5. Finally, it is my duty to obey Him, my Father. I know that God is my Father, and I am His child. How can a child show his love and his gratitude toward his father better than by obeying him? So will I render my thanks unto my heavenly Father by cheerfully and willingly obeying Him and by doing according to His commandments. Above all, I will, according to His First Commandment, love Him and trust in Him, my Father, in every need and danger, firmly believing that He will never leave nor forsake me.
6. "This is most certainly true." With these words we conclude our First Article. These words are the explanation of the word Amen which we find at the end of our Creed. Amen means: "This is most certainly true." We declare it to be most certainly true what we have confessed and what we believe. It is most certainly true that God has made me and still preserves me. It is most certainly true that God has given me my body and soul, that He provides for me and defends, guards, and protects me. It is most certainly true that He has done all this purely out of His fatherly, divine goodness and mercy. It is most certainly true that God is my almighty Father whom I, His child, am in duty bound to thank and praise, to serve and obey. From God's Word we know that all this is most certainly true.
REMEMBER:—
1. God is our heavenly Father, our greatest Benefactor; therefore we should thank and praise, serve and obey Him. Let us never forget all His benefits.
2. We thank God when we believe and acknowledge it to be true that all we have is the gift of God's goodness and mercy, given us without any merit or worthiness in us.—We praise Him when we glorify Him and His gracious deeds also before our fellow-men.
3. We serve our heavenly Father by devoting all the powers of body and soul, all of which are His gifts, not to the service of sin and Satan, but to the service of our fellow-men and of the Church of God.—We obey Him by fulfilling His will, by keeping His commandments, especially by loving Him and trusting in Him.
MEMORIZE:—
What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me? Ps. 116,12.
O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; because His mercy endureth forever. Ps. 118,1.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits! Ps. 103,2.