The Daily Devotions from The Lutheran Hour Ministries in Saint Louis, Missouri, United States "What We Can Do, and What We Can't Do" Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Jude 20-21 - But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.I remember when we were trying to have a baby. We did all the right things: we had health checkups, ate well, exercised, and so on. We thought about names and which room would be the baby's. We did our best to have everything ready when the time was right.
But babies come on their own schedule -- or not at all. We soon discovered the difference between preparation and actually getting pregnant. It was many years before we finally had our son. Our preparations were good; they were wonderful, even! But in the end, everything depended on God.
It's like that for us as Christians, too. Jude tells us, "But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life." The big thing -- the only thing that really counts, in the end --is the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. All depends on Christ. He is our Savior, He is the One who forgives our sins and gives us everlasting life. We live with the life He gives; we rejoice with the joy He gives; and we become God's own children -- all because Christ has made us that.
That said, we do have a role to play in our lives with God. We can prepare -- just as my family prepared for a future baby. We can do what Jude said: building ourselves up in this most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, and keeping ourselves in the love of God.
And what does that look like? Well, we can practice our faith by going to Holy Communion regularly; this nourishes our faith as God works through Christ's body and blood on our behalf. Similarly, we can read the Bible and take time to attend church where the Word of God is preached. We can pray with the Holy Spirit's help, kneeling before the Lord to praise Him and ask for His help. We can also pay close attention to daily abiding in the love of God, thinking about what pleases Him and doing those things. Finally, as a matter of course, we can remind ourselves of all the wonderful ways God loves us, so our hearts stay close and responsive to Him.
These verses from Jude show us the things we can do and the things we can't do. We cannot create our own faith or save ourselves. But with joy and thankfulness, we can attend to the preparations that honor the gift of life that Jesus gives us in His mercy. We do these things because we love Him.
THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus, strengthen me in You and keep me close to You. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Today's Bible Readings: Ezekiel 16-17 2 Timothy 2
Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
CHANGE THEIR WORLD. CHANGE YOURS.
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.
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CHANGE THEIR WORLD. CHANGE YOURS.
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.
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