Saint Louis, Missouri, United States - Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour "He Spoke with Authority" for Thursday, 18 December 2014
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. [Romans 3:23-24]
In this devotion no names or political parties will be mentioned.
What we will say is an American politician is currently asking for $300,000 to make a speech at a university. Since this is a public university, the $300,000 is the marked-down price for this individual's appearance. I guess that's free enterprise at its best ... or worst.
Think about that: $300,000!
For the life of me, I can't think of what any human being might say that would make their presentation worth $300,000. Well, maybe they mightbe worth the $300,000 price tag if they had a foolproof plan to make peace between the Jews and the Palestinians, or knew how to get North Korea to disarm, or how -- using just the stuff a person has in his medicine cabinet -- he could cure Ebola, AIDS and cancer.
To the best of my knowledge, the speaker will not be addressing those topics during the message, so I guess I'd be reluctant to cough up that kind of cash, which is being asked for.
Hold it! Wait! There is another exception. I'd be willing to pay any amount of money to hear Jesus speak. In Mark 1:22, it says, the people at Capernaum's were "astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes."
I should think so.
Well, if I had it, I would gladly pay $300,000 to hear Jesus call people to repentance, or hear Him offer forgiveness to a troubled sinner, or watch the faces of the crowd after the Savior called Lazarus out of his grave.
Most Christians would pay a bundle to hear Jesus teach the Lord's Prayer and to sit at the table on Maundy Thursday when He said, "Take eat, this is My body; take drink, this is My blood" (see Matthew 26:26-28). Knowing He was carrying your sins and dying your death, what price wouldn't you pay to stand in support at the foot of the cross?
Of course, paying Jesus isn't necessary.
Jesus, the greatest Teacher and Philosopher the world has ever seen, never charged anybody a penny to hear Him talk about how He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. Jesus, the only Savior this world will ever need and will ever see, never passed the collection plate before He spoke of God's love and grace.
No, Jesus never charged. He just gave.
He gave His words, His time, His life for the purpose of saving us from our mortal enemies: sin, death and devil. He gave Himself and in so doing offered us all we need to be moved from hell into heaven, from being a slave under Satan's rule to an adopted child in the Father's family.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, I could never begin to pay You for the many sacrifices You have made and given the gifts which save. Even though I cannot pay You, be with me so I can live a life of thanksgiving for all You have done. This I ask in Your Name. Amen.
What we will say is an American politician is currently asking for $300,000 to make a speech at a university. Since this is a public university, the $300,000 is the marked-down price for this individual's appearance. I guess that's free enterprise at its best ... or worst.
Think about that: $300,000!
For the life of me, I can't think of what any human being might say that would make their presentation worth $300,000. Well, maybe they mightbe worth the $300,000 price tag if they had a foolproof plan to make peace between the Jews and the Palestinians, or knew how to get North Korea to disarm, or how -- using just the stuff a person has in his medicine cabinet -- he could cure Ebola, AIDS and cancer.
To the best of my knowledge, the speaker will not be addressing those topics during the message, so I guess I'd be reluctant to cough up that kind of cash, which is being asked for.
Hold it! Wait! There is another exception. I'd be willing to pay any amount of money to hear Jesus speak. In Mark 1:22, it says, the people at Capernaum's were "astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes."
I should think so.
Well, if I had it, I would gladly pay $300,000 to hear Jesus call people to repentance, or hear Him offer forgiveness to a troubled sinner, or watch the faces of the crowd after the Savior called Lazarus out of his grave.
Most Christians would pay a bundle to hear Jesus teach the Lord's Prayer and to sit at the table on Maundy Thursday when He said, "Take eat, this is My body; take drink, this is My blood" (see Matthew 26:26-28). Knowing He was carrying your sins and dying your death, what price wouldn't you pay to stand in support at the foot of the cross?
Of course, paying Jesus isn't necessary.
Jesus, the greatest Teacher and Philosopher the world has ever seen, never charged anybody a penny to hear Him talk about how He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. Jesus, the only Savior this world will ever need and will ever see, never passed the collection plate before He spoke of God's love and grace.
No, Jesus never charged. He just gave.
He gave His words, His time, His life for the purpose of saving us from our mortal enemies: sin, death and devil. He gave Himself and in so doing offered us all we need to be moved from hell into heaven, from being a slave under Satan's rule to an adopted child in the Father's family.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, I could never begin to pay You for the many sacrifices You have made and given the gifts which save. Even though I cannot pay You, be with me so I can live a life of thanksgiving for all You have done. This I ask in Your Name. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours, 
Through the Bible in a Year
Today Read:
Psalms 107:1-3 Oh, thank God—he’s so good!
His love never runs out.
All of you set free by God, tell the world!
Tell how he freed you from oppression,
Then rounded you up from all over the place,
from the four winds, from the seven seas.
4-9 Some of you wandered for years in the desert,
looking but not finding a good place to live,
Half-starved and parched with thirst,
staggering and stumbling, on the brink of exhaustion.
Then, in your desperate condition, you called out to God.
He got you out in the nick of time;
He put your feet on a wonderful road
that took you straight to a good place to live.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
for his miracle mercy to the children he loves.
He poured great draughts of water down parched throats;
the starved and hungry got plenty to eat.
10-16 Some of you were locked in a dark cell,
cruelly confined behind bars,
Punished for defying God’s Word,
for turning your back on the High God’s counsel—
A hard sentence, and your hearts so heavy,
and not a soul in sight to help.
Then you called out to God in your desperate condition;
he got you out in the nick of time.
He led you out of your dark, dark cell,
broke open the jail and led you out.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
for his miracle mercy to the children he loves;
He shattered the heavy jailhouse doors,
he snapped the prison bars like matchsticks!
17-22 Some of you were sick because you’d lived a bad life,
your bodies feeling the effects of your sin;
You couldn’t stand the sight of food,
so miserable you thought you’d be better off dead.
Then you called out to God in your desperate condition;
he got you out in the nick of time.
He spoke the word that healed you,
that pulled you back from the brink of death.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
for his miracle mercy to the children he loves;
Offer thanksgiving sacrifices,
tell the world what he’s done—sing it out!
23-32 Some of you set sail in big ships;
you put to sea to do business in faraway ports.
Out at sea you saw God in action,
saw his breathtaking ways with the ocean:
With a word he called up the wind—
an ocean storm, towering waves!
You shot high in the sky, then the bottom dropped out;
your hearts were stuck in your throats.
You were spun like a top, you reeled like a drunk,
you didn’t know which end was up.
Then you called out to God in your desperate condition;
he got you out in the nick of time.
He quieted the wind down to a whisper,
put a muzzle on all the big waves.
And you were so glad when the storm died down,
and he led you safely back to harbor.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
for his miracle mercy to the children he loves.
Lift high your praises when the people assemble,
shout Hallelujah when the elders meet!
33-41 God turned rivers into wasteland,
springs of water into sunbaked mud;
Luscious orchards became alkali flats
because of the evil of the people who lived there.
Then he changed wasteland into fresh pools of water,
arid earth into springs of water,
Brought in the hungry and settled them there;
they moved in—what a great place to live!
They sowed the fields, they planted vineyards,
they reaped a bountiful harvest.
He blessed them and they prospered greatly;
their herds of cattle never decreased.
But abuse and evil and trouble declined
as he heaped scorn on princes and sent them away.
He gave the poor a safe place to live,
treated their clans like well-cared-for sheep.
42-43 Good people see this and are glad;
bad people are speechless, stopped in their tracks.
If you are really wise, you’ll think this over—
it’s time you appreciated God’s deep love.
Psalm 126: A Pilgrim Song
1-3 It seemed like a dream, too good to be true,
when God returned Zion’s exiles.
We laughed, we sang,
we couldn’t believe our good fortune.
We were the talk of the nations—
“God was wonderful to them!”
God was wonderful to us;
we are one happy people.
4-6 And now, God, do it again—
bring rains to our drought-stricken lives
So those who planted their crops in despair
will shout hurrahs at the harvest,
So those who went off with heavy hearts
will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing.
Revelation 10:1-4 I saw another powerful Angel coming down out of Heaven wrapped in a cloud. There was a rainbow over his head, his face was sun-radiant, his legs pillars of fire. He had a small book open in his hand. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left foot on land, then called out thunderously, a lion roar. When he called out, the Seven Thunders called back. When the Seven Thunders spoke, I started to write it all down, but a voice out of Heaven stopped me, saying, “Seal with silence the Seven Thunders; don’t write a word.”
5-7 Then the Angel I saw astride sea and land lifted his right hand to Heaven and swore by the One Living Forever and Ever, who created Heaven and everything in it, earth and everything in it, sea and everything in it, that time was up—that when the seventh Angel blew his trumpet, which he was about to do, the Mystery of God, all the plans he had revealed to his servants, the prophets, would be completed.
8-11 The voice out of Heaven spoke to me again: “Go, take the book held open in the hand of the Angel astride sea and earth.” I went up to the Angel and said, “Give me the little book.” He said, “Take it, then eat it. It will taste sweet like honey, but turn sour in your stomach.” I took the little book from the Angel’s hand and it was sweet honey in my mouth, but when I swallowed, my stomach curdled. Then I was told, “You must go back and prophesy again over many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”
____________________________
Psalms 107:1-3 Oh, thank God—he’s so good!
His love never runs out.
All of you set free by God, tell the world!
Tell how he freed you from oppression,
Then rounded you up from all over the place,
from the four winds, from the seven seas.
4-9 Some of you wandered for years in the desert,
looking but not finding a good place to live,
Half-starved and parched with thirst,
staggering and stumbling, on the brink of exhaustion.
Then, in your desperate condition, you called out to God.
He got you out in the nick of time;
He put your feet on a wonderful road
that took you straight to a good place to live.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
for his miracle mercy to the children he loves.
He poured great draughts of water down parched throats;
the starved and hungry got plenty to eat.
10-16 Some of you were locked in a dark cell,
cruelly confined behind bars,
Punished for defying God’s Word,
for turning your back on the High God’s counsel—
A hard sentence, and your hearts so heavy,
and not a soul in sight to help.
Then you called out to God in your desperate condition;
he got you out in the nick of time.
He led you out of your dark, dark cell,
broke open the jail and led you out.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
for his miracle mercy to the children he loves;
He shattered the heavy jailhouse doors,
he snapped the prison bars like matchsticks!
17-22 Some of you were sick because you’d lived a bad life,
your bodies feeling the effects of your sin;
You couldn’t stand the sight of food,
so miserable you thought you’d be better off dead.
Then you called out to God in your desperate condition;
he got you out in the nick of time.
He spoke the word that healed you,
that pulled you back from the brink of death.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
for his miracle mercy to the children he loves;
Offer thanksgiving sacrifices,
tell the world what he’s done—sing it out!
23-32 Some of you set sail in big ships;
you put to sea to do business in faraway ports.
Out at sea you saw God in action,
saw his breathtaking ways with the ocean:
With a word he called up the wind—
an ocean storm, towering waves!
You shot high in the sky, then the bottom dropped out;
your hearts were stuck in your throats.
You were spun like a top, you reeled like a drunk,
you didn’t know which end was up.
Then you called out to God in your desperate condition;
he got you out in the nick of time.
He quieted the wind down to a whisper,
put a muzzle on all the big waves.
And you were so glad when the storm died down,
and he led you safely back to harbor.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
for his miracle mercy to the children he loves.
Lift high your praises when the people assemble,
shout Hallelujah when the elders meet!
33-41 God turned rivers into wasteland,
springs of water into sunbaked mud;
Luscious orchards became alkali flats
because of the evil of the people who lived there.
Then he changed wasteland into fresh pools of water,
arid earth into springs of water,
Brought in the hungry and settled them there;
they moved in—what a great place to live!
They sowed the fields, they planted vineyards,
they reaped a bountiful harvest.
He blessed them and they prospered greatly;
their herds of cattle never decreased.
But abuse and evil and trouble declined
as he heaped scorn on princes and sent them away.
He gave the poor a safe place to live,
treated their clans like well-cared-for sheep.
42-43 Good people see this and are glad;
bad people are speechless, stopped in their tracks.
If you are really wise, you’ll think this over—
it’s time you appreciated God’s deep love.
Psalm 126: A Pilgrim Song
1-3 It seemed like a dream, too good to be true,
when God returned Zion’s exiles.
We laughed, we sang,
we couldn’t believe our good fortune.
We were the talk of the nations—
“God was wonderful to them!”
God was wonderful to us;
we are one happy people.
4-6 And now, God, do it again—
bring rains to our drought-stricken lives
So those who planted their crops in despair
will shout hurrahs at the harvest,
So those who went off with heavy hearts
will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing.
Revelation 10:1-4 I saw another powerful Angel coming down out of Heaven wrapped in a cloud. There was a rainbow over his head, his face was sun-radiant, his legs pillars of fire. He had a small book open in his hand. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left foot on land, then called out thunderously, a lion roar. When he called out, the Seven Thunders called back. When the Seven Thunders spoke, I started to write it all down, but a voice out of Heaven stopped me, saying, “Seal with silence the Seven Thunders; don’t write a word.”
5-7 Then the Angel I saw astride sea and land lifted his right hand to Heaven and swore by the One Living Forever and Ever, who created Heaven and everything in it, earth and everything in it, sea and everything in it, that time was up—that when the seventh Angel blew his trumpet, which he was about to do, the Mystery of God, all the plans he had revealed to his servants, the prophets, would be completed.
8-11 The voice out of Heaven spoke to me again: “Go, take the book held open in the hand of the Angel astride sea and earth.” I went up to the Angel and said, “Give me the little book.” He said, “Take it, then eat it. It will taste sweet like honey, but turn sour in your stomach.” I took the little book from the Angel’s hand and it was sweet honey in my mouth, but when I swallowed, my stomach curdled. Then I was told, “You must go back and prophesy again over many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”
____________________________
Lutheran Hour Ministries
660 Mason Ridge Center Dr.
St. Louis, Missouri 63141 United States
1(800)876-9880
____________________________
660 Mason Ridge Center Dr.
St. Louis, Missouri 63141 United States
1(800)876-9880
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