Verse for the week:
“the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his
life a ransom for many.” Mt 20.28
Bible reading for the day: Genesis 4.1-11
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and
she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the
Lord.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper
of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. 3 In the course of time
Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and
Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And
the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and
his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6
The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7
If you do well, will there not be a lifting up of your face? And if you
do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you
must rule over it.”
8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when
they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 9
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do
not know; am I my brother's keeper?” 10 And the Lord said, “What
have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the
ground. 11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened
its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.
Prayer (based on TRIP** method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you
for giving us brothers, sisters, families, neighbors… and for protecting life
itself. Thank you most of all for redeeming us from ourselves through Jesus
Christ. Repent me and your church of every manner of jealously that subtly
creeps in to feed our will… such jealousy is the death of us. Each day grant that we may fear, love, and
trust you more than ourselves… that we may live well with the neighbors and
glorify your name; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen.
Hymn: follow this
link to a beloved classic that gives further voice to today’s conversation with
the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMY3ivdNzwE
The Fifth Commandment
You shall not kill.
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God so that we do our neighbors no
bodily harm nor cause them any suffering, but help and befriend them in every
need. (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther ©Reclaim Resources,
Sola Publishing, 2011)
Benediction: Now
may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through
grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and strengthen
them in every good work and word. Amen. II Thess 2.16-17
*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.
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