philressler.com

Believing God is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine

By Leave a Comment

The Places You Will Go

“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:13, ESV)

“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:13, ESV)

Two days ago was Call Day at the seminary from which I graduated, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. Call Day is the day in which all the graduating students receive their first placement in ministry. It is a day that is filled with excitement and also a bit of anxiety. I still remember hearing my name called and the announcement of Bethany-Trinity Lutheran Church, Waynesboro, VA.

It was a bit of surprise. It was not the place I thought I would go. But it was exactly the place God wanted my wife and me to be. There were so many blessings to be had in that place while I was there. Since that time, my calling as a pastor has taken me from Virginia to Illinois, and now to New Jersey.

We never know where the life in Christ will take us. It might be to Waynesboro, some place around the corner, or some place around the world. I have been to Haiti many more times than I ever thought I would be. If we are living out our calling, it will be an adventure. You will go places. It may not necessarily be geographical, but you will be put in servant roles and places of leadership you had not imagined.

In 1 Peter 1:13, it says to be prepared for action. Be ready for God to take you in an unexpected direction. Don’t worry about where you will go. Just be ready when the calling comes. It says to be sober. This means to be alert and open to the promptings of God. There is no better way to do this than setting our minds on the Scriptures, the Word of God.

In all things, we fully trust in the grace of God. This is where the Scriptures will point us. Whatever God might call us to will require his strength and wisdom. We will need the hope of his grace. The work of God will never be easy. But he will always give us what we need to carry it out.

Reflection
  1. To what unexpected places (geographical and non-geographical) has God called you?
  2. How do you prepare your mind for the adventure?
Prayer

Father God, we thank you for taking us in unexpected directions and to unexpected places. We ask for your guidance and direction. Help us to be open to your leadings and promptings. Help us to be faithful to follow and to experience the joy of the adventure. Amen.

By Leave a Comment

40 Things NOT to Give up for Lent: Week 5

40 Things Not to Give up for Lent

Theme for the Week: Serving

But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”” (Matthew 20:26b–28, ESV)

What is the greatest privilege in life? Living in luxury? Having servants who will come at your beck and call? This is what convention will tell us. Privilege is being wealthy beyond our wildest dreams so that we never need to lift a finger. We think of the lifestyles of the rich and famous as privilege.

But true fulfillment is not found in living. It is found in giving. True fulfillment does not come by breathing and taking up space. True fulfillment is discovered through what we do with this life. Being served and waited on by others is nice, but if that is all our life involves, it will lead to emptiness.

What does Jesus say? He says that whoever would be great (whoever wants a great life) must become a servant. Jesus himself did not come to be served, but to serve.

We were created to serve. Most importantly, we were created to serve the living God. God created you to make a difference. God created you to change the world. To make it a better place, one person at a time.

Our theme this week for 40 Things NOT to Give up for Lent is serving:

  • Monday – Compassion
  • Tuesday – Prayer
  • Wednesday – Generosity
  • Thursday – Purpose
  • Friday – Compliments
  • Saturday – Gifts & Abilities

By Leave a Comment

7 Ways to Engage in Daily Worship: #5 Serve

7 Ways to Engage in Daily Worship

Romans 12:1-2 tells us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. This is our spiritual act of worship. Unfortunately, we don’t do sacrifices well. Sacrifices are painful. They hurt. We would rather avoid them.

Many of our volunteer efforts are not sacrificial. We serve when it is convenient. We don’t go too much out of our way. When we do serve, it is often done to make us feel good about ourselves. In the end, it is about serving ourselves.

We typically serve when the cost is low and the reward is high. What if we reversed that? What if we served when the cost is high and the reward is low? What if we served at a time that was not convenient and did not get recognized for what we did? What if we served just for the sake of serving, with no strings attached? What if we served with no intention, but to honor God?

When was the last time there was a real cost to your serving? Maybe it was sacrificing an event on our calendar. Maybe it was a financial sacrifice where you had to forego a purchase you hoped to make. Maybe it was sacrificing ambition in your career to devote yourself to others. A lot of us will set aside God for our priorities. When was the last time you set aside your priorities for God?

Of course, we recognize that such sacrificial service will never be motivated out of guilt. It is motivated through the gospel. It is motivated through the cross of Christ and the salvation he won. It is the Holy Spirit working on our hearts to recognize that Jesus is of surpassing worth compared to whatever we might sacrifice.

Here is your challenge. Do something unexpected for another person without expecting anything in return. Do it with joy as if serving the Lord. And know that your reward is that Jesus is glorified through you.

7 Ways to Engage in Daily Worship:

  1. Setting Reminders
  2. Music
  3. Journaling
  4. Art
  5. Serve
  6. Scripture
  7. Sacred Space

By 16 Comments

Giving up My Life

Get the Book Join the Mailing List

Holy Saturday

Scripture Verses

  • Matthew 28:1–10
  • Matthew 16:24–28

Questions to Consider

  • Why are we reluctant to give everything to God?
  • What does it mean to give your life to God?
  • What enables you to give God your life?
  • Why did Jesus give us everything?

Plan of Action

  • What has God given you that you could use to bless and serve others? Take one possession, ability, or gift and consecrate it to God’s purposes.
  • Celebrate the resurrection by participating in Easter Sunday Worship.

Reflection

We have given up many things over the last 40 days of Lent, but on this final day we are giving up everything. We give our lives to the one who created us, saved us from our sin, and is coming to take us home. We surrender all to him who gave all.

He is our maker and owner. Everything we possess is already his. The money in our pockets is not our possession. None of our possessions do we really own. We brought none of this into the world and we are not going to be taking any of it with us. It is simply on loan to us while we walk this earth.

Neither are our bodies our own. God gives us these bodies to live in while we are here. But in the resurrection we are given new spiritual bodies not like the bodies we live in now (see 1 Corinthians 15:44).

Our children are not our own. They are God’s children. They belong to him, but he has entrusted us with them to raise and nurture in the faith. This is an incredible responsibility he assigns us.

The point of all this is that we are God’s servants. He is the master. We are stewards and managers of all that he possesses. Nothing is ours. This is our Father’s world. In the end we will give an accounting for what we did with all that he entrusted to us. I know that my prayer is I will hear the words, “well done good and faithful servant.”

Think about the delivery man. You are the owner of the package and you entrust the delivery man to deliver the package to the destination you intend. If that delivery man was to take your package to his home for himself, you would consider that theft. It is theft because he is not the owner of the package. He is just a steward of the package.

We not much different from the thieving delivery man when we use what God entrusts to us in ways God did not intend for us to use it. We talk about tithing God the first 10% of our income. At that point we think we have done our job. But that first 10% is just the start. We also seek to use the other 90% in a way he intends. He gives the rest of it to us to provide for our basic needs, to serve others, and to bring him glory.

The more we are given the more that is expected of us. Jesus says:

Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more. Luke 12:48 (ESV)

It’s not just about our money. It is our time. It is the gifts and abilities we possess. It is every breath we breathe. It is every beat of our hearts. May they all be used to honor him our Lord of lords and King of kings!

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.

Get the Book Join the Mailing List