It Is Finished (Week 6): FRIDAY
With all the noise in the world, do you hear the voice of God? Your calendar tells you what to do, but do you remember who you are? Being comes before doing. This is a call to put first things first. Return to the Lord with this daily pattern of prayer and devotion. Set aside this time as a sanctuary. Find a space free of distraction and follow this pattern.
Invitation Prayer
O Lord, your scars are your trophies, proof of your unfailing love for me. You have earned my trust. I come to you in faith. I cease my worry and mistrust. I set aside all fears and faltering. I place my life into your hands. Receive me. Amen.
Confession
It is hard to trust someone with the most vulnerable parts of our lives. We hesitate to share our secrets, sins, and shame. David gives us a model to follow. He said in Psalm 31:14, “But in you I trust, O LORD; I say, ‘You are my God.’” We can trust the One who sees our sin and still stays. So we approach God in faith: Father, I confess all my sins and failings to you. I am haunted by the guilt of my past, the sins of my present, and my fear of the future. Forgive me, God. I trust you. Amen.
Word
“And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.” (Rom. 4:5)
Meditation
Work is good. Trust is better. If we trust our own works, we’ll soon find them feeble. If we think our efforts achieve some status before God, we’ll soon be faced with failings that outweigh our good deeds.
By contrast, justification is God’s work. Different from ours, his work doesn’t fail. Jesus’ action on the cross is a work of substitution. He died in our place, for our sins. Our righteousness is found not in our resume, but his. So we put our faith in Christ alone. Examine yourself today: Am I working to be justified, or because I’m justified? Trust the Lord who justifies, and may your work flow from his.
My Righteous God, teach me not to trust my own efforts, but your work alone. From such faith, inspire in me work that is good for others and to your glory. Amen.
Sending Prayer
Into your hands, O Lord. We place our fears and failures.
Into your hands, O Lord. We place our present and future.
Into your hands, O Lord. We commit our bodies, souls, and all we have. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
*Today's devotion is taken from It Is Finished by Jeff Cloeter, published by CTA – Christ to All at ctainc.com
With all the noise in the world, do you hear the voice of God? Your calendar tells you what to do, but do you remember who you are? Being comes before doing. This is a call to put first things first. Return to the Lord with this daily pattern of prayer and devotion. Set aside this time as a sanctuary. Find a space free of distraction and follow this pattern.
Invitation Prayer
O Lord, your scars are your trophies, proof of your unfailing love for me. You have earned my trust. I come to you in faith. I cease my worry and mistrust. I set aside all fears and faltering. I place my life into your hands. Receive me. Amen.
Confession
It is hard to trust someone with the most vulnerable parts of our lives. We hesitate to share our secrets, sins, and shame. David gives us a model to follow. He said in Psalm 31:14, “But in you I trust, O LORD; I say, ‘You are my God.’” We can trust the One who sees our sin and still stays. So we approach God in faith: Father, I confess all my sins and failings to you. I am haunted by the guilt of my past, the sins of my present, and my fear of the future. Forgive me, God. I trust you. Amen.
Word
“And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.” (Rom. 4:5)
Meditation
Work is good. Trust is better. If we trust our own works, we’ll soon find them feeble. If we think our efforts achieve some status before God, we’ll soon be faced with failings that outweigh our good deeds.
By contrast, justification is God’s work. Different from ours, his work doesn’t fail. Jesus’ action on the cross is a work of substitution. He died in our place, for our sins. Our righteousness is found not in our resume, but his. So we put our faith in Christ alone. Examine yourself today: Am I working to be justified, or because I’m justified? Trust the Lord who justifies, and may your work flow from his.
My Righteous God, teach me not to trust my own efforts, but your work alone. From such faith, inspire in me work that is good for others and to your glory. Amen.
Sending Prayer
Into your hands, O Lord. We place our fears and failures.
Into your hands, O Lord. We place our present and future.
Into your hands, O Lord. We commit our bodies, souls, and all we have. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
*Today's devotion is taken from It Is Finished by Jeff Cloeter, published by CTA – Christ to All at ctainc.com
