Love of God Archives - Faith Lutheran Church, Wesley Chapel

Kurt Steinbrueck October 2, 2020

Because He Wanted To

“Help us, God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.” – Psalm 79:9

Why do you do the things that you do?

My son (3 yrs old) did something the other day that he wasn’t supposed to do. My wife, Melissa, saw him do it and asked him,

“Are you supposed to do XYZ?”

“No” Eli replied.

“Then why did you do it?” Melissa replied.

Eli stammered for a minute and finally just said,

“Because I wanted to.”

The truth is, we usually do what we do because we want to. We rationalize other reasons and even think we have other reasons, but usually, it’s just that simple, we want to.

Do We Deserve Forgiveness?
Have you ever felt the need to confess your sins to God, but also felt like you had no right to ask? Have you ever looked at your life and thought,

“God, why would you ever love a person like me? I keep doing things I know are wrong.”

It can be a difficult and scary thing to look at our lives honestly in the light of a Holy and Righteous God. The truth is, we don’t deserve to be forgiven. We have no right, based on our lives, to even ask.

Praise the Lord passages like Psalm 79:9!

When we know we can offer no reason in ourselves for God to forgive us, we see that God acts not because of what we have done, but because of who He is. His natural desire is to show compassion and forgive. So, the Psalmist prays, God forgive me because that is who You are and how You desire to be known.

God forgives us because He wants to.

How great it is to know that God forgives us not because of what we do, but because of who He is. He wants to. He loves you. So, even when you feel like you shouldn’t even show your face before God, especially when you feel like you shouldn’t show your face before God, you can still kneel before Him, confess your sins, and know the He, who is faithful and just, will forgive your sins and cleanse you of all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9)

Heavenly Father,
I come before You a sinner. I know I don’t deserve Your forgiveness. Help me, O God my Savior, for the glory of Your name. Deliver me and forgive my sins for Your name’s sake. Help me to remember that I can always come to You and confess my sins and that You delight in forgiving me.

Amen

Having prayed that prayer, hear these words. Your sins are forgiven and are removed from you as far as the east is from the west. Go in peace. Serve the Lord.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Rooted In Love

“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” – Ephesians 3:17-19

What is your source of life and love?

This year, my daughter got to learn about the biology of plants in science class. She learned about stems, leaves and chloroplasts as well as roots.

What does it mean to be rooted?

Roots are a plant’s source of nutrients and water. They also provide stability and fix the plant firmly to its spot. Many plants have at least as large and complex a root structure underground as they have branches and leaves above ground.

I love the use of the word, “rooted,” because it conveys that sense of being deeply connected to Christ. He is our source of life and strength. He is our sure foundation that keeps us firmly established in Him. It’s because of Him that we are full of Christ’s love and grow and bloom in the ways we see (“above ground”).

The Breadth, Length, Height, and Depth…
Through faith, we are rooted in Christ’s love and that love is immense. In Matthew we can read the parable of the sower and we read the following:

“Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.” – Matthew 13:5-6

In our passage from Ephesians, Paul is praying for the opposite. Being firmly rooted in Christ we would discover not a shallow soil, but one which is amazingly wide, long, tall, and deep. Our roots can’t out-grow God’s love.

As we grow, we continue to find soil rich in love which flows through us to our branches and out into the world, to our brothers and sisters in Christ and our neighbors.

My prayer for you is the same as Paul’s for the Ephesians. Being rooted and grounded in love, may you have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Amen!!

Dear Jesus,

Root me deeply in Your love. Fill me with Your love that I may know how immense it is. Then, let Your love flow through me to those around me.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Love of God

Because He Wanted To

Because He Wanted To

Rooted In Love

Rooted In Love

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