Day by Day We Magnify You: Daily Readings for the Entire Year: Selected from the Writings of Martin Luther by Martin Luther (1-Sep-2008) Paperback

by Martin Luther

Drawn from Martin Luther's sermons and other works, this manual of daily meditations concentrates on thoughts of Christ and Christian life. These statements of faith, bound together by a central theme for each week, offer insightful, inspirational reading for daily reflection.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Christianity, Faith, Theology, Devotional

Paperback

First published January 1, 1950

About the author

Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a German monk, theologian, university professor and church reformer whose ideas inspired the Protestant Reformation and changed the course of Western civilization.

Luther's theology challenged the authority of the papacy by holding that the Bible is the only infallible source of religious authority and that all baptized Christians under Jesus are a spiritual priesthood. According to Luther, salvation was a free gift of God, received only by true repentance and faith in Jesus as the Messiah, a faith given by God and unmediated by the church.

Luther's confrontation with Charles V at the Diet of Worms over freedom of conscience in 1521 and his refusal to submit to the authority of the Emperor resulted in his being declared an outlaw of the state as he had been excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. Because of the perceived unity of the medieval Church with the secular rulers of western Europe, the widespread acceptance of Luther's doctrines and popular vindication of his thinking on individual liberties were both phenomenal and unprecedented.

His translation of the Bible into the vernacular, making it more accessible to ordinary people, had a tremendous political impact on the church and on German culture. It furthered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation of the English King James Bible. His hymns inspired the development of congregational singing within Christianity. His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage within Protestantism.

Much scholarly debate has concentrated on Luther's writings about the Jews. His statements that Jews' homes should be destroyed, their synagogues burned, money confiscated and liberty curtailed were revived and used in propaganda by the Nazis in 1933–45. As a result of this and his revolutionary theological views, his legacy remains controversial.

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annually eager to find good daily devotional resources, I decided this year to dive into Martin Luther. This book, following the liturgical year, provided a daily verse and reflection which came from one of Luther's many and various writings, followed by a simple concluding prayer for the day. If one wasn't familiar with Luther's understanding of theology and the centrality of Jesus Christ, you would be by the time you got to December 31. Some of Luther's perspective might be a little hard for readers to receive in our modern time, yet other passages spoke so very loud and clear to people who seek to follow Christ in the 21st century. May days now feature sticky notes which I have placed on passages which spoke directly to me. And, I suspect, I will again use this book as a daily resource in a coming year. I would highly recommend this as a devotional resource to anyone who seeks to walk the challenging road of discipleship.

[Lou Florio · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this a helpful guide over the last year. Luther always has some sharp insights, but remember he was a man of his time. Some of his writings might not resonate with those who aren’t versed in Church history and theology - especially Reformation issues or Lutheranism. As a pastor, I found it often a helpful resource to help me prepare for Sunday’s. It’s a helpful format to reconsider his writings without being a scholar, and it serves well for daily meditation following the liturgical year.

[Tim Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent daily devotion...

[Jose-Luis La Torre-Cuadros · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful devotional readings following the church years. I used it with my daily prayer practice.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gift from my dad. I enjoyed going through this with him and sharing our thoughts. Finished a bit early to make room for an advent devotional.

[Joni · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic devotional that covers the entire church year with special prayers for holy days. Beautiful, succinct and deeply uplifting; these short gems that include scripture verses will uplift, comfort and guide a reader seeking faith based direction and maturity.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been my bedtime read every night for the last two years. Writings are short and taken from a wide variety of Luther's works, many that I had never encountered in his more widely read writings/sermons. In this book we sit down with a father, brother, pastor, and fellow sufferer in the Christian faith and we are given words of law that cut to the deepest parts of the heart's hidden sins, and then washed with the fountains of living water of grace as Luther endears us not to himself, as so many modern theologians like to do, but to Christ. This one earns a permanent place in the family library.

[Ruth Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luther has such beautiful insights, and each day’s reading is short enough to finish in less than five minutes. Excellent choice for a daily through-the-year devotional.