THE TRUTH WILL SET US FREE

        In just over a week America will complete its long-awaited midterm elections. It’s the time when citizens choose some of their leaders from among candidates who have made promises to make life better for everyone. It’s also being called the most important election EVER! So we must all vote CORRECTLY so those we elect can make things better!

        However, having come off a week of meaningless bomb threats and senseless church killings, and a hailstorm of half-truths, one must ask how any candidate or party can possibly make things better.

        Who, really, has the power or authority to bring healing to a society so torn apart by hatred and mistrust as ours? What party could ever have the right solutions or deliver on its promises? How could their promises make a helpful difference anyway? Do candidates really believe they can make lives better for all of us, or just better for themselves? Where can we find truth or hope?

        In our current times, the search for hope may seem fruitless and futile, but they’ve always been this way. They were worse in Luther’s day, and even worse when Jesus walked the earth. Life is worse when people are enslaved by a foreign power. It is especially worse when that power is the church. To find a solution, we must look outside ourselves, outside of government and even outside of religion. We must look to God Himself and to His Son Jesus Christ.

        Yesterday’s Gospel was the familiar words of Jesus in John 8:31-32, “If you continue in My Word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” Yes, truth can have the power to set us free from our selfishness, our cruelty and our blindness, but it must be the real truth, the whole truth, the Supreme Truth of Jesus in His Word. We will never find the freedom we need in the precepts of mankind or political philosophy.

        Cast your vote for the persons and in the manner you choose, but don’t think it will solve everything. Only Jesus Christ our Lord can bring us freedom from our chains of sin. Only He can give us peace for today and hope for the future.

Lord Jesus, forgive us and set us free!

Rev. Bob Tasler, www.bobtasler.com

 

GOOD FENCES MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS

        Fences and walls can be useful and they can also be a problem. They can define ownership, give us privacy and protect us from enemies or danger. Throughout history, walled cities were a practical method of helping people be more safe and secure. Jerusalem had its walls broken by war, so Nehemiah and other leaders had to rebuild its city walls to give residents hope and security. (Nehemiah 1-5)

        I once lived in a condo community where everyone’s small backyard was separated by walls which offered protection from aggressive pets, and gave residents privacy. But our walls also kept us from seeing some really ugly backyards. One neighbor’s weeds and trash resulted in a visit from officials and his eventual eviction. Yes, fences can be helpful. They are often the only way people can be kept safe. As poet Robert Frost wrote, “Good fences make good neighbors.”

        But walls can also be a problem if they needlessly exist between people. For three decades the Berlin Wall separated neighborhoods and even families in a failed attempt to isolate people on one side from the rest of the world. Those were joyful days when that terrible wall finally was removed. 

        God’s original plan was for people to need no walls. His gift of perfection in the Garden of Eden allowed mankind to enjoy a peaceful life without barriers. But when those privileged first people ignored God’s Word, and sin came into the world, they tried fixing things by building walls. They sought covering from God and eventually made weapons. They thought they could somehow wall themselves off from God’s justice and mercy. Isaiah 59:2 says it plainly, “Your sins… have cut you off from God.” 

        Sin causes separation - from people, from nature and especially from God. Separation from God is the most deadly result of all. For us to live, the walls between us and God must be torn down.

        Praise be to God He sent His only Son to do that, to reconcile us to Himself and to each other. Because Jesus took our sins to Calvary’s cross, all who trust Him are forgiven, and the barrier of sin can be removed. Galatians 3:28 says, “We are all one in Christ Jesus.” May we remove those barriers that hurt and needlessly isolate us.

But may we also respect those walls that protect us.

Rev. Bob Tasler, www.bobtasler.com

FLYING WITHOUT DIRECTION

        When we want to get somewhere most quickly, we usually take an airplane. We’ve become accustomed to the routine of flying: buying a ticket, getting to the airport, going through security, waiting for our flight to be called, finding our seat, enduring the flight, and finally landing at our new location. All in all, flying is the fastest, easiest and safest way to travel, especially over long distances.

        One of the most dangerous aspects of flying is landing. I read somewhere a humorous note that said, “Landings Must Equal Take-offs,” but rarely do we think of the people it takes to make that happen: ticket agents, pilots, mechanics, and especially the Air Traffic Controller. A friend

        Approaching the airport, the pilot of his fully loaded aircraft radioed ahead and received no answer. It was discovered that the Air Traffic Controller had fallen asleep! The good news was that the plane landed safely. The person at the airport woke up in time! 

        The Good News for us each day is that we all have an ultimate Air Traffic Controller, our God who never sleeps. Psalm 121:3-4, assures us, “My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth …Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” In our travels by flight, we rarely think of the essential person who directs air traffic, but we can be assured he or she is there, making sure we will land safely. 

        Even more surely, we have a Divine Life Controller helps us live the best way. We can count on God. He knows the dangers we face each day and will tirelessly direct our life for our good and His glory. God sent His only Son Jesus to make sure we have an escort to direct us on our journey of life. Following Jesus, we will safely arrive where God wants us to be.

“The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life.” (Psalm 121:7)

Rev. Bob Tasler, www.bobtasler.com

WHAT'S YOUR OPINION?

        Have you ever had someone ask, “Would you please answer a brief survey about how we did”? We’ve all heard that. Whether it’s an item bought, a service rendered or a conversation on the phone, we’re asked to complete a survey for almost everything. I rarely answer these requests. There are too many of them.
        We live in an age dominated by public opinion polls. Merchants who sell, professionals who serve, and politicians in government can’t seem to make a decision without asking what the crowd thinks. Some surveys may help make wiser decisions, but most of the time they are merely annoying.
        Information gleaned can help people shape their decision-making, but public opinion polls are not as important as those who make them think they are. As one pollster said about his work, “Public opinion? Some think it is the voice of God.”  Not hardly!
        Truth cannot be determined merely by public opinion. There is a higher authority to which we must turn to know truth, and that is the Word of God. Near the end of His ministry, Jesus was with His disciples in Caesarea Philippi, when He asked them a public opinion question: “Who do people say that I am?“ His disciples gave a few answers, but when he asked them to answer, Peter got it right: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16)
        Public opinion can help answer some questions, but not the one that will determine our eternal destiny. Whom do we say Jesus is? If we agree with what Peter said in the Bible and place our trust in Jesus, God promises us eternal life. It doesn’t matter what the crowd believes. What matters most is whether we believe God’s Word about our Lord Jesus. In Him, we will know the truth, and the Truth will set us free.

Jesus is the answer to our biggest question.

Rev. Bob Tasler, www.bobtasler.com

REPAIR OR REPLACE?

        When there’s been damage, do you repair or replace? I guess it depends on what the damage is. Our lovely old juniper hedge was nearly all dead after last winter, the result of voles (field mice) using it for their winter residence and food pantry. 

        One guy said to remove and replace it would cost $1,000, but another guy (myself) said cut out the dead stuff, water it often and see if it would come back. I was sure they’d grow back, and my price was much better. I eventually came to my senses and replaced the hedge with new plants. It was a lost cause.

        Things can be replaced, but people can’t, not unless God is involved. When the world’s first people went bad, God decided to replace them in the flood, but that was a one-time thing. After that, God promised a Savior who would repair people, not replace them. He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” (John 14:1) His rainbow was the symbol of his promise.

        Jesus Himself is our replacement for death caused by sin. Because He lived a perfect life in our stead, we are given a new relationship with God. Instead of deserving God’s wrath for our sins, we are given a new life. Jesus didn’t just forgive us, He recreated us!

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for giving us a new life!

Rev. Bob Tasler

ONE IS ENOUGH

        Sometimes all it takes is one: one point, one mistake, one person, one answer or one day late. Just one can make it all bad, or one can make it all good. It all depends on which one.

        A week ago, my two teams showed the importance of one. On the same day, September 16, the Denver Broncos beat the Oakland Raiders by one point, 20-19, and the Colorado Rockies beat the San Francisco Giants by one run, 3-2. Today’s games were very different. The Broncos lost by 13, and the Rockies won by 2, but sometimes all it takes is one.

        God’s Word tells us it took one sin to rebel against God, and that one sin turned into many more, enough to condemn the whole world. Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, broke their covenant with God with just one sin. What people did as a result of that one sin, destroyed a perfect world and brought death to all.

        Centuries later, God gave the world a solution. His one and only Son Jesus would sacrifice His one life for the sins of all others. Paul wrote to the Christians at Rome, “For if many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many.” (Romans 5:15)

        One sin by one man brought death to the world. But one perfect life sacrificed once on the cross of Calvary brought life to all who believe that this one resurrected man, Jesus, is the Son of God.

        What one thing or person has changed your life the most? What one has made your life the best? It doesn’t usually take many things, just the One which is right. God’s gift to us in Jesus is the one that is always best.

With Jesus as our Savior, “One is Enough.”

Rev. Bob Tasler, www.bobtasler.com

GOD'S GIFT OF REST

        I am often asked, “Are you keeping busy these days?” It’s usually asked by people being friendly or interested, although some may hope I will say I am bored and wish I was back at full-time work. Others may hope I will rattle off a whole list of fun things I’m doing, to prove that retirement is good to achieve as soon as possible. 

        Some folks just keep going and going. Yesterday I met an 83 year-old pastor who is still working and traveling and preaching and telling others about Jesus through a ministry he founded many years ago,  the “Lutheran Heritage Foundation.” This ministry publishes Luther’s Catechism and dozens of other books on the Bible and Lutheranism in dozens of languages for distribution around the world. 

        People tend to associate value with activity. If we hear someone who is involved in all kinds of activities, inside or outside their career, it may make us feel they are living a more worthwhile life. It might even inspire us to take on additional activities.

        But God values us whether we’re busy or not. While He is pleased when His people serve Him by sharing His Gospel or helping people in need, or encouraging the discouraged, God doesn’t place value on us just by our being busy. He loves us all, no matter what.

        But if we are busy, we need to take time to rest. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” It isn’t necessary for us to be active all the time. We are God’s valued and loved people even when we are resting or taking a break. Jesus taught His disciples to take ample rest from their work, even when the needy crowds became a burden. 

        What are you busy with these days? Does it accomplish very much? Would you invite Jesus along with you in your task, or would you be embarrassed that He showed up? What kind of burden might you give to Jesus to make your day easier? Do you just need some rest?

Rev. Bob Tasler, www.bobtasler.com

P.S. Check out www.LHFmissions.org and give them a financial hand if you can. Pastor Robert Rahn can use your help.