Luther, Justification and Me

Yesterday i read a prayer letter from some dear friends. It mentioned that part of their new year routine was to get up earlier in the morning to spend more time reading the Bible before going to work. Amen, i'm there with you.

The only 'resolution' i made this year was to get up at 6am, so i could have a longer quiet time before heading off to work. Edwards probably wasn't joking when he said Christ recommended getting up early by rising early on the third day. Now 6am isn't very early by Pitt County standards, but it is only shortly after the time i'd go to bed in my student days, so it still presents a challenge to my motivation and discipline. 

So far all's been going well. I have my coffee, a chapter of 'What Jesus demands from the world' some prayer, my Bible schedule (leviticus and matthew at the moment) and then some of whatever book is next in Teen Church (Colossians at the moment). After this i go to work happy, satisfied, ready.

This morning, my time was unavoidably interrupted. Interrupted is the wrong word, cut short perhaps would be better. But anyway, i was out of routine. And here's the challenge that represents to me, how much is my standing with God based on what i do between 6-730 each morning.

I'm told that on his desk Luther had written something like 'Ex baptisma' meaning, 'i am baptised'. This was to remind him that his salvation was out side of himself. That his justification depended on something that he had not done. Not 'being baptised', that was his way of remembering the life, death and ressurection of Christ on his behalf. Luther knew that whatever he was doing, telling Melanchthon he hadn't sinned enough, building his bowling alley, or throwing an ink well at the Devil, he was safe, he was secure, his justification was outside of him.

I'd love to say that my quiet times leave happy, satisfied and ready because because my heart is filled by the glory of the Gospel of the happy God each morning. But more often than not, i'm happy because i can tick a box, i can file away 'devotions' for another morning. Justification by quiet time is the great evangelicalism of my generation. 

So on a flustered, irregular morning, what does Luther remind me? That i am a son of God through faith in Christ (Gal 3:26). And that is enough.