Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour of Saint Louis, Missouri, United States "Your Companion" for Friday, 5 June 2015

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour of Saint Louis, Missouri, United States "Your Companion" for Friday, 5 June 2015 

(The LORD said) "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.
To see how LHM-India is using Equipping the Saints workshops in Mumbai, check out this ministry center's blog by clicking 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:
Psalms 101:(0) A psalm of David:

(1) I am singing of grace and justice;

I am singing to you, Adonai.

2 I will follow the path of integrity;

when will you come to me?

I will run my life with a sincere heart

inside my own house.

3 I will not allow before my eyes

any shameful thing.

I hate those who act crookedly;

what they do does not attract me.

4 Deviousness will depart from me;

I will not tolerate evil.

5 If someone slanders another in secret,

I will cut him off.

Haughty eyes and proud hearts

I cannot abide.

6 I look to the faithful of the land,

so that they can be my companions;

those who live lives of integrity

can be servants of mine.

7 No deceitful person can live in my house;

no liar can be my advisor.

8 Every morning I will destroy

all the wicked of the land,

cutting off all evildoers

from the city of Adonai.

103:(0) By David:

(1) Bless Adonai, my soul!

Everything in me, bless his holy name!

2 Bless Adonai, my soul,

and forget none of his benefits!

3 He forgives all your offenses,

he heals all your diseases,

4 he redeems your life from the pit,

he surrounds you with grace and compassion,

5 he contents you with good as long as you live,

so that your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.

6 Adonai brings vindication and justice

to all who are oppressed.

7 He made his ways known to Moshe,

his mighty deeds to the people of Isra’el.

8 Adonai is merciful and compassionate,

slow to anger and rich in grace.

9 He will not always accuse,

he will not keep his anger forever.

10 He has not treated us as our sins deserve

or paid us back for our offenses,

11 because his mercy toward those who fear him

is as far above earth as heaven.

12 He has removed our sins from us

as far as the east is from the west.

13 Just as a father has compassion on his children,

Adonai has compassion on those who fear him.

14 For he understands how we are made,

he remembers that we are dust.

15 Yes, a human being’s days are like grass,

he sprouts like a flower in the countryside —

16 but when the wind sweeps over, it’s gone;

and its place knows it no more.

17 But the mercy of Adonai on those who fear him

is from eternity past to eternity future,

and his righteousness extends

to his children’s children,

18 provided they keep his covenant

and remember to follow his precepts.

19 Adonai has established his throne in heaven;

his kingly power rules everything.

20 Bless Adonai, you angels of his,

you mighty warriors who obey his word,

who carry out his orders!

21 Bless Adonai, all his troops,

who serve him and do what he wants!

22 Bless Adonai, all his works,

in every place where he rules!

Bless Adonai, my soul!

108:(0) A song. A psalm of David:

2 (1) My heart is steadfast, God.

I will sing and make music with my glory.

3 (2) Awake, lute and lyre!

I will awaken the dawn.

4 (3) I will thank you, Adonai, among the peoples;

I will make music to you among the nations.

5 (4) For your grace is great, above heaven,

and your truth, all the way to the skies.

6 (5) Be exalted, God, above heaven!

May your glory be over all the earth,

7 (6) in order that those you love can be rescued;

so save with your right hand, and answer me!

8 (7) God in his holiness spoke,

and I took joy [in his promise]:

“I will divide Sh’khem

and determine the shares in the Sukkot Valley.

9 (8) Gil‘ad is mine and M’nasheh mine,

Efrayim my helmet, Y’hudah my scepter.

10 (9) Mo’av is my washpot; on Edom I throw my shoe;

Over P’leshet I shout in triumph.”

11 (10) Who will bring me into the fortified city?

Who will lead me to Edom?

12 (11) God, have you rejected us?

You don’t go out with our armies, God.

13 (12) Help us against our enemy,

for human help is worthless.

14 (13) With God’s help we will fight valiantly,

for he will trample our enemies.

John 15:1 “I am the real vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 Every branch which is part of me but fails to bear fruit, he cuts off; and every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes, so that it may bear more fruit. 3 Right now, because of the word which I have spoken to you, you are pruned. 4 Stay united with me, as I will with you — for just as the branch can’t put forth fruit by itself apart from the vine, so you can’t bear fruit apart from me.

5 “I am the vine and you are the branches. Those who stay united with me, and I with them, are the ones who bear much fruit; because apart from me you can’t do a thing. 6 Unless a person remains united with me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up. Such branches are gathered and thrown into the fire, where they are burned up.

7 “If you remain united with me, and my words with you, then ask whatever you want, and it will happen for you. 8 This is how my Father is glorified — in your bearing much fruit; this is how you will prove to be my talmidim.

9 “Just as my Father has loved me, I too have loved you; so stay in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will stay in my love — just as I have kept my Father’s commands and stay in his love. 11 I have said this to you so that my joy may be in you, and your joy be complete.

12 “This is my command: that you keep on loving each other just as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than a person who lays down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends, if you do what I command you. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a slave doesn’t know what his master is about; but I have called you friends, because everything I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, I chose you; and I have commissioned you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last; so that whatever you ask from the Father in my name he may give you. 17 This is what I command you: keep loving each other!

18 “If the world hates you, understand that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, the world would have loved its own. But because you do not belong to the world — on the contrary, I have picked you out of the world — therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too; if they kept my word, they will keep yours too. 21 But they will do all this to you on my account, because they don’t know the One who sent me.

22 “If I had not come and spoken to them, they wouldn’t be guilty of sin; but now, they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done in their presence works which no one else ever did, they would not be guilty of sin; but now, they have seen them and have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this has happened in order to fulfill the words in their Torah which read, ‘They hated me for no reason at all.’[a]

26 “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send you from the Father — the Spirit of Truth, who keeps going out from the Father — he will testify on my behalf. 27 And you testify too, because you have been with me from the outset.[Footnotes:

John 15:25 Psalms 35:19; 69:5(4)]

The Lutheran Hour
660 Mason Ridge Center Drive
St. Louis, Missouri 63141 United States
1-800-876-9880
www.lhm.org
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