WELS – Christs Love Our Calling



Scripts for outreach videos#1Things are changing quickly. It seems like every minute we are getting new information and new mandates and new events being cancelled. In fact, it has been difficult to keep up with the rapidly changing situation.All that change in such a short period of time can make us anxious and uneasy. All the news coverage and social media reaction can lead us to panic and give into our fears. And, before we know it, we have forgotten that our God is in control and we have lost any sense of peace in our lives.In this ever-changing world that can seem so chaotic, what a blessing to know that our God is in control. While everything else changes by the minute, our God does not change. James tells us in chapter one of his letter: Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. Rest assured, dear Christian, that your God has not changed. God is still in control. He will continue to keep his promises. He will continue to work out all things for our good and he will continue to guard us in all our ways. Dear Lord, give us calm in this troubled world. Help us to trust that you will never change. Help us to continue to put our trust in you and to know that you will guide us through this difficult time. Amen. #2Doesn’t it feel like things have slipped out of control lately? Truthfully, we aren’t ever really in control – sometimes it just feels like we are. Times like these remind us just how little control we have over anything. What will the stock market do now and what about my retirement fund? Will anyone in my family come down with the virus? When can I go back to work and get the kids back to school? All that leaves us feeling helpless and maybe a little scared too.At moments like these, when it feels like things are so out of control, Jesus speaks to us. In Revelation 1:17 he says, “Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last. I am the living One. I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever!” So often in Scripture we are encouraged to put away our fear and to trust in him who rules all things. Our Savior has already conquered death and lives and reigns eternally. He is the first and the last, the Alpha and Omega. He’s got this. Put your trust in him.We pray: Heavenly Father, help us to know that you are in control. Help us not to give into our fears, but instead to put our trust in you and your will. Amen.#3Are you getting a little lonely out there? Many of you are likely watching this from your home – a place where maybe you’ve spent too much time lately. You miss joking around with your buddies at school. You miss practicing with your teammates. You miss having lunch with your coworkers and talking about the latest show that you’re binging on Netflix. You miss those familiar smiles and handshakes from your fellow Christians at church. While we understand the need for social distancing, it sure makes us feel like we’re out there on an island. Today in his Word, God reminds us that we are not alone. In fact, Scripture is full of reminders that God is with us. This one is from Deuteronomy 31: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” That word “never” is an awesome word in that verse. No matter how long this crisis lasts, no matter how long we are stuck at home, no matter how many others we are distanced from; our Lord is always with us. So, fear not, dear believers. You are not alone. Our God will never leave you.We pray: Thank you for never leaving us or forsake us. Be with us every day and help us not to be afraid. Amen.#4Things are getting worse before they get better. People are suffering. There has been loss of life. There have been many in the hospital. In some parts of our world people who need care haven’t been able to receive it. We continue to pray that God would bring a speedy end to this crisis and that he stop this pandemic dead in its tracks. And as we pray for a quick end, we also take the time to be reminded that there is something far better than this world waiting for us. Paul writes to the Romans: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” As we continue to serve our Lord in this world and pray for all those who are affected by this pandemic; we also know in our hearts that there is a better home where we will live in glory forever and ever. Keep your eyes fixed on that heavenly home. What a joy that will be to leave all suffering behind and live with our Lord forever.We pray: Dear Lord, you tell us that there will always be suffering in this sinful world. Hear our prayer and bring a swift end to this pandemic. Help us to look forward to the glory that will be ours in heaven with you. Amen.#5This may sound silly, but I miss shaking hands. I miss lining up at the door greeting God’s people as they leave his house. I miss those familiar smiles. I miss the hugs from people loved by God. How long will it be until we can have some contact with people in our lives?It’s weird. In the last week I have happened to be in the same area as people I know. People I love and respect. But I couldn’t go over and shake their hand. I couldn’t get any closer than 6 feet. There’s that invisible line we aren’t supposed to cross. And I get it. Out of love for our neighbor, it needs to be that way. While I miss that close contact with family and friends, there is one who is always near. Ephesians chapter 2 tells us, “Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Thanks to Jesus, God has drawn near to us. We are never far removed from him. As we all experience a disconnect with others, let’s appreciate all the more how our Lord is always near to us. We pray: Dear Savior, thank you for bringing us near to the Father. Stay with us each day to guide and protect. As we feel distant from others, keep us close to you as we trust your Word. Amen.#6“If God were a loving God, how could he let this happen?” Has anyone asked you that question this week? Maybe you’ve been pondering that yourself. God’s will is at times a mystery to us. We can’t see the whole picture like he can and we often scratch our heads at the things he allows to happen.But make no mistake, our God is still a loving God. All the suffering that goes on in the world today is there because of sin. Sin causes viruses and pain and even death. God didn’t bring sin into the world – we did that. We still do it every single day.God could have left us to our own devices in this sinful, decaying world, but he didn’t. Instead, “God so loved the world, that he sent his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Our loving God sent Jesus to be our Savior and to give us the free gift of eternal life heaven. God hasn’t caused this suffering, but in his will he has allowed it to happen. Trusting in his love, we seek his guidance and protection in this world, and look forward to the day when he will take us to himself in heaven. We pray: Dear heavenly Father, thank you for your love which sent Jesus to give us eternal life. Help us to trust your loving plan and to know that one day all suffering will cease and we will be with you forever. Amen.#7We’ve been hearing so much negativity throughout this crisis. We are being bombarded with infection rates and statistics about the spread of the virus. We’ve heard about the economic effects of the pandemic. We’ve lamented the loss of school and other events and activities.Has anyone talked about the blessings? Has anyone asked you about the good that you have experienced in all this isolation? Scripture says: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Pandemic or not, each new day brings blessings from the Lord.Have you considered that? Perhaps more time at home has helped to alleviate some stress that had been piling up at work. Maybe the extra time with your family has been a nice blessing as you had previously gone months without even sitting down to dinner together. Or maybe all this extra time has allowed you to circle back and finally think more about your faith and even read God’s Word again. I don’t know how long we’ll be in this situation, but I do know each of those days will involve blessings from the Lord. He promises it. Count those blessings today.We pray: Thank you, Lord, for your blessings that come to us each day. During this difficult time, makes us more mindful of those blessings we have often taken for granted. Bless us this day also. Amen.#8I’m not the most patient guy. My family can attest to that. Whether or not patience is one of your virtues, it will most certainly be tested as we continue to endure all this isolation. Being cooped up at home with the same people for weeks on end is going to try our patience. Wanting to get back to work and school and sports and not being able to is going to try our patience. God’s Word says to us in Colossians: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Did you hear that? We are God’s chosen people! We are holy and dearly loved. We are those things because of God’s patience with us. He saw our sin, but rather than react quickly and in anger, he patiently bore with us and sent Jesus to take our sins away and give us the gift of heaven. And as God’s children, we are different. Moved by the love of Jesus, during this crisis we have an opportunity to be kind and compassionate with others. We now get to model our Savior’s gentleness, and especially his patience. God bless us as we patiently wait for him to deliver us from this current crisis and as we share that patience with others.We pray: Dear Father in heaven, thank you for your patience in sending Jesus to win our salvation. As your dear children, help us to share that same patience with others. Amen.#9Does God hear our prayers? Perhaps, like me, you have been praying daily that God would put an end to this virus and that he would lead us back to life as we are used to living it. But, if you are viewing this devotion from your home, that likely means God hasn’t yet seen fit to bring an end to this time of isolation. Does that mean God isn’t answering our prayers?God’s Word promises us in James chapter 5 that, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” God himself tells us that prayer is powerful and that it works. Rest assured, through faith in Jesus, God is hearing your prayers. They are having an impact. The fact that he hasn’t yet brought an end to this means that he has other things to accomplish through this hardship. He knows all our needs and he will continue to take care of us, and he will continue to hear our prayers. So keep praying! Pray for strength. Pray for others. Pray that God would lead more people to himself through this crisis. Pray that God will grow his kingdom and that he will bring so much good out of this terrible situation. Pray that God will bring it to an end soon. God will hear and will answer your prayers. Dear Lord, hear our prayer. Bring a swift end to this virus. Heal those who are afflicted. Use this crisis to bring more people to faith in you. Amen.#10Is this really that big of a deal? Do I have to practice social separation? I’m healthy and active and don’t really feel the need to isolate myself. Why bother?It could be true that you personally won’t be affected by the virus. It could be true that maybe some of these measures are unnecessary. It could be true that you would get a mild case of the virus and quickly get back to normal.So why should we practice isolation and carry out all these other measures? In a word: love. In Galatians, Paul writes: For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love for neighbor outweighs love for self. If, in practicing social distance and obeying mandates not to gather in groups over 10 we can keep our neighbor safe, then in love we are happy to do that. Why? Because our Savior loved us first. Jesus saw that we were all stuck in the crisis of sin and death. And he didn’t act like it was no big deal. Instead, in love for his neighbor, he went to the cross to suffer and die and take our sins away. His great love has set us free. Moved by his love, dear friends, lets do whatever we can do out of love for our neighbors.We pray: Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for the love you showed us in going to the cross for our sins. Help us to show that same love to others each day. Amen.#11Now what? It’s been a few weeks. You’ve done all the house cleaning you care to do. You’ve caught up with the to-do list. You’ve run out of shows to binge watch. You’ve had it with staring at your laptop trying to come up with work to do. Now what?How about reconnecting with God and what he says to you in the Scriptures? Psalm 119 says: “Oh how I love your law, I meditate on it all day long.” 2 Peter encourages us to: “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus.” God’s will for all of us is to grow in our faith as we meditate on his Word.There is no time like the present. Let this time of isolation be a blessing for your life of faith. Meditate on his Word daily. He will bless that time and he will bring you closer to him. If you need help getting started there are all kinds of tools out there. You can go to and subscribe to daily reading plans. You can download Bible apps to your phone. You can just grab your Bible and mediate on a psalm a day. You can even shoot me an email and I’ll help you get started. However you proceed, God bless your time in his Word!We pray: Dear Lord, give me a desire to spend time with you in your Word. Give me strength and dedication. Bless my efforts and strengthen my faith as I meditate on your Word. Amen.#12Have you been hearing any good news lately? Our news media excels at reporting the negative, the tragic and the scary. Gloom and doom sells. Negativity is contagious. It’s exhausting. And it is all just evidence that we live in a world darkened by sin. Jesus tells us in Matthew: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven.” In all the craziness and chaos, have you contemplated how you could be the light for someone else in this world of darkness? Jesus came and shed his light in this world and gave himself to be our Savior. His life, death and resurrection have shined the light of faith in our hearts and have made us children of God. Is there anyone in your life right now who needs that light? Anyone struggling to make sense of what is going on? Anyone who needs the peace that only Jesus can bring? In all the negative news and doomsday predictions, let’s share the good news of our Savior Jesus. There are many out there who need to hear it and now more than ever, they may be willing to listen. We pray: Lord Jesus, you are the light of the world. You have called us to faith and given us salvation. Help us to let that same light shine in this dark world that others may come to see you as Savior and Lord. Amen. ................
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