Monday March 3, 2025

Hi this is Pastor Jim Driskell of Christ Lutheran Church with the NCTV 45 thought for the Day.

In her book “Jesus Calling” Sarah Young has Jesus talking to us and telling us things that we need to keep in mind about Him. In this passage, she emphasizes how much we need to focus on Him, especially when we may be dealing with challenges, trials in our life. This is her idea of how Jesus would tell us to stay focused on Him: …you must be on guard against; self pity, self preoccupation, giving up. Your inadequacy presents you with a continual choice – deep dependence on Me or despair. The emptiness you feel within will be filled either with problems or with My Presence. Make Me central in your consciousness by praying continually: simple, short prayers flowing out of the present moment. Use My Name liberally, to remind you of My Presence. Keep On asking and you will receive, so that your gladness may be full and complete”. P 55

She cites “Pray continually” 1 Thess 5:17, praying reminds us who we turn to who we trust, who we need in our life. Not always to “answer” our prayers, but to continually remind us that we turn to Jesus in our life, we turn our issues over to Him, we don’t trust it to ourselves. Jesus wants to deal with the times we doubt, we want to quit, we are in despair.

 I’m Jim Driskell the pastor of Christ Lutheran Church 1302 E Washington St, New Castle, Pa check us on the web Christlutheran-new castle.org questions comments contact me on the website. For a transcript of today’s Thought go to: wordpress.com/view/revjamesdriskellmdiv.com Sunday worship is at 10:30am, with the NCTV 45 thought for the day, God bless your day

Tuesday March 4, 2025

Hi this is Pastor Jim Driskell of Christ Lutheran Church with the NCTV 45 thought for the Day.

One of the biggest problems I have with the big box churches is that they will tell anyone/everyone, well we’re all good, we don’t need forgiveness, we have it down, we just need to get better in our lives, moralistic, therapeutic, deism. It’s not Christianity, what Jesus tells us in Scripture is about what we tell Jesus so He really knows what it’s all about. The hubris is horribly stunning. Jesus is perfectly aware of where we are at and we are sunk in our sins. Anyone who thinks otherwise is simply not a Christian, Jesus Himself says Matthew 7: 21-23  ²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ²³ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ You say Jesus Jesus, but only for your purposes. David Rosage writes: “The words of absolution in the sacrament of penance can well be ‘the sounds of joy and gladness’ which we, as well as the psalmist, long to hear.

Jesus instituted the sacrament of penance when he said: ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. /if you forgive men’s sins, /if they are forgiven them; / if you hold them bound,/ they are held bound’Jn 20: 20, 22, 23. “ “Rejoice in Me” David Rosage p 80

You can certainly live in whatever delusion you chose but you are sunk in your sins, we all are. If we weren’t, Jesus wouldn’t have had to suffer and die. We have so many people today who are so entitled, have been given so much in their life and are sure they don’t have anything to worry about, they are above it all. That’s why they get sucked in by phony big-box churches. We are all sinners and as Rosage writes, when we are given assurance of our forgiveness in Jesus and that we are saved to eternal life in Jesus, then we have joy and gladness. We know that we are saved in a way far above our ability, we trust in Him who is Lord of the universe, of all things we are completely saved in Him.

 I’m Jim Driskell the pastor of Christ Lutheran Church 1302 E Washington St, New Castle, Pa check us on the web Christlutheran-new castle.org questions comments contact me on the website. For a transcript of today’s Thought go to: wordpress.com/view/revjamesdriskellmdiv.com Sunday worship is at 10:30am, with the NCTV 45 thought for the day, God bless your day

Wednesday March 5, 2025

Hi this is Pastor Jim Driskell of Christ Lutheran Church with the NCTV 45 thought for the Day.

Meditation has been a practice that is historically been minimized in the Christian Church, I think that it has been somewhat conflated with prayer. I understand that and certainly both can take both forms. Prayer to me is more thought of in terms of these are the things that I really want to discuss with God. Meditation is this is what I understand, either from reading the Bible or other devotional, or from what God seems to be impressing into my conscience. Which for me leads to journaling, writing down what God seems to be teaching me in, guiding me in. My thoughts aren’t hard and fast, you could write a book on both but DIetrich Bonhoeffer had these insights which I think are very helpful: “In the interruption and fragmentation of our previous ordered life brings with it, in the danger of losing inner discipline through the host of events, the incessant claims of works and service, through doubt and temptation, struggle and disquiet of all kinds, meditation gives our life something like constancy, it keeps the link with our previous life, from baptism to confirmation, to ordination. It keeps us in the saving fellowship of the community, the brethren, our spiritual home. It is a spark from that hearth which the communities want to keep at home for you. It is a source of peace, of patience and of joy; it is like a magnet which attracts all the resources of discipline to its poles; it is like a pure, deep water in which the heaven, with its clouds and its sun is clearly reflected; but it also serves the Highest in showing us a place of discipline and of quietness, of saving order and peace. Have we not all a desire for such a gift? Unacknowledged perhaps, but still profound? Could it not again be a healing power for us leading to recovery?”  Carla Barnhill “A year with Dietrich Bonhoeffer p 52 from a “A Testament to Freedom” p 457 I’ve talked a lot about the Christian “disciplines” and this is certainly another. As he wrote a place of discipline and of quietness, order and peace and I would add, to focus, really dig down on something else that will strengthen our maturity and strength in Christ.

 I’m Jim Driskell the pastor of Christ Lutheran Church 1302 E Washington St, New Castle, Pa check us on the web Christlutheran-new castle.org questions comments contact me on the website. For a transcript of today’s Thought go to: wordpress.com/view/revjamesdriskellmdiv.com Sunday worship is at 10:30am, with the NCTV 45 thought for the day, God bless your day

.

Thursday March 6, 2025

Hi this is Pastor Jim Driskell of Christ Lutheran Church with the NCTV 45 thought for the Day.

In John 14: 15 Jesus tells His disciples “…if you love me, you will obey me.” Now I can hear some little self-justifier whining; “…oh that’s so legalistic, that’s just not right!”. After I get over my what??? Jesus said that, not me. There are way too many people out there who call themselves “Christian” but have no idea what that really means. Most of them are stuck in the 1960’s flower children, and have decided that Jesus is some “guru”, who is all about “peace, love, drugs, sex etc”. That’s not the Jesus of the Bible, but people love to create their own Jesus and in denial of truth project that on to anyone who is listening. Again I don’t know how you’re going to explain that to Jesus when you have to step before His throne. 2 John 2:16 John writes: “And this is love that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.” Any real Lutheran pastor and should be any genuine Christian pastor will tell you that God gave us the Law and He expects us to follow the Law. His Law is completely just and righteous as God is who is completely Holy and separate. He will not tolerate violations of His Law. How as very fallible, sinful human beings supposed to overcome that? Tune in tomorrow!

I’m Jim Driskell the pastor of Christ Lutheran Church 1302 E Washington St, New Castle, Pa check us on the web Christlutheran-new castle.org questions comments contact me on the website. For a transcript of today’s Thought go to: wordpress.com/view/revjamesdriskellmdiv.com Sunday worship is at 10:30am, with the NCTV 45 thought for the day, God bless your day

Friday March 7, 2025

Hi this is Pastor Jim Driskell of Christ Lutheran Church with the NCTV 45 thought for the Day.

Last week, we saw our caped crusaders preparing to… Oh sorry wrong intro. Anyway, yesterday we were saying that despite popular misconception, Jesus isn’t some 1960’s flower child, no free love, free drugs, free food, He did produce food, but that is not what He is about. God gave us the Law and He expects us to follow the Law. His Law is completely just and righteous as God is who is completely Holy and separate. He will not tolerate violations of His Law. How are very fallible, sinful human beings supposed to overcome that? Tune in tomorrow!This is tomorrow and the whole reason for the incarnation, the life of Jesus was to “redeem us”, the vicarious atonement is what it is called. In our own efforts, by our “good behavior”, that will not redeem us. If we violated the Law once, against God, we have violated His Law forever and cannot ever earn our way to “redemption”, forgiveness, because we are just not perfect, Jesus is. Michael Reeves in a podcast for Renewing your Mind”says: “it is the grace of God that trains us to renounce ungodliness. That is the gospel, God’s grace His forgiveness and all in Jesus. Law commands, stirs up sin, but there is no way to be forgiven. Law shows us our need for Gospel, what holy living looks like. The Law won’t change a sinners heart. The Gospel in Christ does change a sinners heart, it tells people they are loved. The Law says love the Lord your God, but it’s only by the Gospel as the Holy Spirit can change hearts.” All these “nice” things the culture tells you, won’t work, unless you are in Jesus. For our life to be in the ultimate eternal life of the resurrection we have to be in connection with God, sin destroys that connection. Jesus came to restore that connection and give us the promise of forgiveness and eternal life in Him in the resurrection. Jesus is the only way it can happen and only through Him. The Law condemns, but we need Law, the Gospel saves, but can only be in Jesus Christ.

I’m Jim Driskell the pastor of Christ Lutheran Church 1302 E Washington St, New Castle, Pa check us on the web Christlutheran-new castle.org questions comments contact me on the website. For a transcript of today’s Thought go to: wordpress.com/view/revjamesdriskellmdiv.com Sunday worship is at 10:30am, all are welcome with the NCTV 45 thought for the day, God bless your day