For a Healthy Christian Life …
Today’s Verse:
Psalm 119:105 ESV
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
As we consider our daily needs, we think of food, water, and rest. To keep us alive and well, eating good food, drinking plenty of water, and getting a decent amount of rest are critical. But what about our spiritual lives?
Moses said, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3).
Just as a healthy person should eat every day, a healthy Christian should feast on God’s Word every day. Martin Luther understood this to be of the greatest importance. Luther wanted every Christian to read God’s Word for themselves and to know that the Holy Spirit would use these simple words to build up their faith. He said the Scriptures are a “mine which can never be sufficiently explored”, and that “God lays His infinite wisdom in a little corner of that mine. In a word before our eyes, which shines with a splendor more clear than the light of the sun” (from Luther’s introduction to the Bible).
God’s Word is not just a history book full of ancient times and good moral stories. God’s Word is His living and active Word, it is the means of grace through which the Holy Spirit works in us. The Bible is a lamp that lights up the darkness in this world. It is a light that illuminates the path of righteousness, and it is a comfort for us in our time of trouble.
When we neglect the Word of God, we leave ourselves open to the temptations of the world and the lies of the devil. But when we keep the discipline of daily Bible reading, we are putting on the “full armor of God”. Saint Paul says, “having fastened on the belt of truth” (Ephesians 6:14-17 ) and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. We are putting on the truths of the Gospel that remind us of God’s unconditional love for us in Christ Jesus, that God forgives us of all our sins and gives us eternal life.
As Psalm 1:2 tells us, “delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:2). Let us not consider daily Bible reading a drudgery, but let us rejoice in the opportunity to hear our Heavenly Father speak to us, to grow in His grace and be strengthened for the trials and difficulties of each new day.
Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gift of Your holy Word. Open our hearts and minds to its truth. Help us to make a habit of reading and meditating on it daily, that we may be nourished, guided, and strengthened by the power of Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
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.
The 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. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.