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Gods Word

Two Lamps
Kurt Steinbrueck
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Two Lamps

    Two Lamps

    “Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin!” – Proverbs 21:4

    What light do you shine on the world in order to see?

    I recently purchased some new light bulbs for our house. Some of the bulbs I purchased were just standard LED light bulbs for around the house. However, I also purchased two sets of bulbs that were different.

    The Back Porch – For the back porch, I got two light-sensing, motion-sensing LED bulbs. I remember when the light fixture had to have these features. Now, they can build it right into the bulb. We have a dog and were always leaving the light on by accident. Now, the bulb goes on when we take the dog out and goes off when we’re done and this only happens at night.

    The Front Fixtures – For the front fixtures of the house, I bought two bulbs that simulate fire. It makes it look like we have two oil-burning lamps out front. I have to say, these lights look cool. I have had several neighbors comment on how much they like them. However, they don’t actually do much to light things. The other day, I grilled in front of my house and I had to use my phone’s flashlight to see the meat.

    The Lamp of Your Life
    We use lamps to see the things around us. Depending on the lamp, it may show us different things or may not show us much at all like the lamps in front of my house. I’ve also used yellow lights to not attract mosquitos, but everything looks weird when they are on. All the colors are off.

    We have a “lamp” for our lives, too. It’s what we use to see the world around us and understand it. If the light is good, we can see things clearly. If the light isn’t good, we may not see well, may miss some of the things around us, or things may look different to us.

    Proverbs 21:4 warns about the lamp of the wicked. Their lamp is haughty eyes and a proud heart. That lamp colors everything they see and causes them to not see a lot of things as well. It not only leads them to sin, but it is sin, itself.

    The pride of the wicked is that they look only to themselves to see the world, understand it, and act. They have, in effect, made themselves their own god. If you remember the temptation in the garden, that was exactly what satan tempted Adam and Eve with, they could become like God.

    The Lamp of God
    The lamp God wants us to use is different.

    “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” – Psalm 119:105

    God has given us His Word as our lamp. He wants us to view the world and understand it through the light of His Word. Rather than pride, this takes humility. We put aside our own ideas and desires and submit to God’s.

    God’s Word reveals sin. It illuminates righteousness. It directs our path and leads us in our life. Most importantly, God’s Word reveals Jesus. It reveals Jesus’ perfect life and sacrificial death. It reveals a salvation through faith in Jesus.

    Two Lamps
    As we turn on the lamp of God’s Word in our lives, the skewed lamp of our own arrogance and pride diminishes. We begin to see more clearly how God sees things and how warped our own views are.

    Our sinful lamp, however, is always trying to grow stronger. We must constantly look to the lamp of God’s Word to push away our selfish ways. Still, our sinful nature messes with our vision leading us into sin. Thankfully, God’s Word shines brightly then as well. It reveals our sin and leads us back to Jesus on the path of repentance and forgiveness.

    Heavenly Father,

    May the light of Your Word shine brightly in my life. Dim the light of my haughty eyes and proud heart and lead me always by Your Word to Jesus, my savior. When my pride rises up and leads me to sin, shine Your light on my sin and lead me to repentance and forgiveness.

    Amen.

    In Christ’s Service,

    Pastor Kurt

    Who Do You Listen To?
    Kurt Steinbrueck
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    Who Do You Listen To?

      Who Do You Listen To?

      “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” – Psalm 1:1-2

      • Who do you listen to for wisdom, knowledge, and understanding?

      When I was younger, I remember my parents talking to me about who I chose as friends. I’ve had the same conversation with my daughter. Who we listen to makes a difference in our lives.

      Are we spending time with people who make questionable choices? Are we listening to people who believe in Jesus?

      This is Big
      Who we listen to can affect nearly every aspect of our lives. It affects our work decisions, how we raise our kids, what we do for fun, our politics, our theology, our relationships, and indeed, our entire view of the world.

      Our passage today warns us about who we listen to. Do we listen to wicked people, sinners, and mockers or do we listen to the Word of God and those who teach it? Blessed are you if you do not listen to the wicked, sinner, mocker people, but instead listen to God’s Word and those who advocate for us.

      Take a few minutes to really think about who you listen to. These may be friends, family members, media sources, social media influencers, coworkers, church members, etc. Answer these questions as you consider them.

      • Is this person someone who demonstrates wisdom in their life?
      • Is this person someone who believes in Jesus and lives out their faith?
      • Does this person appeal to Scripture in their advice?
      • What kind of influence do they have over me?
      • Is this the kind of person I should be listening to?

      Now that you’ve taken some time to think about those who you DO listen to, consider whether there are some other people who you think you SHOULD listen to. Someone may come to mind who you know to be wise and with whom you should seek a better relationship or you may realize you don’t have anyone to look to in certain areas of your life and it would be good to find someone.

      Some Warnings:

      • This requires some courage. If you have been listening to people who you now realize aren’t the people you should be listening to, you may find that you will have to be open to changing your perspective on things. That can be scary but is good.
      • Not all Christians are good sources. Let’s face it, some Christians just make bad choices and give bad advice. Also, in our society, today, some people claim the mantle of Christian but do not accept much of what the Bible teaches. Consider their theology.

      How did it go?

      I encourage you to continue to think and pray about this. Ask the Lord for wisdom and discernment as well as the courage to take the steps to find good people to listen to.

      Heavenly Father,

      You are the source of all wisdom. Give me wisdom in the choice of who I spend time with and who I listen to. Protect me from being misled. Provide for me wise friends and mentors to guide me in life and faith.

      Amen.

      In Christ’s Service,

      Pastor Kurt

      Open My Eyes
      Kurt Steinbrueck
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      Open My Eyes

        Open My Eyes

        “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” – Psalm 119:18

        How Do You Read the Bible?

        There are several things we can do to make sure we have the clearest understanding of God’s Word.

        • Read multiple translations of a text and read editor notes. When creating a translation, decisions have to be made and those decisions can obscure the full meaning of a passage. By reading multiple translations and the editor’s notes, you can get a more complete understanding. Of course, better still would be to learn Biblical Greek and Hebrew.
        • Read the surrounding context. No Biblical passage exists in isolation and when we pull a passage out of its context, it makes it possible to misunderstand it. So, read the surrounding paragraph, section, or even chapter to make sure you understand the context of a passage.
        • Read the Bible more. The context of any passage isn’t just the paragraph, chapter, or book. Scripture interprets Scripture. The more familiar you are with the whole of Scripture, the better you can understand the full context of any passage within the Bible.

        The One Thing You Need
        All of the above ideas are helpful for your study of God’s Word, but in the end it will be all meaningless without the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit revealing God’s Word to us, we are blind to it. We need God to open our eyes so that we can truly see what His Word tells us.

        “But, as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him’—these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

        The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. ‘For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 2:9-16

        We need God’s Spirit to truly understand God’s Word. So, let us pray. Let us pray for wisdom and insight. Let us pray for faith. Let us pray for God to open our eyes to understand His Word.

        Heavenly Father,

        Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your Word. Give me faith, understanding, wisdom, and insight. Teach me Your ways.

        Amen.

        In Christ’s Service,

        Pastor Kurt

        Shining a Light on a Dark Path
        Kurt Steinbrueck
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        Shining a Light on a Dark Path

          Shining a Light on a Dark Path

          “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” – Psalm 119:105

          Have you ever walked through the woods at night?

          Our passage from yesterday told us that God’s Word is truth and that it sanctifies us (makes us holy). God’s Word also directs, protects, and guides us as we walk through our lives.

          God’s Word Directs

          • Should I turn left or right?
          • Should I take this job or that?
          • Should I spend time doing one thing or the other?
          • How close of a friend should I be with this person?

          Life presents us with a lot of questions and God’s Word can direct us in many of these questions. Through God’s Word, we can become wise. This starts with faith but extends to many areas of life. The books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Job, and Psalms contain a great deal of wisdom that pertains to many areas of life. As we study God’s Words and put those words into practice, we grow in wisdom.

          This doesn’t mean every step is directed. You won’t find a passage that tells you to park in one parking spot vs another or which mutual fund to invest in, but God’s Word will give you principles that can help you to know that whether you step to the right or left, you are stepping on solid ground.

          God’s Word Protects
          The other day I was walking my dog when I stepped in the wrong place and rolled my ankle. It hurt and I had to wear a brace for a few days. It’s good to see where you are stepping to so you can avoid things like that.

          God’s Words can protect you from rolling your proverbial ankle.

          There are countless warnings in the Bible about the damaging effects of sin and foolishness. The Bible gets pretty specific about many of these things as well.

          • Pride comes before the fall.
          • The love of money leads to all kinds of evil.
          • Like a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool returns to his folly.
          • There are many more…

          The Bible doesn’t just protect us from worldly harm, though. God’s promises protect us from hopelessness and despair. His Gospel even protects us from eternal death!

          God’s Word Guides
          Ultimately, God’s Word is the light that guides us to eternal life.

          “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – John 1:1-5

          God’s Word is the light of the world which leads us out of darkness into His marvelous light. It guides us not only in our actions but our faith. It guides us to life, itself. 

          Heavenly Father,

          Jesus is the light of the world. Guide me by the light of Your Word into faith and, by faith, into eternal life with You. Protect me from the dangers that lie all around me. Guide me on my path that in this life, that I would walk in your ways to the glory of Your holy Name.

          Amen.

          In Christ’s Service,

          Pastor Kurt

          Finding Truth
          Kurt Steinbrueck
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          Finding Truth

            Finding Truth

            “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” – John 17:17

            What is your most trusted source of truth?

            These days, truth can seem hard to find but there is one source that will never let you down. No, it’s not FoxNews, CNN, or NBC. Surprisingly, it’s also not the Internet. I know it’s hard to believe, but people lie on the Internet and pass on misinformation, half-truths, and myths.

            God’s Word is Truth
            It’s an amazing thing when you think about it. After so many sources in our lives claiming so many contradictory things, there is one place where we can know that everything we read is true.

            God’s Word doesn’t “contain the truth,” as some have claimed. This claim tries to treat God’s Word like every other source out there. Some things are true and others aren’t. You have to figure out which is which. This claim isn’t true. What is true is that every word of God’s Word is truth. Period.

            The Truth Sanctifies
            To sanctify is to set apart for a special purpose. When God sanctifies, He sets us apart for His purpose, which is as special as it gets. 

            One of the ways that God sets you apart is by His Word, it’s by the truth.

            Let’s face it. When you trust God’s Word, that sets you apart. When you follow God’s ways instead of our culture, that makes you different. It’s not always easy, but it is always better. God’s ways are good and wise. However, it’s not just by our beliefs and actions that we are sanctified by God’s Word.

            God’s Word sanctifies us by creating faith through the promises of God.

            “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” – Romans 10:17

            By His Word, God purifies you. He washes you clean and gives you life. He makes you holy and so you are holy, indeed.

            Heavenly Father,

            Draw me to Your Word and then reveal Your Word to me by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Sanctify me and renew me by Your Word which is true, every word of it. Help me to understand and trust Your Word above all others.

            Amen.

            In Christ’s Service,

            Pastor Kurt

            Teaching from the Lord
            Kurt Steinbrueck
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            Teaching from the Lord

              Teaching from the Lord

              “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” – Proverbs 22:6

              What are the four of the most important jobs a parent has?

              1. Provide for the health and well-being of your child.
              2. Love them.
              3. Raise them to become functional adults who can care for themselves and others.
              4. Raise them in the faith so they know Jesus.

              In His wisdom, God chose to create human beings and wire them to flourish within families. The family unit provides shelter, stability, love, and people to teach and train the child. God teaches us and we pass it on.

              Keeping the Child Alive
              Most people naturally understand the first job. Your child depends on you to live. You must feed them, provide shelter, and protect them from danger.

              Loving Them
              The second job really sums up all the parental responsibilities. After all, feeding your kids and teaching them are acts of love. However, it also includes caring for your child’s emotional well-being, playing with them, giving hugs, telling them you love them, and, generally, making sure they know they are loved.

              Raise Functional Adults
              Our passage for today speaks to this as well as to the next one. There have been movements in the past that pushed letting children figure things out for themselves. There are two problems with this philosophy. 

              1. It implies that there is no right or wrong, moral or immoral, or true faith. Clearly this is not the case. So, God, who defines right and wrong and wants us to live in relationship with Him through faith, tells us to train up our children knowing right from wrong and knowing Him.
              2. It’s bad science. God’s Word is enough for us to reject this concept, but even our own scientific studies have shown that children need boundaries and discipline to thrive. They want it…even if they think they don’t.

              The Bible provides a great deal of guidance about life both regarding faith and day to day living. Proverbs, in particular, was written primarily for teaching the youth wisdom for life.

              One last quick note on this – notice it says train, not teach. Training is more involved and involves practice and reinforcement. Training involves discipline, which the Bible speaks to as well.

              “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.” – Proverbs 13:24 

              Raise Children in the Faith
              Lastly, and most importantly, parents are to teach their children about Jesus, raising them in the faith. This impacts all areas of life and, of course, their eternal salvation.

              “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” – Deuteronomy 6:4-9

              Parents have the primary responsibility to raise their children in the faith which is why having family devotions and finding other “teachable moments” throughout the day are important. However, they are not alone. The whole church plays a role in teaching our children about Jesus and helping them to live out their faith.

              If You Do Not Have Children
              If you do not have children, you can still be a part of helping to raise the children of the church in the faith. You may teach Sunday school, help with youth group, or just be a friend to our younger members. Often, you’ll find you learn just as much as they do.

              “Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.” – Proverbs 23:22

              Children, Listen!
              God’s message to our children is to listen to their parents, but sometimes they don’t. Despite the best efforts of parents, there are times when children grow up and leave the faith. Ultimately, the faith of each person, our children included, is between God and that person. So, we do everything we can, praying, teaching, training, etc., but we must leave it to God.

              So, let us pray for our children. Let us teach them and train them what we, ourselves, have learned from God.

              Heavenly Father,

              Thank You for children. Please help us to love and provide for our children. Show us how to best train them up in the way they should go, especially to know You and love You.

              Amen.

              In Christ’s Service,

              Pastor Kurt

              How to Get Rich, Quick
              Kurt Steinbrueck
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              How to Get Rich, Quick

                How To Get Rich, Quick

                “I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.” – Psalm 119:14

                Have you ever seen a “How to Get Rich” book? Have you ever read one?

                It’s one of the most popular topics for books and websites. Why? Because people want to get rich?

                Dorothy picked out the book at the bookstore, “How to Flip Houses.” As she started reading she grew more and more excited with every page. She could see it in her mind…the purchase…the renovation…the sale…the profit.

                Don also picked out a book at the bookstore, “How to Retire Wealthy.” It was filled with practical tips for saving money and investing. He could almost feel his toes in the sand of the beach house he would retire in.

                Even though they had only purchased books and didn’t have the riches, yet, Dorothy and Don were excited. They were excited to get started. They were excited at the prospect of becoming wealthy.

                What if we got excited over God’s Word the way we get excited over things that could make us financially wealthy?

                God’s Word is true riches. God’s ways are truly good and wonderful. Financial wealth can be exciting and beneficial, but it isn’t permanent and it has its limits. You can’t buy true peace. You can’t buy eternal life. Yet, God gives these in His Word.

                So, we can rejoice, along with the Psalmist, in God’s Word even more than a “How to Get Rich” book. We can celebrate His promises and His ways knowing that in them we find life and life abundant.

                Heavenly Father,

                You are better than gold, stocks, or cash. Your ways are better than the fleeting happiness of wealth. Help me to love Your ways and get excited about Your Word more than wealth.

                Amen.

                In Christ’s Service,

                Pastor Kurt

                Always True
                Kurt Steinbrueck
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                Always True

                  Always True

                  “The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.” – Psalm 119:160

                  Have you ever gotten bad advice?

                  We’ve all gotten bad advice from time to time. You may have even gotten good advice, but it was only good for a certain amount of time. Investing in Pet’s.com was a great idea in 2000. A few years later, that was no longer a good idea.

                  Today, in the midst of a pandemic, the truth is hard to find. There’s political spin and agendas everywhere. Even if we try to ignore it and just look at the figures, we can’t trust the figures. Stories of deaths being reported as COVID-19 deaths which really had nothing to do with the disease as well as testing misreporting are rampant. It can leave us feeling lost and hopeless.

                  The Source of Truth
                  There is one place we know we can turn which will always be true, The Bible. God’s Word is truth. God not only says what is true, but the fact that God says it makes it true, and His Word will endure forever. It doesn’t expire. It is always true.

                  Granted, you can’t find coronavirus stats or advice in the Bible, but what the Bible tells us is even more important and more comforting. The Bible tells us that God loves us and is with us. Whether we’re in a pandemic or a hurricane or just normal life, God is with us and will not leave us.

                  As Psalm 23 tells us, we have nothing to fear even if we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Jesus has overcome death!! The truth of God’s love and salvation are true and will always be true. That truth defines our reality. That is how we can have peace no matter what the true stats are about COVID-19 or any other situation we may be in.

                  A Tree by a River
                  The more we read God’s Word, the more we understand the truth. The more we read God’s Word, the more we become grounded in that truth and know the peace and hope that God gives. As Psalm 1 tells us, delighting in God’s Word makes us like a tree planted by a river which will never go thirst and never wilt or fade.

                  “but his delight is in the instruction of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” – Psalm 1:2-3

                  Heavenly Father,

                  May I delight in Your Word every day. Strengthen me with Your Word and ground me in the truth of Your Word that I may know Your peace and hope and not be battered by the ever-changing “truths” of the world.

                  Amen.

                  In Christ’s Service,

                  Pastor Kurt

                  No Degree Required
                  Kurt Steinbrueck
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                  No Degree Required

                    No Degree Required

                    “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.” – Psalm 119:130

                    How did you feel the first time you really started reading the Bible? Was it daunting…exciting…enlightening?

                    God’s Word is unlike any other book. It is God’s revelation of Himself and His salvation to mankind. It is intended for all people, young and old.

                    There are some passages which may cause leave us scratching our head after we read them and others which seem pretty straight forward. We may sometimes feel like we need an advanced degree to really understand it, but do we?

                    God’s Word for All People
                    We need to remember two things when reading the Bible:

                    1. God’s Word is meant for all people.
                    2. The Holy Spirit helps us truly understand and believe God’s Word.

                    Intended for All People
                    Why is it important to remember that God’s Word is intended for all people? Back in the middle ages and even before, there were people who said that the Bible had several levels of meaning and that the plain meaning of the text was the least important. That made most people think they couldn’t understand the Bible. However, it wasn’t true.

                    If you were writing a book for young and old, educated and uneducated, alike, would you make it complex and hidden? Of course not! Sure, there are some parts that have analogies or symbols or other more difficult things, but most of the time the plain meaning of the text is what you are meant to understand.

                    The Holy Spirit Gives Understanding
                    Why does it matter that the Holy Spirit is the one who helps us understand? It means that the smartest among us can miss the meaning while the simplest understand. The Holy Spirit can give understanding and faith to anyone. Our human understanding can miss any of it and can never create faith.

                    So, read the Bible.

                    Pray that the Holy Spirit will help you understand it. He will. His Spirit will create and nurture your faith. He will reveal God and His plan of salvation.

                    Keep Reading the Bible

                    One of the other great things about God’s Word is that we keep learning and growing. I still frequently reread a passage and see something I didn’t see before that adds depth and beauty. God is infinite and His wisdom and knowledge are infinite. The more the read the richer the text becomes. It never gets old.

                    Heavenly Father,

                    Thank You for Your Word. Help me to have a hunger for it. As I read it, help me to understand it and read it in faith. Strengthen my faith and deepen my understanding.

                    Amen.

                    In Christ’s Service,

                    Pastor Kurt

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                    27221 Foamflower Blvd.
                    Wesley Chapel, FL 33544
                    Ph: ‪(813) 602-1104‬
                    Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Church in Wesley Chapel, FL

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

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