Verse for the week:
How great is your goodness, O Lord…which you have done in the sight
of all who put their trust in you. Psalm 31.19
Prayer: “Merciful
God, you resist the proud but give grace to the humble. Help us to trust you utterly, to rest our
hope and confidence in you, and to serve you with pure hearts; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen” (K.B. Ritter, Gebete
fur das jahr der Kirched, 2nd ed. Kassel: Barenreiter Verlag, 1948, p. 193).
Bible reading for the day: Psalm 34.8-14
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is
good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 Come, O children, listen
to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
15The eyes of the Lord are toward
the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
and his ears toward their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
Prayer (based on
T.R.I.P. method**): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you:
there is no sweeter, richer taste than Christ for me. Repent my soul from
craving after any other, including my own will. Teach me and my brothers and sisters to fear
you each day so that what comes out of our mouths be good and righteous. I ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.
What is the Office
of the Keys?
It is the unique
power which Christ has given to his church on earth to forgive the sins of
penitent sinners, and to retain the sins of the impenitent so long as they do
not repent.
As Christ himself
declares:
“If you forgive the
sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it
is withheld” (John 20:23 ESV).
“Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on
earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed
in heaven” (Matthew 18:18)
(from The Small
Catechism by Martin Luther ©Reclaim Resources, Sola Publishing, 2011)
Benediction: The
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the
Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen. II
Cor 13.14
*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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