Pointing the Way to Freedom – 40 Day Journey with
Martin Luther – Day 26 – Purity 1299
Purity 1299 03/14/2024 Purity 1299 Podcast
Purity 1299 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of a front door view of the sun
blazing over the Schodack Creek comes to us from yours truly as I ran to my
front door to capture it on Monday.
Well, it’s Thursday and I share this “pathway” out
my front door photo as a visual encouragement to get on the path of Christian Discipleship
because I know that it leads to peace, joy, and freedom!
I am rejoicing this morning because I led another
man through the Steps to Freedom yesterday morning and was encouraged to see
that two of the men at the Celebrate Freedom are willing and will be possibly
able to step out into leadership roles later this year. To see one man free from all the baggage of
his past and to watch two others speak of their commitment to continue learning
and growing in their faith and to encourage others in the future does the heart
good. I’ve received my freedom in Christ
and these men are now walking in theirs and seem serious about not only keeping
it but are talking about sharing it with others. That’s what we are supposed to do as
disciples of Jesus Christ – to teach others what we have come to know through
our faith in Jesus and to walk alongside the broken and the hurting to point
the way to healing, hope, and freedom – and I am thrilled at having others
walking with me in this.
Jesus is the truth, the way, and the life and there is
no better time to decide to follow Him than in this current season of Lent, and
speaking of Lent…
It’s the twenty-sixth day of Lent and so we continue
my personal walkthrough of Gracia Grindal’s 40 Day Journey with Martin Luther
to observe and celebrate the Lenten season.
In this walkthrough of Grindal’s devotional, it is our hope that we will get to know
Martin Luther a little better as we seek to draw closer to the Lord on our
journey to Resurrection Sunday – Easter.
And so we continue.
“Journey
Day 26
May
your name be hallowed.
What
is this?
Answer:
It is true that God’s name is holy in itself, but we ask in this prayer that it
may also become holy in and among us.
But
what is it to pray that his name may become holy? Is it not already holy?
Answer: Yes, in it’s essence it is always holy, but our use of it is not holy.
God’s name was given to us when we became Christians and were baptized, and so
we are called children of God and have the sacrament, through which he
incorporates us into himself with the result that everything that is God’s must
serve for our use. Thus it is a matter of grave necessity, about which we
should be most concerned that God’s name receive due honor and be kept holy and
sacred as the greatest treasure and most sacred thing that we have, and that,
as good children, we pray that his name, which is in any case holy in heaven,
may also be holy and be kept holy on earth in our midst and in all the world.
Biblical Wisdom
Like
obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in
ignorance. Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all
your conduct; for it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy”. 1 Peter 1:
14-16.
Silence for Meditation.
Questions to Ponder
· What
does it mean for God’s name to be “holy in and among us”?
I believe that keeping God’s name holy in and among
us means that we honor it, revere it, and love it. We keep it holy in us by loving and obeying
the Lord. We keep it holy by not blaspheming it and by living a life that gives
Him glory.
· In
what ways might our lives and communities change if God’s name was truly holy “in
our midst and in all the world”?
If God’s name was truly holy in our midst and in all
the world – our lives and our communities would be transformed. We would repent
of our sins and society would do away with its evil practices as we would seek
to honor God by living holy and pure lives in the bonds of peace and love.
· What
does it mean to say that “everything that is God’s must serve for our use”? If
this is true, what does it have to say about how we should be in the world?
“Everything
that is God’s serving for our use” assumes that our uses are pure and holy –
that we will use the things of this world to give God glory – it indicates that
we should be good stewards of all the things that have been given to us and
that we should honor God with the way that we live.
Psalm Fragment
Blessed
be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be his
glorious name forever; may his glory fill the whole earth. Amen and Amen. Psalm
72:18-19.
Journal Reflections
· Today’s
Biblical Wisdom tells us “as he who called you holy, be holy yourselves in all
your conduct.” Write about what you think God’s holiness is. Write about the
implications of God’s holiness for the way you try to live.
God’s holiness is Jesus. He is our example to follow
– tempted in every way but without sin. God’s
holiness implies that we are to be conformed to the image of Christ – to become
more and more like Jesus – to live pure moral lives of service and sacrifice born
out of our love for God and our neighbors.
· Reflect
in writing on what you do in your day to day living that “hallows’ God’s name”.
Any behaviors that need to stop, change, or be added?
My daily spiritual practices hallow God’s name as I
pray to Him and read His word. I also try to “do what’s right” according to God’s
word while I go throughout my day to honor God and to show how hallowed His
name is to me.
· In a
list of all the “treasures” you have, where would you rank “God’s name”? Why?
God’s name is the number one treasure in my life. I
can rejoice in the name of Jesus because it is the name by which I have been
saved and been given a new and eternal life! God has set me free through Jesus and
there is nothing more precious to me than my relationship with Him.
Prayers for the Life of Faith
Pray
that you may be given help to hallow God’s name and your speech and actions,
and give thanks that because of your relationship with Christ, you have been
made holy.
Lord, Help me to hallow Your name and my speech and
actions to give You glory. Thank You for my relationship with you through my
faith in Jesus Christ and how You have made me holy through Him and through the
power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer For Today
Our Father
in heaven, hallowed be your name! Thank you that your holiness also has made me
holy. Although I do not understand, nor do I feel holy, keep me Lord always
near to your holiness and love.
Amen.
(Gracia M. Grindal. 40-day
Journey With Martin Luther. Kindle Edition.
(We encourage you to purchase Grindal’s book and
take the 40 Day Journey with Martin Luther for yourself by purchasing Grindal’s
book wherever books are sold. You can find it online at many different sites
and purchase it new, used – paper or electronic for less than $15.00).
——————————————————————————————–
For
those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide,
I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .
Today’s
Bible verses come to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By
John G. Kruis.
(
While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick
Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late
author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )
This
morning’s meditation verses comes from the section on Contentment, Coveting
& and Priorities.
Luke 9:46-48 (NLT2)
46 Then his disciples began
arguing about which of them was the greatest.
47 But Jesus knew their
thoughts, so he brought a little child to his side.
48 Then he said to them,
“Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and
anyone who welcomes me also welcomes my Father who sent me. Whoever is the
least among you is the greatest.”
Today’s
verse falls under the thirteenth point of our counseling reference guide
resource’s section on Contentment, Coveting, and Priorities.
13. Don’t seek status, as the disciples did.
Today’s
verse shows us Jesus’s response to the Apostle’s jockeying for positions of
greatness. He humbles them by indicating that through their humble service to
the “least of these” that their greatness would be confirmed. Rather than doing mighty works of bravado, Jesus
encourages them to be gentle caregivers to their fellow man and those who
otherwise would be helpless. We are not to seek status but to seek the ways we
can serve others to reflect our faith and pledge our allegiance to Christ’s
kingdom.
———————————————————–
As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I
always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to
assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “According to Your
Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament” By Stephen F. Olford – A
Collection of Devotional Journals: 1940-1941.
As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage you all to purchase Olford’s books for your own
private study and to support his work. This resource is available online
for less than $10 at many sites.
MORNING READING: LUKE 15
“Then all the tax collectors and the
sinners
drew near to Him to hear Him.” – Luke 15:1
What a grand fact!
It is interesting to note how the ministry of the Lord
primarily attracted the publicans and sinners. It is recorded: “The common
people heard Him gladly” (Mark 12:37). He said, “I did not come to call the
righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Matt. 9:13). “The Son of Man has come
to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Paul testifies: “Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief ” (1 Tim. 1:15).
In the light of these few verses, it is obvious that the Lord’s ministry not
only attracted sinners but also was primarily for them. How important to have
His message and mission today!
O, that Your ministry, Lord, through
me
would draw the publicans and sinners to Yourself.[1]
—————————more
tomorrow————————
Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage
Breaker”, “Freedom in Christ” series of Discipleship Classes via the
mt4christ247 podcast!
at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts
(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available
on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and
Audible.com.
These teachings are also available on the
MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247
Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and
to be encouraged.
My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian
encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ), her
Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on
Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this
publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to
reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries,
or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication,
and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the
author may represent.”
Encouragement
for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1]
Stephen Olford and Heather Olford, According to Your
Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament, A Collection of Devotional
Journals 1940-1941 (Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2008).
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