problem of being sealed away from all evil, is that just like in all good movies, good triumphs over evil. God has won. The good of His salvation and the gifts of happiness, joy, and peace reign supreme over the depravity of rejecting God and the false happiness, joy, and peace that are available without Him. God wants this to be known to those who are blind and deaf to God's word so that He can work through His word and bring them salvation as well. For you though, as you walk through the evil and harmful times of this life, God will preserve your soul through them so that it can be made perfect and glorified in Christ in eternity.

In Christ,
Pastor Naumann

02/18/2023

The Ultimate Thirst Quencher

Good morning:

Hiking requires planning. First of all, you have to decide where you are going to hike. Secondly, you need to determine how and when you are going to get to the trail head. Finally you need to pack appropriate gear and supplies for your hike. If you fail to pack appropriately for a 10 mile hike you will end up hungry and thirsty. Appropriate planning means bringing snacks, water, or a maybe even a drink that touts itself as the "The Ultimate Thirst Quencher."

In many ways, your life is similar to a hike. If you do not plan appropriately, you will end up hungry and thirsty. This is certainly true physically and even more true spiritually. Traveling the days of your life without spiritual nourishment will leave you drained, starving, and dying of thirst. Thankfully, your God knew ahead of time that you would need spiritual nourishment on the hike of your life and promised to provide the Ultimate Spiritual Thirst Quencher to you in Jeremiah 31:25 "For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish."

When you are spiritually drained, turn to the word of life and receive the life giving word with a grateful and joyful heart. When you are spiritually wrung out, turn to the fountain of living water, Jesus Himself, and be filled to the brim with the knowledge of your Savior's love for you. When you cannot take another step on the road of life, let the Lord revitalize you through His powerful promises.

In Christ,
Pastor Naumann

02/12/2023

Does Love Really Know No Bounds?

Good morning:

There's no doubt about it, parents hold a whole lot of love in their hearts for their children. The fierce protectiveness of a parent for their young child is an expression of love. The hours of sacrifice spent on raising capable, respectable, and successful adults is an expression of love. But should a parent's love for their children have bounds? Some might say "no." God says "yes." The bounds He places on love do not really limit love, but they do keep out everything that isn't real love.

The first time love is mentioned in the Bible is a great example of the bounds of love. In Genesis 22:2 God told Abraham "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." Parents certainly love their children and Isaac was Abraham's only child. On top of that, God had told Abraham that from Isaac's descendants, the Savior of the world would be born. Abraham loved Isaac. God, though, wanted to put a boundary on Abraham's love of Isaac. If Abraham loved Isaac more than God, then Abraham's love went past the proper boundary and became idolatry instead of love. God taught Abraham this important lesson and did not have Abraham kill Isaac on the altar, but provided a substitute ram instead.

Do you know if your different loves have gone past the proper boundaries as set by God? The simple way to answer this is to find any love that causes you to disobey God's laws. For God's laws are given to us in love as 1 John 4:8 tells us "God is love." Does your love of one particular friend or family member cause you to make a habit of playing favorites? Does your love of relaxation, recreation or entertainment cause you to make a habit of skipping church? Does your love of justice and fairness cause you to make a habit of forgetting forgiveness? If these or other loves in your life go beyond the bounds of godly love, fear not. For your God has provided a substitute for you just as He provided a substitute for Isaac, but with far greater ramifications. Your substitute didn't save you from an earthly death on a Mountain in Moriah. He saved you from an eternal death and delivered unto you the forgiveness of your sins and the righteousness of God almighty Himself. Living in His righteousness you will experience the perfect love of God as you meet with Him face to face in eternity.

So, to answer the title of this devotion, "No, because real love does know bounds as set by God." Love is not real love if it contradicts the word of our God who is love.

In Christ,
Pastor Naumann

01/28/2023

The Undercover Owner

Good morning:

Perhaps you've seen or read some of the stories about CEOs or owners of large companies going undercover in their own company and working the most basic jobs of the company or coming in as a pretend customer. The Owner of heaven and earth comes to you in an undercover manner so to speak as well. 1 Chronicles 29:11 tells you that "Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, And You are exalted as head over all." Yet though, God is the owner of all heaven and earth He comes to you through word and sacrament.

CEOs and the owner's of companies go undercover to gain some perspective, test the work culture, make sure customers are being treated properly, or something of that sort. God, though, goes undercover for another reason. All glory and majesty are certainly deserved by God and indeed required to be given to Him. Yet, God does not want forced obedience and forced praise. God wants you to give him glory and honor with cheerful hearts and a glad spirit. God has the power to force everyone to worship Him, but in His wisdom and justness, He does not. He gives that privilege to those whom He has called by His grace to faith in His name.

The Undercover Owner of the world then continually comes to you with His word. He teaches, guides, and instructs you in the ways of righteousness. He reminds you of the great amount of love He has for you by telling you of His patience with you, His longsuffering for you, and His forgiveness for you which He earned on the cross. The Undercover Owner of the world also continually comes to you through your remembrance of your baptism and practice of the sacrament of the Altar. Through the body and blood of Jesus you receive the surest sign of a self-sacrificing God of His forgiveness for you.

In Christ,
Pastor Naumann

01/21/2023

A Morning Routine.

Good Morning:

How you start your day is very important. Various experts recommend waiting an hour and a half before that first cup of coffee, keeping your hand off of your cell phone for as long as possible, and a plethora of other advice in order to make your day run better and smoother. There may be truth to some of their recommendations or their data and understanding may be flawed. It likely depends on the person following the advice. An expert of the Bible, though, has advice on how to start your morning that is true for everyone. David writes in Psalm 143:8 "Let me hear Thy lovingkindness in the morning; For I trust in Thee; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to Thee I lift up my soul."

After a night of worry and fear, when David used his own memory to recall the faithfulness of God, David wants to hear of God's lovingkindness from God's own mouth. God spoke to David through prophets and through the Holy Scriptures. God speaks to you through the Bible as well and in it tells you the ways in which you should walk. Ways that follow the righteousness of God and spurns the ways of the wicked. God speaks these truths to you through His word for only in the very words of God can truth and clarity be found.

Therefore, in the morning, lift your soul to your God. Dedicate your ways to Him and He shall direct your paths. He'll do all of this for you for He has already done so much for you. Paul tells you in Romans 8:32 "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" God will give you everything you need for life, but don't limit that to food, clothing, and shelter. God gives you direction, purpose, and meaning for your life. He does this for you because He loved you enough to wash all your sins away with the blood of His only-begotten Son. Assuredly, God's lovingkindness for you extends to the extreme of saving you and so His lovingkindness includes guiding you with a morning routine in His word as well.

In Christ,
Pastor Naumann

01/14/2023

Past, Present, or Future

Good morning:

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” This famous quote by George Santayana is most certainly true. If you don't learn from your own or others past mistakes you will likely make the same mistakes again. Sometimes, though, it's better to forget the things of old. Isaiah says in chapter 43 verses 18-19:18 "Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert."

Isaiah is not telling the children of Israel to abandon learning from the past, but rather to not look on the past as the "end all be all" of happiness and contentment. It was tempting for the Israelites to look back on the days of the Exodus or Kings Saul, David, and Solomon and wish for those times again. It can be tempting for you to look back on the days of your youth and say "Ah, if only things could be like they were in the good ol' days." The truth is that better days are coming. For the Israelites, the better days were the days of Jesus, the GodMan, walking among men. Even though Israel was under foreign rule, The days of Jesus' life were better than the days of independence. For you, the better days are what you have to look forward to in heaven. The good ol' days of this life cannot compare to what God has prepared for you in His presence.

In Christ,

Pastor Naumann

Resurrection Lutheran Church

05/06/2023

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03/26/2023

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