Reformation Week
In Him we live and move and have our being. Acts 17:28a
Not one person is here by accident or luck. No one walks through life hidden from the Lord’s view or beyond His reach. That was true of Martin Luther of Germany (1483-1546). Luther was used by God to reform (change for the better) the Christian church of Europe which had veered away from the Bible. These Reformation truths would later be brought to America by settlers and immigrants.
Luther was born on November 10, 1483. His early life had twists and turns. None were by accident, luck, or fate. The Lord was molding him. Luther was born in Eisleben, Germany, the son of a copper miner. His parents moved to Mansfeld. He went to school there until age thirteen, then moved to nearby Magdeburg for a year. After Magdeburg, he went to school in Eisenach. Eisenach was a very pleasant place for him. He developed close ties with Conrad and Ursula Cotta, who provided care for him. When he finished at Eisenach, he went to the University of Erfurt. His father planned for him to study law.
How many schools have you attended in life? Did your family move? Did you live away from home for some years of school? Did another family befriend you, to whom you remained close? Be assured, nothing has happened by accident. It was all part of the Lord’s molding you for the rest of your life!
At the university, Luther did well. However, after four years he discontinued, gave up his possessions, and entered a monastery. He was searching for peace with God for his sins. He thought that secluded from the world and devoted in service to God, he would find that peace.
God wants to bring everyone to know peace with Him. This peace is in Jesus. In Christ the crucified and risen Son of God, God says “Forgiven! Peace!” It’s yours by faith! Trust Him! That is where God was eventually leading Martin Luther. That is where He has been leading you. No accident.
Lord, help me to grasp that You are leading me in life to eternal life through Jesus! Amen!