Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran HourSaint Louis, Missouri, United States ""Your Companion" " for Friday, 16 January 2015

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran HourSaint Louis, Missouri, United States ""Your Companion"  " for Friday, 16 January 2015

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, 'Fear not, I am the one who helps you.'"[Isaiah 41:10-13]

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
In every step of our life we have companions who help us.
In childhood, parents shape and civilize us. At the school level, we have friends who serve as our companions, and teachers who provide us academic direction. In our youth, we often develop friends who become lifelong companions. In marriage, ideally, we find a spouse who completes us.
But we're still not done. In our homes, dogs and cats often serve as our friends and, during our journeys, pleasant co-passengers join us as companions to help make the miles fly by. In truth, it is difficult to live a meaningful life without such companions.
Sadly, almost all of our earthly companions are transient. With the most rare of exceptions, none of them stay with us from our first 'til our last breath.
Companions come and go. That is a rule of life. And the exception to that rule ... is the Lord.
The Lord alone has the ability, and the desire, to be with us throughout the length of our lives, up to and past our last breath. Since the Lord's first promise to fallen humanity, God's promise to be with us and take care of us has been a great comfort. Believers have found they need help, help from a divine Companion, during the good times and especially during the bad times of sickness and danger and problems.
Without God's help life is made much harder and infinitely more dangerous.
In our country, India, according to the cultural traditions, it is hard for single women, widows and children to live alone, without any companion. As important as a companion is to such people, a relationship with the Lord is more important and more protective to anyone who is given and enjoys it.
That's one of the reasons why Jesus, our Lord, stressed the need to rely on God and His companionship. Throughout the Word of God, the Holy Bible assures us that the loving God, our Father, gives us promises that He wishes to be with us throughout our lives.
He promises us that He will never forsake or leave us. He even assures His people that He will be with us to take us through the valley of the shadow of death. By giving us His only Son, Jesus, He proved His promises are true and reliable.
An aged grandfather, who is also half-blind, used to take his grandson for a morning walk every day. One day the boy walked a little ahead of his grandpa. The grandfather asked him, "Where are we now?"
The boy replied, "Don't know."
Again, the grandfather asked, "Where are we now?" He got the same answer.
Then grandpa asked the lad, "Are you lost?"
The boy replied, "How can I be lost while you are with me and I am with you?" Although the Lord sees all and is hardly half-blind, that is the way things work with us in our relationship. We can never be lost as long as we are with the Lord.
God wants to remain with us. He calls us, comes to us through His Word and Sacraments. Realizing and remaining in this truth is the real blessing -- and is the real meaning of companionship. Let the Holy Spirit help us to live a life of companionship with God.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, hold my hands and lead me in this walk through life. Keep me as Your companion, always holding Your hands, and remaining in Your unfailing love. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.
Biography of Author: Today's international devotion was written by Reverend D. Eben Titus. Reverend Titus received his degree from Serampore University. The good Reverend is married to Beril, and they have a son and daughter. Pastor has served 16 years at Bethlehem Lutheran Church and four years at Calvary Lutheran Church. Since 2001, he has been at Grace Lutheran Church Vallioor in the Nagercoil Synod. Pastor Titus has written numerous devotions and articles for Lutheran Hour Ministries' Christian Media Centre in India.
In this country of 1.2 billion people, Lutheran Hour Ministries-India is known as Christian Media Centre and began operations in 1951. Using Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC) in six languages -- Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Hindi Marathi, Gujarati and English, this ministry center in Chennai reaches out with the Gospel. It also utilizes the Internet to broadcast round-the-clock radio messages of love and hope. Beyond this, short dramas, devotional songs, stage plays, and dance convey the Gospel to audiences in remote villages and cities.
Interested in seeing how LHM-India is expanding its reach? Check out this ministry center's blog byclicking here.
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:
Job 20: Zophar’s Second Speech
Your Words Are Disturbing
1 Zophar from Naamah[a] said:
2 Your words are disturbing;
    now I must speak.
3 You have accused
    and insulted me,
    and reason requires a reply.
4 Since the time of creation,
    everyone has known
5 that sinful people are happy
    for only a while.
6 Though their pride and power
    may reach to the sky,
7 they will disappear like dust,
and those who knew them
    will wonder what happened.
8 They will be forgotten
    like a dream
9 and vanish from the sight
    of family and friends.
10 Their children will have to repay
what the parents took
    from the poor.
11 Indeed, the wicked will die
and go to their graves
    in the prime of life.
Sinners Love the Taste of Sin
12 Sinners love the taste of sin;
they relish every bite
13     and swallow it slowly.
14 But their food will turn sour
    and poison their stomachs.
15 Then God will make them lose
    the wealth they gobbled down.
16 They will die from the fangs
    of poisonous snakes
17 and never enjoy rivers flowing
    with milk and honey.
18 Their hard work will result
    in nothing gained,
19 because they cheated the poor
    and took their homes.
20 Greedy people want everything
    and are never satisfied.[b]
21 But when nothing remains
for them to grab,
    they will be nothing.
22 Once they have everything,
distress and despair
    will strike them down,
23 and God will make them swallow
    his blazing anger.[c]
24 While running from iron spears,
they will be killed
    by arrows of bronze,
25 whose shining tips go straight
    through their bodies.
They will be trapped by terror,
26 and what they treasure most
    will be lost in the dark.
God will send flames
to destroy them in their tents
    with all their property.
27 The heavens and the earth
    will testify against them,
28 and all their possessions
will be dragged off
    when God becomes angry.
29 This is what God has decided
    for those who are evil.
Job’s Reply to Zophar
If You Want To Offer Comfort
21:1 Job said:
2 If you want to offer comfort,
    then listen to me.
3 And when I have finished,
you can start your insults
    all over again.
4 My complaint is against God;
    that’s why I am impatient.
5 Just looking at me is enough
    to make you sick,
6 and the very thought of myself
    fills me with disgust.
7 Why do evil people live so long
    and gain such power?
8 Why are they allowed to see
    their children grow up?[d]
9 They have no worries at home,
    and God never punishes them.
10 Their cattle have lots of calves
    without ever losing one;
11 their children play and dance
    safely by themselves.
12 These people sing and celebrate
to the sound of tambourines,
    small harps, and flutes,
13 and they are successful,
without a worry,
    until the day they die.
Leave Us Alone!
14 Those who are evil say
    to God All-Powerful,
“Leave us alone! Don’t bother us
    with your teachings.
15 What do we gain from praying
    and worshiping you?
16 We succeeded all on our own.”
And so, I keep away from them
    and their evil schemes.
17 How often does God become angry
and send disaster and darkness
    to punish sinners?
18 How often does he strike them
like a windstorm
    that scatters straw?
19 You say, “God will punish
those sinners' children
    in place of those sinners.”
But I say, “Let him punish
those sinners themselves
    until they really feel it.
20 Let God All-Powerful force them
to drink
their own destruction
    from the cup of his anger.
21 Because after they are dead,
they won’t care what happens
    to their children.”
Who Can Tell God What To Do?
22 Who can tell God what to do?
    He judges powerful rulers.
23 Some of us die prosperous,
24     enjoying good health,
25 while others die in poverty,
    having known only pain.
26 But we all end up dead,
    beneath a blanket of worms.
27 My friends, I know that you
    are plotting against me.
28 You ask, “Where is the home
of that important person
    who does so much evil?”
29 Everyone, near and far, agrees
30     that those who do wrong
never suffer disaster,
    when God becomes angry.
31 No one points out their sin
    or punishes them.
32 Then at their funerals,
    they are highly praised;
33 the earth welcomes them home,
    while crowds mourn.
34 But empty, meaningless words
    are the comfort you offer me.[Footnotes:
20.1 Naamah: See the note at 2.11.
20.20 are never satisfied: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
20.23 anger: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 23.
21.8 up: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 8.]
Matthew 11: John the Baptist
1 After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he left and began teaching and preaching in the towns.[a]
2 John was in prison when he heard what Christ was doing. So John sent some of his followers 3 to ask Jesus, “Are you the one we should be looking for? Or must we wait for someone else?”
4 Jesus answered, “Go and tell John what you have heard and seen. 5 The blind are now able to see, and the lame can walk. People with leprosy[b] are being healed, and the deaf can hear. The dead are raised to life, and the poor are hearing the good news. 6 God will bless everyone who doesn’t reject me because of what I do.”
7 As John’s followers were going away, Jesus spoke to the crowds about John:
What sort of person did you go out into the desert to see? Was he like tall grass blown about by the wind? 8 What kind of man did you go out to see? Was he someone dressed in fine clothes? People who dress like that live in the king’s palace. 9 What did you really go out to see? Was he a prophet? He certainly was. I tell you that he was more than a prophet. 10 In the Scriptures God says about him, “I am sending my messenger ahead of you to get things ready for you.” 11 I tell you that no one ever born on this earth is greater than John the Baptist. But whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John.
12 From the time of John the Baptist until now, violent people have been trying to take over the kingdom of heaven by force. 13 All the Books of the Prophets and the Law of Moses[c] told what was going to happen up to the time of John. 14 And if you believe them, John is Elijah, the prophet you are waiting for. 15 If you have ears, pay attention!
16 You people are like children sitting in the market and shouting to each other,
17 “We played the flute,
    but you would not dance!
We sang a funeral song,
    but you would not mourn!”
18 John the Baptist did not go around eating and drinking, and you said, “That man has a demon in him!” 19 But the Son of Man goes around eating and drinking, and you say, “That man eats and drinks too much! He is even a friend of tax collectors[d] and sinners.” Yet Wisdom is shown to be right by what it does.
The Unbelieving Towns
20 In the towns where Jesus had worked most of his miracles, the people refused to turn to God. So Jesus was upset with them and said:
21 You people of Chorazin are in for trouble! You people of Bethsaida are in for trouble too! If the miracles that took place in your towns had happened in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have turned to God long ago. They would have dressed in sackcloth and put ashes on their heads.[e] 22 I tell you that on the day of judgment the people of Tyre and Sidon will get off easier than you will.
23 People of Capernaum, do you think you will be honored in heaven? You will go down to hell! If the miracles that took place in your town had happened in Sodom, that town would still be standing. 24 So I tell you that on the day of judgment the people of Sodom will get off easier than you.
Come to Me and Rest
25 At that moment Jesus said:
My Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I am grateful that you hid all this from wise and educated people and showed it to ordinary people. 26 Yes, Father, that is what pleased you.
27 My Father has given me everything, and he is the only one who knows the Son. The only one who truly knows the Father is the Son. But the Son wants to tell others about the Father, so that they can know him too.
28 If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. 29 Take the yoke[f] I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. 30 This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.[Footnotes:
11.1 the towns: The Greek text has “their towns,” whichmay refer to the towns of Galilee or to the towns where Jesus' disciples had lived.
11.5 leprosy: See the note at 8.2.
11.13 the Books of the Prophets and the Law of Moses: The Jewish Scriptures, that is, the Old Testament.
11.19 tax collectors: See the note at 5.46.
11.21 sackcloth. . . ashes on their heads: This was one way that people showed how sorry they were for their sins.
11.29 yoke: Yokes were put on the necks of animals, so that they could pull a plow or wagon. A yoke was a symbol of obedience and hard work.]
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