Day by Day with Martin Luther

Read: Ezekiel 39:1-43:27 James 2:18-5:20 Proverbs 28:2-7

“Praise God at All Times”

Since we neither acknowledged nor praised God as our benefactor in peace and prosperity, as we should have done, it has pleased Him that now we should acknowledge and praise Him through the cross and adversity. We did not serve God with gladness in security, and so He is pleased that we serve Him with gladness in fear and rejoice with trembling.
This is the cross of Christ, and the way in which we are saved. Those who follow human opinion, reason, and wisdom will be offended by our Lord and will one day perish. SAVE THEM, OH LORD! This, then, is the meaning: when Christ the Lord reigns with His iron scepter and crushes the old man within us through the Word of the cross, according to the will and command of the Father, who has subjected everything to Him, you must recognize yourself as subjected to Him. And so, we bear our cross in all patience and humility, knowing the greater cross that our dear Christ bore for us.