Verse for the week:
“…the King of kings and Lord of lords. 16It is he alone
who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever
seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. I
Timothy 6.15-16
Prayer: “O Lord,
our most gracious Redeemer and King, dwell and reign within us, take possession
of us by your Spirit, and reign where you have a right to reign, and spread
your kingdom throughout the world, now and forever. Amen” (Father John of the Russian Church
Bible reading for the day: Ephesians 1.15-23
15 For this reason, because I have heard
of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the
saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for
you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the
God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit
of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having
the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to
which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance
in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable
greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working
of his great might20 that he worked in
Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right
hand in the heavenly places, 21 far
above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every
name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.22 And he
put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the
church,23 which is his body, the fullness of
him who fills all in all.
Prayer (based on
T.R.I.P. method**): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for
putting your power to work for me and for a whole world full of sinners in
Jesus Christ…by raising him from the dead and seating him at your right
hand. Repent me and your whole church of
wanting to rearrange the body parts and put ourselves as head over Christ.
Reveal yourself to us that we may know the immeasurable greatness of your power
toward those who believe. I ask this in
Jesus’ name. Amen.
“I believe in
Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord…
What does this
mean?
I believe that Jesus Christ — true God, begotten of the
Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary — is my Lord.
He has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, and has freed me from sin,
death, and the power of the devil, not with silver and gold, but with his holy
and precious blood and his innocent suffering and death. He has done all this
in order that I might be his own, live under him in his kingdom, and serve him
in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, even as he is risen
from the dead and lives and reigns for all eternity. This is most certainly
true! (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther ©Reclaim Resources,
Sola Publishing, 2011)
Benediction: The
God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing, that we may abound in
hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen. (Romans 15.13)
*There are many patterns for devotions. This pattern has been followed by God’s
people for centuries.
**The T.R.I.P. approach to
prayer is based on the way Martin Luther prayed and taught others to pray. It was later developed by Walter and Ingrid
Trobisch and then adapted by Mount Carmel Ministries (Alexandria MN
T:
thanksgiving
R:
regret (repentance)
I:
intercession (asking God to take a specific action)
P:
plan or purpose
Reading a biblical text and
then applying this method gives one a sound, simple way to form one’s
prayers...not to mention that it helps one learn how to faithfully reflect on
God’s Word and talk to God.
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