Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America

Monday after the Seventh Sunday after Trinity Sunday

Posted on July 19, 2021 by Pastor Dulas under Devotions
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Scripture: St. Luke 12:1-9 (NKJV)
 
12:1 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.
 
4 “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!
 
6 “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
 
8 “Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. 9 But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
 
Devotion
 
Have you ever lost track of your car keys, or glasses, or possibly a favorite pen or pencil or other item? It seems to be a common occurrence based on the amount of secular comedy that hinges on a character not knowing where an important item is.
 
There are several billion people in this world these days, and governments strive to count them all and keep track of them for various reasons. Yet there are no doubt those who “slip through the cracks” or get lost.
 
In these verses, God promises that nothing can or will escape his attention. It is a way of reminding us that he knows all things, even things that we cannot imagine knowing or remembering. It might be easy for us to imagine that God has the same limitations we do; one might think He can lose track or forget about some of the things we are doing that we might not want to be known. But God does not get tired, He does not go to sleep. And none of us will “get away” with anything because God was not watching or paying attention to us.
 
Yet this is also a great comfort for us–we know that any person is worth more than many sparrows. Indeed, this Scripture teaches us that even the very hairs on our heads are numbered! And the God who loved us enough to send His only-begotten Son to live a perfect life and die a perfect death for us is watching out for us.
 
Prayer: O God, whose never-failing providence ordereth all things both in heaven and on earth, we humbly beseech Thee to put away from us all hurtful things and to give us those things which be profitable for us; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord. Amen.
 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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