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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LÖHE ON ROMANS 12:4-6

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. (Rom 12:4-6 NIV)

Sadly people’s nature is such that each person sees him/herself as an independent entity, closed off and with no responsibility towards others. In contradiction to this the holy apostles teaches us about the Church as a body with every Christians being (just) a member of it. So nobody is a whole on his/her own. Each one is charged to get to know his/her own capacity and limitations, his/her own shape and gift together and all that he/she is to serve the entire body of Christ and to be satisfied to serve as a single member belonging to the one large, holy body of Jesus.

There is beautiful and lovely wisdom in this reality of Christ’s body and his holy Christian Church. Whoever is an enemy of egoistic Individualism, but a friend of true unity, should strife to comprehend this apostolic teaching of the Church. Each and every one is to find the one Lord, whom he can bear: Christ, the Supreme! No envy gets to him as nobody is placed into a position in this body of Christ, where he does not belong for Christ fits his members perfectly into place – created and called just for that.

Dear heavenly Father! We desire to live your community and be edified in it. Let us be living building blocks that help carry your Church. Make us faithful members of your sons body. Grant and help that we and our children are dedicated totally to you as living sacrifice and that we worship you in priestly decorum, fighting for you. Form us your evangelical Christendom to continue growing as your people and members of your boundless grace. Amen (O.J. Mehl)

Heart and heart together bound, Seek in God your true repose, In your love the price be found Of your Saviour’s love and woes; We the members, He the Head, We the rays and He the Sun, Brethren by our Master led, In our Lord we all are one.

Thus, O truest Friend, unite All Thy consecrated band, That their hearts be set aright To fulfil Thy last command. Each must onward urge his friend, Helping him in word and deed, Love’s blest pathway to ascend, Following where Thou dost lead. (Nikolaus Ludwig Graf von Zinzendorf, 1700-1760)

 (Translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for Monday after the 1st Sunday after Epiphany as found on Pg. 55 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 Monday, the 14th January 2013

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

schirmFor the LORD God is a sun and shield (Psalm 84:11 NIV)

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (2. Corinthians 4:6 NIV)

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Löhe on Romans 12:1

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

soldierTherefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. (Rom 12:1 NIV)

 Is there anything more beautiful than being a godly priest and a sacrifice pleasing to God as Jesus was – to separate oneself from the world like Paul and to incorporate oneself with ones talents and virtues into the body of the Lord as Peter did? However often we do not want this. The apostles request and admonish us to do this, but we do not listen to them. We do not know anything better or greater, yet we do not want to. However if we comply for a change, try and practice then these deeds make us rejoice and the eternal powers awaken in us. Yet we sink back into the accustomed misery, do not want to continue trying and close our eyes for the break of dawn and the coming eternal life as we are too tired and sleepy.

 Oh,  we are lost forever if you don’t help us poor people. You are the helper in all need, You remove the tombstones from our spiritual death and revive us and strengthen us for your heavenly kingdom. Do this and lift us with your hands and form and shape us according to your will and purpose, so that we be priests and sacrifices before you opposed to all worldly being and masters of your good gifts in your holy Church. Allow us to live humbly, but persistently empowered by your calling and gracious gifts. Amen.

 We need soldiers full of strength and courage who have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus, who are founded on the protective Word, who do not flee or falter in the onslaught, who do not rest or retire until they have banned the power of realized sin, who attack in the power of the Lord, who serve him daily in joy and willingness. Soldiers, who lay their lives on God’s altar, that continue to love godly and true, who consecrate themselves totally to their king, who are ready to die for him at any time. Soldiers, who pull others from the burning flames, reach out their hands to brothers in need, who know Jesus only and walk in his loves light. They remain victorious in battle and strive, carry his load quietly in trouble and sorrow, who do not complain or protest. We need soldiers to fight for God’s glory.

Translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for the 1st Sunday after Epiphany on Pg. 54 in “Eternal praise to you Jesus!” (Neuendettelsau 1948)

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Herrenhuter readings for Sunday, the 13th January 2013

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

trinity“He is the LORD; let him do what is good in his eyes.” (1 Samuel 3:18 NIV)

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? (Luke 12:25-26 NIV)

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Löhe on Revelations 22:18 from “Eternal praise to you, o Jesus!”

Posted on January 12, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

BibleI warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. (Rev 22:18 NIV)

Truly if you try to explain the Scriptures through the traditional father’s oral history that’s moving away from the light and into darkness. The Scriptures are much clearer than the fathers in their context and details. The Scriptures originate over centuries and from very different authors, yet from Moses to John it’s the one harmonious God speech – even if you can’t find any other father, who remains true to himself in this way.

Reading the Bible (Löhe writes: German Bible = Luther’s translation WW) you can come to inner consent with the prophets and apostles, yes with God and his servants. However who and how many could be expected to find this agreement by researching the fathers? That would be like expecting a homesick child that is only a few miles away from home to travel there not directly by via the various continents. We should not lead our poor people into the desert if we could lead them to green pastures and quite waters. Helpful traditions have mostly passed away. Guilty are weak lips that have been skewed the message of holy lips beyond recognition – sometimes even with blatant lies. However the word remains. Lucid and clear, unambiguous and firm it shines into the night of this world. There everybody finds the truth, poor laity and pious theologian. One confirms the age-old, golden treasure to the other. All that simply read it – humble and prayerfully – are enlightened by it, satisfied and sanctified. All faithful readers and prayers (Beter) confess that the scriptures do not require tradition to explain the dark passages, just as the Church does not need any other light besides that of scripture for its gathering and its sojourning towards Zion. God has given it this light of scripture, which does not require the light of the fathers, but loves these as they are children of the same light. (Translation of a devotion by Pastor Wilhelm Löhe for the 12th January from the “Lob sei Dir ewig, o Jesu!” edited by A. Schuster and published by the Freimund-Verlag, Neuendettelsau 1949. Pg. 53)

May glorious truths that we have heard, the bright sword of your mighty word, spurn Satan that your Church be strong, bold, unified in act and song.

Stay with us, Lord, and keep us true; preserve our faith our whole life through – your word alone our heart’s defense, the Church’s glorious confidence. (Nikolaus Selnecker 1532-92)

 

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Herrenhuter readings for Saturday, the 12th January 2013

Posted on January 12, 2013 by Wilhelm Weber

grave of Private John HendersonBut God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.  (Psalm 49:15 NIV)

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God–through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:24-25a NIV)

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