The following devotions are written and shared weekly by Pastor Steve Harmon.
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Day One
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Today’s devotion from Portals of Prayer is a clear statement of the Gospel to us all. It is especially applicable to those who are struggling with the sin in their lives. It’s based on 2 Corinthians 21:9 (My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness) where Paul shares his struggles with sin. I reprint it here for your consideration and meditation.
“Individuals who are in the throes of addiction know that when they are hungry, angry, lonely, or tires, they are more vulnerable to succumb to that from which they strive to be free. In recovery circles, it’s called the H.A.L.T. principle. One of these concerns may not pose a major threat, but in combination, they signal danger. As a recovering alcoholic, my father knew the depths of what such suffering caused. He knew more, however, the power of God’s undeserved grace.
Addictions are not of our heavenly Father. However, when they or another ‘messenger of Satan’ (see 2 Corinthians 12:7) seek our undoing, God’s mercy is a powerful remedy. We cannot run so far that His grace will not find us, even if God allows certain afflictions to accompany us. The depth of His mercy is unfathomable. His grace is His proven source for our security and strength.
What temptation strives to overtake you? What affliction seeks to humble you? God’s grace is enough, as are the means He provides for the forgiveness and strength you seek in such times. Rejoice to receive His gifts and the assurance that God in Christ will never let you go. His grace is enough. It was my father’s salvation, and it is yours.”
Day Two
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
“The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Jesus is describing HIs ministry – His saving work. The Son of God took on human flesh to become our servant for the purpose of becoming the ransom price needed to set us free from the chains of sin and death.
The Son of God came into the world to trade places with us. He took our place under the Law so that He could live a perfect life in obedience to God’s Law. He came and did what we cannot. He fulfilled the Law’s demand for perfection in our place – as our substitute.
He then took upon Himself the penalty that we deserve because we are descendants of Adam – because we are sinful human beings. He gave sin its wage – the death that it demands. He died in our place so that we could live. And then He rose again destroying sin’s power to keep us in its chains and separated from God.
In Baptism, we have died with Christ. We have been buried with Him. And if we are joined together with Him in a death like His, then we are also joined together with Him in a life like His. That is our hope and joy. And because the tomb is empty, it is certain and sure.
Day Three
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Romans 6, Paul talks about the gifts given in and through Baptism. All of us who have been baptized into Christ have been baptized into His death – into the death that He died in our place. The old Adam – that sinful nature that we inherited as descendants of Adam – was put to death.
As Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians, we have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless we live. If we have been united with Christ in a death like His, then we are also united with Him a life like His – in a resurrected and eternal life. That life that we now live, we live by faith in the Son of God (Jesus Christ) who loved us and gave Himself to us.
This comes from today’s devotion in Portals of Prayer:
“In his Large Catechism, Martin Luther said of Baptism that there is ‘no greater jewel.’ On the day the Lord laid claim to us by water and the Word, we received a gift that connected us to Jesus. What is more, that hallowed consecration connects us to all who have been sealed in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. On that blessed day, Jesus said of you and me, ‘This one is Mine.’ What a gift!”
Day Four
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Today, as we pause to give thanks to God for His many blessings each day and throughout the year, we need to remember to give Him thanks for the gift of life that He has given to us through His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. As we come to the end of this unique (I hope) year, we certainly want to thank God for His blessings to us in the midst of so much uncertainty. But our focus always needs to be on the eternal gifts that we have received in Christ.
There is much turmoil and unrest in this world. There is a tremendous amount of uncertainty. People are angry and frustrated. There is much that divides us and puts walls between us. And while we can work alongside those who are trying to make positive changes, the only lasting solution will come through the gifts of forgiveness and life that is ours in Christ.
God is the only one who can bring permanent change. He is the only one that can truly reconcile and remove the barriers that have been erected by hate. And it our privilege to share that gift – to share His Word through which that gift of forgiveness and life is given. Share Christ with others and trust yourself to Him who is at work to make all things new.
Day Five
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The author of today’s devotion from Portals of Prayer does a good job lifting up private confession as the gift that it is. His devotion is based on 1 John 1:9. And our comfort comes from God’s faithfulness to His promise to announce our forgiveness for the sake of Jesus Christ.
“Feeling particularly weighed down by sin, I decided to avail myself of private confession. Who, to my surprise, was the one to hear it? It was my Hebrew professor. I immediately thought, ‘This can’t be good,’ exaggerating the ramifications for my grade should I reveal too much. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit got the better of the situation. Laying my burden at Jesus’ feet, I walked away a pardoned soul.
Private confession has sometimes received a bum rap. ‘Can’t I just go straight to God?’ some ask. Others wonder, ‘Isn’t that what we do on Sunday morning?’ The answer on both counts is yes. But when the burden of sin becomes great, there is another place we can go to lay it down. A pastor or a highly trusted Christian confidant can be of great comfort. To hear God’s Word of pardon, as if from Jesus’ own lips, bring Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Day Six
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
As redeemed children of God, we can thank God that He has delivered us from what we were – from the prison of sin that held us captive. We can, especially at this time of year, rejoice that God is at work to bring to completion that work that He began in us when He called us to faith. We can rejoice in what we are becoming.
The author of today’s devotion does a good job on focusing on the present – who we are today. That is important for us to do. We need to focus on who we are as God’s children and what that means for us today in whatever circumstance we might find ourselves in. I reprint the devotion from Portals of Prayer for your meditation.
“John Newton had a past. Making his living as a slave trader, he brought untold misery upon the lives of many. Yet, by God’s amazing grace, Newton also had a future. He once said that while he was not what he had been, nor all that he hoped to be, ‘by the grace of God I am what I am.’ Oscar Wilde said it another way: ‘Every saint has a past, and ever sinner has future.’
Redeemed of Jesus, God knows who we are. He knows the depths to which we may have fallen with every sinful thought, with each unkind remark, and with each rebellious act. Yet, in the nick of time, Jesus stepped into the fray and willing bore the weight of all our sin on Himself. Hung upon a cross, Jesus proved the depth of the Father’s love. With His forgiving Word, we, too, are given a future and a hope.
Thanks be to God. We ae not what we were, nor are we all we hope to be. But today, we are by grace who we are. It is enough. Go forth, child of God, rejoicing in the Savior who set you free.”
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Today’s devotion from Portals of Prayer is a clear statement of the Gospel to us all. It is especially applicable to those who are struggling with the sin in their lives. It’s based on 2 Corinthians 21:9 (My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness) where Paul shares his struggles with sin. I reprint it here for your consideration and meditation.
“Individuals who are in the throes of addiction know that when they are hungry, angry, lonely, or tires, they are more vulnerable to succumb to that from which they strive to be free. In recovery circles, it’s called the H.A.L.T. principle. One of these concerns may not pose a major threat, but in combination, they signal danger. As a recovering alcoholic, my father knew the depths of what such suffering caused. He knew more, however, the power of God’s undeserved grace.
Addictions are not of our heavenly Father. However, when they or another ‘messenger of Satan’ (see 2 Corinthians 12:7) seek our undoing, God’s mercy is a powerful remedy. We cannot run so far that His grace will not find us, even if God allows certain afflictions to accompany us. The depth of His mercy is unfathomable. His grace is His proven source for our security and strength.
What temptation strives to overtake you? What affliction seeks to humble you? God’s grace is enough, as are the means He provides for the forgiveness and strength you seek in such times. Rejoice to receive His gifts and the assurance that God in Christ will never let you go. His grace is enough. It was my father’s salvation, and it is yours.”
Day Two
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
“The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Jesus is describing HIs ministry – His saving work. The Son of God took on human flesh to become our servant for the purpose of becoming the ransom price needed to set us free from the chains of sin and death.
The Son of God came into the world to trade places with us. He took our place under the Law so that He could live a perfect life in obedience to God’s Law. He came and did what we cannot. He fulfilled the Law’s demand for perfection in our place – as our substitute.
He then took upon Himself the penalty that we deserve because we are descendants of Adam – because we are sinful human beings. He gave sin its wage – the death that it demands. He died in our place so that we could live. And then He rose again destroying sin’s power to keep us in its chains and separated from God.
In Baptism, we have died with Christ. We have been buried with Him. And if we are joined together with Him in a death like His, then we are also joined together with Him in a life like His. That is our hope and joy. And because the tomb is empty, it is certain and sure.
Day Three
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Romans 6, Paul talks about the gifts given in and through Baptism. All of us who have been baptized into Christ have been baptized into His death – into the death that He died in our place. The old Adam – that sinful nature that we inherited as descendants of Adam – was put to death.
As Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians, we have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless we live. If we have been united with Christ in a death like His, then we are also united with Him a life like His – in a resurrected and eternal life. That life that we now live, we live by faith in the Son of God (Jesus Christ) who loved us and gave Himself to us.
This comes from today’s devotion in Portals of Prayer:
“In his Large Catechism, Martin Luther said of Baptism that there is ‘no greater jewel.’ On the day the Lord laid claim to us by water and the Word, we received a gift that connected us to Jesus. What is more, that hallowed consecration connects us to all who have been sealed in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. On that blessed day, Jesus said of you and me, ‘This one is Mine.’ What a gift!”
Day Four
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Today, as we pause to give thanks to God for His many blessings each day and throughout the year, we need to remember to give Him thanks for the gift of life that He has given to us through His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. As we come to the end of this unique (I hope) year, we certainly want to thank God for His blessings to us in the midst of so much uncertainty. But our focus always needs to be on the eternal gifts that we have received in Christ.
There is much turmoil and unrest in this world. There is a tremendous amount of uncertainty. People are angry and frustrated. There is much that divides us and puts walls between us. And while we can work alongside those who are trying to make positive changes, the only lasting solution will come through the gifts of forgiveness and life that is ours in Christ.
God is the only one who can bring permanent change. He is the only one that can truly reconcile and remove the barriers that have been erected by hate. And it our privilege to share that gift – to share His Word through which that gift of forgiveness and life is given. Share Christ with others and trust yourself to Him who is at work to make all things new.
Day Five
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The author of today’s devotion from Portals of Prayer does a good job lifting up private confession as the gift that it is. His devotion is based on 1 John 1:9. And our comfort comes from God’s faithfulness to His promise to announce our forgiveness for the sake of Jesus Christ.
“Feeling particularly weighed down by sin, I decided to avail myself of private confession. Who, to my surprise, was the one to hear it? It was my Hebrew professor. I immediately thought, ‘This can’t be good,’ exaggerating the ramifications for my grade should I reveal too much. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit got the better of the situation. Laying my burden at Jesus’ feet, I walked away a pardoned soul.
Private confession has sometimes received a bum rap. ‘Can’t I just go straight to God?’ some ask. Others wonder, ‘Isn’t that what we do on Sunday morning?’ The answer on both counts is yes. But when the burden of sin becomes great, there is another place we can go to lay it down. A pastor or a highly trusted Christian confidant can be of great comfort. To hear God’s Word of pardon, as if from Jesus’ own lips, bring Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Day Six
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
As redeemed children of God, we can thank God that He has delivered us from what we were – from the prison of sin that held us captive. We can, especially at this time of year, rejoice that God is at work to bring to completion that work that He began in us when He called us to faith. We can rejoice in what we are becoming.
The author of today’s devotion does a good job on focusing on the present – who we are today. That is important for us to do. We need to focus on who we are as God’s children and what that means for us today in whatever circumstance we might find ourselves in. I reprint the devotion from Portals of Prayer for your meditation.
“John Newton had a past. Making his living as a slave trader, he brought untold misery upon the lives of many. Yet, by God’s amazing grace, Newton also had a future. He once said that while he was not what he had been, nor all that he hoped to be, ‘by the grace of God I am what I am.’ Oscar Wilde said it another way: ‘Every saint has a past, and ever sinner has future.’
Redeemed of Jesus, God knows who we are. He knows the depths to which we may have fallen with every sinful thought, with each unkind remark, and with each rebellious act. Yet, in the nick of time, Jesus stepped into the fray and willing bore the weight of all our sin on Himself. Hung upon a cross, Jesus proved the depth of the Father’s love. With His forgiving Word, we, too, are given a future and a hope.
Thanks be to God. We ae not what we were, nor are we all we hope to be. But today, we are by grace who we are. It is enough. Go forth, child of God, rejoicing in the Savior who set you free.”