Verse for the week: Since then we have a great high priest who has passed
through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession
of faith. Hebrews 4.14
Prayer for the week: “Eternal God, you commit to us the swift and solemn
trust of life; since we know not what the day may bring forth, but only that
the hour for serving you is always present, may we wake to the instant claims
of your holy will, not waiting for tomorrow, but yielding today. Consecrate with your presence the way our
feet may go, and the humblest work will shine, and the roughest place be made
plain. Lift us above unrighteous anger
and mistrust, into faith, and hope, and charity, by a simple and steadfast
reliance on your sure will. In all
things draw us to the mind of Christ, that your lost image may be traced again,
and you may own us as at one with him and you, to the glory of your great name. Amen.” (James Martineau, Home Prayers,
London: Longmans, Green, 1891)
Bible reading for the day: Revelation 22.12-21 (note: these are the last words of
the entire Bible)
“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with
me, to repay each one for what he has done.
13 I
am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
14 Blessed
are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of
life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are
the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters,
and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
16 “I,
Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the
churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
17 The
Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And
let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life
without price.
18 I
warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds
to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and
if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take
away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in
this book.
20 He
who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord
Jesus!
21 The
grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
Prayer (based on TRIP** method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for Jesus’
promised return and for washing our robes in white in his blood. Until the great day of his return, repent me
and your whole church of the deadly sin of tinkering with your Word… adding to
it or taking away from it. Give us ears to hear so that in this thirsty life we
may come to you alone for true drink. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
Hymn: follow
this link to a beloved classic which gives further voice to today’s
conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=414dGGTedpM
“I believe in the Holy Spirit…
What
does this mean?
I believe that I cannot by my
own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him; but the
Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts,
and sanctified and preserved me in the true faith. In the same way, he calls,
gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and
preserves it in unity with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this
Christian church, he daily forgives abundantly all my sins and the sins of all
believers. At the last day, he will raise me and all the dead and will grant
everlasting life to me and to all who believe in Christ. This is most certainly
true! (from The Small Catechism, by Martin
Luther, ©Reclaim Resources, Sola Publishing, 2011)
Benediction: And after you have suffered for a little while,
the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ,
will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you this day. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen. (1 Pet 5:10)
*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.
No comments:
Post a Comment