Wednesday’s Verse:
From Psalm 146:3 ESV
“Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help.”
Some stains cannot be removed. There are also some things that we regret. Things that we said that we wish we could take back. Things we didn't say. Or perhaps things we did wrong. We may find excuses for these or try to cover them up. But we can never make ourselves clean.
God knows that sin is not something to be taken lightly. His word in Isaiah, however, is not just an indictment. "Come now." He wants us to come out from under the covers of our lives and come to Him. That which we cannot clean is what He offers to us.
We can rest in the assurance that we are forgiven not because of how we strive to be better but by what Jesus has done for us. On the cross, he took our sins upon himself. When we are baptized, we are joined to Christ and given the assurance that our sins have been forgiven. Through faith we accept this gift with nothing in our hands.
You don't have to hide your stains today. Or feel as if you need to earn a new start. Confess what weighs on your mind, and believe Christ's promise. He will allow you to start over. And you can offer your neighbor the mercy that you have received.
Today’s Prayers
Heavenly Father, help me to trust in Your promise more than my own guilt. You know the sins I can confess and the ones I cannot. Forgive me, Lord, in the name of Jesus. 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.
The photo above was created by Gemini (gemini.google.com)