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- February 5 -
... I will bless thee, and make thy name great;
and thou shalt be a blessing:
(Genesis 12:2)

Coleridge, the poet, in a letter written a fortnight before his death and addressed to his godchild, says: "On the eve of my departure I declare to you that health is a great blessing; competence, obtained by honorable industry, a great blessing; and a great blessing it is to have kind, faithful, and loving friends and relatives; but that the greatest blessing, as it is the most ennobling of all privileges, is to be, indeed, a Christian."

How truly we see that exemplified in Abraham, to whom God addresses the words of our text. Because Abraham walked before God in humble obedience of faith all the days of his life, God Himself was his Shield and exceeding great Reward, blessing him with good fortune, with length of days, with Isaac, the child of his old age, above all with the gracious covenant in Christ Jesus, the promised Redeemer. Even to this day Abraham's name is great among the families of the earth. Even today his great example of faith provides a blessing to all who with him believe in their Covenant God, the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Verily, the blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it; for, unlike the boasted wealth and fortunes of the world, it is free from the stain of sin and sanctifies the heart and keeps it with God.

Let a Christian be ever so humble, poor, and lowly in the eyes of the unbelieving world, he has far richer blessings than the richest ruler or merchant possesses. He is blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, and these abide forever. His name is great, and it is written in the Book of Life. With his faith, which worketh by love, he proves a blessing to his fellow men. This sinful world would have perished long ago if it were not for God's blest children, His Christians, who are the salt of the earth and the saving light of the world (Matthew 5:13, 14).

What is the world to me
With all its vaunted pleasure
When Thou, and Thou alone,
Lord Jesus, art my Treasure!
Thou only, dearest Lord,
My soul's Delight shalt be.
Thou art my Peace, my Rest -
What is the world to me!

The world abideth not;
It rapidly must vanish;
With all its gorgeous pomp
Pale death it cannot banish.
Its riches pass away,
And all its joys must flee;
But Jesus doth abide -
What is the world to me!

    The Lord's Prayer
    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; And 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.

    Benediction
    The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all.
    Amen.

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[devotion text by Rev. F. W. Herzberger (1920) -
from the Family Altar - CPH (1957 edition)]
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