The Friday after the First Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on June 12, 2026 by under
Scripture: St. Matthew 10:34-42 (NKJV)
10:34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ 37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
40 “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”
Devotion
Those we love most are not worthy to be loved more than the Lord. He who has given us all things—including our loved ones!—and still takes care of us (and them) is to be treasured above every treasure He has provided. Our view of our loved ones, as of all the Lord’s blessings that we enjoy—and of our enemies and the things that plague and vex us!—is always to be through the lens of God’s will and Word, and of Christ’s mission to save us by His atoning for our sins.
If one was to receive a prophet simply because he was appointed by the Lord to speak for Him, and to receive the apostles in the same way, so we are to receive all those who are righteous through faith in Christ, regardless of what their worldly status might be. The confession of the truth about Jesus through word and deed makes all consideration of appearance, power, fame, or wealth inconsequential. While we might otherwise not even know one another, those who know that their true and only life is through faith in Christ are bound together as neither blood nor legal paperwork can match: the almighty God has made us His own children and heirs together through the blood and testament of His Son!
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.
