Saint Louis, Missouri, United States - Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour "Tested by Fire" Friday, 25 July 2014

Saint Louis, Missouri, United States - Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour "Tested by Fire" Friday, 25 July 2014
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.(Psalm 18:2)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: 
The salvation story of Jesus Christ reaches around the world. So that the readers of our Daily Devotion may see the power of the Savior on a global scale, we have asked the volunteers of our International Ministry Centers to write our Friday devotions. We pray that the Spirit may touch your day through their words.
In Christ, I remain, His servant and yours,
Kenneth R. Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
When I married, I was still very young.
We lived one and a half years with my in-laws until my husband and I finally moved to our own home. After we had lived four months in that new house something most unexpected happened: our home caught fire. There was no explanation or reason, but our home, with everything we owned, was engulfed in flames. When the fire was out, there was nothing left to salvage.
You can understand when I tell you that fire had a tremendous impact on our lives.
For a whole month I had a lump in my throat, I knew I should not blame God for what had happened to me, but I could not understand how He had allowed this catastrophe. Although today I am ashamed to confess it, honesty forces me to confess: I was angry with God. I found myself unable to pray. Indeed, there were moments when I wanted to leave God.
Thankfully, things did not stay that way.
Gradually things began to change, and with that change came one of the greatest lessons of my life. After that fire, in His love, the Lord sent His people, His representatives, my brothers and sisters in Christ. With them they brought gifts. Yes, there were gifts of things that helped us economically, but these folks, reflecting the love they had received from the Savior, also brought themselves and emotional support too.
It was a test which made me realize that we should not cling to earthly things, especially if those things get in the way of the Lord's relationship with His beloved children.
Today I am happy to acknowledge my many debts to God almighty, the Creator of the whole universe, the Redeemer of the world. Although constant struggles say it will never be easy to live in this world, we can be confident He is with us. In those times when we feel overwhelmed by the pains and problems of this world, the Lord is there.
Jesus, knowing our situation in this sinful life, did all that was necessary to bring us salvation. His life, death and resurrection are proof of God's grace. It is why we can believe Him when He says, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid" (John 14:27).
Jesus has done all that was necessary to save us. Now He sends His Holy Spirit who will keep us until Jesus comes again and will take us to be with Him. Confident of the Savior's power and care, I know that when my new house burned, Jesus was still with me and trying to let me know that God had not forsaken me.
It is my prayer, that in no matter what situation you may find yourself, you know that God is there with you too.
THE PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for helping us through difficult trials. We rejoice in the forgiveness of sins, which is given to all who are brought to faith in the Redeemer. Now we ask that You will, in every situation, give us a heart to trust in You. We praise You for rescuing us and giving us eternal life. This we ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.
Lutheran Hour Ministries has always stood for bringing Christ to the Nations, but we also want to share the Savior with those who are close by. If you would like to know more about how you can be prepared to bear witness to the Savior, we are having an outreach conference called SENT, in Detroit, from July 24-July 27. You can learn more at www.lhm.org/conference. 
Biography of Author: Today's international devotion was written by Lidia Mathias. She was born in Paraguay on July 27, 1971. She is a member of the Lutheran Congregation of San Buenaventura, and is married to Mario Mathias. They have been blessed with two daughters and a granddaughter. Lutheran Hour Ministries-Paraguay was established in 1999 in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay, a South American country of approximately seven million people. This ministry center's staff and volunteers make personal visits, host rallies and lectures, and visit churches to share the Gospel. Using a variety of social media tools as well as radio broadcasts, this center stays connected with individuals throughout the region. For outreach training, Equipping the Saints (ETS) is available to assist people in speaking their faith, while Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC) are offered for instruction and growth in Christian doctrine. To find out more about the work being done in Paraguay, check out its blog at cptlnparaguay.wordpress.com.
To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhmint.org. 
In Christ I remain His servant and yours, 

Pastor Ken Klaus 
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Through the Bible in a Year
Today Read:
Psalms 93:1-2 God is King, robed and ruling,
God is robed and surging with strength.
And yes, the world is firm, immovable,
Your throne ever firm—you’re Eternal!
3-4 Sea storms are up, God,
Sea storms wild and roaring,
Sea storms with thunderous breakers.
Stronger than wild sea storms,
Mightier than sea-storm breakers,
Mighty God rules from High Heaven.
5 What you say goes—it always has.
“Beauty” and “Holy” mark your palace rule,
God, to the very end of time.
94:1-2 God, put an end to evil;
    avenging God, show your colors!
Judge of the earth, take your stand;
    throw the book at the arrogant.
3-4 God, the wicked get away with murder—
    how long will you let this go on?
They brag and boast
    and crow about their crimes!
5-7 They walk all over your people, God,
    exploit and abuse your precious people.
They take out anyone who gets in their way;
    if they can’t use them, they kill them.
They think, “God isn’t looking,
    Jacob’s God is out to lunch.”
8-11 Well, think again, you idiots,
    fools—how long before you get smart?
Do you think Ear-Maker doesn’t hear,
    Eye-Shaper doesn’t see?
Do you think the trainer of nations doesn’t correct,
    the teacher of Adam doesn’t know?
God knows, all right—
    knows your stupidity,
    sees your shallowness.
12-15 How blessed the man you train, God,
    the woman you instruct in your Word,
Providing a circle of quiet within the clamor of evil,
    while a jail is being built for the wicked.
God will never walk away from his people,
    never desert his precious people.
Rest assured that justice is on its way
    and every good heart put right.
16-19 Who stood up for me against the wicked?
    Who took my side against evil workers?
If God hadn’t been there for me,
    I never would have made it.
The minute I said, “I’m slipping, I’m falling,”
    your love, God, took hold and held me fast.
When I was upset and beside myself,
    you calmed me down and cheered me up.
20-23 Can Misrule have anything in common with you?
    Can Troublemaker pretend to be on your side?
They ganged up on good people,
    plotted behind the backs of the innocent.
But God became my hideout,
    God was my high mountain retreat,
Then boomeranged their evil back on them:
    for their evil ways he wiped them out,
    our God cleaned them out for good.
95:1-2 Come, let’s shout praises to God,
    raise the roof for the Rock who saved us!
Let’s march into his presence singing praises,
    lifting the rafters with our hymns!
3-5 And why? Because God is the best,
    High King over all the gods.
In one hand he holds deep caves and caverns,
    in the other hand grasps the high mountains.
He made Ocean—he owns it!
    His hands sculpted Earth!
6-7 So come, let us worship: bow before him,
    on your knees before God, who made us!
Oh yes, he’s our God,
    and we’re the people he pastures, the flock he feeds.
7-11 Drop everything and listen, listen as he speaks:
    “Don’t turn a deaf ear as in the Bitter Uprising,
As on the day of the Wilderness Test,
    when your ancestors turned and put me to the test.
For forty years they watched me at work among them,
    as over and over they tried my patience.
And I was provoked—oh, was I provoked!
    ‘Can’t they keep their minds on God for five minutes?
    Do they simply refuse to walk down my road?’
Exasperated, I exploded,
    ‘They’ll never get where they’re headed,
    never be able to sit down and rest.’”
Philippians 4:1 My dear, dear friends! I love you so much. I do want the very best for you. You make me feel such joy, fill me with such pride. Don’t waver. Stay on track, steady in God.
Pray About Everything
2 I urge Euodia and Syntyche to iron out their differences and make up. God doesn’t want his children holding grudges.
3 And, oh, yes, Syzygus, since you’re right there to help them work things out, do your best with them. These women worked for the Message hand in hand with Clement and me, and with the other veterans—worked as hard as any of us. Remember, their names are also in the Book of Life.
4-5 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
8-9 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
Content Whatever the Circumstances
10-14 I’m glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess—happy that you’re again showing such strong concern for me. Not that you ever quit praying and thinking about me. You just had no chance to show it. Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. I don’t mean that your help didn’t mean a lot to me—it did. It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles.
15-17 You Philippians well know, and you can be sure I’ll never forget it, that when I first left Macedonia province, venturing out with the Message, not one church helped out in the give-and-take of this work except you. You were the only one. Even while I was in Thessalonica, you helped out—and not only once, but twice. Not that I’m looking for handouts, but I do want you to experience the blessing that issues from generosity.
18-20 And now I have it all—and keep getting more! The gifts you sent with Epaphroditus were more than enough, like a sweet-smelling sacrifice roasting on the altar, filling the air with fragrance, pleasing God no end. You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity. Yes.
21-22 Give our regards to every follower of Jesus you meet. Our friends here say hello. All the Christians here, especially the believers who work in the palace of Caesar, want to be remembered to you.
23 Receive and experience the amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, deep, deep within yourselves. 
The Lutheran Hour
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