Almighty God Archives - Faith Lutheran Church, Wesley Chapel

Kurt Steinbrueck October 17, 2020

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Almighty God and King

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.” – Isaiah 6:1

When I mention, God, what do you think of?

Do you think of Jesus on the cross, a shepherd caring for his sheep, a king on his throne, or maybe a giant grey-bearded man in the clouds?

Our passage from Isaiah 6 describes what Isaiah saw when God called him to be a prophet. There are many ways we think of God; Father, friend, savior, teacher, shepherd… All of these are good and true descriptions and many of these titles and descriptions bring us comfort as well as helping us to understand God more fully.

However, it is good to also remember that He is the God of all creation, He made us just by speaking. He is Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Almighty, and most holy. He is beyond our comprehension. He is greater and holier than we can imagine.

Fear and Trembling
When Isaiah saw the Lord seated on His throne, his immediate reaction was fear and an overwhelming recognition of his sin.

“And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’” – Isaiah 6:5

As we begin to contemplate the glory, might, and holiness of God, we cannot help but begin to sense the depths of our sin. There is no hiding it. And it is absolutely terrifying.

How wonderful, though, is it to continue reading about Isaiah to see God’s response to Isaiah’s terror over his sin:

“Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.’” – Isaiah 6:6-7

Heavenly Father,

Were I to enter into Your presence I could not stand. My sin is too great. I am lost. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus, and His bitter suffering and death, please forgive me and cleanse me of my sin.

Amen.

Upon your confession, know that you, too, have the same declaration as Isaiah by the blood of Jesus. These words are for YOU through Christ Jesus:

Your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for!

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck July 15, 2020

Blog Almighty God, Strength

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That’s Too Hard!

That's Too Hard!

“Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.” – Jeremiah 32:17

Are you dealing with anything right now that just seems too hard?

Gerald was standing with his mouth open, amazed as what his Dad, Andre, had done. They were making a sandbox for Gerald to play in. Gerald had tried several times to pick up or even move one of the bags of sand, but couldn’t get it to budge. Then his Dad picked up one with each hand and was carrying them over.

Gerald’s Dad was doing stuff like that all the time. He could put together puzzles, run super-fast, and build just about anything.

Andre, then, asked Gerald to bring over a wooden board. Gerald looked at the board and then turned to his Dad,

“I can’t move it. It’s too big! You do it,” said Gerald.

Gerald’s Dad responded, “How about we do it together?”

They both walked over to the board. Gerald was nervous, but grabbed the board and lifted. He lifted with all his might, shutting his eyes and grunting. At first, it seemed like it wasn’t going to budge, just like the bag of sand. All of a sudden, the board lifted and felt pretty light. He opened his eyes and there was his Dad holding the board with him. Together, they easily walked over the area where they were building the sandbox carrying the board.

At the end of the day, Gerald looked at the sandbox he and his Dad had built, together. It was awesome and he couldn’t wait to climb in and play. He could never have done it himself, but His Dad could do anything.

Nothing Is Too Hard
At times we may look at situations or plans in life and think they are too hard, even for God. I wonder what Gideon was thinking when God sent him to attack an army of tens of thousands of soldiers with just 300 men carrying trumpets, jars, and torches or what Daniel thought as he was being tossed into the lion’s den. The truth is, nothing is too hard for God. He created everything and sustains it.

I Can Do All Things
You and I, however, have our limitations..at least when it comes to doing things on our own. As Gideon, Daniel, and many others discovered, though, when God is helping, we can do much more than what we can on our own. In fact, there’s nothing we can’t do if God is with us working to accomplish it.

That doesn’t mean that we can just go do anything and God will ensure we succeed. It does mean, however, that when God asks us to do something, we can do it, even if we don’t think we can do it on our own. This may be walking through suffering, ministering to a friend, resisting temptation, or accomplishing some goal.

Whatever it is, if God is for us, who can be against us?

Heavenly Father,

You show me in Your Word what you would have me do as Your child and you guide me by Your Spirit. Give me the wisdom to understand and discernment to know how to follow You. Then, give me the courage to trust You will cause me to be able to do it.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck July 10, 2020

Blog Almighty God, Blessings, Gifts

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Immeasurably More

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” – Ephesians 3:20-21

Do you ever feel like you are asking too much of God?

I’ve met a lot of people over the years who have expressed to me that they either feel like they are asking too much of God or don’t want to ask too much of Him. It usually sounds something like this.

Me, “Can I pray for you about this?” Person, “No, you don’t need to bother God with this.”
Me, “Have you asked God for help with this?” Person, “I’ve already asked Him for too much.”
Me, “We should pray about this.” Person, “Nah, I can handle this. There are lots of other people who need His help more than me.”

God Isn’t Us
The reason we may think like this is that we often think of God as being like us with the same attitudes and limitations like us. Behind these thoughts are one or both of two assumptions.

God is limited in His resources or can only pay attention to so many people at once.
God will get irritated if we keep asking for things.

We think this because that’s how we are. However, God isn’t like us. He isn’t limited like us. He isn’t selfish or easily angered like we can be.

Ephesians 3:20-21 tells us that not only can God handle anything we ask of Him, but He is able to do immeasurably more. In other words, you can’t even imagine how much God can and will do.

God knows our limits and our needs. He is the one who provides and sustains all things. He forgives our many, many, many sins. He works for the good of those who love Him and, of course, supplies all that we need for the mission He has given us as His Church. It’s His mission, after all!

So go ahead and ask.

Rather than limiting what we ask which either speaks too much of ourselves (I can handle this) or too little of God, ask freely, but ask with the understanding that God will give where He knows it is good.

He may not give us the winning Power Ball ticket because it may not be what is best for us. He will always forgive because that is always good and needed.

So, go ahead and ask…and trust that He will provide all that we need for life and salvation.

Heavenly Father,

You are Almighty God, Creator of all things, and able to do anything. You are also loving and generous. Forgive me for when I doubt Your ability or think too highly of myself. Please provide all that I need.

(Take a few minutes to ask for anything)

I ask these things, trusting that You will provide what is good and withhold what is not good. I ask not for my will, but that Yours be done.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Almighty God

Almighty God and King

Almighty God and King

That’s Too Hard!

That's Too Hard!

Immeasurably More

Immeasurably More

Faith Lutheran Church in Wesley Chapel, FL serving Lutz, Zephyrhills, Land O’ Lakes, and New Tampa, FL