Verse for the week: “…the King of kings and Lord
of lords. 16It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in
unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and
eternal dominion. Amen. I Timothy 6.15-16
Prayer for the week: “O Lord, our most gracious
Redeemer and King, dwell and reign within us, take possession of us by your
Spirit, and reign where you have a right to reign, and spread your kingdom
throughout the world, now and forever. Amen” (Father
John of the Russian Church
Bible reading for the day: Revelation 1.4-8 (In 95AD,
Christians were living and dying under the persecution of the Roman emperor,
Caesar Domitian. John writes to give believers courage for each day and hope
for eternity… because Jesus, the true king, will return.)
4 John to the seven
churches that are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace from him who is
and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are
before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the
faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings
on earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our
sins by his blood 6 and made us a
kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory
and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he
is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who
pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even
so. Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the
Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the
Almighty.”
Prayer (based on
T.R.I.P. method**): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for the
King of kings, Jesus Christ, who establishes his reign not by our vote or party
platform, but by shedding his own blood for the forgiveness of our sins, mine
included. Thank you, Lord. While we await his return, repent me of both a timid
and an arrogant witness to him. Make me a true friend of sinners… the kind of
friend who calls sinners out of their own kingdom and declares Christ’s
forgiveness for them. In Jesus’ name I ask this, amen.
Hymn: follow this
link to listen to an excerpt from G.F. Handel’s “Messiah” that gives further
voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3x2fSxOeij4
“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
God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing, that we may abound in
hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen. (Romans 15.13)
*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
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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