Daily-Devotions

“Stand fast” in unchanging truth. God’s enemies present compelling and eloquent assertions and reasoning designed to create widespread falling away from genuine Christian faith. Who is in danger of falling away? Those who “did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” Continually study the saving Word of God, through which the Holy Spirit will sustain and strengthen your faith.

False prophets—those who claim to speak God’s Word but in reality proclaim the devil’s lies—are nothing new. Sometimes it may seem to us as if everything is going their way. But make no mistake, their doom is certain, severe, and everlasting.

This is Paul’s valedictory statement. May God graciously grant that we too may be able to fight the good fight and keep the faith. Our eternal welfare is a matter of what Christ has done for us, not of what we do. Nonetheless, being saved by grace through faith, we are called to practice faithful discipleship unto the end.

The Bible is not human religious speculation, it is God’s Word. As such, it is the only sure basis for what we believe and what we do. This is especially important for us to remember in our day, when so many people have “itching ears,” and choose to believe charlatans who tell them whatever they want to hear.

Here we have some of the most precious words of scriptural advice. Do we suffer anxiety? Take it to the Lord, and—believing His promises—we will have peace. What sorts of things occupy our thoughts? Here’s a list of what we should think about—no, what we should meditate on! The result, again, is personal peace.

Paul counsels Timothy to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” The Greek word translated as “be strong” is literally “be invested with power.” Significantly, he then points out that as soldiers for Christ, we must endure suffering. For now, we are members of the Church Militant, and as soldiers we are to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”

Suffering scorn from unbelievers and imprisonment in Rome, Paul nonetheless is not ashamed of the Gospel. Let us also follow that example when we face the relatively inconsequential derision of today’s world. We can proclaim with Paul, “I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed.”

“Oh, for a faith that will not shrink Tho’ pressed by many a foe; That will not tremble on the brink Of poverty or woe; Lord give us such a faith as this; And then, whate’er may come, We’ll taste e’en now the hallowed bliss Of an eternal home. “ – TLH #396:1, 6

Joseph said his bones were not to remain in Egypt, but were to be taken to Canaan. In faith, he was giving testimony that the Lord would certainly bring His chosen people back to the Promise Land. Similarly, at Christian funerals we say we are confident the remains of our Christian loved one will one day be raised, and that he will certainly be taken to that better Promised Land.

We conclude the month with a few readings from Hebrews. Hebrews provides good insight into the lives we’ve read about in the book of Genesis. The key word is faith. Though far from perfect, believers like Noah, Abraham, and Jacob lived their lives with God-given faith, looking ahead to the coming of Christ, as well as inhabiting the city whose builder and maker is God.

Satan likes to haunt our minds with sins from even way back in our past. Joseph is saddened when his brothers wonder if he has truly forgiven them for their past misdeeds. The only solution? Take your guilt to the cross, where Jesus has already paid for all of it. Even guilt for which we have already received forgiveness needs to be taken to the cross.

The Great Descendant of Judah is called “Shiloh,” which means “Rest-bringer”. Through the Gospel in Word and Sacrament, Jesus gives perfect rest to our souls. Elsewhere in Scripture Jesus is known as the Lion from the Tribe of Judah. Yes, Jesus is a tender Lamb, but He’s also an almighty Lion, in Whom is all power and authority in heaven and on earth.