Category: From Pastor

This week’s devotions are based on Week 2 of Building Together: “Some Things Have to Go!”  (WATCH HERE)

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Ephesians 4:25–29 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.  29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Paul gets very practical in today’s reading. After talking about the renewed mind and the new self, he begins showing us what that new life looks like in everyday relationships. He tells us to put away falsehood, deal with anger, stop stealing, and get rid of words that tear people down.

But notice something important about Paul’s instructions. He does not simply tell us what to stop doing. He tells us what to do instead.

“Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor.” Instead of stealing, work honestly so that you can have something to share with those in need. Instead of allowing corrupt talk to come out of your mouth, speak “only what is good for building up.”

That is the picture of Christian growth. God does not simply tear things out of our lives and leave an empty space behind. He replaces what is destructive with something good.

Think about renovating a house. If you tear out an old wall, you don’t leave the opening exposed forever. You put something better in its place. If you remove an old floor, you eventually replace it with something new. Demolition is necessary, but demolition is not the goal. The goal is to build something better.

The same is true in our lives.

Maybe there is a habit of speaking negatively about other people. It needs to be torn out. But God does not simply say, “Stop talking.” He teaches us to use our words to encourage and strengthen others.

Maybe anger has become a regular part of the way we respond to people. That needs to be torn out. But God doesn’t leave us empty. He teaches us patience, reconciliation, and forgiveness.

Maybe selfishness has shaped the way we use our time, money, or abilities. God calls us to something better. Paul says that the person who once stole should now work honestly “so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” The old life says, “What can I get?” The new life asks, “What can I give?”

That is what makes the Christian life beautiful. The Gospel doesn’t simply make us less bad. Christ is building something new in us that becomes a blessing to others.

This is Demo Day in the Christian life. Christ is tearing out what doesn’t belong, but He is also building something beautiful in its place. He is teaching us to speak truth, show generosity, encourage others, and use our lives for the good of those around us.

The goal isn’t an empty house.

The goal is a life that builds others up.

Reflect: Are your words more likely to build people up or tear them down? What is one change you could make this week? What is one old behavior or attitude that Christ may be calling you to tear out, and what godly behavior could you put in its place?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, forgive me for the times my words and actions have hurt others instead of building them up. Thank You for the grace You have shown me and for the new life You have given me. Tear out the attitudes and behaviors that do not belong, and replace them with truth, generosity, kindness, and encouragement. Help me use my words and actions to strengthen the people around me and to reflect Your love. Amen.

This week’s devotions are based on Week 2 of Building Together: “Some Things Have to Go!”  (WATCH HERE)

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Ephesians 4:20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. 

Yesterday we talked about tearing out the old way of thinking. Today Paul takes us one step further. Our thinking matters because what we believe about ourselves eventually shapes how we live. That is why Paul tells the Ephesians to “put off your old self” and “put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

That language can sound like changing clothes. Take off the old. Put on the new. Paul is describing a change that God has already begun in us through Christ. The Christian life is not simply about becoming a slightly improved version of the person we were before. In Christ, we have been given a completely new identity.

That is good news because we often carry the old self around with us. We remember our failures. We replay our mistakes. We allow our past to define us. Sometimes we even convince ourselves that a particular sin, attitude, or weakness is simply “who I am.” We may say, “That’s just the way I am,” as though change is impossible.

But Paul says otherwise.

The old self belongs to the old way of life. It is being corrupted by deceitful desires. It promises satisfaction but leaves us wanting more. It tells us that we will be happier if we get our own way, but it often leaves us more empty. It tells us that holding onto anger will protect us, that refusing to forgive will make things right, or that giving in to our desires will finally satisfy us. Yet those desires deceive us.

In Christ, we have something completely different.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Notice who makes us new. Christ does. Our new identity is not something we create for ourselves. It is a gift of God’s grace.

That changes the way we approach repentance. We do not confess our sins because we are trying to convince God to love us. We confess them because God already loves us in Christ. Jesus has carried our sins to the cross, paid for them completely, and risen from the grave. Because of Him, we can let go of the old instead of continuing to defend it.

Think about renovating a house. Sometimes you discover something behind the walls that needs to go. You might find rotten wood, damaged wiring, or plumbing that needs to be replaced. You could cover it up and hope nobody notices. But eventually the problem will show itself again.

God’s Word does not simply cover our sin. It exposes it so that Christ can deal with it. He brings our sin into the light, forgives us, and continues His work of renewal in us.

So today, say goodbye to the old self. Not because you have to earn a new identity, but because Christ has already given you one. You belong to Him. You are forgiven. You are His new creation.

You don’t have to keep wearing clothes that no longer belong to you.

Reflect: What part of your past or old way of living do you sometimes allow to define who you are? How does knowing that you are a new creation in Christ change the way you approach your sins and failures?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for making me a new creation through Your death and resurrection. Forgive me for the times I continue to hold onto the old self and allow my past, my failures, or my sinful desires to define me. Help me put off what no longer belongs and put on the new life You have given me. Renew my heart and mind through Your Word, and help me live each day as someone who belongs to You. Amen.

This week’s devotions are based on Week 2 of Building Together: “Some Things Have to Go!”  (WATCH HERE)

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Ephesians 4:17–19 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. 

Paul begins this section of Ephesians with a strong warning. He tells Christians that they must no longer live as the Gentiles do, “in the futility of their thinking.” The word futility describes something empty, worthless, or unable to accomplish what it promises. Paul is not saying that people themselves are worthless. He is saying that a way of thinking that leaves God out of the picture ultimately leads nowhere.

That is an important word for us because we live in a world filled with ideas that sound good. We hear that happiness comes from getting what we want, that truth is whatever we decide it is, that we should follow our hearts, and that we should define ourselves however we choose. Some of these ideas may sound reasonable. Some may even contain pieces of truth. But Paul reminds us that not every way of thinking leads to life.

Think about walking into an older home that has not been updated in decades. You might see worn carpet, outdated cabinets, faded wallpaper, and fixtures that no longer fit the house. Whether you think those things need to go depends on what you believe the house should look like. If you love the way things looked in the 1970s, you might keep them. If you have a different vision, you start reaching for the crowbar.

The same thing happens spiritually. What we think determines what we believe needs to change. Our sinful nature often becomes comfortable with things that God calls us to leave behind. We can begin to think that something is acceptable simply because it is common. We can become so accustomed to the world’s way of thinking that we no longer recognize how far it has moved from God’s truth.

That is why Paul says in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” God does not leave us to figure out truth on our own. He gives us His Word. He reveals Himself in Christ. Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). God’s Word gives us a true foundation for understanding ourselves, our relationships, our purpose, and the world around us.

This renewal is not something we accomplish by trying harder. It is God’s gracious work in us through His Word. The Holy Spirit uses that Word to expose our sinful thinking, lead us to repentance, and continually point us back to Christ and His forgiveness.

So today, don’t simply ask, “What am I doing wrong?” Ask, “What is shaping the way I think?” What voices are influencing you? What ideas have become so familiar that you no longer stop to examine them against God’s Word?

Demo Day begins in the mind. Some old thinking needs to be torn out so that Christ can continue building something new in us.

Reflect

1. What influence in your life most shapes the way you think and view the world?
2. Is there an attitude or belief you have become comfortable with that God’s Word is calling you to reconsider?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, forgive me for the times I have allowed the thinking of the world to shape my heart more than Your Word. Renew my mind through Your truth. Help me recognize what is futile and empty, and give me wisdom to see what is good, true, and pleasing to You. Keep me rooted in Christ and His promises, and help me live each day according to the new life You have given me. Amen.

This week’s devotions are based on Week 1 of Building Together: “It Takes ALL of us”  (WATCH HERE)

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John 15:1–8 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 

 

A building can have beautiful bricks, carefully designed walls, and impressive details, but none of it matters if there is no solid foundation. In the same way, the church can have ministries, programs, activities, gifted people, and a strong sense of community, but everything depends on one essential reality:

We must remain connected to Christ.

Jesus gives us a powerful picture in John 15. He describes Himself as the vine and His followers as the branches. A branch does not produce fruit by working harder or trying to become more fruitful on its own. It produces fruit because it remains connected to the vine.

Jesus says, “Remain in me, as I also remain in you” (John 15:4).

That is the foundation underneath everything we have talked about this week.

We guard unity because we belong to Christ.
We use our gifts because Christ has given them to us.
We build one another up because Christ is building His body through us.

Everything flows from Him.

Sometimes we can become so focused on doing things for Christ that we forget that the most important thing is simply remaining in Christ. We can become busy serving while becoming spiritually empty. We can work on the building while neglecting the foundation.

Jesus reminds us that “apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Remaining in Christ means continuing to receive what He gives us. We return to His Word. We hear His promises. We remember our Baptism. We receive His forgiveness. We gather with His people around His Word and Sacrament. We stay connected to the One who gives us life.

And as we remain connected to Christ, something begins to grow.

Paul tells the Colossians to “clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” and then says, “over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:12, 14).

Notice how much this sounds like the kind of life Paul described earlier in Ephesians 4.

Humility.
Gentleness.
Patience.
Love.
Unity.

These aren’t simply behaviors we force ourselves to produce. They are the fruit that grows as Christ works in us.

And a Christian doesn’t become more Christlike simply by trying harder to look like Christ. We remain connected to Christ, and He works through us.

So as this week comes to an end, return to the simplest and most important question:

Am I remaining in Christ?

Because when we are rooted in Christ, we can be built together.

Reflect

1. What are some things that can distract me from remaining connected to Christ? What could I do this week to make time for His Word, prayer, and the gifts He gives through worship and fellowship?
2. Which quality from Colossians 3:12–14, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, or love does Christ most need to grow in me right now? Who might experience His love through me as that quality grows?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, You are the true vine, and I am one of Your branches. Thank You for giving me life through Your grace and for connecting me to You through Your Word and Sacraments. Forgive me for the times I try to live and serve in my own strength. Keep me rooted in You. Grow in me compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love. Use the gifts You have given me to build up the people around me. Make our congregation a people who remain rooted in Christ and are willing to be built together for Your glory. Amen.

This week’s devotions are based on Week 1 of Building Together: “It Takes ALL of us”  (WATCH HERE)

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Ephesians 4:14–16 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. 

Truth and love are sometimes treated as opposites. We hear people say, “I just want to speak the truth,” as though love isn’t part of the conversation. Others avoid difficult truths because they don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. But Scripture refuses to separate the two.

Truth without love can become a weapon. Love without truth can become an indulgence.

God calls us to something better: truth spoken and lived in love.

Paul says that spiritual maturity means we are no longer like children who are “tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching” (Ephesians 4:14). Instead, we are to “speak the truth in love” and “grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).

Truth gives us something solid to stand on. God’s Word tells us what is true about God, about ourselves, about sin, and about salvation. It doesn’t simply tell us what we want to hear. Second Timothy reminds us that Scripture is useful for “teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

Sometimes the truth hurts because it exposes something in us that needs to change.

But notice how God gives us that truth. He doesn’t expose our sin so that He can shame us. He exposes our sin so that He can lead us to our Savior.

God loves us enough to tell us the truth, and He tells us the truth because He loves us.

That becomes our model for our relationships with others.

Speaking truth in love doesn’t mean avoiding difficult conversations. Sometimes love requires us to say something that is difficult to hear. But it also doesn’t mean using truth as a weapon to win an argument, prove we’re right, or make someone feel small.

Before we speak, we can ask:

Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it loving? Will this help build the other person up?

Sometimes truth needs to be spoken.

Sometimes love means listening.

Sometimes the most loving thing we can say is, “I’m sorry.”

Sometimes it is, “I forgive you.”

Sometimes it is, “Can I share something I’m concerned about?”

And sometimes it is simply, “I’m here for you.”

When truth and love come together, relationships become healthier and the church becomes stronger. We become less vulnerable to deception because we are grounded in God’s Word, and we become more united because we aren’t using truth to tear one another down.

Truth grounds us. Christ grows us. Love builds us.

Today, ask God to help you become someone who can be trusted with both truth and love.

Reflect

1. Is there a relationship in my life where I have avoided speaking a necessary truth, or where I have spoken truth without enough love? What might Christlike truth and love look like in that relationship?
2. When God’s Word corrects or challenges me, do I receive it as condemnation or as the loving voice of my Savior calling me back to Him?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the truth, and You have loved me enough to tell me the truth about my sin and my need for You. Thank You for giving me Your Word to guide, correct, teach, and strengthen me. Forgive me when I use truth to hurt others or hide behind love to avoid difficult truths. Give me wisdom to know when to speak, courage to speak what is right, and compassion to speak with love. Help me remain grounded in Your Word and grow to reflect Your love. Use my words to build others up and point them toward You. Amen.