"Tell how God the Father's will made the world, upholds it still, How His own dear Son He gave us from sin and death to save.
"Tell of our Redeemer's grace, who, to save our human race, And to pay rebellion's price, gave Himself as sacrifice.
"Tell of God the Spirit giv'n now to guide us on to heav'n, Strong and holy, just and true, working both to will and do."
Many people wrongly believe that all religions are the same and merely represent different paths to the same god. Scripture reveals just how false and foolish that idea is, calling other gods "worthless idols (Psalm 96:5b) and "so-called gods" (1 Corinthians 8:5b). Our hymn celebrates the truth. There is only one God, the Triune God, who reveals Himself in the glory of His creation, in His Word and, above all, in His Son.
The God we confess is one God in three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We cannot understand this wondrous mystery, but by faith we acknowledge its truth. We know the work of the Triune God is that work is revealed in Scripture and in our lives. We are baptized into the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as our Lord commanded (see Matthew 28:19). Our hymn calls us to witness to the truth, to tell others about the way in which each Person of the Trinity brought about our salvation.
God the Father made the world and "upholds it still." He loves the world and the people He created and sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. Jesus our Redeemer "gave Himself as sacrifice," paying the price of our sinful rebellion. The risen and ascended Lord sent "the promise of the Father" (Acts 1:4b), that is, the gift of the Holy Spirit. God the Spirit calls us through the Gospel and creates faith in our hearts. At work in the Word of God, the Spirit leads us to grow in faith and to follow Jesus through lives of love, service, and witness.
The work of the Trinity in our lives is a work of giving and sending. The Father gave us His Son, sending Him as the sacrifice for the sins of the world. The Holy Spirit gives us the gift of faith and leads us "to will and do" what God commands. The Son, who shed His blood to save us, sends us out into the world to proclaim repentance and forgiveness in His Name. With joy we witness to the truth that we confess, and spread the reign of God the Lord!
WE PRAY: Blessed Holy Trinity, lead me to share the Good News of Your salvation so that others will come to know and worship You as the only true God. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, "Spread the Reign of God the Lord," which is number 830 in the Lutheran Service Book.
Reflection Questions:
1. What religions of the world do you find most fascinating? Why?
2. What makes Christianity stand out and differ from other world religions?
3. While other religions have prophets and leaders, how is Jesus different from them?
Today's Bible Readings: Proverbs 22-24 Acts 4:1-22
To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"