Daily Devotion for 06 September 2026 (15th Sunday after Pentecost)

0:00MUSIC Welcome to the Daily Devotions Podcast from Confident Faith. I am Corey J. Moller, a contributor here at Confident Faith. I will be your reader today. This 15th Sunday after Pentecost, the 6th of September. In the year of our Lord, 2026, in the time of the Church, there are no feasts, festivals or commemorations on the calendar today. For readings for today are Psalm 127, Psalm 128, 2 Kings 4, 8-37 Ephesians 5, 15-33, and

1:06paragraphs 257 through 261 of Article 5 of the apology of the Augsburg confession. We will close, as always. Let the Lord's Prayer. Today's first reading from the Psalter is the 127th Psalm. Unless the Lord builds a house, in vain have those who build it toiled. Unless the Lord guards a city, in vain has he who guards it kept sleepless watch. It is in vain for you to rise early to be raised after sitting. You who eat bread of pain, whenever he gives sleep to his beloved ones. Look, the inheritance of the Lord is sons, the wage of the fruit of her belly, as darts in the hand of a mighty one, so are the sons of those who have been shaken out. Blessed is he who will fill his desire out of them. He will not be put to shame whenever they speak to their enemies in a gate.

2:11Glory be to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and will be forevermore. Amen. Today's second reading from the Psalter is the 128th Psalm. Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who go in his ways. You will eat the fruits of your toils, you are blessed, and it will be well for you. Your wife is as a vine thriving in the sides of your house, your sons as young plants of olives around your table. Look, thus will the man be blessed who fears the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Zion, and may you see the good things of Jerusalem all the days of your life, and may you see sons of your sons, peace upon Israel. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

3:17As it was in the beginning, is now and will be forevermore. Amen. Today's Old Testament reading comes from the Book of Second Kings, and we will be reading the fourth chapter, verses 8 through 37. And a day came and a lightshap passed through to Soman, and a great woman was there, and she prevailed on him to eat bread. And it happened after enough of his entrances that he turned aside to eat there. And the woman said to her husband, look, indeed I knew that this man was a holy man of God. He regularly passes through to us. Let us now make for him an upper chamber, a small place, and put for him there a bed and a table and a chair and a lampstand, and it shall be when he enters to us that he shall turn aside there. And a day came and he entered there and turned aside to the upper chamber and lay down there. And he said to Gisi his lad, call to me this Somanite woman, and he called her and she stood

4:22before him. And he said to him, do say to her, be hold, you amazed us with all this amazement, what must be done for you. Is it a word on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the force? And she said, I am, I live among my own people. And he said, what must be done for her? And Gisi his lad said, actually she has no son and her husband is old. And he called her and she stood at the door. And Alisha said to her, at this season as the time is ripe, you shall have embraced a son. And she said, no my Lord, do not deceive your slave. And the woman conceived and bore a son at this season as the time was ripe, as Alisha said to her. And the child matured and it happened when the child went out to his father to the reapers that he said to his father, my head, my head. And he said to his lad, carry him to his mother and he carried him to his mother and he lay

5:25down on her knees until noon and he died. And she carried him up and laid him on the bed of the man of God and closed upon him and went out. And she called her husband and said, do send me one of the lads and one of the donkeys and I shall go quickly to the man of God and come back. And he said, why is it that you go to him today? It is neither new moon nor Sabbath. And she said, peace. And she saddled the donkey and said to her lad, lead, go, do not hold back for me to mount, for if I tell you, come on and you shall go and come to the man of God at the Carmelite mountain. And it happened as Alisha saw her coming that he said to Gese his lad, look, indeed there is that Somonite woman. Now run to meet her and you shall say, do you have peace? Does your husband have peace? Does the child have peace? And she said, peace. And she came to Alisha at the mountain and she caught hold of his feet and Gesey approached

6:27to push her away. And Alisha said, let her alone, for her soul is painful to her and the Lord hid it from me and did not tell me. Then she said, did I ask for a son from my Lord? Did I not say, you shall not go astray with me? And Alisha said to Gesey, gird up your loins and take my staff in your hand and go. For if you meet a man, you shall not bless him and if a man blesses you, you shall not answer him and you shall lay my staff on the face of the child. And the mother of the child said, the Lord lives and your soul lives if I will abandon you. And Alisha rose up and went after her. And Gesey went on ahead of her and laid the staff on the face of the child. But there was no sound and there was no hearing. And he went back to meet him and told him, saying, the child was not awakened. And Alisha entered into the house and behold the child was lying dead on his bed. And Alisha entered into the house and closed the door upon the two of them and prayed

7:31to the Lord. And he went up and lay upon the child and he put his mouth upon his mouth and his eyes upon his eyes and his hands upon his hands and he bent over him and the flesh of the child was warmed. And he turned around and walked to and fro in the house and went up and bent over the child until seven times and the child opened his eyes. And Alisha cried out to Gesey and said, call this Somonite woman and he called and she came into him and Alisha said, take your son and the woman came in and fell at his feet and did obeisance on the ground and she took her son and went out. This is the word of the Lord. Next be to God. Today's New Testament reading comes from the book of Ephesians and we will be reading the fifth chapter versus 15 through 33. Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time

8:34because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is and do not get drunk with wine for that is debauchery but be filled with the Spirit addressing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives submit to your own husbands as to the Lord for the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church his body and is himself its savior. Now as the church submits to Christ so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her that he might sanctify her having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word so that he might present the church to himself in splendor without spot or wrinkle or any such

9:35thing that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies he who loves his wife loves himself for no one ever hated his own flesh but nourishes and cherishes it just as Christ does the church because we are members of his body therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound and I am saying that it refers to Christ in the church however let each one of you love his wife is himself and let the wife see that she respects her husband. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Today's reading from the book of Concorde comes from the apology of the Augsburg confession and we will be reading Article 5, paragraph 257 through 261.

10:39Conclusion We are not arguing with the adversaries about a small matter. We are not trying to make a fine distinction when we find fault with them for teaching that we merit eternal life by works while fate that takes hold of Christ as mediator is left out. For there is not a syllable in the scholastics about this fate that believes the father is reconciled to us for Christ's sake. Everywhere they hold that we are accepted and righteous because of our works, completed either from reason or certainly worked by the inclination of that love they speak about. Yet they have certain sayings proverbs as it were of the old writers. They distort these in interpretation. In the schools it is boasted that good works please because of grace and that confidence must be put in God's grace. Here they understand grace as a habit by which we love God. It is as though the ancients meant that we should trust in our love. Even though from experience we know how small and how impure it is, it is strange how they

11:42ask us to trust in love since they teach us that we are not able to know whether it is present. Why do they not present the grace the mercy of God toward us? While they are at it they should add faith. For the promise of God's mercy, reconciliation and love toward us is not grasped unless by faith. With this view they would rightly say that we should trust in grace, that good works please because of grace, when faith takes hold of grace. In the schools it is brag that our good works work by virtue of Christ's passion. Well said, but why at nothing about faith? For Christ is an atoning sacrifice, as Paul says, by faith Romans 3.25, when fearful consciences are comforted by faith and are convinced that our sins have been blotted out by Christ's death and that God has been reconciled to us because of Christ's suffering, then indeed Christ's suffering profits us. If the teaching about faith is left out, saying that works are useful by virtue of Christ's

12:46passion is of no use at all. 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, honored 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. Our thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.

13:51Amen. Go in peace and grace to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in whatever calling has been given you, or tasks set before you, until tomorrow, God be with you.