Daily Devotion for 02 October 2026 (18th Friday after Pentecost)

0:00Welcome to the Daily Devotions Podcast from Confident Faith. I am Corey J. Moller, a contributor here at Confident Faith and I will be your reader today. This 19th Friday after Pentecost, the 2nd of October. In the year of our Lord, 2026, in the time of the Church, there are no feasts, festivals, or commemorations on the calendar today. Our readings for today are Psalm 3, Psalm 2, Deuteronomy chapter 3, verses 1 through 29. Matthew chapter 7, verses 1 through 12, and paragraphs 14 through 23, of Article 13,

1:04of the apology of the Augsburg confession. We will close, as always, with the Lord's Prayer. Today's first reading from the Psalter is the 3rd Psalm. O Lord, why have those who press hard upon me been so multiplied? Many rise up against me. Many say to my soul, there is no salvation for him in his God. But you, O Lord, are my defender, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head. With my voice I cried out to the Lord, and he harkened to me from his holy mountain. I lay down and slept. I was roused because the Lord will take my part. I shall not be afraid of tens of thousands of people who together set upon me in a circle. Rise up, O Lord, save me, O my God, for you have struck all who bear me groundless enmity, the teeth of sinners you have shattered.

2:06Salvation belongs to the Lord, and upon your people is your blessing. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and will be for evermore. Amen. Today's second reading from the Psalter is the second Psalm. To what end of the nations raged, and the people's practice void things, the kings of the earth have taken their stand, and the rulers have gathered together one in purpose against the Lord and his Christ. Let us burst their bonds asunder and cast their yoke from office. He who dwells in the heavens will laugh them to scorn, and the Lord will mock them. In his wrath he will speak to them, and in his fury he will throw them into confusion. But by him I have been set as king upon Zion, his holy mountain, proclaiming the ordinance

3:10of the Lord. The Lord said to me, You are my Son, today I have begotten you, ask of me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, and the ends of the earth as your possession. You shall shepherd them with a rod of iron, and shatter them as a potter's vessel, and now o' kings understand, you who judge the earth be chasened, serve the Lord with fear, and exult in him with trembling. Lay hold of discipline, lest the Lord grow angry, and you perish from the righteous way, when his fury is kindled in haste. Blessed are all who have trusted in him. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forevermore. Amen. Today's Old Testament reading comes from the book of Deuteronomy, and we will be reading

4:11the third chapter, verses 1-29. And after we had turned, we went up the road to Bishan, and King Ag of Bishan came out to meet us, he and all his people for battle at a drain. And the Lord said to me, Do not fear him, for I have given him over into your hands, and all his people and all his land, and you shall do to him as you did to King Cihon of the Amorites, who used to live in Hechbun, and the Lord our God delivered him into our hands, in King Ag of Bishan and all his people. And we struck him down until we did not leave him off-spring, and at that time we captured all his cities. There was no city that we did not take from them, sixty cities, all the environs of our God, the kingdom of Ag in Bishan. All these were strong cities, high walls, gates, and bars, besides the very many cities of the parasites. We utterly destroyed them, as we did King Cihon of Hechbun, and we utterly destroyed every

5:13city in order, and the women and the children, and all the cattle and the spoils of the cities we plundered for ourselves. And at that time we took out the hands of the two Amorite kings, who were beyond the Jordan, the land from the Wadi Arnon up to Hermann. The Phoenicians named Hermann Sanior, and the Amorite named its Sanior. All were cities of Mysore, and all of Galad, and all of Bishan. As far as Selka and Adrain, cities of Augs kingdom in Bishan. Because only King Aug of Bishan was left from the Rephahine. Look, his bed was an iron bed. Look, it is in the citadel of the sons of Amon. By a man's forearm it is nine qubits long and four qubits wide. And we took possession of that land at that time, from a roar which is along the edge of the Wadi Arnon, and half of the mountainous area of Galad, and its cities I gave to Rupin and to Gad. And I gave to the half tribe of Manasseh the rest of Galad and all of Bishan, Augs kingdom,

6:18and all the environs of Argab, all of said Bishan. It will be reckoned a land of Rephahine. And Jair son of Manasseh took all the environs of Argab as far as the borders of Gargasi, and Homaqafi, and he named them after his name, Bishan Hauth Jair, until this day. And to Makir I gave Galad, and to Rupin and to Gad I gave from Galad as far as the Wadi Arnon, the middle of the Wadi being a boundary, and up to the Jabak, the Wadi being the boundary for the sons of Amon. The Arabah also and the Jordan being a boundary of Makhanarath, even up to the sea of Arabah, the salt sea, under Asadat the Fasca on the east. And at that time I commanded you saying, the Lord George God gave you this land as an allotment, proceed fully armed before your brothers the sons of Israel, every mighty one of you, only your wives and your children and your cattle, I know that you have much cattle, let them settle in your cities that I have given to you, until the Lord George

7:23God gives your brothers rest, as also you and they too will inherit the land that the Lord George God is giving them beyond the Jordan, and you will return each one to his inheritance that I have given to you. And I commanded Jesus at that time saying, your eyes have seen everything that the Lord George God has done to these two kings, so the Lord will do to all the kingdoms which you are about to cross into there. You shall not be fearful of them, for the Lord George or God himself will fight for you. At that time too I entreated the Lord saying, O Lord, Lord, you have begun to show your attendant your strength and your power and your strong hand and your high arm, for what God is there in the sky or on the earth, who will do as you have done, and according to your strength. After I cross over there for I will see this good land which is beyond the Jordan, this good mountainous area and the Antilebonon, and the Lord ignored me on your account and did not listen to me, and the Lord said to me, let it be sufficient for you, do not continue

8:28any longer to speak to me of this matter. Go up to the top of Hune and look with your eyes to the sea and the north and the southwest in the east and see with your eyes. For you shall not cross over this Jordan, and command Jesus and strengthen him and encourage him, because he will cross over ahead of this people, and it is he who will secure for them the possession of the land that you have seen, and we remain in a glen near the house of Fogor. This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Today's New Testament reading comes from the book of Matthew, and we will be reading the seventh chapter, verses 1 through 12. Judge not that you be not judged, for with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the spec that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

9:29Or how can you say to your brother, let me take the spec out of your eye when there is a log in your own eye. You hypocrite first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will seek clearly to take the spec out of your brother's eye. Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot, and turn to attack you. Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be open to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened, or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone, or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent. If you then who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him. So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the law and the prophets.

10:29This is the word of the Lord. Let us speak to God. Today's reading from the book of Concord comes from the apology of the Augsburg confession, and we will be reading Article 13, paragraphs 14 through 23. Marriage was not first instituted in the New Testament, but in the beginning, immediately after the creation of the human race. Furthermore, it has God's command. It has also promises, not truly having to do with the New Testament, but rather having to do with bodily life. Therefore, if anyone wishes to call it a sacrament, he or she should still distinguish it from those preceding ones. They are truly signs of the New Testament and testimonies of grace and the forgiveness of sins. But if marriage has the name sacrament because it has God's command, other states or offices also which have God's command, may be called sacraments as, for example, the government.

11:32Finally, if among the sacraments everything should be numbered that has God's command, and to which promises have been added, why do we not have prayer, which most truly can be called a sacrament? For it has both God's command and very many promises. If numbered among the sacraments, although in a more prominent place, it would encourage people to pray. Amms could also be counted here and likewise troubles. These are themselves signs to which God has added promises. But let us leave out these things, for no level-headed person will labor greatly about the number or the term, if only those things are still kept that have God's command and promises. It is more important to understand how the sacraments are to be used. Here we condemn the whole crowd of scholastic doctors, who teach that the sacraments give grace by the outward act, exoprioprato, without a good frame of mind on the part of the one using them. Provided he does not place a hindrance in the way. This is absolutely a Jewish opinion, to hold that we are justified by a ceremony, without

12:34a good tendency of the heart, that is without faith. Yet this ungodly and deadly opinion is taught with great authority throughout the entire realm of the Pope. Paul contradicts this and denies Romans 4.9 that Abraham was justified by circumcision. He asserts that circumcision was an illustration presented for exercising faith. So we teach that in the use of the sacraments, faith should be added. Faith should believe these promises, and receive the promise things offered in the sacrament. The reason is plain and thoroughly grounded. The promise is useless unless it is received by faith. The sacraments are the signs of the promises. Therefore, faith should be added in the use of the sacraments. If anyone uses the Lord's supper, he should use it by faith. This is a sacrament of the New Testament, as Christ clearly says, Luke 22-20. For this very reason, he should be confident that the free forgiveness of sins promised in the New Testament is offered. Let him receive this by faith.

13:36Let him comfort his alarmed conscience, and know that these testimonies are not false. They are as sure as though and still sure then, if God by a new miracle would declare from heaven that it was his will to grant forgiveness. What advantage would these miracles and promises be to an unbeliever? Here we speak of special faith that believes the present promise that the forgiveness of sins is offered. This use of the sacrament consoles godly and alarmed minds. We are not speaking of a faith that only in general believes that God exists. It is beyond words what abuses the fanatical opinion about outward works, Opusoparatum, has produced in the church without a good disposition on the part of the one using the sacraments. From it has come the endless profanation of the masses. We shall speak about this later. A single letter cannot be produced from the old writers that supports the scholastics in this matter. On the contrary, Augustine says the faith that uses the sacrament and not the sacrament

14:37justifies. And the declaration of Paul is well known, with the heart one believes and is justified. On the second hand, Paul is the most important person in the world. This concludes our reading from the book of Concord. I now invite all of you to join me in reciting the Lord's Prayer, one of the most ancient prayers of the church. I do encourage you to say it aloud if you are somewhere be reasonable to do so, but praying it silently is, of course, also fine. The Lord knows what is in your heart. Lord, remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray. 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. It lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and

15:41the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. Go in peace and grace to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in whatever calling has been given you, or tasks that before you. Until tomorrow, God be with you.