Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church

Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church Working to show the love of Jesus Christ to all! http://www.bethel-lutheran.net/about.htm

09/04/2026

Psalm 1:1-2 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.

Years ago, a friend of mine asked, what good is the Bible, it’s nothing but a book for religious fanatics. Now to this day I have no idea where he was headed with the conversation because the Holy Spirit impressed me with the following answer: “Even if you took the religion out of the Bible, you’d still have the most complete book of wisdom and the best guide for living a moral life ever written.” Now I must confess, until that moment I had never taken the time to think about that aspect of the Bible.
One can separate God from the Bible and live a very moral life and by studying its wisdom, and you’d probably be considered a very wise man. The question is, what would be missing from your life? The answer is found in the first two words in the first verse of Psalm 1; blessed or happy. Now sadly, this is where the translation of the Bible from the original Hebrew comes up short. If you were to read this in the original Hebrew, you would quickly notice that the word “ʾashrê”, or man, is joined to the word “hãʾîsh”, or blessed, by a maqaph. Think of a maqaph in the same way we use a hyphen; a hyphen joins two words together to bond them. These two words are joined together in a possessive relationship where the word blessing cannot be expressed without the word man. When we place God first in our lives and follow His statutes, commands and wisdom, God will bless us in a way that the blessings of God are joined to us in a relationship that can’t be separated.
Yes, you can look at the bible as a perfect guide for living a moral life and live a good life here on this earth. Or, you can place God first into your life and by doing this live a moral life full of wisdom and receive God’s blessing while here on this earth.

Heavenly Father, help me to be wise enough to follow all your commands, statutes, and wisdom. In Jesus’ name. Amen

09/03/2026

(All from Proverbs) 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. 13:24 Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them. 23:13-14 Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish them with the rod, they will not die. Punish them with the rod and save them from death. 22:15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far away. 29:15 A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom, but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard all these verses quoted when I was growing up. I can especially remember 13:24 being quoted as I was about to get it from mom or dad (by the way, I always deserved the punishment I got). It’s a shame we don’t emphasize the reading of Proverbs more in our lectionary, it really is filled with great words of wisdom. Solomon had a great way of cutting to the chase and boiling his God given wisdom down to a very straight-forward phrase. I call his writings the greatest one-lines ever written.
Take chapter 22 for example, there are 29 single sentences and each one of them, if applied, will spare you a tremendous amount of trouble. If parents today were to really apply Solomon’s wisdom to their parenting practices, then we wouldn’t have kids who don’t respect their elders. I don’t mean we need to beat kids senseless, I’m talking about what really matters; taking time with your children, setting and enforcing boundaries, passing along the wisdom you’ve gained over the years, yes, letting them make a mistake or two so the learn and yes, disciplining them fittingly, as appropriate. What Solomon is really saying is, children are a gift and a responsibility entrusted to us by God and they require our time and our guidance and the only way they will grow up to be smart and responsible adults is if we take that time to train them. Discipline isn’t a bad word, if it were, why do universities apply it to paths of higher learning? Children are our future, and for us to have a secure future, we need to take the time to raise them right and with respect for the Lord.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of our children, help us to raise them with wisdom and respect for you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

09/02/2026

Luke 6:43-49 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. 48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

In St. Luke’s conclusion to the Sermon on the Plain, someone comes to Jesus will hollow words. However, Jesus, who isn’t fooled says, it isn’t the one who just listens my words, but the one who acts on them that will live a righteous life. To listen and to act on Jesus’ words is like the one who, when building his house, digs deeply and laid the foundation on rock; (that is studies and incorporates God’s words found in the Bible) and when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built.”
This is the heart of it: if we are rooted in God, then we can withstand anything, precisely because we’re linked to that power that created the cosmos. And when we’re rooted and grounded in Jesus, we will be blessed at that deepest place, and nothing can finally touch us.
But the one who does not take Jesus’ words to heart “is like a person who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed.” When the inevitable trials come, a life built on pleasure, money, power, or fame will give way.
So the question is a simple one: Where do you stand? How goes it with your heart? On what, precisely, is the whole of your life built?

Heavenly Father, help me to build my life on you alone. In Jesus’ name, amen.

09/01/2026

Matthew 25:1-5 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

We all know conclusion of the parable. The bridegroom comes while the foolish virgins were away buying oil and were excluded from the wedding feast. Jesus, in telling this parable, recognizes the prudence of the five wise virgins. In the Middle Ages, prudence was called “the queen of the virtues,” because it enabled one to do the right thing in a particular situation. Prudence is a feel for the moral situation, something like the feel that a quarterback has for the playing field.
Wisdom is, like prudence, a kind of vision, but it is, unlike prudence, a sense of the big picture. It’s the capacity to survey reality from the vantage point of God, (because wisdom comes from God), appreciating the grandest perspective. Without wisdom, even the most prudent judgment will be erroneous, short-sighted, and inadequate.
The goal, therefore, is to ask God for both. The combination of prudence and wisdom is especially powerful. Someone who is both wise and prudent, they will have both a sense of the big picture and a feel for the particular situation.

Heavenly Father grant me your wisdom that I might learn prudence in all things, in Jesus’ name. Amen

08/31/2026

Romans 12:3–5 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

Take a moment and examine the world around you. Everything is complex and interconnected. Take the trees and plants for example. For the oaks to grow tall and strong they need many things, water, nutrients, sun, carbon dioxide. Take any one of these things away, or, too much of any of these, and the tree will not survive. Or, take the computer I’m using to write this devotion. You have the mother board, sound card, video card, processor, fans, memory, keyboard and monitor. Take any of these away and I wouldn’t be able to electronically produce this devotion. So it is with the church.
Paul chose to use the example of a body to represent the church. Each person, while being unique, is an integral part of the mission to which we are called. The Holy Spirit equips each of us with gifts for ministry and none are any more or less important than the other. What would happen if teachers refused to teach? Doctors decided not to practice? Police officers and first responders refused to take action and protect? Or in the church, What if the property committee refused to change the light bulbs? Or the treasurer declined to pay the bills? Within our community, and in the church, each of us is important and necessary for God’s kingdom to fulfill its mission. Consider a jigsaw puzzle. When one piece is missing, you still can see the picture, but there’s a piece missing and without it, the puzzle will not be complete. So it is with the church. Each member is necessary, important and valued, and each member has a call to work in the greater kingdom.

Heavenly Father, help me to be a productive member of Christ’s body, your church for your glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen

08/28/2026

John 6:27–29 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

In this passage, Jesus drives home the point that our focus needs to be on Jesus and building God’s kingdom rather than acquiring treasures here on earth. Jesus also makes it clear that we need to be making disciples for Jesus rather than surrounding ourselves with likeminded fans of this earth. The question is, how does knowing this affect your life? When we truly believe in something, it changes the way we think and act. For the things of this world, we can see them, touch them, do things to prove or disprove. But when it comes to God, this isn’t so easy.
Jesus was physically with the 1st century people. He healed, cast out demons, and fed the people with a small boy’s lunch. Yet they struggled to believe. How much harder is it for us today. This is why Jesus said to believe is the work of the kingdom. We struggle to place our faith in our unseen God. We rely on eyewitnesses yes, but we can’t talk with them, we must rely on God’s word, His written account and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. At times this can be very hard. Especially when the world is doing everything it can to dispute that record. But the task is before us, we must believe on Him whom God sent. And if we truly believe, it will change everything. The way we work, our focus on life, our very lives. We need to start living what we believe.

Heavenly Father, help me to live out my faith fully, to your glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen

08/27/2026

Isaiah 26:3–4 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. 4 Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

John 14:27 [Jesus said] Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Cities like Baltimore and Chicago are experiencing unprecedented violence. Officials in our government are constantly at each other’s throats. Nations are threatening nations. Iran is in chaos and Russian and Ukraine seem to be locked into un unending war. Our world, it seems, is in turmoil. We ask ourselves, will nations and groups ever stop yelling at each other and take time to listen. At the end of each day, mentally and emotionally we ask, when will there be peace? It’s a prayer we need to be praying. But that is treating the symptom not the problem.
Our lives are in chaos. Not only does all the news trouble us, but we live lives at an ever-increasing pace. Even our downtime is filled, thanks to our electronic world, with things that stimulate our minds. Our schedules are filled with activities. It’s a wonder we can rest at night. The problem is we mistake entertainment with peace. When it comes to true peace, we need to be looking to Jesus. He is the true source of inner tranquility. As the prophet announces, true peace cannot come from setting our minds on the people and things of this world. We need to look to God. Without God, there can be no peace. This is what we need to be praying for. We need the world to know God. If that were to happen, we would indeed have peace in our lives and in the world.

Heavenly Father, give me, and the world, the peace that can only come from your Son Jesus. In His name we pray. Amen

08/26/2026

Romans 12:4-6 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them:

Growing up in the west, I, like many boys of my time, idolized the cowboy. These were men who could ride the range, break a horse, install or mend a fence, build a range cabin, shoe a horse, hunt, fish, you name it they could do it. These were men who could live alone for months at a time depending on no one; at least that’s what the movies wanted you to think. But as I got older, I came to realize that life doesn’t work this way.
Yes, there are very handy people. Yes, there are those who seem to be less dependent on others. However, no one can do everything themselves. Even the cowboy needed to get a haircut. Even the cowboy would go into town for “supplies.” Paul is reminding us that even the most resilient among us needs others to get the job done. And another thing I came to understand as I grew in age, the task is always more pleasant when we work together. What’s the old adage, “many hands make the load light?”
God has gifted each of us with various talents to be used in the kingdom and we are expected to use these talents for the glory of God. And what glorifies God even more is when we combine our talents and work together in harmony to accomplish the work God has given the church. As glamorous as the movies made the solitary life of the cowboy look, we don’t need to try to do everything on our own. Think of it this way: why burn yourself out trying to go it alone when you can join with others and make the load light?

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving each of us different gifts for the work of your kingdom. Help us to labor together for your glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen

08/25/2026

John 12:46, I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.

I recently attempted to walk down the stairs to the basement with both hands full of items that needed to be put away. This was a mundane and routine chore, yet I found myself unable to proceed for one simple reason. I’d shut the door behind me, and all the lights were off in the basement, thus leaving me in complete darkness in the stairwell. Without a free hand to flip the switch, I had a choice to make, continue on into the darkness or take a few steps back, free my hands, and then proceed once the light was on.
As silly as this example may be, the principle applies to the whole of life’s journey, even its most significant and weighty moments. We often find ourselves lacking the clarity needed to move forward. Sometimes it may be a lack of knowledge or insufficient training, whereas other times, it may be our own sin that clouds our judgment and darkens the path before us. In such times, the first step of wisdom is to realize the foolishness of trying to press ahead when you can’t see where you’re going. Of course, our egos will do all they can to convince us that we’re fine – it’s not really that dark, you’ve done this before - you’ll figure it out as you go, you don’t really need the light – yet as anyone who has made this mistake can attest, it’s simply impossible to arrive at your intended destination if you can’t see where you’re going.
Throughout the Gospel of John, we encounter this theme of light and darkness. Time and time again, humanity and creation are depicted as walking in darkness, unable to see the way forward. Yet, thanks be to God, Christ is the light of God that illumines the world, bringing clarity where there was once confusion. He offers direction and hope when we’re lost in our own rebellion and self-love. When we look to Christ our light, the path is illumined before us, waiting for us to take a step out of the dark and into the light of His perfect love.

Heavenly Father, help us turn away from darkness and learn to walk in your light daily, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

08/24/2026

1 Corinthians 6:18–20 Flee from s*xual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the s*xually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

For a culture that forwards that s*x should be open, uninhibited, and free from constraint, we’re also a society that doesn’t like to discuss the subject. We all know that the Bible puts constraints on s*xual behavior; that it should be restricted to only boing between a man and a woman and only within the bonds of marriage. Anything else is considered immoral. But society wants us to see it as “natural”, harmless, unrestricted in promiscuity; a social activity that is part of everyday life. But there is a cost.
In the 60s and 70 we began to hear of STDs such as gonorrhea and syphilis. Soon the medical community had a way of keeping these diseases in check. Then came resistant strains; again, the medical community responded. In the 80s and 90s, HIV/AIDS exploded onto the scene. Again, the medical community responded, but this time things weren’t so easy. HIV/AIDS continues to spread and condemns people to restricted lives and even death. But there is a simple answer to the problem, an answer that society refuses to acknowledge, abstinence.
Paul tells us how to avoid all this; “Flee s*xual immorality.” As Paul goes further to explain, this is a sin that directly affects the body. We were created in God’s image to be in a relationship with Him. Part of His creative acts were to make us s*xual beings for procreation and mutual satisfaction within the bonds of marriage (see next chapter). But our sinful tendencies drive us to pervert God’s intension for s*x and this sinful tendency, when acted on, comes at a price. If we would simply listen to God’s instructions and abstain from s*xual activity outside of Biblically defined marriage, we could eliminate all STDs, as well as the sins of fornication and adultery, not to mention the damage adulty does to a marriage and families.

Heavenly Father, we were fearfully and wonderfully made in your image. Help me to glorify you in all I say and do. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Address

509 Long Shoals Road
Lincolnton, NC
28092

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