SVLC DEVOTION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2023

by | Aug 8, 2023 | Daily Devotions

SHEPHERD OF THE VALLEY LUTHERAN CHURCH

DEVOTION, READINGS and PRAYERS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2023

 This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

 NEWS: Things are al quiet. Here is an excerpt from,” A Spectacle of Glory,” a devotional book written by Joni Eareckson Tada: Psalm 34:8  Jonathan Edwards drew a parallel between honey and this verse. Truly knowing honey is to taste that it is sweet, delicious and delightful. There’s nothing quite like it. The same can be said about our knowledge of God. We must taste and see that the Lord is good, sweet and delightful. How do we do that? The Psalmist wrote, “Blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.” Open your heart to Him. Call on Him often. Linger in His word. Lean on His strength. The prayer: Lord, Your word is sweeter than honey. Awaken my heart more to Your beauty and show me what it means to really take refuge in You.  

 PRAYERS: Today we remember the Terrill family in our prayers: Amy, Abby, Lot and Asha. We ask the Lord to open job opportunities for Amy, that she may be led to where she needs to be for employment. In our Summer of Prayer series, we ask for just laws and just enforcement of laws. We ask the Lord to give our city, county, state and national leaders wisdom to lead, legislate and serve to his glory.

 READINGS: Jeremiah 50:33-46; Psalm 37:23-40; Ephesians 4:17-32

 DEVOTION:

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

“DIY Salvation?”
August 9, 2023

 

Romans 10:6a, 8b-11, 13 – But the righteousness based on faith says, … “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame.” … For “everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved.”

When I was a teenager, I had a problem with this verse: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Most of my Christian friends were non-denominational, and they thought this verse was a kind of do-it-yourself manual for salvation. If you wanted to be saved, you had to do two things: First of all, make sure you said the words “Jesus is Lord” at least once in your life, preferably in public—maybe at your Baptism or when you were witnessing to someone. And second, you had to be absolutely sure you believed in Jesus’ resurrection. If you did these two things, you were home safe.

The problem, of course, was that we were reading the verse wrong. We thought everything depended on us—we had to say the right words; we had to believe the right things and do things correctly. In the end, that made us responsible for saving ourselves. No wonder we were worried and uptight all the time!

Now that I am older, I realize that Paul wasn’t laying down a set of instructions. He was describing what life looks like after the Holy Spirit saves us—after He gives us life, forgiveness, and salvation through Jesus our Lord. Do you want to know what a Christian looks like? The apostle Paul tells us in this verse.

Christians confess that Jesus is Lord. What does this mean? It means that Jesus is in charge of everything, not us, and not any of the powers in this world that think they are so great. It means that Jesus is God come down to earth to live and suffer and die and rise for us, to make us His own. It means that Jesus is in charge of me, and not me myself. He’s in charge of my salvation, too. So I can stop worrying.

What does it mean to believe in the resurrection? It means that we know Jesus is exactly who He said He was—God’s Son, sent to be our Savior from the power of death, sin, and evil. God would not raise a liar! It means Jesus succeeded in what He came to do, and death cannot keep Him down. It means death can’t keep us down either, since He has promised to share His victory with us and raise us from the dead, too. And all of this means that Christians have a joy and hope that never leaves us, even when we are deep in trouble or grief or frustration. Our salvation comes from Jesus, not us—and so we can relax. Because “Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame.”

WE PRAY: Lord, thank You that You are my Savior, not me. Help me to relax and trust You! Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Reflection Questions:

1. When have you been confused about something in the Bible?

2. Are you ever tempted to try to save yourself?

3. How does it feel having Jesus in charge?

 

Today’s Bible in a Year Reading: Psalms 147-148; 1 Corinthians 4

 

Luther’s Morning Prayer

In the morning, as soon as you get out of bed, you are to make the Sign of the Cross and say:

“God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit watch over me. Amen.”

Then, kneeling or standing, say the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. In addition recite this prayer as well:

“I give thanks to you, my heavenly Father through Jesus Christ your dear son, that you have protected me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you that you would also protect me today from sin and all evil, so that my life and actions may please you completely. For into your hands I commend myself: my body, my soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel be with me, so that the wicked foe may have no power over me. Amen.”

After singing a hymn or whatever else may serve your devotion, you can go about your day joyfully!

Luther’s Evening Prayer

In the evening, when you go to bed, you are to make the Sign of the Cross and say:

“God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit watch over me. Amen.”

Then, kneeling or standing, say the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. In addition recite this prayer as well:

“I give thanks to you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ your dear Son, that you have graciously protected me today, and I ask you to forgive me all my sins, where I have done wrong, and graciously to protect me tonight. For into your hands I commend myself: my body, my soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel be with me, so that the wicked foe may have no power over me. Amen.”

You can now go to bed quickly and cheerfully.

 OTHER RESOURCES:

 Our church website is: https://www.svlchurch.org/

 Below is our Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/shepherdofthevalleyoceanside

 Here is the website for Lutherans for Life: https://lutheransforlife.org/

 Here is the website for Lutheran Hour Ministries: https://www.lhm.org/

 Lutheran Public Radio is listener supported and has two channels, one for sacred music and the other for talk, including news, current issues, politics and spiritual matters from a Lutheran perspective. Hosted by Pastor Todd Wilken, Issues, Etc. airs live Monday thru Friday from 1 to 3 pm Pacific, with the “Best Of” running at other hour  s: https://lutheranpublicradio.org/

KFUO is the listener supported radio station owned and operated by the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Based in St. Louis, their format consists of teaching, preaching, ministry and sacred music: https://www.kfuo.org/

 A very blessed Wednesday to everyone! For any needs or prayer requests, please contact us

 Pastor Joel, pastor@svlcchurch.org