And said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” Luke 24:46-47
Why did God the Son come into the world? To suffer and die on the cross and make atonement for the sins of all. What does Jesus say is the mission of the Church and its ministers in this world? To preach repentance and forgiveness of sins in His name to all people, beginning right where we are.
Thank You, dear Lord Jesus, for coming into the world to redeem me from sin and eternal damnation. Grant that I hear Your Word, repent of my sin, and look to You and Your cross in faith for pardon and forgiveness. And grant to Your Church faithful pastors and ministers to preach to all nations repentance and remission of sins in Your name. Amen.
[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]
Trust in the LORD and do good. Dwell in the land, and truly you shall be fed. Psalm 37:3
What do Christians do as the wickedness of the nations increases? There could be no better answer than to trust in the LORD God and do as He has commanded in His Word, to dwell in the land and continue to be faithful followers of Christ Jesus and His truth.
O God, keep me in Your truth and grant that I hold fast to Christ Jesus, trust in Him as my Savior, and live in accord with His Word. Amen.
[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]
Do not fret yourself because of evildoers, neither be envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb. Psalm 37:1-2
While we may be tempted to fret and worry over the wicked schemes of man and the injustices carried out by rulers, we need not fear, for evildoers will be cut down like the grass and quickly wither and fade away like the green herb.
O LORD God, grant that we do not fret and worry over the wicked schemes of man but trust in You and Your Word. Amen.
[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]
Let your work appear to your servants and your glory to their children. And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us. And establish the work of our hands upon us. Yes, the work of our hands, establish it. Psalm 90:16-17
Moses prays that the mighty working of God would be revealed to and seen by those who fear the LORD, that they would partake of the beautiful blessings of the LORD offered and given to those who trust in Him for mercy and forgiveness in the Son and His atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. And Moses prays for the blessing of the LORD upon our service to Him — upon our proclaiming of the saving Gospel of forgiveness and life in Christ Jesus.
Open up our eyes, O Lord, to see the truth of Your Word that we might repent of our sins and partake of the salvation You have provided for us in the Son. And send Your Holy Spirit that others, too, might hear and believe the saving Gospel. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]
Return, O LORD, how long? And repent concerning your servants. O satisfy us early with your mercy so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad according to the days in which you have afflicted us and the years in which we have seen evil. Psalm 90:13-15
With Moses, we ask the LORD God to return to us and satisfy us early with His mercy in Christ Jesus so that we might rejoice and be glad because of His mercy and forgiveness all the days of our lives. We ask that He make us glad for as many days as He has afflicted us because of our sin and as many years as we have seen evil under God’s curse upon sin.
O Lord, have mercy on us and forgive our sins for the sake of Christ Jesus and His blood shed for us on the cross. Grant to us joy in Your mercy all the days of our lives and give us gladness in the place of sorrow and sadness. Amen.
[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]