7 Trinity – Saturday – Concordia Lutheran Conference (CLC)

[Sample]

Daily Devotional Materials

for the

Week of the

Seventh Sunday after Trinity

– Saturday* –

Devotion

Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them that cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them. – Romans 16:17.

A church which has, teaches, confesses and practices all the doctrines of God’s Word in unalloyed purity, is called an orthodox church. To this we must adhere, and contribute toward its maintenance and propagation according to our ability. Any church, on the other hand, that does not have, teach, and confess all the doctrines of the Word of God as we find them in the Bible, is called heterodox. Such churches cause divisions and offenses among Christ’s people by departing from the doctrine which we learn from the Word of God. These the disciples of Jesus must avoid; for so the Holy Spirit teaches us to do. You must carefully beware of false teachers as destroyers of your soul, and must not believe them, but must try, prove, that is test, them by the standard of God’s Word, and you will find them to be liars. (Matthew 7:15; 2 John 4:1; Revelation 2:2.) Heterodox churches, where false teachers hold sway, you must avoid; you must come out from such a church if you have belonged to it; you must be separate; you must avoid it. (2 Corinthians 6:14-18.) Heterodox Christians, however, you must not consider to be unbelievers; they are believers in Christ who are deficient in this or that point of Christian knowledge. Consider, if some of the saving doctrines are still taught in heterodox churches, then there may, indeed, be some children of God among them (through a blessed inconsistency). And you must rejoice that it is even so. But as far as you are concerned, if you would be a true disciple, you must continue in His Word and in the church which has, teaches, confesses and practices His Word in all its purity.

PRAYER. – Lord Jesus, grant me Thy Holy Spirit, that I may become sure of what is the true doctrine of Thy Word, that I may prove every doctrine offered me by teachers and preachers by the standard of Thy Word, guard against being seduced to believe false doctrines, continue in Thy Word, always confess it by word and deed, and may thus be a helpful and useful instrument for the propagation of Thy kingdom here on earth, until Thou shalt take me home, into the realms of eternal joy and bliss. Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide,

For round us falls the even-tide;

Let not Thy Word, that heavenly light,

For us be ever veiled in night.

Those haughty spirits, Lord, restrain,

Who o’er Thy Church with might would reign,

And always set forth something new,

Devised to change Thy doctrine true.

And since the cause and glory, Lord,

Are Thine, not ours, do Thou afford

Us help and strength and constancy;

With all our heart we trust in Thee.

Hymn 110, 1. 6. 7.(ELHB)

Bible Readings

MORNING:

1 Corinthians 11:1-22

11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.2 Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. 3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.6 For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.12 For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.13 Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering. 16 But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.17 Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. 19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. 20 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper. 21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.

EVENING:

Text 1:1-1

18:1 And David numbered the people that were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them.2 And David sent forth a third part of the people under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also.3 But the people answered, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us: but now thou art worth ten thousand of us: therefore now it is better that thou succour us out of the city. 4 And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the king stood by the gate side, and all the people came out by hundreds and by thousands.5 And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom.6 So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in the wood of Ephraim;7 Where the people of Israel were slain before the servants of David, and there was there a great slaughter that day of twenty thousand men.8 For the battle was there scattered over the face of all the country: and the wood devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.9 And Absalom met the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away.10 And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak.11 And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest him, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have given thee ten shekels of silver, and a girdle.12 And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand shekels of silver in mine hand, yet would I not put forth mine hand against the king’s son: for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man Absalom. 13 Otherwise I should have wrought falsehood against mine own life: for there is no matter hid from the king, and thou thyself against me.

Additional Materials

Source materials used for these Daily Devotions
Read the KJV Bible Online
Read the book of Psalms

* Adapted and edited from the original 1914 edition

Comments / Suggestions / Corrections