Verse for the week:“The Son of Man came to seek
and save the lost.” (Luke 19.10)
Prayer for the week:
“Almighty and merciful God, you are not willing that any should
perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Grant that by your word we may again and again be convicted of our sin,
but also fervently grasp anew the comfort of your Spirit and of faith, in order
that we may be justified in your Son and be saved through him, Jesus Christ our
Lord. (Kirchenbuch für die Gemeinde (Isenhagen),
quoted in Orate Fratres, Gebetsordnung für evangelische-lutherische Pfarrer,
Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht 1952, p. 76)
Bible reading for the day: Galatians 2.11-21 (In this 2nd
chapter, Paul combats Cephas, that is Peter, and those who were saying that
circumcision was necessary for salvation.)
But when Cephas came to Antioch, I
opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For
before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but
when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the
circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews
acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by
their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that
their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to
Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile
and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
We ourselves are Jews
by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not
justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also
have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and
not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
17 But if,
in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is
Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild
what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For
through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I
have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who
lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of
God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the
grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for
no purpose.
Prayer (based on
T.R.I.P. method**): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for putting
us in a right relationship with you not by our works but by Jesus’ work on the cross
for us. Thank you! Kill off the pride by which my brothers & sisters and I
would climb back onto the ladder of our rightness, for no one is justified that
way. By faith we no longer live our own lives… for you have taken dead sinners
like us into Christ. Continue now to open to us the joy and true freedom of
life hidden in him. I ask this in the
name of that same one who gave himself for me, Jesus Christ, amen.
Hymn: follow this
link to a beloved new hymn that gives further voice to today’s conversation
with the Lord: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWiFYJMGas0
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
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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