8 Trinity – Saturday – Concordia Lutheran Conference (CLC)

[Sample]

Daily Devotional Materials

for the

Week of the

Eighth Sunday after Trinity

– Saturday –

Devotion

By grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves:

it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9.

We Christians are saved. We are rescued from damnation, and salvation is given us, the fullness of which we shall soon enjoy. But we are saved by grace, yes, indeed, by grace, through faith, through faith in Christ. And this is in no wise of ourselves; there was nothing whatsoever in us, nor did we do anything for the sake of which God would have been moved to save us. It is wholly and solely the gift of God, a gracious gift of God. Not because of our works were we saved. None of us can boast of any work for the sake of which God would have been moved to save him. Hence also our faith is not a work of which we might boast. No, faith is but the spiritual hand given and even opened by God, into which He has put the righteousness and salvation which He so mercifully gave us for Christ’s sake, that we might have, hold, and enjoy it. In the very moment indeed in which faith receives these free gifts of grace and is conscious of their possession, it begins to be the fruitful mother of all good works; for love, which is the fulfilling of the Law, is at once conceived in it. But though we become righteous before God and are saved by faith, it nevertheless is in no wise a work which might have moved God to give us righteousness and salvation. No one should say : I believe, and therefore God justifies and saves me, but this is what all should say: God gives me righteousness and salvation solely by grace, and therefore I believe. “For by grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.”

PRAYER. – O Lord, my God, I rest assured of Thy grace, and depend upon it to save me. I depend on Thy grace in Christ Jesus, my Lord, which Thou givest to me through Thy Word. I depend upon nothing in or of myself. Even my faith is frail and miserable through my own fault. Do not let the spark of faith within my heart be extinguished, O Lord, but preserve and strengthen my faith. Let it be a vessel that holds Thy grace. Amen.

By grace! This ground of our salvation,

As long as God is true, endures:

What saints have penned by inspiration,

What God by His own Word assures,

What all our faith must rest upon,

Is grace, free grace, through His dear Son

Hymn 311, 5. (ELHB)

Bible Readings

MORNING:

2 Corinthians 6:11-7:16

11 O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.12 Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels.13 Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged.14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.2 Receive us; we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man.3 I speak not this to condemn you: for I have said before, that ye are in our hearts to die and live with you.4 Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.5 For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.6 Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus;7 And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more.8 For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season.9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.12 Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you.13 Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all.14 For if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spake all things to you in truth, even so our boasting, which I made before Titus, is found a truth.15 And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him. 16 I rejoice therefore that I have confidence in you in all things.8:1 Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;2 How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. 3 For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;4 Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.5 And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.6 Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also.7 Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.8 I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.10 And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago. 11 Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have.12 For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.13 For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened:14 But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:15 As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.16 But thanks be to God, which put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you.

EVENING:

2 Chronicles 1:1-13

2 Ch 1:1 And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly.2 Then Solomon spake unto all Israel, to the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and to the judges, and to every governor in all Israel, the chief of the fathers.3 So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness.4 But the ark of God had David brought up from Kirjathjearim to the place which David had prepared for it: for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem.5 Moreover the brasen altar, that Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, he put before the tabernacle of the LORD: and Solomon and the congregation sought unto it. 6 And Solomon went up thither to the brasen altar before the LORD, which was at the tabernacle of the congregation, and offered a thousand burnt offerings upon it.7 In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee.8 And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead.9 Now, O LORD God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. 10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?11 And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king:12 Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like. 13 Then Solomon came from his journey to the high place that was at Gibeon to Jerusalem, from before the tabernacle of the congregation, and reigned over Israel.

Additional Materials

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

Comments / Suggestions / Corrections