At last

Verse for the week: The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also. I John 4.21

Prayer for the week: “Dear Father in heaven, you have revealed your love to us in Jesus Christ.  Grant us your Holy Spirit, that we may love you with our whole heart and our neighbors as ourselves; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.” (Kirchenbuch für die Gemeinde [Isenhagen], quoted in Ernst Glur and Kurt Jagdmann, Orate Fratres, Gebetsordnung für evangelische-lutherische Pfarrer  Gottingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1952 p.82)

Bible reading for the day: Genesis 2.15-25

¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

¹⁸ Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” ¹⁹ Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. ²¹ So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. ²² And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. ²³ Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.”

²⁴ Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. ²⁵ And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Prayer (based on TRIP** method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you: the fruit of the land, the cattle, the birds, and the fish are great…indeed all of life is ordered by your good plan; thanks for not stopping there.  Thank you especially for creating man and woman for each other and for establishing marriage, the first estate. Repent us of messing around with your good order and of defining good and evil according to our ways rather than yours.  Our clinging is always healthier when we cling to you first; so give us ears to hear your word that we might hold fast to you…so that our words and conduct may be pure and honorable and husband and wife may love and honor one another. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Sixth Commandment “You shall not commit adultery.”

What does this mean?

We should fear and love God so that in matters of sex we are chaste and disciplined in our words and actions, and that husband and wife love and honor each other. (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther ©Reclaim Resources, Sola Publishing, 2011)

Just for fun: you might enjoy this song written by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon, sung by Etta James: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-cbOl96RFM

benediction: Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Eph 3:20-21) 

*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 www.dailytext.com).  The method is founded on scripture and easy to remember:                                                                                        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.