Verse for the week:
11“I am the good shepherd… 27My sheep hear my
voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life,
and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.” John
10.11, 27-28
Prayer for the week:
O Savior Christ, you lead to immortal happiness those who entrust
themselves to you. Grant that we, being
weak, presume not to trust in ourselves, but may always have your voice, Good
Shepherd, in our ears; that you, who alone knows the way, may lead us to our
heavenly fold. To you with the Father
and the Holy Spirit be glory forever.
Amen. (Primer, 1545, adapted)
Bible
reading for the day: I Peter 2.19-25
For
this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while
suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if,
when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good
and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of
God. 21 For to this you have been
called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example,
so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He
committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When
he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but
continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He
himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin
and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you
were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and
Overseer of your souls.
prayer(based on the TRIP** method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank
you for calling me and conforming me not to my own image but to Christ’s. When
reviled, when threatened, my pride would justify itself rather than trust in
you, the only one who judges justly. So, each day, every hour, teach me what a
gracious thing it is to live by your righteousness rather than my own… to
return to the true Shepherd and Overseer of my soul. 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=LF2M8nvKK9k
“What does baptism mean for daily living?”
It means that my sinful self, with all its evil deeds and
desires, should be drown by daily repentance and each day a new self should
arise to live with God in righteousness and purity forever.
Where is this
written?
Saint Paul says in Romans, “We were buried therefore with
him by Baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the
dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans
6:4 ESV).
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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