Thursday after the First Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on June 6, 2024 by under
Scripture: St. Matthew 10:26-33 (NKJV)
10:26 Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.
27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”
Devotion
Today’s text shows Christ warning His chosen of the coming persecution. Jesus therefore prepares His disciples for the worst, and He equips them with the best: His assurance to have no fear. As they are members of the household of Christ and thus bear the reproaches of their Lord, so they also shall share in His glorious vindication and victory.
Our faithful proclamation of the Gospel shall reveal the hidden Christ (verse 26), and at the time of eternal judgment Christ will acknowledge the faithful before the Father and lead them to glory forever. They will triumph over death; their enemies, who kill the body but cannot kill the soul, shall discover that Christ and the Father are mightier than death. Christ will deny those who denied Him, and He who can destroy both soul and body in hell will be the Judge of all. His holy, righteous judgment will be undeniable: eternal condemnation and hell for the hypocrite and unbeliever, while eternal salvation and paradise await the confessing believer of Christ.
Collect: O God, the Strength of all them that put their trust in Thee: Mercifully accept our prayers; and because through the weakness of our mortal nature we can do no good thing without Thee, grant us the help of Thy grace, that in keeping Thy commandments we may please Thee, both in will and deed; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
