Week of 9/1/25 - 9/5/2025
5 Day Devotional
Day 1: The Power of Humility
Devotional
In a world that celebrates strength, achievement, and self-sufficiency, God's kingdom operates on a different principle. The most powerful position we can take before God is one of humility. This truth is beautifully illustrated in Jesus' parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. While one man stood tall, listing his accomplishments and comparing himself favorably to others, the other couldn't even lift his eyes to heaven. Instead, he simply beat his breast and pleaded for mercy. What's remarkable is Jesus' conclusion: it was the tax collector who went home justified. The man who appeared weakest in human terms was actually positioned to receive God's greatest power—His justifying grace. This teaches us something profound about the nature of God. His almighty power isn't primarily displayed through dominance or control, but through mercy extended to those who recognize their need for it. Today, consider where you might be standing like the Pharisee—perhaps comparing yourself favorably to others, relying on your moral achievements, or forgetting your dependence on grace. The invitation is to take the tax collector's posture instead, acknowledging your complete dependence on God's mercy. This humble position doesn't diminish you—rather, it places you exactly where God's power can work most effectively in your life.
Bible Verse
"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." - Luke 18:13-14
Reflection Question
In what areas of your life might you be approaching God like the Pharisee, relying on your own achievements rather than humbly acknowledging your need for grace?
Quote
The tax collector would not even look up to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, God, be merciful to me. A sinner, this man recognizes his complete dependence on God's mercy.
Prayer
Merciful God, forgive me for the times I have approached you with pride rather than humility. Help me to recognize my complete dependence on your grace. Thank you that your power is most perfectly displayed not in my strength but in my weakness. May I live today in humble gratitude for your mercy. Amen.
Day 2: Justified by Grace
Devotional
Yesterday, we reflected on the power of approaching God with humility. Today, we explore the beautiful result of that humble posture: justification by grace. When Jesus concluded his parable about the Pharisee and tax collector, he made a stunning declaration: "This man went down to his home justified rather than the other." The tax collector, who came with nothing but his need, received everything—right standing with God. This reveals a profound truth about God's character. The collect reminds us that God "declares thy almighty power chiefly in shown mercy and pity." God's greatest power isn't displayed in creating mountains or commanding armies, but in the miracle of justification—declaring sinners righteous through no merit of their own. Justification is God's merciful verdict that transforms our status before Him. It's not earned through religious performance or moral superiority. It's received through humble acknowledgment of our need. The tax collector didn't try to minimize his sin or compare himself favorably to others. He simply threw himself on God's mercy—and found it abundantly available. Today, remember that you don't need to earn God's favor through religious performance. Your justification is a gift of grace, received through faith. This truth frees you from both pride and despair, inviting you to live in grateful response to the mercy you've already received.
Bible Verse
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God." - Romans 5:1-2
Reflection Question
How might your daily life look different if you truly believed you were already fully justified before God through faith, rather than trying to earn His approval through your actions?
Quote
This parable highlights the truth expressed in our collect that God's power is chiefly declared in mercy and pity. The tax collector, in his humble acknowledgment of dependence, experiences the true power of God in justification.
Prayer
Gracious God, thank you for the gift of justification through faith. Help me to rest in the assurance that I stand before you not based on my own righteousness, but clothed in Christ's. Free me from both self-righteousness and self-condemnation, that I might live in the freedom of your grace. Amen.
Day 3: Receiving and Passing On
Devotional
In our first two devotionals, we explored how God's power is revealed through mercy and how this mercy justifies us when we approach Him with humility. Today, we consider our responsibility as recipients of this grace. Faith isn't something we create or discover on our own. It's a gift we receive and then pass on to others. Like St. Paul, we don't invent the gospel—we receive it as a precious inheritance and then faithfully transmit it to the next generation. This pattern of receiving and passing on is beautifully illustrated in sacraments like baptism. When a child is baptized, they're being welcomed into a tradition that stretches back to apostolic times. The water that touches their head connects them to countless believers throughout history who have participated in this same sacred rite. As Christians, we stand in a continuous stream of faith. The truths we cherish were preserved and passed down by faithful believers who came before us. And now we bear the responsibility of maintaining this chain, ensuring that the gospel we've received is faithfully transmitted to those who will come after us. Today, consider both what you've received and how you're passing it on. Who were the faithful people who shared the gospel with you? And how are you preserving and transmitting this precious inheritance to others? Remember that you're not just a recipient of grace—you're also a steward, entrusted with passing on what you've received.
Bible Verse
"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." - 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
Reflection Question
Who were the key people who passed the faith on to you, and how are you intentionally passing on what you've received to the next generation?
Quote
Faith is something we receive and then pass on to others. Paul didn't create the gospel. Rather, he received it and shared it consistently.
Prayer
Faithful God, thank you for the generations of believers who preserved and passed on the gospel so that it could reach me. Help me to be a worthy steward of this precious inheritance. Give me opportunities to share my faith with others, especially the next generation. May I pass on not just information about you, but a living relationship with you. Amen.
Day 4: From Death to Life
Devotional
Throughout our devotional series, we've been exploring how God's power is revealed through mercy, how this mercy justifies us, and how we're called to pass on what we've received. Today, we focus on the hope that underlies all these truths: the promise of resurrection. Isaiah's beautiful proclamation, "Your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise. O dwellers in the dust, awake and sing for joy," points to God's ultimate power—the ability to bring life from death. This resurrection hope finds its fulfillment in Christ, who conquered death and promises the same victory to all who trust in Him. This pattern of death to life isn't just a future promise—it's woven throughout our Christian experience. In baptism, as Paul teaches, we are symbolically buried with Christ and raised to walk in newness of life. Even childbirth carries theological significance as a journey through pain and peril to the joy of new life. The resurrection hope transforms how we view every circumstance. No situation is so dark that God cannot bring life from it. No loss is so final that it lies beyond His redemptive power. Even in our most painful moments, we can trust that the God who raised Jesus from the dead is working to bring new life from apparent death. Today, consider the areas in your life that seem dead or hopeless. Remember that the same power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in you. God specializes in bringing life from death, joy from sorrow, and hope from despair.
Bible Verse
"For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his." - Romans 6:5
Reflection Question
What situation in your life currently feels dead or hopeless, and how might God's resurrection power bring new life to it?
Quote
We live in the hope of resurrection, trusting that God brings life from death in every circumstance.
Prayer
God of resurrection, thank you for your promise to bring life from death. Help me to trust this promise even when circumstances seem hopeless. Remind me that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in my life. Transform my areas of death and despair into testimonies of your life-giving power. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Day 5: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Devotional
Throughout this week, we've explored how God's power is revealed through mercy, how this mercy justifies us, how we pass on what we've received, and how resurrection hope transforms our perspective. Today, we consider how all these truths shape our obedience. The Christian life involves obedience to God's commands, but the motivation for this obedience makes all the difference. We don't obey to earn God's favor—we obey because we've already received His grace. Our obedience isn't a prerequisite for grace; it's a response to grace already given. This distinction transforms how we approach the Christian life. When we understand that we're already justified through faith, already beloved, already accepted, our obedience flows from gratitude rather than fear or obligation. We "run the way of God's commandments" not to win His approval but because we've experienced His love and want to honor Him in return. This grace-motivated obedience is beautifully illustrated in baptism, where God's grace reaches out to claim a child before any moral achievement or even conscious faith. It's also seen in the ancient practice of thanksgiving after childbirth, where a mother acknowledges God's providential care that has already brought her safely through. Today, examine your motivation for obedience. Are you trying to earn God's favor, or are you responding to the favor you've already received? Remember that you don't obey to become loved—you obey because you are loved. Let this truth transform your approach to the Christian life from duty to delight.
Bible Verse
"When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world." - John 16:21
Reflection Question
How would your approach to spiritual disciplines and obedience change if you truly believed they were responses to grace already received rather than attempts to earn God's favor?
Quote
We run the way of God's commandments not to earn divine favor, but because we've already received grace. Our obedience is a response to that grace. It's not a prerequisite for it.
Prayer
Gracious God, thank you that your love for me doesn't depend on my performance. Help me to obey you not from fear or obligation, but from a heart overflowing with gratitude for the grace I've already received. Transform my duty into delight, my obligation into opportunity. May my life be a thankful response to your amazing grace. Amen.