Will You Hear the Voice of Jesus Today?
Saturday’s Verse:
From John 8:30 ESV
“As (Jesus) was saying these things, many believed in him.”
Jesus had just declared that He was the One whom the Father sent—the Son of Man who will be “lifted up,” by whom alone they could know the Father. His Word was not simply ideas to think about. His Word proclaimed who He is and what He came to do.
And notice John says that many believed in Him.
Faith comes, not when we get ourselves up to God, but when God comes down to us in Jesus Christ. He speaks, and by His Word the Holy Spirit builds faith in our hearts. We trust Christ not because all our questions are answered, or life has become easier. We trust Him because He is the Savior who was lifted up on the cross for sinners and who was raised from the dead in victory!
Also in this verse we learn what it means to believe in Jesus Christ. It does not mean that we simply acknowledge that Jesus lived or that we admire His teachings. To believe in Christ means to receive Him as your Savior. To trust in His forgiveness and follow wherever His Word may lead.
Will you hear the voice of Jesus today? In a world of many voices, may we listen to Him. For His is the voice of life. He speaks forgiveness to the guilty, hope to the discouraged, and peace to the fear-filled. Many believed when they heard Him speak. Let us also hear the Word of Christ and say, “Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief.”
✝️ A Prayer for Today:
Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for speaking Your life-giving Word to us today. Please strengthen our faith in You. Forgive us for our doubts and our sins. Keep us near to You in every trial and temptation. Help us to trust not in ourselves but in Your cross, in Your mercy, and in Your promises. 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.
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