3:12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained. 17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
– Philippians 3:12-21
In times of reflection upon my life, especially in times of struggle or guilt, I am given much hope in Paul’s words. In prayer and contemplation, I know who I am as much as any person can know of themselves — I know my sins, my struggles, my failures and I can be driven to despair. The good news is I’m not abandoned to myself. I am not left alone with myself. I have a companion who has known me from the beginning, and in Paul’s words will be sure to “bring to completion” the good work started in me (Philippians 1:6). During sorrow over my sins I am brought to hope and joy in Paul’s reminder to me that Christ Jesus has made me His own. He has begun the good work and He will finish it — what I can do is remember, probably one of the most important words we have in our Christian lexicon. Paul reminds me of who I am in Christ, a citizen of heaven. So, I am called to walk with Christ straining in all my strength, to what is before me, to those who need hope proclaimed to them in Christ, to the calling that has been given to me to imitate my Lord and Saviour in all my ways. When I am low, Paul reminds me of the One who has come from above to lift me up in Him and to reach beyond my sight to His. In amazement and gratitude, I realize what a calling it is, to this mound of ashes I am, that God in His mercy can use me, all of us who hear the call, as instruments of God’s grace and mercy, by nothing of our own, but with a word of love.
Devotion written by the Rev. Phillip E. Gagnon STS
Morning Psalms
Evening Psalms
This daily prayer and Bible reading guide, Devoted to Prayer (based on Acts 2:42), was conceived and prepared by the Rev. Andrew S. Ames Fuller, director of communications for the North American Lutheran Church (NALC). After a challenging year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been provided with a unique opportunity to revitalize the ancient practice of daily prayer and Scripture reading in our homes. While the Reading the Word of God three-year lectionary provided a much-needed and refreshing calendar for our congregations to engage in Scripture reading, this calendar includes a missing component of daily devotion: prayer. This guide is to provide the average layperson and pastor with the simple tools for sorting through the busyness of their lives and reclaiming an act of daily discipleship with their Lord. The daily readings follow the Lutheran Book of Worship two-year daily lectionary, which reflect the church calendar closely. The commemorations are adapted from Philip H. Pfatteicher’s New Book of Festivals and Commemorations, a proposed common calendar of the saints that builds from the Lutheran Book of Worship, but includes saints from many of those churches in ecumenical conversation with the NALC. The introductory portion is adapted from Christ Church (Plano)’s Pray Daily. Our hope is that this calendar and guide will provide new life for congregations learning and re-learning to pray in the midst of a difficult and changing world.