Löhe on Psalm 138:8

Posted on January 19, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

HandwerkYour love, O LORD, endures forever– do not abandon the works of your hands. (Psalm 138:8 NIV)

The Lord reveals his face to those striving forward and he enables and empowers them to recognize the clear ocean of his good and eternal will. He let’s us run the long race patiently and fight bravely too until there are no enemies left and we will see him as the author and perfector of faith, our Lord Jesus Christ, whom we follow and who gives the precious assurance to his faithful servants: “I am your shield and your very great reward” (Gn.15:1)

Almighty and everlasting God, heavenly Father: As another week passes by and time is fleeting rapidly before our eyes and we too hasten along, graciously have mercy on our flawed and imperfect life. In your paternal goodness forgive again where we have deserved your righteous wrath in the past week with our thoughts, words and deeds. Help to rectify and put into good order, where we have messed up the workshop of our calling and responsible stewardship in the past week, so that our life may come back on track and be a sanctified preparation for the eternal peace and joy, that you have promised us graciously. Amen. (Württemberger Kirchenbuch, 1931)

Oh wouldst Thou in Thy glory come, As Thou, Lord, hast foretold it! I count the moment’s weary sum Until we may behold it; With burning lamp, the Church, Thy Bride, Is waiting for the holy tide When Thou, Lord, wilt unfold it.

I joy that from Thy love divine No power my soul can sever; That I may dare to call Thee mine, My Lord, my Friend, for ever! That I, O Prince of Life, shall be Made wholly one in heaven with Thee, In life that endeth never.

And therefore do my thinks o’erflow That one more year is ended, And of this Time, so poor, so slow, Another step ascended; And with a heart that may not wait I hasten towards the golden gate Where long my hopes have tended. (August Hermann Franke, 1663-1727 Translation from the Chorale Book of England)

(Translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for Saturday after the 1st Sunday after Epiphany as found on Pg. 60 in Lob sei Dir ewig, o Jesu!   (Eternal Praise to you o Jesus!) edited by A. Schuster and puplished in the Freimund Verlag, Neuendettelsau 1949.)

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Herrenhuter readings for Saturday, the 19th January 2013

Posted on January 19, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

lostThe LORD will judge his people and have compassion on his servants when he sees their strength is gone and no one is left, slave or free. (Deuteronomy 32:36 NIV)

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luk 19:10 NIV)

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Löhe on Psalm 139:14-16

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

spiders-webI praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:14-16 NIV)

Every life story is God’s own work of art and providence. He used gold of the most valuable and noble sort, gold of the most finely spun kind to weave the precious lifespan of his only begotten son Jesus Christ. He used silver for John and plain cobwebs for yours and mine. However no rain of bullets nor bombs or dynamite can tear this cobweb, no devil nor evil conspiracy can harm or break the divine destiny for you, yet you can break it all by disobedience to godly guidance and providence.

Dear heavenly Father, I ask of you, open my heart and mouth that I may praise, sanctify and magnify your holy name that is above all else. You have created me to praise your holy name, therefore allow me to lead my life in honour of your glorious name and to serve you in sincere love and fear. Into your godly hands I commend myself this day with all and everything. You have saved me, o Lord the only true God and my faithful redeemer. Amen.

Oh Jesus Christ, when I was not even born yet, you were born for me and dedicated yourself to me. When I had not even got to know you, you had already chosen to elect me for yourself. Even before you made me by your creative hand, you had already decided how best you would become mine and I be yours forever.

In deepest night of death I lay, when you arose as brilliant cosmic sun with radiant light, life, joy and bliss. Oh lovely sun, oh sun of the Father – Jesus Christ – you shine so bright with your godly light enlightening saving faith in me, how dear, noble, precious and beautiful you are! (Paul Gerhard)

(Translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for Friday after the 1st Sunday after Epiphany as found on Pg. 59 in Lob sei Dir ewig, o Jesu!   (Eternal Praise to you o Jesus!) edited by A. Schuster and puplished in the Freimund Verlag, Neuendettelsau 1949.)

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Herrenhuter readings for Friday, the 18th January 2013

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

hear“From now on I will tell you of new things, of hidden things unknown to you.” (Isaiah 48:6b NIV)

Jesus Christ said: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Luke 8:8c NIV)

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LÖHE ON PHILIPPIANS 3:14

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

finishing lineI press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Phi 3:14 NIV)

Let us pursue sanctification in all earnestness as the Lord helps to fight and to win! If I perceive a sin and I am able to wrench it out with holy zeal, then God opens my eyes more and more showing me other faults, which I should get rid of.  Always struggle and victory. There is no standing still in this life. Forward, forward the elect crowd encourages. Forward cries our holy Church as gathered community of the gospel and pure doctrine. Forward calls her beautiful confession from that of Augsburg to the profoundly pacifying one of the Book of Concord, which brings to rest all desires of the soul.

This gospel fellowship contains us, added are sanctification, the works of love, the fruits of righteousness. These we strive and plead for, that is what we sacrifice for. Nobody is to play with sin, everyone is to kill off the vice in him/herself and holy zeal awakes in us to sanctify the name of the Lord, to have his kingdom come and his will be done on earth as in heaven.

Lord, our God, grant that we fix our eyes on you, the eternal and imperishable if all else perishes. You, the unchangeable when the movement of all earthly things pulls us away. Grant that we pursue your goal of the heavenly calling in Jesus Christ and if we tire, strengthen us pilgrims with a foretaste of  our citizenship in your magnificent city, where the tree of life is eternally in full bloom permanently bearing everlasting fruits. Amen.  (Chr. Blumhardt)

Walk, you warrior, always on, through denial to pleasure! As elect and of noble birth, lead your life accordingly: If you want to be Jesus’ bride, throw down the vain trinkets of this world!

We laugh at your stuff, reject your desires. Your beauty, this and that we care not to see; what is glorious, large and important to you is for us too bad and void, your ballast just weighs us down.

Our longing, our tears are more comforting than your joy; could you see and understand the hidden bliss, you would also escape your stuff and hike with the despised and naked bunch towards eternity. (Gerhard Tersteegen)

(Translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for Thursday after the 1st Sunday after Epiphany as found on Pg. 58 in Lob sei Dir ewig, o Jesu!   (Eternal Praise to you o Jesus!) edited by A. Schuster and puplished in the Freimund Verlag, Neuendettelsau 1949.)

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Herrenhuter readings for Thursday, the 17th January 2013

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

oppressedAt that time I will deal with all who oppressed you; I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were put to shame. (Zephaniah 3:19 NIV)

The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. (1Thessalonians 5:24 NIV)

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LÖHE ON ROMANS 12:6

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

ChurchWe have different gifts, according to the grace given us. (Rom 12:6 NIV)
It’s a good thing if greatly gifted people go humbly under the precious cross they are bearing, but it’s also truly beautiful to watch content Juniors using little faith as powerful wings to fly confidently towards the eternal goal set ahead.
The most gifted are often tired under the heavy load of divine gifts of grace (Charismata), whereas the less gifted move much more lightly and joyfully forward towards heaven. To have a large amount of faith and gifts is not our goal and purpose as their discriminate provision is solely discerned by God’s wisdom and providence. On our part we are to recognize the gifts provided to us. It is obvious that peace, tranquillity and joy reside wherever somebody modestly acknowledges and utilizes the gifts received fittingly, but strive and enmity arise, where siblings do not identify the grace and gifts received appropriately and do not live accordingly either.
It is generally accepted that all true Christians should have true knowledge of their sinfulness, however knowledge of grace and of divine gifts received are often neglected. Each and everyone does self-evaluation and comes to some sort of self-esteem. The Apostle admonishes us to have a correct measure and standard for this. He tells us to evaluate ourselves in terms of the divine gifts and faith received. Everybody has a more or less clear evaluation of him/herself. Therefore we are challenged by the apostle to find an even clearer and more appropriate evaluation of ourselves, so that we are modest in supervision and subordinate ourselves peacefully as is becoming in the sight of God.
If you do not want that, you are like a stone that does not fit. The stone mason will turn, hit and chip at you until you eventually fit or if you prove too hard you could break under the blows or just be discarded as useless for the building in which God fits his people as spiritual stones joined together and cooperating to the glory of our Lord.
We pray: “Give me what you have decreed, what your servants should have if they want to be useful to you: a yoke that fits my neck; patience and fearlessness similarly in doing and at rest and bending under greatest grace and your reward as robe of honour! An intimately joyful heart, a heart sprinkled with your blood; the essentials of heroism, when loving a gentle pain. An eye, pure and clear as the sun, a faithful ear turned to hurt and care, touch my lips to pray aright, communion with the band above.”  (Nikolaus Ludwig Graf von Zinzendorf, 1700-1760)

(Translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for Wednesday after the 1st Sunday after Epiphany as found on Pg. 57 in Lob sei Dir ewig, o Jesu! (Eternal Praise to you o Jesus!) edited by A. Schuster and puplished in the Freimund Verlag, Neuendettelsau 1949.)

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Herrenhuter readings for Wednesday, the 16th January 2013

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

Pedestrian crossing“Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:22 NIV)

“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.” (Luke 14:23 NIV)

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LÖHE ON ROMANS 12:2

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

Extended family sitting outdoors smilingDo not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Rom 12:2 NIV)

It’s nothing special to prevent children from being murderers, thieves and other criminals. Relatively few children degenerate so utterly and parents in this world do mourn over those few and cry for them too – together with the rest of the world. However its not quite so common in society to mourn for those, who have become hypocrites and nominal Christians as most parents and people are part of that crowd themselves.

Hardly any eye weeps for those countless children, who continue to loose more and more of their baptismal grace, who drift away further and further from their good shepherd Jesus Christ, who sink deeper and deeper into secular materialism, who allow ideologies and human rhetorics to drown out God’s word more and more in their lives and do not learn the saving gospel any more.  To few hearts mourn for those and far to few parents care enough for that too. Far too many parents do not perceive the misery and wretchedness of souls without Jesus Christ and do not have a heart for those children without a saviour.

Oh, would it be that all parents would recognize this calamity and that they would search for Jesus until they found him as Mary did with painful tears, then things would soon change for the better for them and their children. There’s no way to raise children in a god-pleasing and Christlike manner without Christ.

Lord Jesus Christ! Ages ago you mourned for your people and wept over your city. You are merciful even over us and our nation for your mercy has no ended yet and your faithfulness does not rest nor slumber. Maintain us and our children in your grace and let us be living sacrifices – a blessing to your people and nations of this world and praise and glory to you! Amen (“Kirchenbuch” of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1927 – literally Churchbook)

Wohl, wenn die Eltern gläubig sind, und wenn sie Kind und Kindeskind versäumen nicht am ewgen Glück; dann bleibet ihrer kein’s zurück.

Wohl solchem Haus! denn es gedeiht: die Eltern werden hoch erfreut, und ihren Kindern sieht man’s an, wie Gott die Seinen segnen kann.

So mach ich denn zu dieser Stund samt meinem Hause diesen Bund: Wenn alles Volk vom Herrn abwich, doch dienen wir Ihm ewiglich! (Christoph Karl Ludwig von Pfeil, 1712-1784)

 (Translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for Tuesday after the 1st Sunday after Epiphany as found on Pg. 56 in Lob sei Dir ewig, o Jesu!   (Eternal Praise to you o Jesus!) edited by A. Schuster and puplished in the Freimund Verlag, Neuendettelsau 1949.)

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Herrenhuter readings for Tuesday, the 15th January 2013

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

Lychee fruit tree photosBy your ordinances your servant is warned. (Psalm 19:11a NIV)

Jesus says: “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.” (Luke 6:43 NIV)

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