Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour in Saint Louis, Missouri, United States "How Low Can You Go?" for Wednesday, 1 July 2015

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour in Saint Louis, Missouri, United States "How Low Can You Go?" for Wednesday, 1 July 2015 

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.[1 Corinthians 6:9-11]
It is July and time for our first "Christmas in July" devotion or, if you prefer, "The How Low Can You Go?" devotion.
The inspiration for the devotion is provided by three New York postal employees who were part of the "Operation Santa" program, which was conducted at Manhattan's James A. Farley Post Office. Working from November 2013 to January 2014, it was their job to make sure the letters from underprivileged boys and girls got to Santa's helpers, who wanted to make sure no child was left behind.
Many faithful, honest postal workers feel it is a privilege to serve in the Operation Santa department.
But these three are the tragic exception to that rule. According to federal criminal charges filed against them, the two men and one woman involved made good use of their Operation Santa opportunity. This they did by writing fake letters so some goodhearted individual might buy them electronics, clothing, and assorted other goodies.
Think that's bad? Well, this devo is not entitled "How Low Can You Go?" for nothing.
The three not only wrote fake letters to fill their own stockings, they took their deception one step further. Finding that making up false requests required a lot of work and originality, they decided to take a different approach, an easier approach. They took legitimate letters written by some underprivileged children and substituted their addresses for those of the kids.
You know, when St. Paul came up with a list of the unrighteous who will not inherit the kingdom of heaven, he had quite a list. I've looked that list over a number of times, but I haven't found anything about postal employees who steal Christmas presents from little children. Still, just because that sin isn't specifically listed doesn't mean the Lord has turned a blind eye.
No, the Lord hates all sins -- the ones Paul listed -- and the ones which never were put to parchment.
Just as importantly, the Lord Jesus came into this world to pay the price that would offer forgiveness to you, me and the three postal workers we've been talking about. Indeed, there is no sin too large, no transgression so heinous that it cannot be erased by the blood of the Redeemer.
Now that's important for you and me to remember since all of our nasty sins are more than balanced out by the Savior's supreme sacrifice.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, every human being is born with a sinful heart. I give thanks Your heart is so filled with love that it can forgive all our sins -- even the worst of them. For Jesus' offering, which makes that forgiveness possible, I give thanks. In His Name. Amen.

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:
Ecclesiastes 10:1 Just as dead flies make perfumed oil stink,

so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

2 A wise man’s heart leads him rightly,

but a fool’s heart leads him astray;

3 and when a fool travels, he has no good sense,

thus showing everyone that he is a fool.

4 If a ruler gets angry at you, stay at your post,

because calmness soothes great offenses.

5 Another evil I have seen under the sun,

the kind of mistake rulers make, is that

6 fools are promoted to high positions,

while the rich occupy humble places.

7 I have seen servants riding horses,

while princes walk on foot like slaves.

8 He who digs a pit may fall into it;

he who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

9 He who quarries stones may get hurt by them,

he who chops wood puts himself in danger.

10 If the [hatchet’s] iron [blade] is blunt,

and [its user] doesn’t sharpen it,

he will have to exert more effort;

but the expert has the advantage of his skill.

11 If a snake bites before it is charmed,

the snake-charmer has no advantage.

12 The words spoken by the wise bring them favor,

but the lips of a fool swallow him up.

13 What he says starts with foolishness

and ends with wicked madness.

14 A fool keeps talking and talking,

yet no one knows what the future will bring —

can anyone tell a person

what will happen after he’s gone?

15 The efforts of a fool wear him out;

he doesn’t even know the way to town!

16 Woe to you, land, when your king is a child,

and your leaders start their parties in the morning!

17 Happy are you, land, when your king is well-born,

and your princes eat at the proper time,

in order to stay strong, not to get drunk!

18 When the owner is lazy, the roof sags;

when hands are idle, the house leaks.

19 Parties are made for having a good time,

wine adds cheer to life,

and money has an answer for everything.

20 Don’t insult the king, not even in your thoughts;

and don’t insult the wealthy, not even in your bedroom;

for a bird in the air might carry the news,

a creature with wings might repeat what you said.

11:1 Send your resources out over the seas;

eventually you will reap a return.

2 Divide your merchandise into seven or eight shares,

since you don’t know what disasters may come on the earth.

3 If the clouds are full of rain,

they empty themselves on the earth.

Whether a tree falls toward the north or the south,

the place where the tree falls is where it stays.

4 He who keeps watching the wind will never sow;

he who keeps looking at the clouds will never reap.

5 Just as you don’t know the way of the wind

or how bones grow in a pregnant woman’s womb,

so you don’t know the work of God,

the maker of everything.

6 In the morning, sow your seed;

and don’t slack off until evening;

for you don’t know which sowing will succeed,

this, or that, or if both will do well.

7 Then the light will be sweet,

and it will be a pleasure to see the sun.

8 For if a person lives many years,

let him take joy in them all;

yet remembering that there will be many days of darkness,

that all to come is futile.

9 Young person, if you spend your youth only having fun,

if you use your early years just to entertain yourself,

if you follow your heart as you live your life,

and let your eyes be your guide;

understand that for all these things

God will bring you to judgment.

10 Therefore, remove anger from your heart;

and keep from harming your body;

for neither adolescence nor youth

has any lasting value.

12:1 So remember your creator while you are young,

before the evil days come,

and the years approach when you will say,

“They no longer give me pleasure”;

2 before the sun and the light grow dim,

also the moon and the stars;

before the clouds return after the rain;

3 on the day when the guards of the house are trembling,

and men of courage are bent over double;

when the women stop grinding grain,

because there are so few;

when the women at the windows

can no longer see out;

4 when the doors to the streets are kept shut;

when the noise from the grain-mill fades;

when a person is startled by the chirp of a bird,

yet their singing is hard to hear;

5 when they will be afraid to go up a hill,

and terrors will stalk the way,

even though the almond tree is in bloom;

when the locust can only drag itself along,

and the caper berry has no [aphrodisiac] effect —

because the person is headed for his eternal home,

and the mourners are already gathering

in the marketplace —

6 before the silver cord is snapped

the bowl of gold is cracked,

the pitcher is shattered at the spring,

the pulley is broken at the cistern,

7 the dust returns to earth, as it was,

and the spirit returns to God, who gave it!

8 Pointless! Meaningless! — says Kohelet,

Nothing matters at all!

9 Not only was Kohelet wise, he also taught the people what he knew; also he weighed, researched and corrected many ethical sayings. 10 Kohelet worked to develop an attractive writing style, in which he expressed the truth straightforwardly. 11 The sayings of the wise are as sharp as goads, and those given by leaders of assemblies are like well-fixed nails; [in this case,] they are presented by a single shepherd. 12 In addition, my son, take heed: one can write many books — there’s no end to it; and one can study so much that it wearies the flesh.

13 Here is the final conclusion, now that you have heard everything: fear God, and keep his mitzvot; this is what being human is all about. 14 For God will bring to judgment everything we do, including every secret, whether good or bad.

[Here is the final conclusion, now that you have heard everything: fear God, and keep his mitzvot; this is what being human is all about.]

Acts 10:24 and he arrived at Caesarea the day after that. Cornelius was expecting them — he had already called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Kefa entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell prostrate at his feet. 26 But Kefa pulled him to his feet and said, “Stand up! I myself am just a man.”

27 As he talked with him, Kefa went inside and found many people gathered. 28 He said to them, “You are well aware that for a man who is a Jew to have close association with someone who belongs to another people, or to come and visit him, is something that just isn’t done. But God has shown me not to call any person common or unclean; 29 so when I was summoned, I came without raising any questions. Tell me, then, why did you send for me?”

30 Cornelius answered, “Three days ago around this time, I was at minchah prayers in my house, when suddenly a man in shining clothes stood in front of me 31 and said, ‘God has heard your prayer and remembered your acts of charity. 32 Now send to Yafo and ask for Shim‘on, known as Kefa; he is staying in the house of Shim‘on, a leather-tanner, by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now all of us are here in the presence of God to hear everything the Lord has ordered you to say.”

34 Then Kefa addressed them: “I now understand that God does not play favorites, 35 but that whoever fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him, no matter what people he belongs to.

36 “Here is the message that he sent to the sons of Isra’el announcing shalom through Yeshua the Messiah, who is Lord of everything. 37 You know what has been going on throughout Y’hudah, starting from the Galil after the immersion that Yochanan proclaimed; 38 how God anointed Yeshua from Natzeret with the Ruach HaKodesh and with power; how Yeshua went about doing good and healing all the people oppressed by the Adversary, because God was with him.

39 “As for us, we are witnesses of everything he did, both in the Judean countryside and in Yerushalayim. They did away with him by hanging him on a stake;[Acts 10:39 Deuteronomy 21:23] 40 but God raised him up on the third day and let him be seen, 41 not by all the people, but by witnesses God had previously chosen, that is, by us, who ate and drank with him after he had risen again from the dead.

42 “Then he commanded us to proclaim and attest to the Jewish people that this man has been appointed by God to judge the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets bear witness to him, that everyone who puts his trust in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

44 Kefa was still saying these things when the Ruach HaKodesh fell on all who were hearing the message. 45 All the believers from the Circumcision faction who had accompanied Kefa were amazed that the gift of the Ruach HaKodesh was also being poured out 46 on the Goyim, for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Kefa’s response was, 47 “Is anyone prepared to prohibit these people from being immersed in water? After all, they have received the Ruach HaKodesh, just as we did.” 48 And he ordered that they be immersed in the name of Yeshua the Messiah. Then they asked Kefa to stay on with them for a few days.

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