Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran HourSaint Louis, Missouri, United States "Consider The Odds" for Wednesday, 14 January 2015

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran HourSaint Louis, Missouri, United States "Consider The Odds" for Wednesday, 14 January 2015

When I look at Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.[Psalm 8:3-6]

That Bible passage, and others like it, let us know we are valuable because of God's love and His Son, who has come to rescue us.
Still, years ago, the uniqueness of humanity was shot down when the science-popularizer, Carl Sagan, announced a planet needed two things to support life: the right kind of star, and for the planet to be the right distance from that star. Sagan said with one octillion (that's 1 followed by 27 zeros) planets in the universe, about one septillion (1 followed by 24 zeros) of them ought to have life.
Those numbers made Christians feel small and scientists feel confident. They were pretty sure if they listened hard enough, one or many of those inhabited planets ought to say something we could hear. That's why Congress funded SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Using radio telescopes they tuned into the universe and waited for someone to say, "Hello! I'm here."
Congress stopped paying for SETI in 1993. They stopped paying because, after all those years, the listeners never heard anything that indicated there is life out there.
That was disappointing, but what was more disappointing was this: Carl Sagan had been wrong. His checklist of the items needed for a planet to support life went from 2 to 10 to 200. The increase in those numbers meant a decrease in the number of life-sustaining planets.
Today, the number of planets that mathematically can contain living creatures is not in the thousands, or hundreds, or tens. It is not even at zero. It is less than zero. It is a negative number.
All of this means it is impossible for you and me to be here.
One scientist said the odds against us being here are about the same as flipping a quarter and having it come up "heads" 10 quintillion times in a row. Folks, that's 10 followed by 18 zeros.
So, what do all these big numbers mean? Fred Hoyle -- that's the guy who came up with the term the "big bang," said, "A common sense interpretation of the facts suggests that a super-intellect has monkeyed with the physics, as well as the chemistry and biology .... The numbers one calculates from the facts seem to me so overwhelming as to put this conclusion almost beyond question."
In other words, some scientists are forced to conclude, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).
Now, when they also can say, "Jesus is Savior and Lord," that will be something.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I pray the wise of the world may be brought to a knowledge of Your love and the Savior's sacrifice. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.
P.S.Thanks to my brother, Tom, for sharing the Wall Street Journal article, which was the source for this devotion.

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:
Job 14: Job Continues his Prayer
Life Is Short and Sorrowful
1 Life is short and sorrowful
    for every living soul.
2 We are flowers that fade
    and shadows that vanish.
3 And so, I ask you, God,
    why pick on me?
4 There’s no way a human
    can be completely pure.
5 Our time on earth is brief;
the number of our days
    is already decided by you.
6 Why don’t you leave us alone
and let us find some happiness
    while we toil and labor?
When a Tree Is Chopped Down
7 When a tree is chopped down,
there is always the hope
    that it will sprout again.
8 Its roots and stump may rot,
9 but at the touch of water,
    fresh twigs shoot up.
10 Humans are different—
    we die, and that’s the end.
11 We are like streams and lakes
    after the water has gone;
12 we fall into the sleep of death,
never to rise again,
    until the sky disappears.
13 Please hide me, God,
    deep in the ground—
and when you are angry no more,
    remember to rescue me.
Will We Humans Live Again?
14 Will we humans live again?
I would gladly suffer
    and wait for my time.
15 My Creator, you would want me;
you would call out,
    and I would answer.
16 You would take care of me,
    but not count my sins—
17 you would put them in a bag,
tie it tight,
    and toss them away.
18 But in the real world,
mountains tumble,
    and rocks crumble;
19 streams wear away stones
and wash away soil.
    And you destroy our hopes!
20 You change the way we look,
then send us away,
    wiped out forever.
21 We never live to know
if our children are praised
    or disgraced.
22 We feel no pain but our own,
and when we mourn,
    it’s only for ourselves.
Eliphaz’s Second Speech
If You Had Any Sense
15:1 Eliphaz from Teman[a] said:
2 Job, if you had any sense,
3 you would stop spreading
    all of this hot air.
4 Your words are enough
to make others turn from God
    and lead them to doubt.
5 And your sinful, scheming mind
    is the source of all you say.
6 I am not here as your judge;
your own words are witnesses
    against you.
7 Were you the first human?
    Are you older than the hills?
8 Have you ever been present
when God’s council[b] meets?
    Do you alone have wisdom?
9 Do you know and understand
    something we don’t?
10 We have the benefit of wisdom
    older than your father.
11 And you have been offered
comforting words from God.
    Isn’t this enough?
12 Your emotions are out of control,
    making you look fierce;
13 that’s why you attack God
    with everything you say.
14 No human is pure and innocent,
15 and neither are angels—
    not in the sight of God.
If God doesn’t trust his angels,
16     what chance do humans have?
We are so terribly evil
    that we thirst for sin.
Just Listen to What I Know
17 Just listen to what I know,
    and you will learn
18 wisdom known by others
    since ancient times.
19 Those who gained such insights
    also gained the land,
and they were not influenced
    by foreign teachings.
20 But suffering is in store
    each day for those who sin.
21 Even in times of success,
they constantly hear
    the threat of doom.
22 Darkness, despair, and death
    are their destiny.
23 They scrounge around for food,
all the while dreading
    the approaching darkness.
24 They are overcome with despair,
like a terrified king
    about to go into battle.
25 This is because they rebelled
    against God All-Powerful
26 and have attacked him
    with their weapons.
27 They may be rich and fat,
28 but they will live in the ruins
    of deserted towns.
29 Their property and wealth
    will shrink and disappear.
30 They won’t escape the darkness,
and the blazing breath of God
    will set their future aflame.
31 They have put their trust
    in something worthless;
now they will become worthless
32 like a date palm tree
    without a leaf.[c]
33 Or like vineyards or orchards
whose blossoms and unripe fruit
    drop to the ground.
34 Yes, the godless and the greedy
will have nothing but flames
    feasting on their homes,
35 because they are the parents
    of trouble and vicious lies.
Job’s Reply to Eliphaz
I Have Often Heard This
16:1 Job said:
2 I have often heard this,
    and it offers no comfort.
3 So why don’t you keep quiet?
    What’s bothering you?
4 If I were in your place,
it would be easy to criticize
    or to give advice.
5 But I would offer hope
    and comfort instead.
6 If I speak, or if I don’t,
I hurt all the same.
    My torment continues.
7 God has worn me down
    and destroyed my family;
8 my shriveled up skin proves
    that I am his prisoner.
9 God is my hateful enemy,
glaring at me
and attacking
    with his sharp teeth.
10 Everyone is against me;
    they sneer and slap my face.
11 And God is the one
who handed me over
    to this merciless mob.
Everything Was Going Well
12 Everything was going well,
until God grabbed my neck
    and shook me to pieces.
God set me up as the target
13     for his arrows,
and without showing mercy,
he slashed my stomach open,
    spilling out my insides.
14 God never stops attacking,
15     and so, in my sorrow
I dress in sackcloth[d]
    and sit in the dust.
16 My face is red with tears,
and dark shadows
    circle my eyes,
17 though I am not violent,
    and my prayers are sincere.
18 If I should die,
I beg the earth
not to cover
    my cry for justice.
19 Even now, God in heaven
is both my witness
    and my protector.
20 My friends have rejected me,
    but God is the one I beg[e]
21 to show that I am right,
    just as a friend should.
22 Because in only a few years,
    I will be dead and gone.[Footnotes:
15.1 Teman: See the note at 2.11.
15.8 God’s council: The angels and others who gather to discuss matters with God (see 1.6; 2.1).
15.32 leaf: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of Verse 32.
16.15 sackcloth: A rough, dark-colored cloth made from goat hair and used to make grain sacks. It was worn in times of trouble or sorrow.
16.20 My friends. . . beg: Or “God is my friend, and he is the one I beg.”]
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

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Job 13Job 17
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Matthew 10: Jesus Chooses His Twelve Apostles
1 Jesus called together his twelve disciples. He gave them the power to force out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and sickness. 2 The first of the twelve apostles was Simon, better known as Peter. His brother Andrew was an apostle, and so were James and John, the two sons of Zebedee. 3 Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew the tax collector,[a] James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus were also apostles. 4 The others were Simon, known as the Eager One,[b] and Judas Iscariot,[c] who later betrayed Jesus.
Instructions for the Twelve Apostles
5 Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions:
Stay away from the Gentiles and don’t go to any Samaritan town. 6 Go only to the people of Israel, because they are like a flock of lost sheep. 7 As you go, announce that the kingdom of heaven will soon be here.[d] 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead to life, heal people who have leprosy,[e] and force out demons. You received without paying, now give without being paid. 9 Don’t take along any gold, silver, or copper coins. 10 And don’t carry[f] a traveling bag or an extra shirt or sandals or a walking stick.
Workers deserve their food. 11 So when you go to a town or a village, find someone worthy enough to have you as their guest and stay with them until you leave. 12 When you go to a home, give it your blessing of peace. 13 If the home is deserving, let your blessing remain with them. But if the home isn’t deserving, take back your blessing of peace. 14 If someone won’t welcome you or listen to your message, leave their home or town. And shake the dust from your feet at them.[g] 15 I promise you that the day of judgment will be easier for the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah[h] than for that town.
Warning about Trouble
16 I am sending you like lambs into a pack of wolves. So be as wise as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Watch out for people who will take you to court and have you beaten in their meeting places. 18 Because of me, you will be dragged before rulers and kings to tell them and the Gentiles about your faith. 19 But when someone arrests you, don’t worry about what you will say or how you will say it. At that time you will be given the words to say. 20 But you will not really be the one speaking. The Spirit from your Father will tell you what to say.[Footnotes:
10.3 tax collector: See the note at 5.46.
10.4 known as the Eager One: The Greek text has “Cananaean,” which probably comes from a Hebrew word meaning “zealous” (see Luke 6.15). “Zealot” was the name later given to the members of a Jewish group that resisted and fought against the Romans.
10.4 Iscariot: This may mean “a man from Kerioth” (a place in Judea). But more probably it means “a man who was a liar” or “a man who was a betrayer.”
10.7 will soon be here: Or “is already here.”
10.8 leprosy: See the note at 8.2.
10.9,10 Don’t take along. . . don’t carry: Or “Don’t accept. . . don’t accept.”
10.14 shake the dust from your feet at them: This was a way of showing rejection (see Acts 13.51).
10.15 Sodom and Gomorrah: During the time of Abraham the Lord destroyed these towns because the people there were so evil.]
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