Daily Devotion for September 24, 2010
Prayers
Scripture
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.
But I believe.
I keep moving forward when I'm holding Your hand;
I believe.
Chorus:
The truest things I know
Are those I cannot see.
From my birth to my dying day;
I believe.
When I'm old I'll talk about the things that You have done;
I believe.
Brokenness made beautiful.
The wars that You have won
And the storms You calmed in me.
I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands.
I'd rather be led by his nail pierced hands.
I'd rather have Jesus than anything…
For Joy in God’s Creation
O Heavenly Father, who has filled the world with beauty; Open my eyes to behold your gracious hand in all your works; that rejoicing in your whole creation, I may learn to serve you with gladness, faithfully managing your bounty; for the sake of him by whom all things were made, your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
For Increase in Wisdom
But also, I pray that my mind might be open and that I may always have an attitude of seeking and learning, for I realize that on many matters I might be wrong and not know it; or there may be wisdom that I do not even realize exists, awaiting discovery, as I live and grow in my walk with you. Give me grace through your Holy Spirit always to seek wisdom, to admit where I have been mistaken, even in attitudes I have held my entire life. Make me fresh every day in your word, Holy God; and let the light of your wisdom shine throughout the world, that we all might grow in our knowledge and love of you, throughout our lives.
Closing Praise
Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever.
Think of the day ahead in terms of God with you, and visualize health, strength, guidance, purity, calm confidence, and victory as the gifts of His presence.
Today’s “Remember the Bible” Question
What Bible verse tells us that we should love “strangers,” providing them with food and clothing?
Other People
“People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.”
~ Dr. Kent M. Keith
Romans 3:27-31 (ESV)
The Righteousness of God Through Faith [Part 2]
hen what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
Notes on the Scripture
“Our boasting” is that of the Jews, who constantly spoke of their righteousness before the true God. The new Christians can no longer boast of salvation, because it is not their works that have saved them; it is God’s forgiveness.
How can a person boast of a gift he has been given, when everyone has been given the same gift? Our only accomplishment, in our salvation, is accepting a gift that has been given everyone, Jew and Gentile.
The great temptation brought to mind by Paul’s words is the temptation to pride when we attend church and Sunday school. There is certainly no wrong in feeling good about ourselves when we leave a service of worship. We should expect to feel refreshed. But we should also be wary, for it can lead us to pride.
The gifts of earth create temptation to sin. As Martin Luther wrote, “As wealth is the test of poverty, . . . honors the test of humility, feast the tests of temperance, pleasures the test of chastity, so ceremonies are the test of righteousness by faith.” If we make the mistake of thinking that we have saved ourselves by going to church, we reject the doctrine of salvation by faith. Most denominations instruct their members in a discipline of church attendance, and many rejoice in our salvation by sacramental ceremony. But never boast of it. We must not let our worship interfere with our faith!
