Good Shepherd Lutheran Church / Friday, August 27, 2021 / Categories: Publications, Daily Devotions Daily Devotion by James Erlandson God Pause Friday August 27 The end of our fiscal year is just days away. Make your end of the year gift by bringing your check to worship with you this weekend, or donate here: Donate As we prepare to move into a seasonal offering rather than a daily offering for our devotions I want to offer you a couple of ways that you can continue to receive a daily devotion in your inbox. One resource comes from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota—where I went to seminary. They invite alumni and others connected to the campus to write devotions that they send out daily to those who subscribe. These devotions are anchored in scripture and sometimes us hymn texts as inspiration. Here is an example of one of their recent devotions you can subscribe by following this link: https://www.luthersem.edu/godpause/ Web View God Pause for Wednesday, August 18, 2021 Ephesians 6:10-20 (NRSV) Read Ephesians 6:10-20 on biblegateway.com 10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. 11Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. 15As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. 16With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. 19Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak. Devotion When you and I get dressed in the morning, we seldom give a second thought to the purpose of each piece of clothing we put on. We put on a shirt or blouse to cover our arms and torso, to offer warmth. We put on trousers to cover our legs. We put on shoes to protect our feet and don a hat to cover our heads. In this final chapter of Ephesians, the author urges Christians to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of God’s power.” To put on “the whole armor of God”—because we are in a struggle. We need God’s help and “spiritual armor”: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit—God’s Word. That’s because we cannot rely only on our own strength. But whatever clothing we wear each day, may we also “clothe ourselves” in God’s truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Word. Prayer Lord, you call us to pray in the Spirit at all times. Help me to keep alert and to persevere with faith at all times and help me to speak boldly as an ambassador of your love. Amen. James Erlandson '86 M.Div.Pastor, Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, St. Paul, Minnesota Previous Article Daily Devotion by Pr. Heidi Johns Next Article Daily Devotion by Lillian Daniel Print 5746 Rate this article: 5.0 Leave a comment Name: Please enter a name. Email: Please enter an email address. Please enter a valid email address. Comment: Please enter comment. I agree This form collects your name, email, IP address and content so that we can keep track of the comments placed on the website. For more info check our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use where you will get more info on where, how and why we store your data. You must read and accept this rules. Add comment