Grace is not a government program!

Word from the Center
Written By Dr. Gregory Seltz

Welcome to “Word from The Center” MONDAY, a devotional word from the Center of our faith, Jesus Christ, with reflections on His Word. I’m Gregory Seltz. Today’s passage is Exodus 20:12-17, where the LORD God says this:   

[12] “Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be prolonged on the land which the Lord your God gives you. [13] “You shall not murder. [14] “You shall not commit adultery.

[15] “You shall not steal. [16] “You shall no give false testimony against your neighbor.

[17] “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male slave, or his female slave, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Welcome to “Word from The Center” MONDAY, a devotional word from the Center of our faith, Jesus Christ, with reflections on His Word. I’m Gregory Seltz. Today’s passage is Ephesians 2:4-10, where the Bible says,   

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), [6] and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, [7] so that in the ages to come He might show the boundless riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. [8] For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; [9] not a result of works, so that no one may boast. [10] For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

An ad for the U.S. Marines pictures a sword with these words beneath it: “Earned, not given.” If you want to become a Marine, you have to earn the right to be called a Marine through sacrifice, hardship, and training. If you get it, you deserve it. In this world, there are jobs that only Marines can handle. There are even efforts that demand special forces like the Navy Seals. When it comes to maintaining law and order in this world, there have to be people who say, “This far and no farther,” so that we can all live in relative peace. But here’s the problem. There are some issues beyond the best efforts of the Marines, beyond our most advanced technology, beyond the wealth of all billionaires combined, and beyond the combined forces of all of our government agencies. What happens when those issues overwhelm you? What happens when those kind of problems hit all of us? What then?

The season of Lent is a time in the Church year when people come to grips with what it means to be mortal due to the sinful rebellion of our hearts. It’s a time to take an honest look at ourselves, and even our “best” efforts, from God’s point of view. Noted scientist Albert Einstein correctly described the extent of that problem when he said, “It is easier to denature plutonium than to denature the evil spirit of man.”[1] Our real problems stem from humanity’s sinful heart and rebellious spirit. Today we even feel we have the right to challenge the God who created and redeemed us, as if He answers to us and not we to Him.

That’s why this “grace” thing in Ephesians is so incredible. It’s not that God just says, “Don’t worry; no effort is needed when it comes to our relationship. Just do as you please. I love you.” No, the truth is that your efforts don’t measure up AT ALL. The issue of our separation from God can be solved only by His complete and perfect efforts on our behalf. It’s the message that Jesus Christ literally lived the perfect life that you should have lived. He died the death that you should die before God’s judgment throne, and He gives HIS earned eternal life as a gift to you and to all who trust in Him. God’s grace involves works, just not yours. Grace is His gift to you because Jesus has done all things well for you.

If you’ve ever been rescued by someone who risked everything so that you could live free, that is just a small glimpse of what Jesus Christ did for every human being on the planet. At times we need police, firefighters, military forces, and even a decent piece of government legislation. But for the things that really matter, namely, our relationship with God and with one another, the message of grace does not come from our best efforts or programs. Instead, it comes from God’s work in this sinful world for all. God’s grace is not some government program. It’s not even part of our best efforts in the world. It’s God’s work on our behalf for the eternal issues in life, issues which matter even now.

PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your grace in Jesus Christ. Teach me to put all things in perspective so that I might never neglect what You have so freely given! AMEN.

See Also
December 2025 Prayer Partner Thursday
December 2025 Prayer Partner Thursday

Prayer Partner Thursday provides a month-long prayer emphasis in one of the four Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty areas of emphasis: Religious Liberty, Sanctity of Life, Educational Freedom, and Marriage as an Institution (family).

A THANKSGIVING LIFE SPREADS GOD’S JOY AROUND!
A THANKSGIVING LIFE SPREADS GOD’S JOY AROUND!

Today’s Bible reading is Philippians 4:4-6 where the Apostle Paul says,

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

In Defense of Giving Thanks
In Defense of Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving takes a lot of flak these days. Christmas haters are called “Scrooges” or “Grinches,” but haters of Thanksgiving are considered socially conscious and realistic. For many Americans, the fourth Thursday in November is an annoying holiday with racist origins — an excuse to force innocent citizens to gorge on poorly prepared, outdated foods while fraternizing with uncongenial relatives. It is, moreover, a day of hypocritical tension between trite demands to “be grateful” versus a Black Friday rush through the mall. Dismissively labeled “T-day” on social media, Thanksgiving is becoming mere no-man’s-land stuck between the two towers of Halloween and Christmas.

AN “ALL THINGS FOR ALL PEOPLE” SAVIOR – THERE’S ONLY ONE!
AN “ALL THINGS FOR ALL PEOPLE” SAVIOR – THERE’S ONLY ONE!

Today’s reading is Colossians 1:17-20 where the Bible says this of Jesus Christ:    

17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross

Thanksgiving by Presidential Proclamation?
Thanksgiving by Presidential Proclamation?

Thanksgiving worship services, held at the request of the government, seem strange in modern America. Some American Lutherans have wondered if this is appropriate. Our government allows the murder of babies. How can its leaders ask us to pray and give thanks? Others have questioned whether or not the annual request itself is a violation of the separation of Church and State, and still others have suggested that it might be a misunderstanding of the two kingdoms.

December 2025 Bulletin Blurbs
December 2025 Bulletin Blurbs

The dates identifying the LCRL bulletin blurbs are only suggestions. Please feel free to use any and all of the bulletin blurbs as your ministry needs allow.

December 2025 Bulletin Insert
December 2025 Bulletin Insert

The Bulletin Insert is designed to be printed and cut in half to fit conveniently inside a Sunday worship bulletin. Each month an insert will offer insight, encouragement, and information from the LCRL on the topics of Religious Liberty, Life, Marriage, or Education.

A DAY OF HOPE IS COMING!
A DAY OF HOPE IS COMING!

Today’s reading is from the Old Testament Prophet Malachi and these portions of the first three verses of chapter 4.   

1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble... 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings…. 3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act,” says the Lord of hosts.

Getting Involved
Getting Involved

Is it alright for Christians to be involved with politics?

The Bible contains no specific command that either requires or forbids Christian involvement with politics. However, through the prophet Jeremiah, God teaches His people that they should, “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf” (Jer. 29:57). In other places, God teaches that Christians should obey and pray for those in positions of civil authority (Matt. 22:21; Rom. 13:17; Titus 3:1; 1 Pet. 2:13). These passages, together with the general biblical teaching that Christians should care for and promote the welfare of their neighbor, would suggest that Christians should participate in the process of deciding how we, as a nation, shall live.

STAND FIRM IN CHRIST FOR OTHERS!
STAND FIRM IN CHRIST FOR OTHERS!

Today’s reading is 2nd Thessalonians 2:14-15 where the Bible says,    

14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.

Losing Their Religion
Losing Their Religion

Having lost their religion, they start a new one. Folks who no longer read their Bible, or believe it, begin to create substitutes. I just heard of some crazed figure predicting that the Lord would come back in September. Of course, he could have, or he might come in November, or in 1000 years, but no one knows the day or hour, only the Father. And yet, then later in the day I see a 1990 video of Meryl Streep warning us about global warming, and calamities that would come in a "very short time." By the year 2000, it would be too late. Since then, global warming has turned into climate change, but the apocalyptic fever still runs high with a fervor that would make a Bible belt Pentecostal blush.

A FOREVER FREEDOM THAT HOLDS, THAT LASTS!
A FOREVER FREEDOM THAT HOLDS, THAT LASTS!

Today’s Bible reading is Revelation 7:9–12 where the Apostle John recounts this vision of heaven:

9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Gay Marriage and the Nanny State
Gay Marriage and the Nanny State

A good friend suggests that putting an end to gay marriage would be just another example of the nanny state, by which he means government overreach and intrusion into the private lives of our people. It's a cry for freedom from a libertarian point of view. In other news, I see that just 6 percent of Gen Z women think that personal success includes having children. Add to that the fact that a quarter of all children live in a home without dad. Add to that the fact that Senator Kaine, representative of many on the left, said that our rights come not from God but from government.

 

What to make of it? This summer I read The Communist Manifesto for the first time. Marxism is predicated on the idea that the state should have precedence over the family. Marxists see strong families as an obstacle to the state's influence. Homes are an example of private property, and family wealth promoted the practice of inheritance and intergenerational wealth. A traditional conservative says that God comes first, then family, and then the nation, which is not to be equated with the government. The Marxist seeks to put an end to all of that.

November 2025 Prayer Partner Thursday
November 2025 Prayer Partner Thursday

Prayer Partner Thursday provides a month-long prayer emphasis in one of the four Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty areas of emphasis: Religious Liberty, Sanctity of Life, Educational Freedom, and Marriage as an Institution (family).

WHAT MATTERS IS “WORTH LIVING AND DYING FOR!”
WHAT MATTERS IS “WORTH LIVING AND DYING FOR!”

Today’s reading is 2 Timothy 4:7, where St. Paul writes,

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

_______ Nationalism
_______ Nationalism

How should we fill in the blank? Traditionally Christian nations have a spotty record, but compared to what? A Hindu nation, where people are divided according to castes? A Muslim nation, where women are treated like property? A Communist nation that leads to wholesale slaughter? The Spanish Conquistador might be faulted, but consider the world of the Aztecs, the mass human sacrifice.

 

Then shall it be a secular nation? Is our nation somehow worse for having "In God we trust" on our money," for saying "under God" in the pledge? But is there a neutrality to strive for? Vacuums are soon filled, and we end up with cultural Marxism in which children are given puberty blockers, then hormones, leading almost inevitably to mutilating surgery. We end up with the destruction of the family. But this secularism is not neutral, to each his own. In some states, a parent can lose his child if they do not affirm their children's gender delusion, a delusion often encouraged by the secular state.

November 2025 Bulletin Blurbs
November 2025 Bulletin Blurbs

The dates identifying the LCRL bulletin blurbs are only suggestions. Please feel free to use any and all of the bulletin blurbs as your ministry needs allow.

November 2025 Bulletin Insert
November 2025 Bulletin Insert

The Bulletin Insert is designed to be printed and cut in half to fit conveniently inside a Sunday worship bulletin. Each month an insert will offer insight, encouragement, and information from the LCRL on the topics of Religious Liberty, Life, Marriage, or Education.

HANG IN THERE WITH GOD BECAUSE HE HANGS IN THERE WITH YOU!
HANG IN THERE WITH GOD BECAUSE HE HANGS IN THERE WITH YOU!

Today’s reading is Luke 18:1-8 which says,    

And [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

The Widows and the Fatherless: End “Gay Marriage”
The Widows and the Fatherless: End “Gay Marriage”

Psalm 68:5 reminds us that God acts as a father to the fatherless. In the great hymn "Praise the Almighty, My Soul, Adore Him," we sing, "He helps his children in distress, the widows and the fatherless." Do we still care about such things? As a society? In America, one in four children live in a home without dad. 40 percent of children are born to unwed mothers. That's what happens when marriage is redefined to suit adult desires. Some don't know their dads, others live in broken homes. Divorce leads mostly to kids with mom, dad gone.  

WHEN LIFE IS BEYOND OUR CONTROL, THANK GOD THERE’S A SAVIOR!
WHEN LIFE IS BEYOND OUR CONTROL, THANK GOD THERE’S A SAVIOR!

Today’s reading is Luke 17:11-19 which recounts this event:     

11 On the way to Jerusalem [Jesus] was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Wake Up! Paganism Isn’t New, but It Is Rising
Wake Up! Paganism Isn’t New, but It Is Rising

We’ve heard it said lately that what we’re seeing in our culture is sin — and that’s true. But let’s not stop there. What we’re seeing is not simply a lack of virtue in a particular political party or a few mentally ill individuals making poor moral choices. What we are witnessing is a culture-wide descent into paganism—the same kind of paganism the prophets condemned in the Old Testament. And mark this: it is not new. Instead, it is ancient and dark. And it is very definable.

The prophets—men like Amos, Micah, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah — weren’t confused about the character of the nations around them. They saw it plainly.

GOOD COUNSEL OR BAD COUNSEL? IT MATTERS!
GOOD COUNSEL OR BAD COUNSEL? IT MATTERS!

Today’s reading is Luke 17:1-4 which challenges us with these words: 

And [Jesus] said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. 3 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, 4 and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

Charlie Kirk’s Assassination: A Two Kingdom Call to Action
Charlie Kirk’s Assassination: A Two Kingdom Call to Action

As I’ve shared online, for the last few days I’ve been laboring to write a response to the political assassination of Charlie Kirk, trying to put words together that express a proper response to the shock and horror of the evil violence perpetrated against a Christian believer who understood the limitations of politics and the beautiful salvation message that only God could accomplish in Jesus. A person who was willing to dialogue and debate all comers in the hope of demonstrating the truth of what he said and believed. He was proud of the foundational principles of individual liberty, religious freedom, limited government, educational freedom/choice, and the importance of faith, family, freedom to live self-governed lives . . . and for that he was executed. That should truly shock us all to our core.

October Prayer Partner Thursday
October Prayer Partner Thursday

Prayer Partner Thursday provides a month-long prayer emphasis in one of the four Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty areas of emphasis: Religious Liberty, Sanctity of Life, Educational Freedom, and Marriage as an Institution (family).

HERE'S WHERE TO PUT YOUR TRUST!
HERE'S WHERE TO PUT YOUR TRUST!

Today’s reading is Psalm 146:1-6 and 10, which proclaims:     

Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! 2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. 3 Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. 4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;

on that very day his plans perish. 5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the LORD his God, 6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever;….. 10 The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!

The Secret to a Joyous Marriage
The Secret to a Joyous Marriage

After finishing college at Seward, my wife Kathy and I served as lay missionaries in a remote Cree Indian village in Ontario, Canada. One day we decided we’d go for a snowmobile ride. I pulled the machine in front of our little shack. I glanced behind me to see Kathy hopping aboard, and I took off. I headed down the skidoo trail on the frozen lake on a bright clear, frigid day, chatting happily with my dear wife (or so I thought). I had made it nearly a half-mile before I realized that no one was talking back. Suddenly I did a hard double take and turned to see the empty seat right behind me. Looking back at the distant village, she was nowhere to be seen. Turns out I had taken off just as she straddled the seat, but before she’d sat down. . . . We laughed about it then, and still do to this very day.

WHEN IT MATTERS - NO DIVIDED ALLEGIANCES!
WHEN IT MATTERS - NO DIVIDED ALLEGIANCES!

Today’s reading is Luke 16:10-13 where Jesus says,    

10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Raising Children in an Age of Nothing
Raising Children in an Age of Nothing

It’s not a happy thing to read that so many of our countrymen are “nones,” belonging to no church and adhering to no way of paying homage to God. How do we raise children in a no-land, where their deepest beliefs will be met with what’s sometimes more discouraging than enmity, with the shrug of indifference and incomprehension?

I think we must bear in mind the character of this nothing. It is not deep — it cannot conceivably be deep — but it is broad, like a vast slick of muddy water and wreckage after a flood, shallow as a few inches in most places, but lapping at every post and foundation in sight.

October 2025 Bulletin Blurbs
October 2025 Bulletin Blurbs

The dates identifying the LCRL bulletin blurbs are only suggestions. Please feel free to use any and all of the bulletin blurbs as your ministry needs allow.

Dr. Gregory Seltz
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