Verse for the week: But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this
inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord turn away from wickedness.” II Timothy 2.19
Prayer for the week: “Almighty and merciful God, fulfill in us your
promises and grant that when that day shall come we may sit down with all the
redeemed at the heavenly feast and praise you in eternal light; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.” (K.B. Ritter, Gebete fur das jahr der Kirched, 2nd ed. Kassel: Barenreiter Verlag, 1948, p. 219).
Bible reading for the day: II Thessalonians 2.1-17
Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not
to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or
a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect
that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no
one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the
rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is
revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who
opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so
that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be
God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still
with you I told you these things? 6 And you know
what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the
mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it
will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And
then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill
with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance
of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is
by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and
with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they
refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God
sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is
false, 12 in order that all may be
condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in
unrighteousness.
13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for
you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the
firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and
belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you
through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord
Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, stand firm
and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our
spoken word or by our letter.
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our
Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope
through grace, 17 comfort your hearts
and establish them in every good work and word.
Prayer (based on TRIP** method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for sending
Christ Jesus for us; with the breath of his mouth he kills my sin, death, and
Satan’s power. Thank you. While your church and I await Christ’s return,
deliver us from the endless parade of impostors and delusions Satan loves to
send. Stand us firm in the Living Word, Jesus Christ; give us a nose for b.s.,
an ear for the truth, and love for our neighbor… even when s/he believes what
is false. I ask this in Jesus’ name, 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=vrGvRtdRdno
“I believe in the Holy Spirit…”
What does this mean for us?
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
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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