Opening Prayer
Lord, instruct me and I will keep Your Law and guard it with my whole heart. Amen.
Text: James 1:17–21
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
Devotion
No evil comes from the Lord our God. All that is from above is good, perfect, fair, and pure. Just as all that God did at Creation was very good, so everything that He still does is always only good. For the Father of lights does not change. Because of sin, day and night, light and darkness changed in creation. The sun rises and sets, but God’s face is unchanged over us and He sends us pure light. Whether it shall be for our salvation or judgment depends on how we receive it. He has given us all His only-begotten Son who Himself is the light and the life, and with Him He has given us every good thing. Among these glorious gifts in Christ, the Word and the grace of regeneration are the highest, for by them the soul is led out of the kingdom of darkness into communion with Christ and is made alive from the dead. It was according to His perfect free well-pleasing decision, which He Himself prepared for us in Christ, that He begot us anew with the Word of truth. We did not choose Him, but He chose us. He put the Word in our soul, led us to grace and made us His children and created new life in us. The congregation of regenerated children of God is for Him a firstfruit of all His work. It is dear to Him above all else and precious above all creatures visible and invisible. Just as the reaper rejoices in the year’s firstfruits more than in the later harvest, so God is glad in His Son’s Bride more than in other creatures. For what the Holy Spirit by the Word accomplishes in the believers’ hearts is God’s most glorious and most wonderful work.
But as the Word is the Spirit’s means to this most beautiful miracle: the regeneration of men’s hearts, so it is also the Spirit’s means to preserve and increase this life as well. Therefore, let us hear it with willing heart and keep it faithfully in our heart! O let each of us be truly eager to hear God’s Word! Let no one be slow or late in listening when the Lord speaks and let each one guard himself from all that can interfere with the power of God’s Word in him! Otherwise we prevent the Spirit from distributing to us God’s good and perfect gifts and we miss some of the rays of grace, which we need so much, especially in this cold age. Anger disturbs the mind so that the Word cannot shine there. All filthiness and abundance of wickedness puts a grey cloud over the soul and hinders the Lord’s countenance in the Word from sending in its beams. But Christians who watch themselves, who patiently suffer temptation and meekly go their way, can receive and keep the Word so that it can fulfill the good work begun in them. Then the end shall be the soul’s eternal salvation and eternal thanksgiving at home with the Father of lights.
Closing Prayer
Lord, make us eager to hear Your Word. Let us be its willing doers, and give us thereby continually more light and life in the soul, until we see You face to face. Amen.
Hymn
He by His Spirit and His Word
To us new life has given;
New plantings with His grace conferred
As firstfruits we’re arisen
With faith’s pure fruit
Our lives forth shoot,
Adorned with love’s meek power,
Refreshment sweet He doth us mete
And grace on us doth shower.
Grant us therefore with zealous mind
And heartfelt pure devotion
To hear God’s Word which we do find
Can grant us true salvation!
Grant also this:
True thoughtfulness
When Thy Word contemplating,
Lest we discuss God’s holiness
With loose lips vainly prating.
Kingo: Fra Himmelen hid til os ned L 401:2-3 tr. DeGarmeaux;
tune: Mit Haab og Trøst (LHy 428); alternate hymn: How blest are they ELH 586:2