Devotion for Wednesday, December 9th

Good afternoon!

No Matins again today. Instead, I encourage you to use our Congregation @ Prayer, and read today’s assigned reading in your Bible. Also, you can read today’s assigned writing (below), which is from the Treasury of Daily Prayer.

Peace in Christ,
Pastor Courie

Writing

“If anyone should carefully meditate on [the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob] one by one, he will realize the greatness of the gifts given by each one. For from [Jacob] came the priest and Levites and all who serve at the altar of God; from him came the Lord Jesus according to the flesh; from him came the kings and rulers and leaders of Judah; and his remaining tribes have no little glory, since God promises that “your seed shall be as the stars of the sky.” All these, then, were glorified and magnified not through themselves or their works or the good deeds they had brought to completion, but through His will. Thus we also, called through His will in Christ Jesus, are justified not through ourselves nor through our own wisdom or understanding or godliness or works that we have brought to completion in piety of heart, but through faith, through which almighty God has justified all men from eternity; to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
What then shall we do, brothers? Shall we lie about and quit doing good and forsake love? May the Master never allow this to be so – at any rate not among us! Rather, let us hasten with eagerness and strong desire to bring every good work to perfection. We have seen that the righteous were adorned with good works; and the Lord Himself, having adorned Himself with good works, rejoiced. Therefore, since we have this pattern, let us go forward in His will without stint; let us work the work of righteousness with all our strength.”
-Clement of Rom