Opening Prayer
God the Holy Spirit, let Your Word become truth in our hearts. Amen.
Text: Romans 14:7-13
For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.
Devotion
Believers are not their own, but totally and completely belong to the Lord. He died for us and conquered sin and death, and whoever believes in Him partakes of that. Christ is eternal Lord over everything, and there is no condition on His will. He became Man and willingly took the burden of sin and death upon Himself to break these chains. This He did perfectly, and by Baptism He unites us with Himself, so that we are no longer slaves of sin, but free in Christ, so that we are able to love Him and live for Him with our whole heart. Whoever lives in unbelief apart from Christ is a slave of his own will and is lying when he boasts of his liberty. But whoever believes in Christ is subject to Him and thereby free. His heart has entered into love and does according to his will, which is now in accord with the Lord’s will. Of course, believers still have their own self-will also, but it is broken. They are its lords and mortify it. Do you live this life of liberty? Christ, God’s Son and the Judge of all things, has truly redeemed you from sin’s slavery, and likewise you truly and surely have right and access to the kingdom of love, and likewise are completely assured that the Spirit wants to create faith in your soul. But everything depends on this. Grace is given to you only so that your eye is healed to see and your hand to receive the gift. You are in God’s house, and life is yours. You also have knowledge about it and yearning for it. Let the Spirit enter your soul, then the change will take place, so that you are loosed from the spell, so that you are free and have a new life! These are not empty words, – blessed are those who experience it!
Then “we live in the Lord,” serve one another, and build His Church. “As He was, so also are we in this world.” Free from all and lords over all, we are servants of all. In lowliness we regard others higher than ourselves, we judge no one, but bear one another’s weaknesses and wash one another’s feet. When we die, it is also “for the Lord,” a death in His fellowship, to His glory, our own homecoming and for the strengthening of the brethren. In this light we see one another and walk together and kneel together and confess the Lord’s glory, until, strong and weak, perfected in love, we all stand before Him on that day, not to be judged, but to receive our crown.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, draw us to Yourself, unite us with You, give us Your life, so that we may be one in You and reveal Your glory to the world, and stand bold on that day, to the praise of Your name. Amen.
Hymn
All Jesus’ members have their pow’r
Though not as strong in ev’ry hour;
They differ in each time and place,
With each one’s skill and diligence;
Yet all are one in God their Lord
And live in love with one accord.
The strong and weak go hand in hand,
The rich and poor together stand,
Those skilled in gentleness hold sway,
Lead others then along the way,
That ev’rything aright we find,
When all our strength for good’s combined.
And when this glorious heav’n-bound band
Is spread abroad in ev’ry land,
Then love for God shall ever grow,
Then Jesus’ kingdom forth shall go;
It duly draws more souls to share
The company of heaven fair.
Brorson: Hvor ser det ud i Verdens Ørk L 474:8.10.11 tr. DeGarmeaux;
tune: Vater unser (ELH 383); alternate hymn: O Son of God, we wait for Thee ELH 536:1