August 31 Daily Devotional

28 Jul August 31 Daily Devotional

A SERIES OF DEVOTIONS BASED ON PAUL’S LETTER TO THE COLOSSIANS

 AT THE TIME OF NOAH

Colossians 3:6 “Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.”

“Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God . . . the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence . . . God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.” (Genesis 9:9, 11, 13)  God does not tolerate evil, wickedness, and rebellion against His Laws.  Your life is therefore lived in a tension of “thus says the Lord” with “but this is what I want to do” or “this is what everyone else is doing.”

Today’s devotional verse continues St. Paul’s discussion about putting off what is evil and sinful in God’s sight and putting on the new clothes of righteousness that are yours in Christ Jesus your Lord and Savior.  Verse 5 (yesterday’s devotional verse) listed a goodly number of descriptions of ways sinners live in disobedience of God. Today’s verse is about the consequence of such disobedience, “. . .the wrath of God is coming.”

God through Noah told the world what was coming because of their sins.  For 120 years God sent Noah into the world to preach and teach a message of repentance and forgiveness.  For 120 years the world rejected the message Noah delivered from God.  Only Noah, his small family, and many pairs of animals were spared from the flood waters that covered the entire world.

Disobedience of God is disbelief.  Obedience of God is faith in action.  Noah believed!  His family believed!  Their lives were spared.  The rest of the world did not believe God’s warnings through Noah and lost their lives.  Faith saves.  Unbelief condemns.

To “put off and put on” means to listen to God.  Listen to God is more than an auditory thing.  Listening to God means that the Holy Spirit brings God’s Word into your heart, mind, soul, and spirit. . . it permeates every pore and cell of your being.  Listening to Him means taking to heart the Gospel which alone changes your heart from disbelief to faith. Faith accepts the saving work of Jesus that overcomes your disbelief and enables you to accept, believe, and trust in Him for your forgiveness and eternal life.

Prayer:  Lord, rid me of my unbelief and grant me, through Your Spirit working through the power of the Gospel and the Sacraments faith in Jesus to believe in Him through whom alone you give me a right heart and a new life.  In His Holy name.  Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide, For round us falls the eventide.

O let Your Word, that saving light, Shine forth undimmed into the night.

In these last days of great distress Grant us, dear Lord, true steadfastness

That we keep pure till life is spent Your holy Word and Sacrament.

To hope grown dim, to hearts turned cold

Speak tongues of fire and make us bold

To shine Your word of saving grace Into each dark and loveless place.

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.

Restrain, O Lord, the human pride That seeks to thrust Your truth aside

Or with some man-made thoughts or things

Would dim the words Your Spirit sings.

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.

(LSB 585)