Heart & Habits... yours are His

Verse for the week: “The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him,
    and he makes known to them his covenant.”  Psalm 25.14

Prayer for the week: Dear heavenly Father, hallow your name among us: see to it that your Word is taught in its truth and purity and that we as your children live in harmony with it; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen.

Bible reading for the day: Proverbs 4,6,17, various verses (Proverbs voices the Lord’s concern for both our habits and our hearts. Today’s verses are best read in light of Proverbs 1.7)

“Do not enter the path of the wicked,
    and do not walk in the way of the evil… For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
    they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.” 4.14,16

“Put away from you crooked speech,
    and put devious talk far from you.”  4.24

“Go to the ant, O lazybones;
    consider her ways, and be wise.”  6.6

“My son, keep your father's commandment,
    and forsake not your mother's teaching.
²¹ Bind them on your heart always;
    tie them around your neck.
²² When you walk, they will lead you;
    when you lie down, they will watch over you;
    and when you awake, they will talk with you.”  6.20-22

 “Better a dry crust with tranquility
    than a house filled with feasting and quarrel.”  17.1

Prayer of the Day: Gracious and almighty Father, thank you: in Christ Jesus you have rescued my heart and my habits from the Devil, the world, and my sinful self. Keep me far from their evil ways and from my lazy-boned self. Bind your teaching on my heart and my habits that my household may know your peace. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq0ISvUUzdY&ab_channel=St.StephenLutheranChurch

The First Commandment, with a Promise

“I am the Lord, your God. You shall have no other gods besides me.” Exodus 20.2

What does this mean for us?  We are to fear, love, and trust God above anything else. (from The Small Catechism, Martin Luther)

Benediction: For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
    he adorns the humble with salvation.   Psalm 149.4

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.