Daily devotion – Friday 30th April 2021
“God gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” – 1 Corinthians 15:57
Church will certainly be different this Sunday as the government has requested that masks be warn at all indoor gatherings until next Friday.
For many the continued restrictions from Covid upon us may be a source of discouragement and even depression. But I think we can approach this Sunday, especially in talking to the children as a special Sunday gathering in honour of Jesus Christ with an additional ‘dress up’ for the day.
Martin Luther was going through a period of discouragement and depression for a number of days. His downcast spirit was affecting all in the Luther household in a very negative manner.
One day, his wife Katherine arrived at the family breakfast table all dressed in black, as if she were going to a funeral service. When Martin asked her who had died, Katherine replied, “Martin, the way you have been behaving lately, I thought God had died, so I came prepared to attend His funeral.”
Katherine’s gentle but effective rebuke drove straight to Luther’s heart, and as a result the great Reformer resolved to never again allow worldly care, resentment, depression, discouragement, or frustration to defeat him.
By God’s grace, he vowed, he would submit his life to the Saviour and reflect His grace in a spirit of rejoicing, whatever came!
When was the last time you praised God in the midst of despair?
Don’t wait until you “feel like it”, or you will probably never do it!
Do it today, and then you will feel like it!