Daily Devotion for 11 September 2026 (15th Friday after Pentecost)

0:00Although, I have prepared a verse for the sentir islands within me. Welcome 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 16th Friday after Pentecost, the 11th 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. Our readings for today are Psalm 44, Psalm 100, 2 Chronicles 29, 1-24, Philippians 3,

1:001-21, and paragraphs 25-35 of Article 7 of 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 44th Psalm. O God, in our ears we have heard, our Father's announced to us a work which you worked in their days, in ancient days, your hand utterly destroyed nations and you planted them, you afflicted peoples and you cast them out, and not by their broadsword did they inherit land, and their arm did not save them, but your right hand and your arm and the lighting of your face, because you were well pleased in them. You yourself are my King and my God, who commands the salvation of Jacob. In you we shall gore our enemies, and in your name we shall set at not, those who rise

2:04up against us. For I will not set my hope upon my bow, and my broadsword will not save me. For you saved us from those who crush us, and those who hate us you put to shame. In God we shall be praised the whole day, and in your name we shall make acknowledgement unto the age. But now you have thrust us away and put us to shame, and you will not go out among our forces. You have turned us back beside our enemies, and those who hate us were plundering for themselves. You have given us as sheep for eating, and among the nations you have scattered us. You sold your people without a price, and there was no multitude in their exchanges. You have set us as a reproach to our neighbors, a sneer and a laughing stock to those round about us. You have set us as a comparison among the nations, a moving of the head among the peoples. The whole day my confusion is over against me, and the shame of my face has covered me,

3:06and the voice of one who reproaches and speaks aside. From the face of an enemy and of one who pursues, all these things have come upon us, and we have not forgotten you, and we have not done injustice in your covenant, and our heart has not drawn back, and you have turned our paths aside from your road, because you have humbled us in a place of affliction, and a shade of death has covered us over. If we had forgotten the name of our God, and if we had spread out our hands sort of God belonging to another, we'll not God seek these things out, for He Himself knows the hidden things of the heart. Because for your sake we are being put to death the whole day, we have been reckoned as sheep of slaughter. Be roused why do you sleep, O Lord? Stand up, and do not thrust us away into the end. Why do you turn your face away, and forget our bakery and our crushing? Because our soul has been humbled into dust, our belly has been glued to earth, stand

4:09up O Lord, help us, and ransom us for the sake of your name. 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 second reading from the Psalter is the 100th Psalm. Mercy and judgment I will sing to you, O Lord, I will pluck, and I will understand in an unblemished song. When will you come to me? I was going through in the guilelessness of my heart, in the midst of my house. I did not set before my eyes a thing beside the law. Those who do transgressions I hated. A crooked heart did not cling to me, as the evil one was turning aside from me. I did not know him. The one who speaks against his neighbor in secret, this one I was driving out, a man of

5:12proud eye and insatiable heart, with this one I was not eating. My eyes are upon the faithful of the earth, that they may sit together with me. One who goes in an unblemished way, this one was serving me. One who does pride was not dwelling in the midst of my house. One who speaks unjust things was not going straight before my eyes. In the mornings I was killing all the sinners of the earth, to utterly destroy from the city of the Lord, all who work the injustice. For he 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 2 Chronicles, and we will be reading the 29th chapter, verses 1 through 24.

6:12And as a chias became king at age 25, and reigned 29 years in Jerusalem, and his mother's name was Abba, daughter of Zakarias, and he did what was right before the Lord, just as his father David had done. And it happened that, when he was established over his kingdom, in the first month he opened the doors the Lord's house and repaired them. And he brought in the priests and the Levites and placed them on the side toward the east. And he said to them, Listen Levites, now be purified, and purify the house of the Lord, God of your fathers, and cast out cleanness from the holy places. Because our fathers were apostate, and did what was evil before the Lord, and abandoned him and turned their face from the Lord's tent, and gave their neck and shut the doors of the shrine, and put out the lamps. And they did not burn incense, and did not offer whole burnt offerings in the holy place to Israel's God. And the Lord was angered with anger against Judah and against Jerusalem, and gave them

7:14into terror, and into annihilation, and into scorn, as you see with your very eyes. And behold your fathers were struck by dagger, and your sons and your daughters and your wives are in captivity, in a land not their own, which even now is the case. As a result of these things, it is now in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, and he will turn the anger of his wrath from us. And now do not delay, because the Lord has chosen for you to stand before him, to minister, and to be ministers and incense burners for him. And the Levites arose, ma'ath the Son of Amassi, and Joel the Son of Azirayis from the sons of Ka'ah. And from the sons of Mirari, Kish the Son of Abdi, and Azirayis the Son of Jalalel. And from the sons of Gedsoni, Joa the Son of Zaman, and Jodan the Son of Joaka. And of the sons of Elisophon, Zambri and Giel, and of the sons of Asaf, Zakirayis and Mathathias.

8:16And of the sons of Haimon, Giel and Simei, and of the sons of Idithon, Samayis and Ozeel. And they gathered their brothers and were purified according to the King's command, through the Lord's ordinance to cleanse the Lord's house. And the priests entered inside the Lord's house to purify it and throughout all the uncleaness that they found in the Lord's house, and into the court of the Lord's house. And the Levites took it to toss it out into the Wadi-Kidron outside. And they began to purify on the first day, on the new moon of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month, they entered into the Lord's shrine and purified the Lord's house in eight days. And they finished on the sixteenth day of the first month. And they went inside to King Hizakaya's and said, we have purified everything in the Lord's house, the altar for whole burnt offerings, and its utensils, the table of presentation, and its utensils, and all the utensils which King Aekaz defiled during his reign in his apostasy.

9:16We have made ready and purified. See they are in front of the Lord's altar. And King Hizakaya's early in the morning gathered the rulers of the city and went up to the Lord's house. And he brought seven cows, seven rams, seven lambs, seven hegoats of goats for sin, for the kingdom and for the holy things and for Israel. And he told the priests the sons of Aaron to go up to the Lord's altar, and they sacrificed the calves and the priests received the blood and poured it on the altar. And they sacrificed the rams and poured the blood on the altar. And they sacrificed the lambs and poured the blood on the altar. And they brought the hegoats for sin in front of the King in the assembly and laid their hands on them. And the priests sacrificed them. And they atoned with their blood at the altar. And they atoned for all Israel. Because the King said the whole burnt offering in the victims for sin offerings were for all Israel. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

10:21Today's New Testament reading comes from the Book of Philippians, and we will be reading the third chapter versus one through twenty-one. Finally, my brothers rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. Look out for the dogs. Look out for the evil doers. Look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh. Though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more. Circumcised on the eighth day of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, as to the law, a Pharisee, as to Zeal, a persecutor of the church, as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus

11:23my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and may share His sufferings becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. Brothers I do not consider that I have made it my own, but one thing I do, for getting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise,

12:24God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. Brothers join in imitating me and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us, for many of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their God is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things, but our citizenship is in heaven. And from it we await His Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him, even to subject all things to Himself. This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Today's reading from the book of Concord comes from the apology of the Augsburg confession.

13:24And we will be reading Article 7, paragraphs 25 through 35. Now if we would define the church in this way, we would perhaps have fairer judges. For there exist many excessive and wicked writings about the Pope of Rome's power, for which no one has ever been charged. We alone are blamed, because we proclaim Christ's graciousness, that by faith in Christ we obtain forgiveness of sins, and not by worship ceremonies created by the Pope. Furthermore, Christ, the prophets, and the apostles, divine Christ's church, vary differently from the papal kingdom. Neither must we transfer to the Pope's what belongs to the true church, as though the Pope's are pillars of the truth who do not err. How many of the Pope's care for the gospel, or judge that it is worth being read? Many in Italy and elsewhere, even publicly ridicule all religions. Or if they approve anything, they approve only things that are in harmony with human reason. They regard the rest like fables, and like the tragedies of the poets.

14:28According to the Scriptures, we hold that the church, properly called, is the congregation of saints who truly believe Christ's gospel, and have the Holy Spirit. We confess that in this life many hypocrites and wicked people are mixed in with these. They have the fellowship in outward signs, are members of the church according to this fellowship in outward signs, and so hold offices in the church. Each administer the sacraments, and bear the title and name of Christians. However, the fact that the sacraments are administered by the unworthy does not detract from the sacraments' power. Because of the call of the church, the unworthy still represent the person of Christ, and do not represent their own persons as Christ testifies. The one who hears you hears me, Luke 10-16. Even Judas was sent to preach. When they offer God's word, when they offer the sacraments, they offer them in the stead and place of Christ. Those words of Christ teach us not to be offended by the unworthiness of the ministers.

15:32In the confession we said clearly enough that we condemn the donatists and wikelifites. They thought that people sinned when they received the sacraments from the unworthy in the church. These points seem for the present to be enough for the defense of our description of the church. Neither do we see how, when the church properly called, is named the body of Christ. It should be described differently from how we have described it. For it is clear that the wicked belong to the devil's kingdom and body. He drives them on and holds them captive. Such things are clearer than the light of noon day. However, if the adversaries continue to pervert them, we will not hesitate to reply at greater length. The adversaries also condemn the part of Article VII in which we said that, for the true unity of the church, it is enough to agree about the doctrine of the gospel and the administration of the sacraments. It is not necessary that human traditions, that is, rights or ceremonies, instituted by men, should be the same everywhere.

16:33Here they distinguish between universal and particular rights. They approve our article if it is understood concerning particular rights. They do not approve it concerning universal rights. We do not completely understand what the adversaries mean. We are speaking of true spiritual unity, without faith in the heart or righteousness of heart before God, such unity cannot exist. Similarity of human ceremonies, whether universal or particular, is not necessary. The righteousness of faith is not a righteousness bound to certain traditions. The righteousness of the law was bound to the mosaic ceremonies. The righteousness of the heart is a matter that in liveans the heart. Human traditions, whether they are universal or particular, contribute nothing to this new life. Neither are traditions effects of the Holy Spirit, as our self-control patients the fear of God, love for one's neighbor and the works of love. The reasons why we presented this article were not small. Clearly many foolish opinions about traditions have crept into the church.

17:36Some thought that human traditions were necessary services for earning justification. Afterward they argued how God came to be worship with such variety, as though these observances were acts of worship and not outward in political ordinances. Such ordinances have no connection with the righteousness of heart or the worship of God. These ordinances vary according to the circumstances for certain probable reasons, sometimes in one way and at other times in another. Likewise some churches have excommunicated others because of such traditions as the observance of Easter, icons and the like. So the ignorant have imagined that faith or the righteousness of the heart before God cannot exist without these ceremonies. Many foolish writings of the Summiss and of others exist on this matter. We believe that the true unity of the church is not injured by dissimilar ceremonies instituted by men. Just as the dissimilar length of day and night does not injure the unity of the church. However, it is pleasing to us that for the sake of peace, universal ceremonies are kept.

18:41We also willingly keep the order of the mass in the churches, the Lord's Day and other more famous festival days. With a very grateful mind we include the beneficial and ancient ordinances, especially since they contain a discipline. This discipline is beneficial for educating and training the people and those who are ignorant the young people. We are not discussing now whether it is helpful to keep them because of peace or bodily profit. We speak of something else. The question at hand is whether the observances of human traditions are acts of worship necessary for righteousness before God. This is the point to be judged in this controversy. When this is decided, it can be judged later whether it is necessary that human tradition should everywhere be the same for the true unity of the church. For if human traditions are not acts of worship necessary for righteousness before God, it follows that those not having the traditions received elsewhere can be righteous and the sons of God as well. For example, if the style of German clothing is not worship of God and necessary for righteousness

19:44before God, it follows that people can be righteous in God's sons and Christ's church, even though they use a costume that is not German but French. Paul clearly teaches this to the Colossians. Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ, chapter 2 verses 16 through 17. Likewise, if with Christ you die to the elemental spirits of the world, why is if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations, do not handle, do not taste, do not touch, referring to things that all perish as they are used, according to human precepts and teachings. These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism, chapter 2 verses 20 through 23. This concludes our reading from the book of Concorde.

20:46I 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 the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. Go in peace and grace to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in whatever calling

21:47has been given you, or tasks set before you, until tomorrow. God be with you.