[Sample]
Daily Devotional Materials
for the
Fifth Sunday after Trinity
– Friday –
Devotion
And they, being afraid, wondered, saying to one another: What manner of man is this! – Luke 8:25.
We must be filled with holy fear and wonder when we behold Jesus as Scripture pictures Him to us. We must say as the disciples did: “What manner of man is this!” We observe in the Lord Jesus two natures very distinct from one another: the uncreated eternal, divine nature, and the created temporal, human nature. The eternal Son of God in the fullness of time received the human nature into His person: the true God WAS MADE true man. The human nature now is the own nature of the Son of God. Jesus Christ is God and is man in one person. And so each of the two natures, though always distinct as to the essence of each, partakes of the properties of the other. Thus, because of this union of the two natures in one person, the eternal Son of God was born over twenty centuries ago (Galatians 4:4-5): He, the true God, the Lord of Glory, the Prince of Life, shed His blood for us, was crucified, put to death. (1 John 1:7; Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 2:8; Acts 3:15.) And He, the Son of Man, possesses all divine majesty: omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, power to give life, power to forgive sins and to execute Judgment, the honor of worship. (Matthew 28:20; John 5:26-27; Hebrews 1:6; John 5:23.) And it was necessary that Jesus Christ should be true God and man in one person, because He was to be our Redeemer. It was necessary that He should be man, that He might be capable of fulfilling the Law, of suffering and dying, as all men’s Substitute; it was necessary that He should be God, that He might be able to appease the wrath of God and to overcome sin, death, and the devil. – Meditate on this, Christian, and worship Him whose name is “Wonderful.”
PRAYER. – Indeed, Lord Jesus Christ, You are wonderful – You are “The Wonderful” foretold by the Prophet. No man’s reason can comprehend You. But do shine in my heart by means of Your Word. By means of Your Gospel cast Your image into my soul, glorify Yourself within my heart and soul through Your Holy Spirit, that I may believe in You, true God and man, and my only and dearly beloved Savior, blessed forever! Amen.
Rejoice, ye sons of men alway!
God comes to you from heaven today;
The Lord is born a little child
Of Mary, virgin undefiled.
Through His low birth and holy blood
We all are saved by Christ, true God;
The angel’s glory we shall share,
And in His kingdom live fore’er.
Hymn 151, 1. 4.
Bible Readings
MORNING:
Romans 2:1-29
2:1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: 11 For there is no respect of persons with God.12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) 16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.17 Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,18 And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; 19 And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,20 An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.21 Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?22 Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.25 For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.26 Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?27 And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
EVENING:
1 Samuel 22:1-23
22:1 David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it, they went down thither to him.2 And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. 3 And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me.4 And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold.5 And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hareth.6 When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him;) 7 Then Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds;8 That all of you have conspired against me, and there is none that sheweth me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or sheweth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day? 9 Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.10 And he enquired of the LORD for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.11 Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests that were in Nob: and they came all of them to the king.12 And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am, my lord. 13 And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast enquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?14 Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king’s son in law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house?15 Did I then begin to enquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute any thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more. 16 And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father’s house.17 And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD. 18 And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod.19 And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.20 And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David.21 And Abiathar shewed David that Saul had slain the LORD’S priests.22 And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father’s house.23 Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.
Additional Materials
Comments / Suggestions / Corrections