Turning To God Daily
Today’s Verse:
1 Peter 2:14 ESV
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
This verse captures the heart of the Gospel: Christ's sacrificial love for sinners. On the cross, Jesus bore the full weight of our sins, taking on the punishment we deserved. In this profound act of grace, He freed us from sin’s guilt and its power, enabling us to live in righteousness.
To “die to sin” means to let go of the patterns of life that oppose God’s will. It’s not a call to perfection through our own effort but a reminder that Christ’s victory empowers us to turn away from sin and toward Him daily. In His wounds, we find healing—healing of our broken relationship with God, healing from shame, and healing from the hopelessness that sin brings.
Luther emphasized that this righteousness is not our own but is imputed to us through faith in Christ. We live as redeemed children of God, not to earn His favor but as a response to His unmerited grace.
Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Gracious Lord, thank You for bearing my sins on the cross. Help me to live as one who is dead to sin and alive in Your righteousness. Teach me to walk in the healing and freedom You provide. May my life be a testimony to Your grace and love. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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