Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church
9 E Homestead Ave. Palisades Park, NJ 07650 201-944-2107 Sundays 11:00 a.m. We preach Christ crucified (1. Corinthians 1,23)

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Devotional thoughts for Wednesday

Wednesday 1. October 2014
Trinity 15

Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6,20-21) 

Jesus here continues His Sermon on the Mount. He continues to develop His theme that we cannot serve two masters (God and money). We must decide between two treasures: the heavenly one that is eternal and secure or the earthly one that is temporal and insecure. Earthly treasures come and go and are subject to the whim of the economy and the decisions of people, including ourselves. Heavenly treasures are eternal and secure for they are backed up by the full faith and credit of God's very own word.  

The heavenly treasure is the righteousness of God. How do we get that? It is a Divine gift of grace. Jesus Himself is the personification of God's righteousness. He gives us His righteousness in exchange for our unrighteousness. This is the blessed exchange. Christ takes our sin and guilt and gives us His righteousness and innocence. Jesus says this glorious treasure will never be taken from you! 

What a great joy to know that God loves us and is merciful to us. He has saved us and redeemed us. All this is through His very own Son, Jesus Christ. 

Prayer: O Eternal God, You counsel us not to be anxious about earthly things. Keep alive in us a proper yearning for those heavenly treasures awaiting all who trust in Your mercy, so that we may daily rejoice in Your salvation and serve You with constant devotion; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen. (A61, Treasury of Daily Prayer)

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