ST. JOHN LUTHERAN CHURCH
(The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod)
Alma, Kansas
A family united by faith in Christ gathering around God's Word and Sacraments.
To reach out in Christ-like concern and Christ-borne love to each other and to those without Christ!
In This Month's
St. John Witness
JULY WITNESS
Pastor's Message
The Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. (James 2:23)
How do you get a great parking spot at Yankee stadium? One man thought he had the way. According to the Fresno California Bee, this man pulled his car into a parking space into the VIP parking lot, and casually told the attendants he was a friend of George Steinbrenner, the owner of the Yankees. Unfortunately for this imposter, the person attending the lot was George Steinbrenner himself, doing some personal investigation of traffic problems at the stadium. The surprised imposter looked at Steinbrenner and said, “Guess I’ve got the wrong lot.”
You can be sure he didn’t get to park in the VIP lot that day, or ever. The owner knows his friends. And the owner determines who gets in the VIP lot.
So much of life is determined by the owner. The owner of a car determines who will drive the vehicle. The owner of a business will determine who works for him. The owner of a home determines who will enter the house, and so on.
So when we understand that God, who is the maker of everything, is also the owner of everything, then it changes our perspective on our lives. The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. (Psalm 24:1-2) He made us, and also has a claim on us. “I made the earth and created man on it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host.” (Is. 45:12) From this truth the Bible deduces this teaching: “You are not your own, you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (I Corinthians 6:20)
You see, God also knows who His friends are and who the imposters are. He has reserved spaces in heaven for those who call upon His name, and who believe in His Son Jesus Christ. We are called not only to know Him, but to be his friend, as Jesus says in John 15:12-14: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.”
Live as His friend! Pastor GrimmWe are a family united by faith in Christ, gathering around God's Word and Sacraments,
to reach out in Christ-like concern and Christ-borne love to each other and to those without Christ!
