This week's author:
Rev. Roland Kubke
St. John Lutheran Church
Beach Corner, Alberta
Are You Prudent?
Read: Proverbs 27:12
The Rocky Mountain parks in Canada are famous for their beauty, but
some who visit Banff or Jasper, Alberta, learn the hard way that some
very real dangers hide in all that mountain beauty.
For example, most years a few tourists are mauled by grizzly bears
and some die. Prudent visitors know that all wild animals are
unpredictable and can be dangerously aggressive, no matter how innocent
they seem. God reminds us in Proverbs 27:12 that "the prudent see
danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for
it."
God's concern is about more than just the dangers of wildlife; He is
concerned about the aggressiveness of sin. Too often we step into very
dangerous territory completely unaware that what looks innocent is
actually quite deadly. The best thing to do when you encounter sin and
temptation is to get out of harm's way. How? With boldness! God's Word
speaks to us boldly-concealing nothing and passing over nothing-so we
can recognize the danger of sin when we see it. On this first day of
Advent, we focus on the reason God needed to take the bold action of
sending His Son. May the Holy Spirit make you prudent as He brings you
into the refuge of God's grace in Jesus Christ!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I do not always see the dangers of
the sin in my life. This Advent season, reach out boldly to me through
Your Word to make me aware of that danger. Comfort me with Your
forgiveness as I repent of that sin in Jesus' name. Amen.
My Bold Action for Today: Note the particular sin you are most
likely to explain away as being harmless. What has Jesus done to rescue
you from slavery to that sin? 
Not As Good As It Looks
Read: Hebrews 4:12
The Canadian Rockies are known for their glaciers and their cold,
clear melt-water lakes and streams. A thirsty hiker might be forgiven
for giving in to temptation and drinking that ice-cold water. But
unfortunately, much of the water is infested with a parasite that causes
an illness known locally as "beaver fever." The water tastes
as good as it looks when you first drink it, but after a few hours you
are sick.
One of the scary things about sin is that it can look good at first
glance. Sexual sins can be hidden in the noble glow of love. The
rejection of God's Word can be tucked away beneath a blanket of
sincerity. A heart cold toward God will barely be noticed when you
impress people with your people-pleasing ways. But sin is deceitful. It
infects us with a deception that begins in our own heart! This deception
can only be overcome when the Holy Spirit works boldly through God's
Word to overcome our hearts! How wonderful to know that God's own mercy
comes to us in Jesus Christ so that we can encourage one another in
these days of Advent and not be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, speak to me through Your Word and break
through the deceptions of my heart so that I will not become hardened to
Your love for me. Amen.
My Bold Action for Today: Do you have a friend who has clearly
been deceived into accepting a particular sin? Ask a Bible study leader
in your congregation to present a Bible study on that topic and invite
your friend to attend.
An Avalanche of Immorality
Read: Philippians 2:14-16
The Canadian Rockies are prone to avalanches. Hot, dry winds known as
Chinooks often melt the snow that cloaks steep slopes. The snow refreezes,
forming an unstable base for the heavy snow accumulations that may follow.
In such conditions, avalanches are inevitable.
Across North America, a moral avalanche has been gaining great speed. You
do not have to go far to find people who insist on their freedom to follow
their hearts into sexual sin! Whatever the boldness of our sin, God is more
bold still. Through God's Word, the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and then
holds out the Word of Life. In these Advent days we can live in the
assurance that through Jesus Christ God forgives us and receives us so that
the solid, stable, Word of Life is a foundation that will never slide out
from under us.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, the world is becoming increasingly bold
in its lust for immoral living. Work Your will in me so that I may share
Your Word with others and together we may be rescued from the dangers around
us. Amen.
My Bold Action for Today: You might know someone lost in sexual
immorality who insists you accept his or her lifestyle to remain a part of
that person's life. Resolve yourself to remember that you can love the
sinner with Christ-like love even as you reject the sin.
Clearing a Path
Read: Luke 12:15
In recent years the town of Banff, Alberta, and its sister town Canmore
have added so many beautiful homes and luxury resorts that they are choking
off a vital wildlife corridor. Grizzly bears and cougars, among other
animals, find it increasingly difficult to move from one natural area to
another as these developments encroach upon the mountain slopes.
Like that valley, our hearts are much more narrow than they appear. It is
amazing how the desire to accumulate material things can crowd out what
really ought to be there! There is no sin in enjoying the blessings of
plentiful food, comfortable homes, nice clothes, and the like, which God
richly and daily provides in order that we may have all we need to support
this body and life. The problem arises when things clog the corridors of
gratitude and we become greedy for God's blessings. There is only one way to
truly clear out a clogged and cluttered Advent heart! God sent His Son to
die for us so that the shock and offence of that drastic action could
bulldoze through our sin and clear a path in our hearts to receive God's
gifts with humble gratitude!
Prayer: Lord God, Heavenly Father, make me bold to trust in You
for all things and give me a heart to thank and praise, serve and obey You.
Amen.
My Bold Action for Today: Make a special offering this Advent
toward a ministry that concentrates on helping people who have few material
gifts. Pray that this ministry will be blessed to share God's Word together
with the physical support it provides.
A Deadly Allure
Read: 1 John 5:20-21
When you drive into Banff National Park, the view of a spectacular
mountain greets you as you reach the crest of the first hill. It has a
classic triangle shape with a waterfall cascading in steps down a craggy
flank. Cascade Mountain is known for the number of deaths that occur when
ice climbers fail attempting to scale its frozen falls. It is as merciless
as it is irresistible to those who enjoy the extreme sport of ice climbing.
Idols are people, things, or ideas that mean more to us than God Himself.
Like the mountain, idols might be beautiful and downright irresistible, but
they are also deadly. They might hold out the promise of excitement or
adventure. They may appear to give us a sense of purpose, or belonging, or
focus in life. But what idols ultimately offer is false belief, despair, and
other great shame and vice. What does God do when we boldly worship idols?
He holds out His Word before us to warn us of the danger. Then He boldly
offers us understanding through that Word so that we may know that Jesus
Christ is the true God and eternal life!
Prayer: Lord God, grant me Your forgiveness and Your grace so that
by Your Holy Spirit, You may overcome the idols of my life and win the
victory in Jesus' name. Amen.
My Bold Action for Today: Do your commitments to family, hobbies,
or sports win out over your commitment to attend church? This Advent,
identify your idols and ask the Holy Spirit for courage and guidance to set
the right priorities!
Bold Rejection
Read: John 12:48
In Banff National Park some interesting overpasses stretch over the
four-lane highway. The bridge-like structures are covered with trees,
shrubs, rocks, and grass in hopes that wildlife will use them to cross
safely as they move from feeding grounds to breeding grounds. But bear,
deer, elk, and moose have been killed in tragically large numbers while
trying to cross because of motorists who reject the low speed limit.
A bold rejection of God's Word is even more tragic than a bold rejection
of a posted speed limit! It risks not just physical death, but the
everlasting spiritual death of separation from God. How does God respond
when we reject His Word outright or those parts we don't want to hear?
God warns us boldly through His Word that, on the Last Day, Christ's own
words will condemn those who reject Him. Then He does something else: God
builds a bridge of grace, using the broken body of Jesus as His building
material. In these days of Advent, we affirm once more that Jesus did not
reject us. He died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins so that our
rejection would be overcome and we could freely feed on God's Word!
Prayer: Lord, give me humility so that I do not reject Your Son by
rejecting the parts of Your Word that I don't like to hear! Amen.
My Bold Action for Today: Reread the section on the Apostles'
Creed in Luther's Small Catechism so that you can be prepared to give a
Christian witness to those people who come the door to speak of their
religions that reject the Triune God.
How Strong a Refuge?
Read: 2
Thessalonians 2:11-12
Is the wilderness truly protected in places like the mountain parks of
the Canadian Rockies? Naturalists and park authorities have worked hard
to establish and enforce policies making these parks a wilderness
refuge. Yet threatening forces such as air pollution or climate change
exist that no national park boundary or policy can keep at bay.
There are some who do not think they are capable of sinning in ways
that threaten their salvation or who understand that our sinfulness
represents a threat that no good actions or righteous thoughts can keep
at bay. If one refuses to believe the truth about our sinful human
nature, God allows the heart that dearly desires to be deceived to be
deceived and does not force salvation upon it. But to those who hear
God's Word and recognize the true nature of sin, God offers a wonderful
comfort: He has the power to hinder every evil plan and purpose of the
devil, the world, and our sinful nature. And He uses it in the name of
Jesus Christ. God deals with us boldly so that the boldness of sin will
be overcome in us!
Prayer: Lord God, this Advent comfort me with the truth that
You are my refuge from the power of sin, death, and the devil. Amen.
My Bold Action for Today: Find an article illustrating an
aspect of our sinful human nature and study the Bible to see what is
said about it. Then share with others that, as bold as we can be in sin,
God is even bolder still to save us!
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