Faith faces the future with boldness

Word from the Center
Written By Dr. Gregory Seltz

Welcome to “Word from The Center” MONDAY, a devotional word from the Center of our faith, Jesus Christ, with reflections on His Word. I’m Gregory Seltz. Today’s verses are portions of Romans 8:31-37 where the Bible says,  

[31] What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? [32] He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?....... [35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?.... [37] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.         

Throughout my travels last year, I was faced with a recurring question, “Dr. Seltz, what should we do when the future seems so unsure?” Great question. What should we do and how should we feel when something like COVID 19 threatened the lives and the livelihoods of virtually everyone on the planet? What should be done when many were faced with the realty of not being able to see loved ones, of not being able to work or pay one’s bills, or of not being able to worship and pray with other believers due to the threat of punishment of law? Or what about people today who are still facing the reality of sickness, of hunger, or even of war? What then?

Well, the first thing that believers know, no matter how extreme the chaos of this world, is the biblical truth that “God is for us!” (Romans 8:31). Why? Because of what Jesus Christ has done for us by living perfectly in our place, dying His justice-bearing death on the cross sacrificially, and then rising again so that we can have eternal life in His Name. Because of Him, no matter the circumstance, His victory is present for you TODAY. Such wonderful news means that we are not captive to our fears, no matter how real they are. We are not overcome by our sins because His forgiveness for us is real NOW. And, in Christ, we can move boldly into the unknown future with courage and confidence.

I don’t know what our future holds, but I know who holds our future in His hands. It sounds trite, but it isn’t. Sinful people are often paralyzed by fear because the unknown threatens our self-made plans to try to control our own future. The uncertainties that we face daily tempt us to fear, and our fears can even cause us to doubt that THE LOVE OF JESUS is really true for us. And those fears are real too, aren’t they?

Before his death at the age of 62, atheist Christopher Hitchens found himself in such a place. After his diagnosis of terminal cancer, Hitchens described his battle with the illness and the uncertainty of his future in an article he wrote for Vanity Fair. He wrote,[1]

I am badly oppressed by a gnawing sense of waste. I had real plans for my next decade and felt I'd worked hard enough to earn it. Will I really not live to see my children married? To watch the World Trade Center rise again?. … To the dumb question "Why me?" the cosmos barely bothers to return the reply: Why not?

I sometimes wish I were suffering in a good cause, or risking my life for the good of others, instead of just being a gravely endangered patient. Allow me to inform you, though, that when you sit in a room with a set of other finalists, and kindly people bring a huge transparent bag of poison to plant into your arm [his chemotherapy treatment] and you either read or don't read a book while the venom sack gradually empties into your system … . You feel swamped with passivity and impotence: dissolving in powerlessness like a sugar lump in water.

There is real fear, real uncertainty, and real helplessness. But it is precisely there, where our best efforts are reduced to powerlessness, that the Apostle Paul boldly assures us that CHRIST’S LOVE HOLDS! And Paul was no preacher of the power of naïve positive thinking. He was no “pie in the sky” religious leader. For Paul, these were not just “words.” He TRUSTED IN JESUS’ LOVE AND GRACE in all of his trying, fear-filled circumstances. He suffered beatings, imprisonments, and intimidations because he trusted in the love of Jesus Christ poured out for him (for example, see 2nd Corinthians 11:23-33). And he wants you and me to know that faith in Jesus Christ is sufficient to face the challenges of each day, no matter what the day brings.

Paul urges us to count on it, bank on it, and begin to live life boldly now in the confidence that in jesus, “god is for us,” today, tomorrow and forever! Such faith faces the future with boldness because it does so in the promises, the power, and the enduring potential of Jesus Christ alone.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, give us courage amidst the uncertainties of our lives. In the face of the challenges of the day, give us the clarity that comes with trusting that Your promises are sure. In all things, draw us ever closer to You. AMEN.

See Also
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Jack Phillips
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This morning I sip coffee from one of his mugs: "Masterpiece Cakeshop: Yeah . . . that cakeshop." What cakeshop? If you don't know, you're not informed, and you're watching the wrong news. Jack has been embroiled in legal battles since 2012, when the baker declined to use his talents to create a custom cake celebrating a so-called gay marriage. Phillips, mind you, served all people, no matter what. But he did not wish to use his time and talents to commemorate that which he believed was wrong. This is what the First Amendment is all about, freedom of speech, which means the freedom from compelled speech, along with the free exercise of religion.

November Prayer Partner Thursday
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Prayer Partner Thursday provides a month-long prayer emphasis in one of the four Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty areas of emphasis: Religious Liberty, Sanctity of Life, Educational Freedom, and Marriage as an Institution (family).

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The Bible contains no specific command that either requires or forbids Christian involvement with politics. However, through the prophet Jeremiah, God teaches His people that they should, “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf” (Jer. 29:57). In other places, God teaches that Christians should obey and pray for those in positions of civil authority (Matt. 22:21; Rom. 13:17; Titus 3:1; 1 Pet. 2:13).

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The Bulletin Insert is designed to be printed and cut in half to fit conveniently inside a Sunday worship bulletin. Each month an insert will offer insight, encouragement, and information from the LCRL on the topics of Religious Liberty, Life, Marriage, or Education.

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The dates identifying the LCRL bulletin blurbs are only suggestions. Please feel free to use any and all of the bulletin blurbs as your ministry needs allow.

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Have you ever been so overwhelmed by something that you finally gave in? In a moment of exasperation, you concluded, “There’s nothing else that I can do; I can’t handle this.” I think we’ve all faced that to some degree. There are issues in life that so overwhelm us it seems as though life itself has become impossible to face. Jesus often shakes us up by pointing out “the impossible” in our lives, while at the same time offering God’s possibilities even then. Amazing! Unclean lepers are healed instantly. People blind from birth suddenly see clearly, both physically and spiritually. Who is this Savior who shows us the depth of our depravity just so that He can demonstrate even more clearly God’s gracious salvation? He’s the Savior who, when it comes to eternal life and salvation, reminds that “with man this is impossible, but not with God; with God all things are possible.”  

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Every year on October 31, Christians from around the world are reminded of a “reforming” movement that brought back to light the central message of the Bible, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Freedom, life, and salvation were again heard as God’s gifts offered to sinners by grace alone, through faith alone, in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone. Martin Luther’s rediscovery of the uniqueness of the freedom of the Gospel as God’s saving work in the world for all shook the foundations of the medieval world. It ushered in many of the precious freedoms that we enjoy in this world today. It clearly identified and distinguished the uniqueness of the eternal freedom that comes from knowing and trusting in God’s gracious work in Jesus from the cultural/political freedoms that come from public policy, citizenship, and good government. Distinguishing, cherishing, and engaging both freedoms is part of what it means to be a Christian citizen in the world for the sake of the culture and the mission of the Church.

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The Bulletin Insert is designed to be printed and cut in half to fit conveniently inside a Sunday worship bulletin. Each month an insert will offer insight, encouragement, and information from the LCRL on the topics of Religious Liberty, Life, Marriage, or Education.

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One of the cherished notions that typically guides the lives of Americans is that politics and religion do not mix. Of course, there are some areas of overlap that Americans accept and even expect, like a prayer at a presidential inauguration or candidates ending speeches with “God bless America.” But, on the whole, it is taken for granted that there needs to be a clear distinction or even a wall of separation between church and state. People do not want the government telling them what to believe about God, and they do not want the church telling them how to vote. Actually, they do not want anyone telling them how to vote.

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October Bulletin Blurbs
October Bulletin Blurbs

The dates identifying the LCRL bulletin blurbs are only suggestions. Please feel free to use any and all of the bulletin blurbs as your ministry needs allow.

October Bulletin Insert
October Bulletin Insert

The Bulletin Insert is designed to be printed and cut in half to fit conveniently inside a Sunday worship bulletin. Each month an insert will offer insight, encouragement, and information from the LCRL on the topics of Religious Liberty, Life, Marriage, or Education.

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Dr. Gregory Seltz
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