Verse for the week:
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6.2
Prayer for the week:
“Lord, take our bodies and our minds and make them wholly
yours. So increase your grace in us that
not our own desires but your holy will may rule us all in all; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.” (K.B. Ritter, Gebete
fur das jahr der Kirched, 2nd ed. Kassel: Barenreiter Verlag, 1948, p. 185).
Bible reading for the day: Colossians 1.1-14
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will
of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To the saints and faithful brothers and
sisters in Christ at Colossae:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith
in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because
of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the
word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in
the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you,
since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just
as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful
minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your
love in the Spirit.
9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not
ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his
will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in
a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good
work and increasing in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be
strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance
and patience with joy, 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has
qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He
has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom
of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness
of sins.
Prayer (based on
T.R.I.P. method**): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for
the word of truth – the gospel of the forgiveness of our sins – and for the
fruit it bears in me and in your church. Repent us of sliding back to the domain
of darkness… that only spoils the fruit and ruins the neighborhood. Each day, strengthen us with your power that
we may endure and be joyfully patient, giving thanks to you; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. 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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