Good morning, and a most blessed Thursday to you.

I was reflecting on some of the various adult education classes I’ve had the opportunity to teach, and I commented to Pastor Eibel on Sunday that I have had so much fun—so much fun teaching Galatians, so much fun teaching the Confessions, and now I am having so much fun teaching Romans.

He looked at me and said, “Well, it’s good material.”

And how true that is.

What a wonderful, wonderful gift we have from God—that we have His Word, which teaches us, leads us, fills us, and which we can trust and count on at all times.

God’s Word is for you.

And isn’t that such a gift? It is so exciting to engage with God through His Word, because we know that in His Word, we are truly engaging with Him.

I want to take a moment to read one of the verses we studied this past week—a verse that is absolutely brilliant, so life-giving:

In Romans chapter 10, verse 13, Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says:

“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Are there many more beautiful words than that?

It does not say only certain people who call on the name of the Lord. It does not say you must call on the name of the Lord in a certain way or at a certain time. It simply says:

Everyone.

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

What a gift it is that we know this—and that we know this to be true.

That Word is for you.
That Word is for me.
That Word is for everyone.

And by God’s grace, we are invited into the joy of sharing that beautiful Word with the people in our lives.

If you ever feel uncertain or frightened about opening your mouth to share the Good News, remember: you are a disciple. And as such, you have been given the gift of God’s Word—written on your mind, planted in your heart, and placed upon your lips—so that it may go forth and others may hear that glorious Word of salvation in Christ and through Christ alone.

And they too can hear.
And they too can call on the name of the Lord.
And they too have that beautiful promise:

They shall be saved.

Let us pray.

Heavenly Lord, we thank You so much for Your Word. Your Word is truth. We thank You that Your Word is for us, that it is in us, and that You have given us the opportunity to proclaim it.

Lord, guide us. Open our eyes to the people You bring into our lives who need to hear Your Word. Give us strength and courage to share Your love and Your truth with them.

We ask that You would soften hearts and open ears to hear the proclamation that comes from our lips, so that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall indeed be saved.

Lord, guide us, protect us, and keep us always in Your grace.

In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

I cannot wait to continue our study of Romans chapters 9 through 11 this coming Sunday. And I truly cannot wait to call on the name of the Lord with you as we worship Him together.

Until then, God bless.

Pastor Malinak