All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.[2 Corinthians 5:18-19]
For almost 200 years people have been taking photographs. Some have changed the world.
For example, there's the photo, taken on June 5, 1989, which shows a courageous Chinese man facing down an entire column of tanks in Tiananmen Square. Then there's the inspirational picture of the U.S. flag being raised over Iwo Jima or the tragic moment Lee Harvey Oswald was shot in Dallas.
Those pictures are special, but today's devotion deals with a pretty ordinary 4 x 5 inch tintype that was bought for less than a dollar by Randy Guijarro in Fresno, California. The photo was taken in 1878 New Mexico. It shows some men playing croquet in front of a rustic cabin.
Well, that's the picture ... and this year that picture is going to be sold ... probably for more that $5 million!
And if you're wondering what makes this worn, old photo the most valuable picture in existence, I'll tell you. Experts in digital facial recognition, antique photography, geographic positioning, and vintage croquet sets were called in and they agree: this photograph shows Billy the Kid and his outlaw gang of Regulators. And since there is only one other picture of Billy in existence, this one, with his pals, becomes extremely valuable to western collectors.
Now I know you wouldn't pay that kind of money for an old photograph of a young murderer. No, you wouldn't, but someone will, which takes this devotion to you, me and all of humanity.
Have you ever taken a real good look at us -- at the many ways we have messed up the world? An honest assessment would say that while some people do some good some of the time, they are the exception and not the rule. Indeed, if it's possible to pervert or subvert something good, humanity has managed to do so and it has done the job in a serious way.
Our honest evaluation would lead us to say that anyone looking at humanity wouldn't pay a plugged nickel to claim ownership rights over us. Wait; let me amend that a bit. Let me say you and I wouldn't pay a plugged nickel to own us, but ...
Someone would -- and Someone did.
The Triune God, fully conscious of all we had thought, said and done wrong, decided He wasn't going to walk away and forget about us. Seeing our faded and desperate condition, He decided to do what was necessary,all which was necessary to save us. To make that idea a reality, the Father in heaven sent His Son into this world to pay the ransom price for our souls.
So we might be owned by the Lord, Jesus lived, suffered, died, rose and sends His Holy Spirit to call us, forgive us, keep us, and empower us.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, grant that I always keep before me the picture of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection Sunday's great victory, which saves me. In His Name. Amen.
For almost 200 years people have been taking photographs. Some have changed the world.
For example, there's the photo, taken on June 5, 1989, which shows a courageous Chinese man facing down an entire column of tanks in Tiananmen Square. Then there's the inspirational picture of the U.S. flag being raised over Iwo Jima or the tragic moment Lee Harvey Oswald was shot in Dallas.
Those pictures are special, but today's devotion deals with a pretty ordinary 4 x 5 inch tintype that was bought for less than a dollar by Randy Guijarro in Fresno, California. The photo was taken in 1878 New Mexico. It shows some men playing croquet in front of a rustic cabin.
Well, that's the picture ... and this year that picture is going to be sold ... probably for more that $5 million!
And if you're wondering what makes this worn, old photo the most valuable picture in existence, I'll tell you. Experts in digital facial recognition, antique photography, geographic positioning, and vintage croquet sets were called in and they agree: this photograph shows Billy the Kid and his outlaw gang of Regulators. And since there is only one other picture of Billy in existence, this one, with his pals, becomes extremely valuable to western collectors.
Now I know you wouldn't pay that kind of money for an old photograph of a young murderer. No, you wouldn't, but someone will, which takes this devotion to you, me and all of humanity.
Have you ever taken a real good look at us -- at the many ways we have messed up the world? An honest assessment would say that while some people do some good some of the time, they are the exception and not the rule. Indeed, if it's possible to pervert or subvert something good, humanity has managed to do so and it has done the job in a serious way.
Our honest evaluation would lead us to say that anyone looking at humanity wouldn't pay a plugged nickel to claim ownership rights over us. Wait; let me amend that a bit. Let me say you and I wouldn't pay a plugged nickel to own us, but ...
Someone would -- and Someone did.
The Triune God, fully conscious of all we had thought, said and done wrong, decided He wasn't going to walk away and forget about us. Seeing our faded and desperate condition, He decided to do what was necessary,all which was necessary to save us. To make that idea a reality, the Father in heaven sent His Son into this world to pay the ransom price for our souls.
So we might be owned by the Lord, Jesus lived, suffered, died, rose and sends His Holy Spirit to call us, forgive us, keep us, and empower us.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, grant that I always keep before me the picture of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection Sunday's great victory, which saves me. 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:
Jeremiah 25:1 This is the word that came to Yirmeyahu concerning all the people of Y’hudah in the fourth year of Y’hoyakim the son of Yoshiyahu, king of Y’hudah; this was also the first year of N’vukhadretzar king of Bavel. 2 Yirmeyahu the prophet proclaimed it before all the people of Y’hudah and all the inhabitants of Yerushalayim: 3 “For twenty-three years, since the thirteenth year of Yoshiyahu the son of Amon, king of Y’hudah, until today, the word of Adonai has come to me; and I have proclaimed it to you on numerous occasions; but you haven’t listened. 4 Moreover, Adonai sent you all his servants the prophets — again, on numerous occasions — but you didn’t listen or pay attention. 5 The message was always: ‘Every one of you, turn back from his evil way, from the evil of your actions. Then you will live in the land Adonai gave you and your ancestors forever and ever. 6 Don’t follow other gods by serving and worshipping them. “Don’t provoke my anger with things your own hands have made; then I will do you no harm. 7 But you wouldn’t listen to me,” says Adonai, “so that you could provoke me with the products of your hands, to your own harm.”
The Lutheran Hour
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Through the Bible in a Year
Today Read:
Jeremiah 25:1 This is the word that came to Yirmeyahu concerning all the people of Y’hudah in the fourth year of Y’hoyakim the son of Yoshiyahu, king of Y’hudah; this was also the first year of N’vukhadretzar king of Bavel. 2 Yirmeyahu the prophet proclaimed it before all the people of Y’hudah and all the inhabitants of Yerushalayim: 3 “For twenty-three years, since the thirteenth year of Yoshiyahu the son of Amon, king of Y’hudah, until today, the word of Adonai has come to me; and I have proclaimed it to you on numerous occasions; but you haven’t listened. 4 Moreover, Adonai sent you all his servants the prophets — again, on numerous occasions — but you didn’t listen or pay attention. 5 The message was always: ‘Every one of you, turn back from his evil way, from the evil of your actions. Then you will live in the land Adonai gave you and your ancestors forever and ever. 6 Don’t follow other gods by serving and worshipping them. “Don’t provoke my anger with things your own hands have made; then I will do you no harm. 7 But you wouldn’t listen to me,” says Adonai, “so that you could provoke me with the products of your hands, to your own harm.”
8 “Therefore, here is what Adonai-Tzva’ot says: ‘Because you haven’t paid attention to what I’ve been saying, 9 I’m going to send for all the families of the north,’ says Adonai, ‘and for my servant N’vukhadretzar the king of Bavel, and bring them against this land, against its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them, making them an object of horror and ridicule, a perpetual ruin. 10 Moreover, I will silence among them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bridegroom and bride, the grinding of millstones and the light of lamps. 11 This entire land will become a ruin, a waste; and these nations will serve the king of Bavel for seventy years. 12 But when the seventy years are over, I will punish the king of Bavel and that nation for their sin,’ says Adonai, ‘and I will turn the land of the Kasdim into everlasting ruins. 13 I will inflict on that land all my words that I have decreed against it, everything written in this book, in which Yirmeyahu has prophesied against all the nations. 14 For they too will become slaves to many nations and to powerful kings; I will pay them back according to their deeds and the work of their own hands.’
15 “For here is what Adonai the God of Isra’el says to me: ‘Take this cup of the wine of fury from my hand, and make all the nations where I am sending you drink it. 16 They will drink, stagger to and fro and behave like crazy people because of the sword that I will send among them.’”
17 Then I took the cup from Adonai’s hand and made all the nations drink, where Adonai had sent me — 18 Yerushalayim and the cities of Y’hudah, along with their kings and leaders, to make them a ruin and an object of horror, ridicule and cursing, as it is today; 19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, with his servants and leaders and all his people, both native 20 and foreign; all the kings of the land of ‘Utz; all the kings of the land of the P’lishtim, Ashkelon, ‘Azah, ‘Ekron and those remaining in Ashdod; 21 Edom, Mo’av, and the people of ‘Amon; 22 all the kings of Tzor, of Tzidon and of the coastlands across the sea; 23 D’dan, Teima, Buz and all who cut the corners of their beards; 24 all the kings of Arabia and of the mixed peoples living in the desert; 25 all the kings of Zimri, of ‘Eilam and of the Medes; 26 and all the kings of the north, far and near, one after another — indeed, all the kingdoms of the world that there are on the surface of the earth. And the king of Sheshakh will drink last of all.
27 “You are to say to them, ‘Here is what Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el, says: Drink until you’re so drunk that you throw up, fall down, and never get up again, because of the sword I am sending among you!’ 28 If they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink it, then say to them, ‘Here is what Adonai-Tzva’ot says: You must drink! 29 For, look! — if I am bringing disaster on the city that bears my own name, do you expect to go unpunished? Yes, I will summon a sword for all the inhabitants of the earth,’ says Adonai.
30 “As for you, [Yirmeyahu,] prophesy all these words against them; say to them,
‘Adonai is roaring from on high,
raising his voice from his holy dwelling,
roaring with might against his own habitation,
shouting out loud, like those who tread grapes,
against everyone living on earth.
31 The sound resounds to the ends of the earth,
for Adonai is indicting the nations,
about to pass judgment on all humankind;
the wicked he has handed over to the sword,’
says Adonai.” 32 Thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot:
“Disaster is spreading from nation to nation,
a mighty tempest is being unleashed
from the farthest ends of the earth.”
33 On that day, those killed by Adonai will be strewn
from one end of the earth to the other;
they will not be mourned or gathered or buried,
but will lie on the ground like dung.
34 “Wail, shepherds! Cry!
Wallow in the dust, you lords of the flock!
For the days for your slaughter have come.
I will break you in pieces,
and like a prized vase you will fall.”
35 The shepherds have no way to flee,
the lords of the flock no way to escape.
36 Hear the cry of the shepherds,
the wails of the lords of the flock!
For Adonai is destroying their pasture,
37 the peaceful grazing grounds are silenced,
because of Adonai’s fierce anger.
38 Like a lion, he has abandoned his lair;
for their land has become desolate
because of the oppressor’s fierce sword
and because of Adonai’s fierce anger.
45:1 Here is what Yirmeyahu said to Barukh the son of Neriyah when he wrote these words in a book at Yirmeyahu’s dictation, in the fourth year of Y’hoyakim the son of Yoshiyahu, king of Y’hudah: 2 “This is what Adonai the God of Isra’el says concerning you, Barukh. You said,
3 ‘Woe to me now!
Adonai has compounded my pain with sorrow,
I am weary from groaning,
and I can find no relief!’
4 “Tell him that Adonai says:
‘I will tear down what I built up,
I will uproot what I planted,
and this throughout the land.
5 Are you seeking great things for yourself? Don’t! For I am bringing disaster on everything living,’ says Adonai. ‘But wherever you go, you will escape with your life.’”
46:1 This is the word of Adonai that came to Yirmeyahu the prophet concerning the nations. 2 Concerning Egypt, against the army of Pharaoh N’kho, king of Egypt, stationed by the Euphrates River in Kark’mish, which N’vukhadretzar king of Bavel attacked in the fourth year of Y’hoyakim son of Yoshiyahu, king of Y’hudah:
3 “Prepare breastplate and shield! Advance to battle!
4 Harness the horses! Riders, mount!
[Troops,] fall in! Helmets in place!
Polish the spears! Coats of mail on!
5 “Why do I see them retreating in panic,
their heroes routed, fleeing headlong,
not looking back, terror all around?”
asks Adonai.
6 “The swift cannot flee, nor the heroes escape.
In the north, by the Euphrates River,
they have stumbled and fallen.”
7 Who is this, rising up like the Nile,
like rivers whose waters surge out in flood?
8 It is Egypt, rising up like the Nile,
like rivers whose waters surge out in flood,
saying, “I will surge out and cover the earth,
destroying the city along with its people.”
9 Charge, horses! Full speed ahead, chariots!
Let the warriors attack! —
Kush and Put, bearing their shields,
and the Ludim, strung bows in hand.
10 For on that day Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot
will have a day of vengeance
for avenging himself on his enemies.
The sword will destroy, have its fill,
be made drunk on their blood.
Yes, Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot
decrees slaughter in the land to the north
by the Euphrates River.
11 Go up to Gil‘ad for its healing resin,
virgin daughter of Egypt.
You try many medicines, all in vain;
for you there is no cure.
12 The nations have heard about your disgrace;
your shrieks fill the earth
as warrior trips over warrior,
both falling down together.
13 This word Adonai spoke to Yirmeyahu the prophet concerning how N’vukhadretzar king of Bavel would come and attack the land of Egypt:
14 “Proclaim in Egypt, announce in Migdol,
announce in Nof and Tachpanches;
say: ‘Take your stand! Get ready!
For all around you the sword is destroying.
15 Why has your strong one been overthrown?
He failed to stand because Adonai pushed him down.
16 He caused many to trip;
yes, they fell all over each other.’”
Then they said, “Let’s get up,
let’s return to our own people,
back to the land where we were born,
away from the sword that destroys.”
17 They cried there, “Pharaoh king of Egypt makes noise,
but he lets the right time [for action] slip by.”
18 “As I live,” says the king,
whose name is Adonai-Tzva’ot,
“when he comes, he will be [as mighty]
as Tavor among the mountains,
as Karmel next to the sea.
19 “Daughter living in Egypt,
prepare what you need for exile;
for Nof will become a ruin,
laid waste, without inhabitant.
20 Egypt is a beautiful female calf;
but a horsefly from the north has come to attack her.
21 Her mercenaries too, that she had with her,
were like well-fed calves in a stable;
but they too have withdrawn in retreat,
they all ran away without standing their ground.
For their day of disaster has come over them,
the time for them to be punished.
22 Egypt hisses like a snake,
as the enemy’s army marches ahead,
attacking her with their axes
like lumbermen chopping trees.
23 They cut down her forest,” says Adonai,
“for they cannot be numbered;
yes, there are more of them than locusts,
far too many to count.
24 The daughter of Egypt is put to shame,
handed over to the people from the north.”
25 Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el, says: “I will punish Amon from No, Pharaoh, and Egypt with her gods and kings — that is, Pharaoh and those who trust in him; 26 I will hand them over to those who seek their lives, to N’vukhadretzar king of Bavel and to his servants. But afterwards, Egypt will be inhabited, as in the past,” says Adonai.
27 “Yet don’t be afraid, Ya‘akov my servant;
don’t be distressed, Isra’el.
For I will save you from faraway places,
and your offspring from the lands where they are held captive.
Ya‘akov will return and be at peace,
quiet, with no one to make him afraid.
28 Don’t be afraid, Ya‘akov my servant,”
says Adonai, “for I am with you.
I will finish off all the nations
where I have scattered you.
However, you I will not finish off,
I will discipline you as you deserve,
but not completely destroy you.”
Hebrews 1:1 In days gone by, God spoke in many and varied ways to the Fathers through the prophets. 2 But now, in the acharit-hayamim, he has spoken to us through his Son, to whom he has given ownership of everything and through whom he created the universe. 3 This Son is the radiance of the Sh’khinah, the very expression of God’s essence, upholding all that exists by his powerful word; and after he had, through himself, made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of HaG’dulah BaM’romim.[Hebrews 1:3 Psalm 110:1]
4 So he has become much better than angels, and the name God has given him is superior to theirs. 5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,
“You are my Son;
today I have become your Father”?[Hebrews 1:5 Psalm 2:7]
Also, God never said of any angel,
“I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son.”[Hebrews 1:5 2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chronicles 17:13]
6 And again, when God brings his Firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.”[Hebrews 1:6 Psalm 97:7]
7 Indeed, when speaking of angels, he says,
“. . . who makes his angels winds
and his servants fiery flames”;[Hebrews 1:7 Psalm 104:4]
8 but to the Son, he says,
“Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever;
you rule your Kingdom with a scepter of equity;
9 you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you
with the oil of joy in preference to your companions”;[Hebrews 1:9 Psalm 45:7–8(6–7)]
10 and,
“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth;
heaven is the work of your hands.
11 They will vanish, but you will remain;
like clothing, they will all grow old;
12 and you will fold them up like a coat.
Yes, they will be changed like clothing,
but you remain the same,
your years will never end.”[Hebrews 1:12 Psalm 102:26–28(25–27)]
13 Moreover, to which of the angels has he ever said,
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?[Hebrews 1:13 Psalm 110:1]
14 Aren’t they all merely spirits who serve, sent out to help those whom God will deliver?
Footnotes:
____________________________The Lutheran Hour
660 Mason Ridge Center Drive
St. Louis, Missouri 63141 United States
1-800-876-9880
www.lhm.org
____________________________
St. Louis, Missouri 63141 United States
1-800-876-9880
www.lhm.org
____________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment