The daily Luther
27th July
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
John 15 (xvi)
These are the virtues of a truly devout pastor or preacher: he increases God's kingdom, he fills heaven with saints, he plunders booty from Hell, he robs the Devil, defends against Death, keeps Sin under control and after all this, he instructs the world and consoles each person according to his station in life. He maintains peace and unity, educates the young in an excellent fashion and plants virtue everywhere among his people. In short, he creates a new world and does not build an ephemeral, wretched hovel, but instead, an eternal, beautiful paradise in which God Himself dwells. This is why neither a silver-mine nor even a goldmine in any country on earth can compare with this treasure.
The complete Luther - "A Meditation for Each Day of the Year" is available as a biligual (English and German) BREVIARY published by Wartburg Verlag Weimar. It can be purchased in English, world-wide from most internet book shops.