July 11: Devotion

Pastor Tritten · July 11: Devotion

I Am Baptized

Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, ²⁶ that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, ²⁷ so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. (Eph. 5:25-27 ESV)

Make the sign of the cross as you say, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

I Believe …

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the

virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He

descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven

and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge

the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the

forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Bible Reading – Psalm 11

To the choirmaster. Of David.

11 In the Lord I take refuge;
how can you say to my soul,
    “Flee like a bird to your mountain,
² for behold, the wicked bend the bow;
    they have fitted their arrow to the string
    to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart;
³ if the foundations are destroyed,
    what can the righteous do?”^[a]

⁴ The Lord is in his holy temple;
    the Lord's throne is in heaven;
    his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.
⁵ The Lord tests the righteous,
    but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
⁶ Let him rain coals on the wicked;
    fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
⁷ For the Lord is righteous;
he loves righteous deeds;
    the upright shall behold his face.[1]

Sometimes the words of the Psalms can be a little unsettling. For instance: In v. 7 it says that the Lord is righteous, he loves righteous deeds – or more literally, “he loves righteousness” – and the upright – those who walk the straight path will see his face. These words can be unsettling because when we examine our lives there is plenty of evidence to suggest that we are not righteous, that our righteousness is lacking if we look at our actions and attitudes, and that we are not nearly as upright as God demands.

Here is the problem with that thinking. The assumption is that we are the source of our righteousness, and that our righteousness is based on our behaviors and actions. But this is not how God measures our righteousness. We – along with David, and all believers from all times and places – live in a relationship with God that is based on his grace. This grace is at the heart of Jesus’ action to give himself for our sin. This is why he didn’t just bear our sins, but became our sin on the cross so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. We rely on a righteousness that comes from outside of us – Jesus’ righteousness, which becomes ours through faith in him.

God’s standard of righteousness is Jesus, and his righteousness is credited to us by his grace.

Does that mean that we are free to behave like the wicked? No. Remember, the Lord’s eyes see, and he tests the children of man. But our righteous actions are not for God, they are to bless our neighbors, to stand as a testimony to them, and to be a mark of God’s work in our lives so that they might learn of his grace a mercy through us.

We will fall short of that active righteousness, however. So we take comfort in Jesus’ righteousness which is credited to us, and strive to live up to that wonderful, generous, gift God has given us in his grace.

Petitions of the Lord’s Prayer

The Seventh Petition: “But deliver us from evil.”

Dear Father, please rescue us from every evil of body and soul, possessions and reputation, and finally, when our last hour comes, give us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to heaven, where we will live eternally with You, and with Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen.

Prayer

Pray for your church, the pastor, and the staff.

Pray for the needs of your fellow church members – parents, children, youth, the elderly, the ill, and the dying.

Benediction

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, ²¹ equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Heb. 13:20-21 ESV)

 

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[1] English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.