Daily Devotion for 15 September 2026 (16th Tuesday after Pentecost)

0:00Kamala Music 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 17th Tuesday after Pentecost, the 15th 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 1, Psalm 4, 2 Chronicles 34, 1-33, Colossians 2, 8-23,

1:02and paragraphs 1-10 of Article 12a 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 first Psalm. Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the Ampious, and has not stood in the way of sinners, and has not sat upon the seat of pestilent men. But his desire is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he will practice, by day and by night. He shall be as the tree, planted beside the outlets of the waters, which will give its fruit in its season, and its leaf shall not fall away, and whatsoever he may do shall be made to prosper along the way. Not so the Ampious, not so, but they are as the fine dust, which the wind casts out from the face of the earth. Therefore the Ampious shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the counsel of the just.

2:07For the Lord knows the way of the just, and the way of the Ampious shall perish. 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 fourth Psalm. When I called upon him the God of my righteousness harkened to me. In distress you made broad room for me. Have pity on me and harkened my prayer. Sons of men how long will you be heavy-hearted? Why do you love emptiness and hunt after falsehood? No then that the Lord has made his holy one a thing of wonder. The Lord will harkened to me when I have cried out toward him. Be angry yet do not sin, speak in your hearts, and upon your beds be stung to the quick.

3:08Offer a sacrifice of righteousness, and set your hope upon the Lord. Many say who will show us good things, the light of your face has been marked as a sign upon us O Lord. You have put gladness into my heart. From the season of their grain and wine and oil they have been multiplied. In peace all at once I shall lie down in sleep, for you O Lord alone have settled me to dwell upon hope. 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 2 Chronicles, and we will be reading the 34th chapter, verses 1-33. Josiahs was 8 when he became king and reigned 31 years in Jerusalem, and he did what was right before the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David, and did not stray to right or left.

4:17And in the eighth year of his reign, and he was still a lad, he began to seek the Lord. God of David his father, and in the twelfth year of his reign he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, and the groves and smelted items, and he pulled down in front of him the altars of the Ba'alim, and the high places on them. And he cut down the groves, and demolished the carved and smelted items, and pulverized and threw them upon the memorials, to those who had sacrificed to them, and the bones of the priests he burned on the altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem. And in the cities of Ephraim and Manasseh and Simon and Naftali, and in reference to their sites round about, he also pulled down the groves in the altars, and demolished the idols into smithereens, and cut down all the groves from off the land of Israel, and returned to Jerusalem. And in the 18th year of his reign, in order to purge the land in the house, he sent out Safan son of Azaleaus, and Messiah's ruler of the city, and Joach son of Joachans his recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God, and they came to Calcheus the Great Priest, and delivered the money that had been brought into the house of God, which the Levites in guarding the gate had collected from the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and the rulers and from everyone left in Israel.

5:42And the sons of Judah and Benjamin, and people living in Jerusalem, and those appointed in the Lord's house gave it into the hand of people doing the tasks, and they gave it to people doing the tasks who were working in the Lord's house, to make preparations to restore the house, and they gave it to the carpenters and the builders to buy squared stones and wood as beams to roof the houses, which kings of Judah had utterly destroyed. And there were the men faithfully in charge of operations, and over them as overseers were the Levites' death and obdeus, from the sons of Mirari, and Zakarius and Mosulam from the sons of Ka'ah, to oversee and every Levite everyone skilled in instruments of singers, and over the burden bears and over all those doing the tasks, chor by chor, and some of the Levites were scribes and judges and gatekeepers. And as they were bringing out the money that had been collected into the Lord's house, Kelkeus the priest found a book of the Lord's law through the hand of Moses, and Kelkeus answered and said to Safan the scribe, a book of the law I have found in the Lord's house, and Kelkeus gave the book to Safan.

6:54And Safan brought the book to the king and rendered it further account to the king. All the donated money is in the hand of your servants who are doing the task, and they have smelted the silver found in the Lord's house, and have given it into the hand of the overseers, and into the hand of those doing the work. And Safan the scribe reported to the king saying, Kelkeus the priest has given me a book, and Safan read it before the king, and it happened when the king heard the words of the law, he rent his garments, and the king commanded Kelkeus and Safan's son Akinam, and Abdon my keus is son, and Safan the scribe, and Asyaas the king servant saying, go and inquire of the Lord concerning me, and concerning everyone who is left in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book that has been found, because the Lord's wrath kindled against us is great, because our fathers did not listen to the words of the Lord to act in accordance with all that is written in this book.

7:57And Kelkeus went, and those to whom the king had spoken, to hold the prophetess, wife of Salam, son of Takua, son of Kiles, since she kept the vestments and she lived in Jerusalem and Masana, and they spoke to her to that effect, and she said to them, thus said the Lord God of Israel, say to the man who sent you to me, thus says the Lord, behold I am bringing harm against this place, all the words that are written in the book that was read before the king of Judah, since they have forsaken me, and have offered incense to foreign gods, so that they have provoked me to anger with all the works of their hands, and my wrath is blazed in this place, and it will not be quenched. And as to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you say this to him, thus says the Lord God of Israel, as for the words that you heard, and your heart was embarrassed, and you were humbled from before me, when you heard my words regarding this place, and regarding those who inhabited, and you were humbled before me in tore your garments and you wept before me.

9:09I on my part also heard you, says the Lord, behold I will adjudge you to your fathers, and you shall be added to your memorials in peace, and your eyes shall not see among all the harm that I am bringing upon this place and upon its inhabitants, and they gave back word to the king, and the king sent and gathered the elders of Judah and Jerusalem, and the king went up to the Lord's house, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, both the priests and the Levites and all the people from great to small, and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant that had been found in the Lord's house, and the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord to walk before the Lord, to keep his commandments and testimonies and ordinances with his whole heart, and with his whole soul, the words of the covenant that are written in this book, and he made all those found in Jerusalem and Benjamin stand, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem made a covenant in the house of the Lord, God of their fathers, and Josiahs removed all the abominations from the entire land, which belonged to the sons of Israel, and he made all those found in Jerusalem and Israel, be subject to the Lord their God, all his days.

10:25He did not stray from behind the Lord, God of his fathers. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Today's New Testament reading comes from the book of Colossians, and we will be reading the second chapter, verses 8-23. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ, for in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands by putting off the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead, and you who were dead in your trespasses in the uncircumcision of your flesh.

11:29God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by cancelling the record of death that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphant over them in him. 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. Let no one disqualify you, insisting on a setissism and worship of angels, going on to detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body nourished and it together, through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why is if you were still alive in the world to you submit to regulations,

12:30do 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 aseticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. 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 12A, Paragraphs 1-10. Article 12A, Repentance. In Article 12, the adversaries approve the first part, in which we present this. Those who have fallen after baptism may obtain the forgiveness of sins, whenever and as often as they are converted. They condemn the second part, in which we say that the parts of repentance are contrition and faith.

13:35They deny that faith is the second part of repentance. O Charles, most invincible emperor, what should we do? This is the very voice of the gospel, through faith we obtain the forgiveness of sins. These writers of the computation condemn this voice of the gospel. Therefore we can in no way agree to the computation. We cannot condemn the voice of the gospel. It is beneficial and full of comfort. What else is the denial that we obtain the forgiveness of sins by faith, then contempt for Christ's blood and death? We beg you O Charles, most unconquerable emperor, patiently and diligently hear and examine this most important subject. It contains the chief topic of the gospel, the true knowledge of Christ and the true worship of God. For all good people will determine that especially on this subject, we have topped things that are true, godly, beneficial and necessary for Christ's soul church. All good people will determine from the writings of our theologians that very much light has been added to the gospel.

14:39And many deadly errors have been corrected. By these errors through the opinions of the scholastics and canonists, the doctrine of repentance was previously covered up. Before we defend our position, we must say this, all good people of all situations, even the theological profession, undoubtedly confess that the teaching of repentance was very much confused before Luther's writings appeared. Theologians were never able to explain satisfactorily the numberless questions found in the books of the commentaries on the sentences. The people could not grasp the big picture nor could they see what things were necessary for repentance in which peace of conscience could be found. Let any one of the adversaries come forth and tell us when the forgiveness of sins takes place. Oh, good God, there is such darkness. The adversaries do not know whether the forgiveness of sins happens in attrition or contrition. If forgiveness happens because of contrition, why do we need absolution? What does the power of the keys bring about? If sins have been forgiven already?

15:45Here they work even harder and wickedly divert from the power of the keys. Some imagine that guilt is not forgiven by the power of the keys, but that eternal punishments are changed into temporal ones. So the most beneficial power would be the service, not of life in the Spirit, but only of God's anger and punishments. The more cautious imagine that sins are forgiven before the church and not before God by the power of the keys. This also is a deadly error, for if the power of the keys does not comfort us before God, what will quiet the conscience? What follows is even more involved. The adversaries teach that we merit grace by contrition. In reference to this, if anyone should ask why Saul, Judas and similar persons who were dreadfully contrite, did not receive grace, here is the answer. We take it from faith and according to the gospel, that Judas did not believe. He did not support himself by the gospel and Christ promise. For faith shows the distinction between the contrition of Judas and of Peter. But the adversaries take their answer from the law that Judas did not love God but feared the punishments.

16:55When will a terrified conscience be able to decide whether it fears God for his own sake or is fleeing from eternal punishments? The Psalms and the prophets describe those serious true and great terrors, which the truly converted experience. Such great emotions can be distinguished in letters and terms, but they are not separated in fact, as these dear philosophers imagine. Here we appeal to the judgments of all good and wise people. Undoubtedly they will confess that these discussions and the writings of the adversaries are very confused and intricate. Still the most important subject is its stake. The chief topic of the gospel, the forgiveness of sins. In the writings of the adversaries, this entire doctrine about these questions is full of errors and hypocrisy and clouds over Christ's benefit, the power of the keys and the righteousness of faith. This concludes our reading from the book of Concorde.

17:57I 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 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 leads 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 has been given you or tasks set before you. Until tomorrow, God be with you.

19:07Amen. Amen.