Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran HourSaint Louis, Missouri, United States "Every Man for Himself" for Tuesday, 13 January 2015
Jesus said to her, "I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"[John 11:25-26]
Mary Dickson and Martha Dixon had names that sounded very similar.
But there was far more in common with the lives of these ladies than a comparable last name. Dickson and Dixon were sisters; more specifically, they were twin sisters. By God's grace they had come into this world together some 90 years ago.
But their sharing goes even deeper.
Having grown up together Dickson and Dixon eventually were married ... to brothers. Yes, I know the last names are not the same, but that is only because one of the boys, wishing to re-enlist in the armed services, changed his name. Sometime, years ago, Dickson and Dixon were widowed.
The last years of their lives were spent living with a granddaughter. She reports Mary and Martha "fought like sisters but loved each other like sisters." So there you have it: two sisters with biblical names and intertwined lives -- and one more detail that needs to be mentioned.
On Christmas Day, Mary and Martha, at the age of 90, died within two hours of each other.
Now it would be nice if I could say these sisters who had done so much together in life, also entered heaven hand-in-hand, Now it may well be that these ladies are in heaven with their Redeemer. I hope they are, but I don't know. On the other hand, I do know that if they are in heaven it is because both Dickson and Dixon had an individual and a personal faith in the Savior.
You see, not even twin sisters, women who have shared their days, their friends, and many of life's experiences, are able to provide assistance for the other at the moment of death. Mary Dickson and Martha Dixon had to believe on their own, and they had to die on their own -- just as you and I must believe and die on our own.
Now you may wonder why this devotion brings up such an obvious point. The answer is found in many congregations. There we can see a sizable number of people whose parents are pillars of the congregation but who have no active relationship with the Savior themselves. There we can see folks who count on their ancestors, founding fathers of the church, to get them into heaven.
These people are relying on an unfounded hope. The truth is this: nobody -- nobody, that is, except for Jesus, will be able to stand by our sides during the final moments of life.
And that's all right.
It is all right because Jesus is the one Person, the exactly right Person that we need. Jesus came into this world to live for individuals, to die for individuals, and to rise for individuals. Through the Christ's great sacrifice, the Lord's love and saving grace has been extended to each and every sinner, and it needs to be received by each individual.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks that while Jesus came to save the world, He has also come to save me. Grant that every soul may be brought to faith in the one and only Redeemer. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.
But there was far more in common with the lives of these ladies than a comparable last name. Dickson and Dixon were sisters; more specifically, they were twin sisters. By God's grace they had come into this world together some 90 years ago.
But their sharing goes even deeper.
Having grown up together Dickson and Dixon eventually were married ... to brothers. Yes, I know the last names are not the same, but that is only because one of the boys, wishing to re-enlist in the armed services, changed his name. Sometime, years ago, Dickson and Dixon were widowed.
The last years of their lives were spent living with a granddaughter. She reports Mary and Martha "fought like sisters but loved each other like sisters." So there you have it: two sisters with biblical names and intertwined lives -- and one more detail that needs to be mentioned.
On Christmas Day, Mary and Martha, at the age of 90, died within two hours of each other.
Now it would be nice if I could say these sisters who had done so much together in life, also entered heaven hand-in-hand, Now it may well be that these ladies are in heaven with their Redeemer. I hope they are, but I don't know. On the other hand, I do know that if they are in heaven it is because both Dickson and Dixon had an individual and a personal faith in the Savior.
You see, not even twin sisters, women who have shared their days, their friends, and many of life's experiences, are able to provide assistance for the other at the moment of death. Mary Dickson and Martha Dixon had to believe on their own, and they had to die on their own -- just as you and I must believe and die on our own.
Now you may wonder why this devotion brings up such an obvious point. The answer is found in many congregations. There we can see a sizable number of people whose parents are pillars of the congregation but who have no active relationship with the Savior themselves. There we can see folks who count on their ancestors, founding fathers of the church, to get them into heaven.
These people are relying on an unfounded hope. The truth is this: nobody -- nobody, that is, except for Jesus, will be able to stand by our sides during the final moments of life.
And that's all right.
It is all right because Jesus is the one Person, the exactly right Person that we need. Jesus came into this world to live for individuals, to die for individuals, and to rise for individuals. Through the Christ's great sacrifice, the Lord's love and saving grace has been extended to each and every sinner, and it needs to be received by each individual.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks that while Jesus came to save the world, He has also come to save me. Grant that every soul may be brought to faith in the one and only Redeemer. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today Read:
Job 11: The One Who Leads Us To Be Saved
5 We know that God did not put the future world under the power of angels. 6 Somewhere in the Scriptures someone says to God,
“What makes you care
about us humans?
Why are you concerned
for weaklings such as we?
7 You made us lower
than the angels
for a while.
Yet you have crowned us
with glory and honor.[a]
8 And you have put everything
under our power!”
God has put everything under our power and has not left anything out of our power. But we still don’t see it all under our power. 9 What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels. Because of God’s wonderful kindness, Jesus died for everyone. And now that Jesus has suffered and died, he is crowned with glory and honor!
10 Everything belongs to God, and all things were created by his power. So God did the right thing when he made Jesus perfect by suffering, as Jesus led many of God’s children to be saved and to share in his glory. 11 Jesus and the people he makes holy all belong to the same family. That is why he isn’t ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. 12 He even said to God,
“I will tell them your name
and sing your praises
when they come together
to worship.”
[Footnotes:
2.7 and honor: Some manuscripts add “and you have placed us in charge of all you created.”]
Psalm 8:2 With praises from children
and from tiny infants,
you have built a fortress.
It makes your enemies silent,
and all who turn against you
are left speechless.
Psalm 5:6 You destroy every liar,
and you despise violence
and deceit.
7 Because of your great mercy,
I come to your house, Lord,
and I am filled with wonder
as I bow down
to worship
at your holy temple.
8 You do what is right,
and I ask you to guide me.
Make your teaching clear
because of my enemies.
9 Nothing they say is true!
They just want to destroy.
Their words are deceitful
like a hidden pit,
and their tongues are good
only for telling lies.
Mark 1: A Man with an Evil Spirit
21 Jesus and his disciples went to the town of Capernaum. Then on the next Sabbath he went into the Jewish meeting place and started teaching. 22 Everyone was amazed at his teaching. He taught with authority, and not like the teachers of the Law of Moses. 23 Suddenly a man with an evil spirit[a] in him entered the meeting place and yelled, 24 “Jesus from Nazareth, what do you want with us? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are! You are God’s Holy One.”
25 Jesus told the evil spirit, “Be quiet and come out of the man!” 26 The spirit shook him. Then it gave a loud shout and left.
27 Everyone was completely surprised and kept saying to each other, “What is this? It must be some new kind of powerful teaching! Even the evil spirits obey him.” 28 News about Jesus quickly spread all over Galilee.
[Footnotes:
1.23 evil spirit: A Jewish person who had an evil spirit was considered “unclean” and was not allowed to eat or worship with other Jewish people.]
____________________________
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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