Matthew
16:24; 1 Peter 4:12-13; Matthew 10:38-39; Romans 6:2-5, 8.Sunday’s
hymn of the day is Let us Ever Walk with
Jesus (685 LSB). The purpose of
Jesus’ life was fulfilled by the words of the prophet. The purpose of your life
is that the will of God might be fulfilled in us. Thus this wonderful hymn
encourages the believer to daily walk with the Lord, to follow Christ’s example
and Word that daily we might be conformed to His will and way.
Let us ever walk with Jesus,
Follow His example pure, Through a world that would deceive us, And to sin our
spirits lure. Onward in His footsteps treading, Pilgrims here, our home above,
Full of faith and hope and love, Let us do the Father's bidding. Faithful Lord,
with me abide; I shall follow where You guide.
"Let us suffer here
with Jesus, And with patience bear our cross. Joy will follow all our sadness;
Where He is, there is no loss. Though today we sow no laughter, We shall reap
celestial joy; All discomforts that annoy, Shall give way to mirth hereafter.
Jesus, here I share Your woe; Help me there Your joy to know."
According to our hymn, we
live in a world "that would deceive us." We may not regard the world
as deceptive. After all, it is God's creation; He loves the world and the
people He made in His image. He made us His stewards, or caretakers, of this
earth. But this fallen world, with its many temptations, can be very deceitful
and, because of our sinful frailty, very often the world's tempting voices
"to sin our spirits lure." A consumer-driven culture lures us to be
dissatisfied and to place our faith in earthly possessions. Yet the world is
not entirely at fault; we share the blame. As the apostle James writes,
"Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own
desire" (James 1:14).
Our path through life is not
an easy journey, but our hymn has the answer: "Let us ever walk with
Jesus." In our walk of faith, we plant our steps in the footsteps of
Jesus, following His path as it is revealed in Holy Scripture. We know that
Jesus' steps led Him to the cross. There He suffered the penalty of death that
we deserved for our sins, for our every failure to resist the world's deceitful
temptations, for every failure to walk according to the Word and will of God.
Jesus died and was buried and, on the first Easter morning, the Savior's path
led out of the empty tomb. By God's grace, our steps follow the risen Lord.
Because in Baptism we are united with Jesus, buried with Him and raised
"to walk in newness of life" (see Romans 6:3-4).
Even as we walk in newness
of life, we will endure suffering. Like the Savior in whose footsteps we
follow, we must "with patience bear our cross." As the hymn points
out, our earthly walk is sometimes no laughing matter. Yet we walk on and look
ahead to the joy yet to come. We are on the road, "pilgrims here, our home
above." We are exiles on earth, but we know that joy will follow. We
"desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one" (Hebrews 11:16b),
the place where we will reap "celestial joy." Bearing the cross, we
walk with Jesus, "full of faith and hope and love." Where our Lord
leads, we will follow.[2]
[2] https://www.lhm.org/dailydevotions/default.asp?date=20210124
[3] A Morning Prayer, Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis
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