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#DailyDevotion God's Church Will Be Purified

#DailyDevotion God's Church Will Be Purified Micah 1 8For this I will wail and howl and go barefoot and naked. I will wail like a jackal and mourn like an ostrich. 9The blow she’ll get will not be cured; it will have an effect on Judah and reach the gate of my people, yes, even Jerusalem. The reason for Micah to wail and howl and go barefoot and naked is because of the previous verses and which he explains in the next. The blow Samaria is going to get from the LORD is going to expand down into Judah as well. The Assyrians who will invade and destroy Samaria will also invade the kingdom of Judah and many of its people will be taken prisoner as evidenced by the barefoot and naked. Samaria will not be able to recover from the Assyrian invasion. They will be utterly destroyed because they rejected the King of Glory. The fact that it reaches the gate of Jerusalem means the Assyrians will deeply go into Judah as prophesied also by Isaiah the prophet in 8:8 and 30:28. 10Don’t tell it in Gath. Don’t weep there. In Beth-le-aphrah roll in the dust. 11You who live in Shaphir , leave it shamefully naked. You who live in Zaanan will not march out of it. The lamentation in Beth-ezel is because there is nothing to stand near. 12You who live in Baroth will be tired of looking for better days. Disaster will come down from the LORD to the very gate of Jerusalem. 13Hitch the horses to the chariots, you who live in Lachish. You started the people of Zion to sinning because the sins of Israel were found in you. 14Then give a parting gift to Moresheth, near Gath. The homes of Aczip will deceive the kings of Israel. 15You who live in Mareshah , I will again allow the enemy to dispossess you until Israel’s glory comes to Adullam. We see here how complete the invasion will be into Judah as the prophet lists off ten towns or cities in Judah that will be affected. Ten is often the number of completion in biblical thought. He starts off with Gath and quotes David from 2 Sam. 1:20 referring to Saul's death. David didn't want the Philistines to rejoice over this though Saul had made David his enemy, David was loyal to Saul as the LORD's anointed. So too there will be great mourning because of the invasion by the Assyrians into Judah. He lists punishments for these towns based on their names. The second he says they will roll in the dust. The second, though beautiful, will leave it naked. The third meaning march says they will not march. The fourth will be nothing to stand near. The fifth will tire looking for better days. It continues with the rest. This interesting one is Lachish. The prophet says the sin of Israel was found there and caused the people of Zion to start sinning. Joram (2 Kings 18:18) king of Judah married Ahab's daughter. She brought with her probably Baal worship though perhaps instead of Baal she brought a golden calf, like Bethel and Dan, and set it up in Lachish to be worshiped. Bad company corrupts good morals. This is as good a reason not to marry unbelievers, we who are Christians. It's not clear whether the LORD will bring an heir to Mareshah or a conqueror. Translations go either way. Perhaps the glory to Adullsm indicates an heir. Adullam was the cave to which David fled to for safety. Perhaps this is a reference to Jesus. Jesus was buried in a cave and when He arose He established the kingdom of God. God's people, the Church, are dispossed of until Christ Jesus comes again in glory. May we remain faithful to receive it. Heavenly Father, grant us faith to endure Your discipline so we may receive the Kingdom won for by Your Son, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

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#DailyDevotion Have You Exchanged The Worship Of God For Idols?

#DailyDevotion Have You Exchanged The Worship Of God For Idols? Micah 15All this is for Jacob’s wrong and Israel’s sins. What is Jacob’s wrong? Isn’t it Samaria? And what are Judah’s high places? Aren’t they Jerusalem? 6“And so I will make Samaria a pile of ruins in the field, a place for the planting of vineyards. I will pour her stones into the valley and lay bare her foundations. 7All her images will be smashed to pieces, the wages of her prostitutes will be burned, and all her idols I will turn into a heap of ruins. They were collected with money from the hire of prostitutes; they will again be used for the hire of prostitutes.” Judgment and destruction in the previous verses is what “all this” refers to. But judgment begins with the house of God, so the northern kingdom, Samaria and the southern kingdom, Judah will be judged first. Jacob's wrong is Samaria. When the LORD gave the northern tribes to Jeroboam, he founded his new country on the two worship sites in Bethel and Dan, contrary to the will of the LORD, who wanted all Israelites to come to Jerusalem to worship where He placed His name. On top of that, Jeroboam made two golden calves to represent the LORD and placed them at those places to be worshiped. So he added idolatry to Israel's sin of not worshiping at the Temple in Jerusalem. While the Israelites never fully gave up worshiping in high places, the amazing thing here is the LORD counts Jerusalem now as one of the high places. On other high places they may have worshiped the LORD but they also worshiped pagan gods like Baal. But the LORD here is counting the Judahites' worship of Him in Jerusalem equal to the the worship on the high places. Obviously, He is not accepting their worship of Him there even at the temple where His name was because they were not worshiping Him with their hearts but only with their mouths in vain. He then turns His attention to Samaria. His judgment for her is to become a waste, a pile of ruins. The LORD is going to bring the place down to its foundations. He is planning on having all her idols smashed. While it is possible and probable there was cultic prostitution going on in Israel, the wages of the prostitutes here is most likely referring to the spiritual prostitution of the two temples of the golden calves which kept the people from going to Jerusalem to worship the LORD at His temple and in the manner He prescribed. We will often hear that since Jesus said the Father wants people to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, that anything goes in worship. It is all adiaphora. But is that what Jesus meant. Didn't He rather mean the Spirit would have us worship Him with our hearts unfeignedly? Didn't He mean our worship would consists of listening to His Word, trusting His Word and doing His Word? It is perhaps not at willy nilly as some would have us think. The early Church took on the pattern of worship from the synagogues they once attended and added unto that the communion service. We should worship in such a way the Law of God is proclaimed to us so that we may know our sins and how the LORD wants us to live. We should worship in such a way the mercy, grace, kindness, steadfast love and forgiveness won for us by Jesus Christ is proclaimed and exalted which overcomes that Law and then moves us to keep that Law from the heart. Such a worship service should exalt the name of Jesus and His works to the glory of the Father and bring us the Spirit through the use of God's Word and His holy Sacraments. Merciful, gracious, kind, loving and forgiving Father, give us Your Spirit, that we may worship You in Spirit and in Truth. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

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#DailyDevotion Will You Heed The Warning Of The LORD?

#DailyDevotion Will You Heed The Warning Of The LORD? Micah 1 The LORD’s Word came to Micah, a man from Mareshah, in the time of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, about Samaria and Jerusalem. 2 Hear, all you people. Listen, world and all who are in it. The Lord GOD will testify against you, the Lord coming from His holy temple. 3 The Lord will come from His place. He will come down and walk on the high places of the earth. 4 Under Him the mountains will melt and the valleys split apart, like wax near a fire, like water pouring down a steep place. The introduction to this prophetic book is about all we know about Micah. He lived and prophesied during the mid-eight century to later. This is during the rise of power of the Assyrians who would destroy the northern kingdom of Israel and invade the kingdom of Judah. The nations are going through the Promised Land at this time and that leads us to verse two. The prophet addresses the people of the nations and the world here. The LORD, the God of Israel is never only interested in the people of Israel. He has an eye towards all the children of Adam. Even when He is threatening them with destruction, His purpose is to call them to repentance and faith in Him. We see this with Jonah and the Ninevites. So too here, the prophet Micah is speaking for the LORD as he addresses all the people in the world. The LORD will testify against them. No doubt His testimony will be against their worship of idols, of trusting in created things rather than the Creator and the sinful life that follows such idolatry. He has always wanted to be their God who took care of them, but they would not. Now the LORD will come from His holy temple and make His case against them. This is an eschatological (last days) text. The temple he mentions here is not the one in Jerusalem but the real deal above. Now true, it has some relevance for Micah's time as the LORD has never been just hands off until the last judgment. We will see there are judgments coming for the Israelites, the Judahites and the nations that touch them. But this also means Micah's message is for the people of the earth today. We do not know when the LORD Jesus is coming down from His temple to judge the peoples of the world. We should then take notice of this warning and repent like the Ninevites did when they heard the prophet Jonah preach. When the LORD comes down and walks on all the high places of the earth we see the mountains will melt and the valleys split apart. He compares it to fire coming near to wax. We see this language in the book of Revelation. It will be a day of great distress. We need to decide whose side we are on today. Who will you serve, the LORD Jesus Christ or Mammon (the manifestation of trusting in wealth and power)? Do not delay in your trust and worship. You don't know when your last day is much less the end of all time. Jesus promises you mercy, grace, kindness, steadfast love, and forgiveness. On top of all that, He promises you eternal life and His kingdom. Mammon is a harsh taskmaster who promises opulence, abundance of material goods now, partying and the like but destroys your relationships, has nothing to offer past this life and makes you serve it taking up all your time you could be spending with the people you love. In the end, its benefits end with your last breath and then there is nothing but pain and sorrow, weeping and gnashing of teeth. Don't be stupid, trust in Jesus alone for everything. Heavenly Father, may we heed the words of Your prophet Micah, turn from the worship of created things and put our trust in You, our Creator and the LORD Jesus Christ, who has turned Your wrath away from us and bestows upon us Your grace and mercy. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

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#DailyDevotion The Glory Of Moses Faded But The Glory Christ Gives Endures

#DailyDevotion The Glory Of Moses Faded But The Glory Christ Gives Endures Exodus 34:29–35 29Moses came down from Mount Sinai. The tablets with the Word of Testimony were in Moses' hands as he came down the mountain. Moses didn't know the skin of his face was shining because God had talked with him. 30But Aaron and all the other Israelites looked at Moses and saw the skin of Moses' face shining and were afraid to come near him. 31But Moses called to them, and so Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation came back, and Moses talked to them. 32Afterwards all the other Israelites came near him, and he ordered them to do everything the LORD had told him on Mount Sinai. 33When Moses finished talking to them, he put a veil over his face. Moses had just spent another 40 days and nights on the mountain when he returned to Israel. He went back up because while he was up with the LORD a previous 40 days and nights they people made a golden calf, worshiped it and Moses smashed the two stone tablets with the words of the covenant the LORD had written. Now the LORD called him back up for Moses to write on stone tablets the words of the Covenant. The LORD went over with Moses again his promises and his commandments. Having spent this time with the LORD, Moses' face had become transfigured by the glory of the LORD. The LORD glory was transferred to Moses. When the people and Aaron saw him they were very frightened, as well it should, because they were beholding the glory of the LORD. Moses beckoned them though and they came near. Now Moses recounted to the people everything the LORD had told him and ordered them to do. Afterwards, Moses put a veil on his face. Now I imagine the LORD gave Moses his glory so the people would listen to him and pay attention to him. But the glory he gave Moses was fading. Moses put a veil over his face not so people wouldn't be afraid of him but the opposite. He didn't want them to see the glory fading and have them lose their fear of what he told them. Now we too are being transformed as we partake and participate in the means of grace, namely, God' Word, baptism, the LORD's Supper, Absolution from the pastor, and forgiveness from our fellow Christians. Paul writes in 2 Cor. 3, “16But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 And all of us, reflecting the Lord's glory in our unveiled faces, are changed from glory to glory to be like Him, as we expect it from the Lord, Who is the Spirit.” Moses would take the veil away when he spoke to the LORD. The veil is removed from us when we turn to Christ in the means of grace he has supplied us. These means of grace transform us from one degree of glory to the next. It is the LORD's intent that we participate in Glory. This is the free gift of salvation won for us and given us by Jesus Christ. Because of Adam's sin, our first parent lost the glory that once clothed them. Now because of Christ Jesus' obedience that glory is being restored in us. Heavenly Father, as you once gave your glory to Moses as he talked with you, so now transform us into the glory of your son Jesus Christ as we participate in the means of grace he has now given us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

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Can't get to Church?

Can't get to Church? You can listen to an abbreviated service at 8:30 am cst on www.krmsradio.com or you can join us live at 10 am cst here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClwQMjDeHKXtW_2kGcY0spQ Be sure to click like and subscribe to be notified when we go live. Read the full article

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#DailyDevotion The Life Jesus Expects Us To Live

#DailyDevotion The Life Jesus Expects Us To Live Luk 6:27-35  “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,  (28)  bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.  (29)  To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.  (30)  Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.  (31)  And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.  (32)  “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.  (33)  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.  (34)  And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.  (35)  But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Some Christians may say “This is impossible!” Well if you don’t have the Holy Spirit that might be true. But you are baptized. You have received the Holy Spirit. You are God’s children. That doesn’t mean this will be easy. You are still living in fallen flesh which wars against your spirit. It will be a struggle. Jesus struggled in the Garden. Jesus struggled on the cross. It won’t be any easier for you. So this passage is pretty clear. A lot doesn’t need to be explained. You just do it. But there are a couple of things we need to understand in context. Striking the cheek was an invitation to a fight. It was a slap, kind of like a push. So if someone slaps you or pushes you let them. Don’t take the bait. Don’t engage in the fight. Don’t strike back. Forgive the person and let them know God loves them. Luke doesn’t mention the part of the sermon where Jesus tells you if you are forced to go one mile go two. This was a case a being conscripted by the military. This is being not being abducted. However Jesus’ words here are for you to practice. Jesus is serious. He wants and expects you to love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, give to those who ask of you, turn your cheek and lend your stuff without demanding it back. It is a radical way of life. For those who fret about God rewarding those who do good, no need to fret. Jesus is actually making promises of reward. He is actually encouraging to do good to be rewarded. Jesus says that it is to your benefit to live this way. He promises your reward will be great. He doesn’t spell out what those will be but certainly the Creator of the universe can and will reward you greatly. When we live this way we will be son of the Most High. Why is that? Because the seed doesn’t fall far from the tree. The Most High is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. That would be you. Before you were born again of the water and the Spirit you were dead in your trespasses and sins. You were enemies of God and hated God. God has had mercy on you. God has given you food, clothing and shelter. God has given you family and government. Most of all he has forgiven your sins and has accepted you as his children for the sake of Jesus Christ who died for your sins. He sacrificed his son and put him to death so that you may live and have life. Heavenly Father, continually give us faith and your Holy Spirit that we may live and live out your life in our lives and received the rewards you have promised us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

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#DailyDevotion Are You Only Concerned About Yourself?

#DailyDevotion Are You Only Concerned About Yourself? Jon. 4. 6The LORD God had a plant grow up over Jonah to serve as a shade over his head to keep him from suffering, and Jonah delighted very much in the plant. 7But when the next day dawned, God had a worm come and attack the plant so that it withered. Now throughout the text of Jonah, God has been “the God (HaElohim) or “LORD (Yahweh).” In this instance we get “Yahweh Elohim.” This combination is used of God abut 39 times in the bible. You get the personal name of God, Yahweh, and the creative name for God Elohim. You may also find a bit more with a modified form of the two names. Another instance English translation use “Lord GOD” they are translating “Adonai Yahweh,” but note in this instance Lord uses small case and God is all capital letters. The introduction in your Bible should tell you how they are treating these two different cases. The LORD, for a moment takes pity on Jonah and has a plant grow up over his booth to give him some shade and Jonah delighted very much in this bit of good fortune. Nothing better than a bit of shade when you're out in the hot sun. But it wasn't to last. The next morning God had a worm attack the plant so that it withered. 8When the sun rose, God had a hot east wind blow. The sun struck Jonah’s head so that he grew faint and asked for death, saying, “It’s better for me to die than live.” 9“Is it right for you to get so angry about the plant?” God asked Jonah. “It is right for me to be angry enough to die,” he answered. 10“You pity the plant you didn’t work for or raise,” the LORD said, “because it grew in a night and died in a night. 11Shouldn’t I pity this great city of Nineveh in which there are more than 120,000 persons who can’t tell their right hand from their left, as well as many animals?” Well that wasn't the end of it. Then God sent a hot east wind to blow on Jonah and the hot sun struck Jonah. He was growing faint from it all. Jonah felt so miserable he wished for death. He was angry that the plant that gave him shade was now dead. Well God was going to use this as an object lesson. God asked him if it was right for him to be angry? Jonah sounds like an immature child in his response. Have you ever got so angry about something going on in your life you wish you were dead? I don't know. Maybe the LORD is trying to tell you something. I wouldn't spend too much time thinking about it. But we do know that the LORD uses suffering to produce in us patience, endurance, character and hope (Rom. 6). We know the suffering we endure prepares us to bear the weight of eternal glory (2 Cor. 4:17). We know the suffering we experience doesn't compare to the glory He has prepared to reveal to us (Rom. 8:18). Well the LORD reasons with Jonah he has no right to be angry about the death of a plant he didn't work for or raise. What's his problem? The LORD points to Nineveh and asks shouldn't He have had pity on Nineveh which had 120,000 persons plus animals. We see here the LORD God's concern for all humanity. He is not only concerned for the Israelites or the Jews but for all people. It just seems like the LORD's people, even up to Jesus' revelation, didn't get it. Even the early Church didn't get it until Jesus sent Peter to Cornelius' house (Acts 10) and then more properly sealed it to the Church in the first Church council at Jerusalem (Acts 15). This is a good reminder for us as Christians not to only be concerned about just the people of our own congregation. The LORD still wants the Church to evangelize the people around us and those far away. Gracious God and Father, You have had mercy on us, sending the Good News of Jesus Christ to us so that we may be saved. Give us a heart for those who do not know You. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

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#DailyDevotion R U A Good Example Of A Christian R A Bad 1?

#DailyDevotion R U A Good Example Of A Christian R A Bad 1? Jon. 4 Jonah didn’t like this at all and became angry. 2He prayed to the LORD: “Now, LORD, isn’t this what I said when I was still in my own country? So I went and fled to Tarshish. 3I knew You are gracious, merciful, patient, and very kind, and You relent from bringing on disaster. And now, LORD, take my life — I’d rather die than live.” 4“Is it right for you to be angry?” the LORD asked. 5But Jonah left the city and stayed east of the city and made himself a booth there and sat under it in its shade until he would see what would happen in the city. It is no wonder sometimes that non-Christians hate Christians because Christians sometimes act so un-Christian. Jonah is the example of the Christian acting unChristlike. He was very angry because the LORD relented of the disaster He proclaimed to the people after they repented of their wickedness. Should not a Christian be happy and rejoice with the angels when a single sinner repents and lives, much less a great city like say New York? While we may want to see fire and brimstone cast down upon the wicked, should we not want to see all the more they repent, turn from their sins and join us in trusting in Jesus Christ as the Savior and Redeemer of the world? Well, not Jonah. He prayed to the LORD (again, Jonah is teaching us how to pray), “Now, LORD, isn’t this what I said when I was still in my own country? So I went and fled to Tarshish” Now Jonah didn't report his prayer to the LORD earlier when the LORD gave him his orders. But apparently he told the LORD something to the effect that if he preached to them the LORD's message they would repent and the LORD would relent. He didn't want the LORD to relent. He wanted Him to burn the Ninevites down to the ground like He did the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Jonah fully expected the LORD to relent when the people repented because Jonah knew the LORD's name and glory from Ex. 34:6, “the LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, slow to get angry, rich in love and faithfulness, 7continuing to show mercy to thousands, forgiving wrong, rebellion, and sin, without treating it as innocent, but disciplining children and children's children to the third and fourth generation for the sins of their fathers.” The devil does a good job of keeping blinders on the people of the world from seeing this when they read the Old Testament. They don't see this is how He really is and wants to be towards them. This is God's primary nature and will towards all mankind. Wrath is an alien work for the LORD Jesus Christ, not a primary one. So Jonah pouts and says, “LORD, take my life — I’d rather die than live.” Mind you, Jonah is still a Christian when he says this. He's not being a very good one, but he is one nevertheless. The LORD in His great and infinite mercy asks Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry?” Indeed, he should be rejoicing at Nineveh's repentance. Instead, he goes east of the city, builds a booth, and sits in it to see what would happen to the city. It seems to me he is hoping the Ninevites repent of their repentance and the LORD would send down on them His hot wrath. Jonah is a great example of a bad example. Do we pray God's wrath down upon this wicked world or do we pray for its repentance? Do we rejoice when bad things happen to bad people or when they repent and turn from their wickedness? God's holiness and righteousness surely call for it, but we aren't God. Merciful and gracious Father, give us a heart that prays for the repentance and salvation of the world, and give us lives that proclaim Your mercy. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

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#DailyDevotion How Do You Repent Or Do You?

#DailyDevotion How Do You Repent Or Do You? Jon. 3 6When the news came to the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7He had someone call throughout the city: “This is a decree of the king and his noblemen: Men and animals, cattle and sheep should eat nothing, get no food and drink no water. 8But every man and animal should put on sackcloth and cry mightily to God; people should turn from their wicked ways and the crimes they’re doing. 9Who knows, God may relent and be sorry and turn from His fury so that we’ll not perish.” The people of Nineveh at Jonah's message actually begin to repent. Then the news gets to the king himself and he makes an edict for the whole city, just in case anyone wasn't repenting. He humbled himself, came down from his throne, put aside his royal robe and adorned himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. This was the customary way of mourning. They were mourning their sins. Do we ever mourn over our sins? Do we ever see the severity of them? There should be some distress over them at some time even though we know we are forgiven for Christ's sake. I guess that is what Lent and Advent are for; to gain some realization of what we have been redeemed from by the blood of Christ. Now this is a serious fast the king proclaimed. It would be nice if someone, one day, found a copy of the edict the king had published. You have to remember it was 2800 plus years ago. It was so serious even the animals, cattle and sheep were to eat nothing and drink no water. Dietrich in his commentary says this was to add their cry of suffering to that of the human populace of the city repenting. “Who knows?” This phrase doesn't indicate doubt but hope in the nature of God. When David ceased fasting after his first son from Bathsheba died, when asked why he stopped fasting replied, “When he was living, who knows if the LORD might have mercy on him.” In Joel 2 it was written, “13Tear your hearts and not your clothes, and turn to the LORD your God because He is gracious, merciful, slow to. get angry, full of kindness, and relents from disaster. 14Who knows--He may relent and leave behind Him a blessing--gifts of food and drink for the LORD your. God?” The LORD speaks through Joel His divine name revealed to Moses in Ex. 34:6 when He says, “He is gracious, merciful, slow to. get angry, full of kindness,. . .” As we see in the next chapter of Jonah, Jonah was worried just about the nature of the name of the LORD. And He wouldn't be wrong. 10When God saw what they did, how they turned from their wicked ways, God relented from the disaster He threatened to bring on them, and He didn’t do it. We should note, this fasting and repentance did not earn the LORD's forgiveness. Forgiveness is His nature. It is the nature of His name. We cannot receive it if we don't know we need it. The fasting and prayer merely prepared the people to receive the LORD's mercy. It is not in the nature of the LORD to destroy people. It is His alien work. It is His nature to discipline sinners as we see in Ex. 34:6. We see in Ezek. 18 and 34 the LORD only wants to see the wicked turn and live. 2 Pet. 3:9 also tells us the LORD is patient with us not wanting any to perish but to repent and live. The LORD's character is the same in both Testaments. He doesn't want you to perish either. So turn from your sins and turn to Jesus for redemption and live. Merciful, gracious, kind, loving and forgiving Father, even as You had mercy of Nineveh, grant us repentance unto eternal life for the sake of Jesus. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

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#DailyDevotion Would You Repent?

#DailyDevotion Would You Repent? Jon. 3 The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 2“Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh and preach to it what I will tell you.” 3Jonah got up and went to Nineveh as the LORD told him. Nineveh was a great city before God, a three-days’ walk. 4Jonah started to go into the city a day’s walk, and preached and said: “Forty days yet, and Nineveh will be destroyed.” Having been delivered alive unto the shore by the LORD, He comes to Jonah a second time with the same command as before, “Go to Nineveh and preach what I tell you.” Nineveh was a great city. It was founded by Nimrod (yes that Nimrod). It was a three day walk. Some debate what that means. Some think it took three days to walk around it. Nineteenth century scholars and those that followed doubted the size of it. New archaeological digs now confirm the size of it. For not only was there the city proper with its walls, but it had suburbs as well, like many modern cities. It was great also because the population was great. The LORD didn't want to kill that many people for their wickedness. He would prefer they repent and live—this is always the case with the LORD. This is why He is sending the prophet in the first place. So Jonah went into the city a day's walk and preached, “Forty days yet, and Nineveh will be destroyed.” Forty. That's a nice biblical number. In Noah's time it rained for forty days. The Israelites roamed wilderness forty years until the unbelieving generation died out. Moses was on the mountain forty days and nights on the mountain, twice, talking with the LORD. Jesus fasted for forty days while being tempted in the wilderness. There's a whole lot more of forty in the Bible. Anyway, the LORD is giving them forty day to hear the message of destruction coming upon them because of their wickedness. That's plenty o f time for Jonah to preach throughout the city and for its inhabitants to spread the word. We would probably think he is a kook today. Would we listen? Would we repent of our sins? The LORD is manifesting to the world daily His call to us to repent. Fire, hail, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, terrorist attacks, and wars are all there calling us to repent of our sins daily. Are we repenting of our sins daily? In Revelation, it says all these things happened and the people did not repent. Do you repent when you see these things happening? 5Then the men of Nineveh believed God and announced a fast and dressed in sackcloth from the greatest to the least. Well, the men of Nineveh believed God. This was a great gift of God to them that they would believe His message and repent. They announced a fast and dressed in sackcloth from the greatest of them to the least. You know, rich and poor, powerful and weak, they all started fasting and wearing the traditional clothing for mourning. This wasn't just an outward show but outwardly showing an inner condition. Yes, I know, Jesus said to anoint your face and smile while you are fasting. He was correcting the hypocrital fasting of His day which had no heart to it. It was all for show. If your heart is in it and you aren't doing it for show the LORD accepts it. People today could just as well be condemned by Jesus by their proudly not putting on sackcloth and ashes for a show. They were grieved to the heart. Do your sins grieve your heart or do you just dismiss them because you heard they were forgiven? Do you think lightly of your sins because you heard they were forgiven or do you understand how horrific they are having been forgiven? Do you turn away from your sins or use forgiveness as an excuse to continue? Merciful God and Father, grant us the gift of repentance so we can see our sins rightly and turn from them to Your Son, Jesus Christ, where there is forgiveness. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

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Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany Feb 16 2025

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Can't get to Church?

Can't get to Church? You can listen to an abbreviated service at 8:30 am cst on www.krmsradio.com or you can join us live at 10 am cst here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClwQMjDeHKXtW_2kGcY0spQ Be sure to click like and subscribe to be notified when we go live. Read the full article

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#DailyDevotion Jonah Teaches Us How To Pray

#DailyDevotion Jonah Teaches Us How To Pray Jon. 2 8Those who worship idols that deceive them forsake Him Who is merciful to them. 9But I will sacrifice to You as I thank You aloud; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is from the LORD!” Jonah concludes his prayer speaking of false gods, idols and comparing them to the LORD. He had recently, on the boat, been called upon to pray to his God by those who worship idols. We see how they turned to the LORD when the sea calmed after throwing Jonah overboard. Our translation here says “forsake Him Who is merciful to them.” The literal translation of the Hebrew here would be something like “forsake the mercy.” The mercy is haChesed. Ha is the definite article the. Chesed is the LORD's steadfast love, mercy, grace and the like. It seems Jonah is using it here, with the article, without reference to the LORD as a name of the LORD. It's like 1 John four where he says, “God is love.” The LORD is Chesed and the two names are interchangeable. So when we turn to created things and human philosophy for every good and comfort, we are forsaking the One who is Chesed, we are forsaking mercy, grace, and steadfast love. We should always turn to our Father in heaven for every good thing, for all grace, mercy, kindness and steadfast love. Jonah is confident he will be alive at the end of this turmoil. He has prayed to the LORD and he trusts the LORD has heard him and answered his prayer. So he can confidently say he will make sacrifices to the LORD and thank Him aloud. He will pay his vows. Would it be that our prayers would be so confident. Jesus calls us to pray such confident prayers. Jesus certainly has given us reason to pray this way. He says in Matt. 7, “7“Ask, and it will be given to you. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. 8Anyone who asks receives; anyone who searches finds; and anyone who knocks, the door will be opened for him.” In Matt. 6:7 He says, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” In Mark 11 Jesus says, “24That's why I tell you, anything you ask for in prayer, believe that you received it, and you will have it.” In John 14 Jesus says, “13and I will do anything you ask in My name in order that the Son may glorify the Father. 14If you ask Me for anything in My name, I'll do it.” And in John 16 he says, “23. . .I tell you the truth, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. 24So far you haven't asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete.” Who knew the book of Jonah was going to teach us about praying to our LORD and Father? But here he is teaching us about faith and prayer to our Chesed, our Love. 10The LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto the shore. So at this point Jonah is vomited alive unto the shore at the command of the LORD. Now, you can have your pick of miracle. Did the LORD preserve Jonah alive in the fish or did He resurrect Jonah as he was being vomited? You don't get to say Jonah didn't exist or he wasn't alive when he was vomited ashore. Given Jesus uses Jonah as a sign of His death and resurrection, I choose he was resurrected. If someone challenges you saying, “No one can survive living in a fish for three days,” You can simply reply, “Whether he lived or died in the fish, one this is for certain, he was alive when the fish spit him out on the beach.” Since you believe in the resurrection it shouldn't be hard to swallow this. Heavenly Father, increase our faith so we may pray like Jonah and give us the certainty of eternal life in the resurrection of You Son, Jesus Christ. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

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#DailyDevotion The Prayer Of Faith

#DailyDevotion The Prayer Of Faith Jon. 2 3You threw me into the deep water, into the middle of the sea, and the flood surrounded me. All Your waves and billows went over me. 4Then I said: ‘Though I’m driven away from Your presence, I will certainly look again toward Your holy temple.’ Jonah here is recalling being thrown into the sea by the sailors. He does not here condemn them because he told them to throw him overboard to save their lives. If you've ever been in the deep water with waves crashing over you can relate to this. It isn't fun. Probably his clothes eventually started to drag him under.  It is amusing to say he was driven from the LORD's presence when it was he himself who was running away from it, which is why he is in the predicament he is in. Now he may be thinking the sea was driving him from the LORD's presence. Jonah here interjects a statement of repentance and faith. “I will certainly look again toward Your holy temple.” Now that he is being prevented by the sea to be in the LORD's presence, he desires again to be in the presence of the LORD. Trusting in the LORD's mercy, kindness, grace, steadfast love and forgiveness (Ex. 34:6), he is confident he will look again toward the temple where the LORD's name, glory and presence was promised to be. 5The water surrounded me, threatening my life; the deep went around me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. 6I went down to the lowest parts of the mountains, to a world whose bars shut me in forever. But You, LORD my God, brought me back alive from the grave. 7When I was fainting away, I remembered the LORD. My prayer reached You in Your holy temple. Again he recalls being in the water. He is surrounded by the sea. He is tied up in seaweed. He can see the depths of the sea. He thought all was lost. I'm fairly certain a lot of people, commentators, and scholars think he is speaking of being in the fish and the fish has taken him down to the depths. But if you are inside of a fish, how would you know? He was thinking, this is it. I'm doomed. Jonah appeals to the LORD the God of Israel. Perhaps he is recalling what he was praying while he was sinking to the depths of the earth. He has faith that the LORD has heard his prayer, vs. 2, enables to say the LORD his God has brought him back from the grave though he is as good as dead being in the belly of the fish. When he remembers the LORD he is confident his prayer reached the LORD in His holy temple. He sees the fish swallowing him being the LORD's salvation. Even though he is about to die in the fish, his confidence is in the LORD's promises. We too can face death and the grave with the same confidence. Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac, believing the LORD's promise that through Isaac's seed the world would be blessed and so God is able to raise the dead. (Heb. 11:19) The LORD told him to go to Nineveh and so he believed the LORD would raise him from the dead for this purpose. Jesus would face death and the grave confident He was going to rise on the third day. We can face death and the grave with the same confidence. We have a promise that everyone who believes in Jesus even if we die we will be raised to eternal life and everyone who lives and believes in Him will never die. (John 11:25, 26) We live with this promise of eternal life and the resurrection of our bodies to eternal life. Merciful God and Father, Jonah trusted you would raise him from the dead to complete Your purpose for him. Grant us faith in the promise of Jesus that You will raise us to eternal life on the Last Day so we need not fear death and the grave. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

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#DailyDevotion Our Father Hears Our Prayers

#DailyDevotion Our Father Hears Our Prayers 2 Then Jonah, inside the fish, prayed to the LORD his God Interestingly enough, when the captain of the boat told Jonah to pray to his God, there is no record of him doing that then. Now however, in the belly of the fish Jonah begins to pray. We do seem to call upon God once it's too late, don't we. At the first sign of trouble we tend to think we can handle it ourselves, much like a five year old, instead of turning immediately to the LORD for help. It is only once we realize it is out of our control do we turn to our Maker. We shouldn't do that. We should turn to the LORD always and immdiately for help, as soon as we see trouble. Perhaps then, things wouldn't get so bad.

2and said: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me. From the belly of death I cried, and You heard my voice.

Now I'm going to say something probably a little controversial. In all likelihood, Jonah is dead. In the fish, he is in the belly of Sheol, which is translated as death. It could also be translated grave. The fish is the grave of Jonah. Remember, Jonah is the sign of Jesus' resurrection. Jesus died and was laid dead in the grave. Jonah is not dead in the grave of the fish. This will also give us an idea of the state of those who are dead. Death is not annihilation. It is the cessation of bodily functions. He is still conscient. He is in distress. He's just been eaten by a big fish. Now some say this prayer is what Jonah said after he is vomited up alive in verse 10. Maybe. But it is just as likely his prayer in death. He is confident in the LORD who made him. He never stopped believing and trusting in the LORD. He just didn't like the LORD's plan. His sinner, his flesh, was getting the upper hand in his life at the moment (and it will again). His inner man, the saint still trusted in God, the LORD, his Savior. So as he prays, he prays with the confidence the LORD has already heard his prayer. As Jesus says in Matt. 6:8, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” We should start our prayers with such confidence as Jesus Himself elicits from us in Mark 11, “24That's why I tell you, anything you ask for in prayer, believe that you received it, and you will have it.” He says in John 16:23, “ I tell you the truth, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.” We should pray with such confidence not doubting the Father hears our prayers. James tells us to expect nothing from God if we doubt. This is not to say all the prayers we think are unanswered is because we doubted. Sometimes we pray for things that are not good for us. The LORD, our Father, still hears those prayers and answers them with what we should have prayed for instead. Sometimes we may have to wait to see the answer to our prayer. Jonah had to wait three days. Conform your prayers to the revealed will of God and you will have much boldness and confidence in the prayers you offer to your Father in heaven. Jesus gave us the Our Father to pray and to conform our prayers to. If you go to a liturgical congregation, you will notice the general prayer follows the outline, for the most part, of the LORD's Prayer. You should do the same. Heavenly Father, we know You hear and answer our prayers in the manner which is best for us and for Your Church. Open our lips, give us Your Holy Spirit that our prayers may be according to Your will, have Your blessing, and give glory to the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. Read the full article

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#DailyDevotion Take Comfort In The Sign Of Jonah

#DailyDevotion Take Comfort In The Sign Of Jonah Jonah 1 17 The LORD ordered a big fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights. So the LORD had other plans for Jonah. The LORD sent a big fish to swallow Jonah. We don't know what sort of fish swallowed Jonah. It would have to be one big enough to swallow him whole. That's probably why many say it was a whale. A sperm whale could swallow a person whole. In fact one accidentally caught a swimmer once but he spit the man out. A grouper could swallow a man whole. I guess the whole is kind of important here, not because the fish needs to be big enough to keep Jonah alive but to swallow him whole as the scripture says it did. Now Jonah was in the fish three days and three nights. Now Jesus references Jonah twice in Matthew. First in chapter 12, “39“This wicked and unfaithful generation is looking for a miraculous sign," He answered them, “but the only sign they'll get is the prophet Jonah. 40 As Jonah was in the belly of the big fish three days, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the Judgment with these people and condemn them, because they repented when Jonah preached; now look, One greater than Jonah is here.” Then in chapter 16, 4"A wicked and unfaithful generation demands a sign, and the only sign they'll get is that of Jonah." Now Jesus a number of times made reference to both “after three days” and “on the third day” in the same Gospel that He would rise again. So those who try to make hay and say Jesus wasn't crucified on Friday because He rose on Sunday and that's not three full days seem to be ignoring Jesus' statements that He would rise on the third day. Obviously there is some idiom going on here with three days that doesn't translate into other languages. . .yet. Who knows, perhaps we'll find another example in extra-biblical Hebrew/Aramaic literature from Jesus' day. So was Jonah in the belly of the fish for three 24 hour days which included three nights? I don't know. Perhaps like Jesus, he was in the fish on Friday and vomited up on Sunday morning. What is for certain, Jonah was swallowed by a big aquatic being and was later vomited onto shore after a couple or plus days and Jesus was crucified, dead and buried on Friday and early Sunday morning rose from the dead never to die again. Jonah of course died at some future point in time like others in the Bible who were raised from the dead at some point in their lives like the widows' sons and Lazarus. So we are given this sign of Jonah in the book of Jonah. Jesus fulfills His own prophecy showing He is indeed The Prophet (Deut. 18). He has conquered death. Jesus has received a glorifed body. He is the LORD who sent a big fish to swallow Jonah. Because Jesus is risen from the dead, we can know our sins are atoned for and propitiated by His innocent suffering and death. We can know the Father is reconciled to us for Jesus' sake. We know everyone, believers and unbelievers will be raised on the Last Day, some to everlasting life and some to everlasting torment called the Lake of Fire and the Second Death. We who put our trust in Jesus who is risen from the dead will live and reign with Jesus the Christ for all eternity. We need not be terrified of God's wrath and judgment anymore, nor be slaves to sin and the fear of death. For Christ Jesus has overcome both by the cross and the grave. Merciful God and Father, we give You thanks and praise for sending Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, to redeem us by His innocent suffering, death and resurrection. May we always find comfort in the sign of Jonah know it means eternal life for us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

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#DailyDevotion When One Sacrifices Himself For Others

#DailyDevotion When One Sacrifices Himself For Others Jon. 1 11“What should we do with you to make the sea calm down for us?” they asked him. The storm was getting worse and worse. 12“Take me,” he told them, “and throw me into the sea, and the sea will calm down for you. I know I’m the reason this big storm has come upon you.” 13Then the men rowed hard to get the ship to the shore but couldn’t do it; the sea was raging worse and worse against them. Jonah, having confessed what he did, the sailors want to know how to appease his God. The storm was increasingly getting worse. Jonah, in full confidence knowing the storm was all about him, and not wanting the sailors to be killed along with him because they were innocent of the cause of this storm, tells the sailors to throw him overboard. Then, everything would be alright. Jonah knows the righteousness of the LORD. Jonah knows the severity of God's law and his disobedience. If he is no longer on board, the LORD will no longer pursue the ship. He is willing to die by being thrown overboard. The sailors, perhaps not so sure about this, believing Jonah to be a prophet of the LORD, do not want to throw him overboard, still try to row the boat ashore to avoid doing that. I believe they are also demonstrating a certain principle which we shouldn't overlook in everyday life, that is the natural affection which is present in all people towards other people. We see this every day when we mothers and fathers love their children. We see it when pagans and other unbelievers are kind to other people like beggars, risking their lives for people in trouble and the like. We should not discount these actions just because they do not have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. People will even do heroic actions on behalf of other people simply out of natural affection for their fellow human beings. So if they can get to shore, they'd rather not sacrifice Jonah to the sea just to save their own lives. 14“Please, LORD,” they cried to the LORD, “Don’t let us perish for taking this man’s life, and don’t charge us with murdering an innocent man, since You, LORD, do as You like.” 15So they took Jonah and threw him into the sea, and it stopped its raging. 16Then the men started to fear the LORD very much, and they offered sacrifices to the LORD and made vows. Seeing that getting to shore is going to be an impossibility and Jonah himself having declared the judgment, they pray to Jonah's God, the LORD, to not hold it against them for throwing Jonah overboard. They ask Him to not count it as murder as the LORD does as He pleases. So the men throw Jonah overboard and the storm ceases. This causes the men to fear the LORD very much so that they offer sacrifices to the LORD and make vows to Him. We may think of how the LORD of Life, Jesus Christ, went willingly to the cross and gave up His life for us on that instrument of death. Even the centurian at the cross, seeing everything that happened, declared, “Surely this man is the Son of God!” May we recognize our Savior, Jesus Christ, willingly took on our punishment, so the wrath of God would be diverted from us to Himself. Having taken on our sin, He became worthy of death. We should see this, fear the LORD, offer ourselves as living sacrifices, and put our trust in Him. Heavenly Father, do not hold Christ's death against us but rather expiate our sins because of it, so we will live and not die the second death on the Last Day. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article