Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour In Saint Louis, Missouri, United States "Get Back Up" for Thursday, November 5, 2015

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour In Saint Louis, Missouri, United States "Get Back Up" for Thursday, November 5, 2015

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in Him, "If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."[John 8:31-32]
The penitentiary in Darrington, Texas, is not a pleasant place.
The prison has three levels or tiers with rows of cells on both sides. In addition, there are special places for special prisoners. What kind of places? Places like the "dungeon," which is the temporary residence for prisoners who are being punished. Then, of course, there is death row. There, for one hour a day the condemned are let out and allowed to walk around. Of course, their walks never take them beyond the corridor of the others who are also condemned.
As I said, Darrington Penitentiary is not a pleasant place.
I've tried to imagine what it would be like to be a "dead man walking." What would be your thoughts to have a cell whose window is so high you can never see outside? What would it be like to have a hallway define the limits of your freedom?
What would it be like to be on death row for 27 years?
I can't begin to answer that, but one man at Darrington Pen knows exactly how it feels. His exceptional story was brought to our attention through the letter of another inmate, a man who had studied for years to become a prisoner-chaplain. Known as a "tier walker," this chaplain is allowed to minister to other inmates, including our fellow on death row.
Speaking for the condemned individual, the chaplain expressed appreciation for a Lutheran Hour Ministries' booklet that had touched the heart and soul of his pal. The booklet he referred to is entitled, Comebacks. How to Get Back Up When Life Knocks You Down.
The condemned inmate says he reads the book daily and the words -- the words which point to the Savior and the freedom He has won for sinful humanity -- give him hope. Nowadays, when he looks up at that high window in his cell, the light shining in doesn't remind him of the freedom he has lost. No, it reminds him of the Light of the world, Jesus, and how the day will someday arrive when the Lord will come back for him, set him free for eternity, and take him home.
This brings me to the point in this devotion where I can express my appreciation. First and always, thanks be to God who can set prisoners free, even the prisoners who are on death row.
But I also give thanks for you.
It is your ongoing support which allowed that booklet to be published and shared. It is your faithful donations which keep The Lutheran Hour on the air. Because of you, for more than 85 years we have taken Jesus to prisons, hospitals and communities where no pastor will ever preach and no church will ever be built.
On behalf of all those whom the Lord has touched because of your caring ~ my deepest appreciation.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, bless the proclamation of Your Word and the salvation story throughout the world. Let hearts be saved by the Savior who is the Light of the world. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
To receive a free copy of the PDF booklet of Comebacks: How to Get Back Up When Life Knocks You Down, please click here. An audio file (MP3) is also available!

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 39:1 In the ninth year of Tzidkiyahu king of Y’hudah, in the tenth month, N’vukhadretzar king of Bavel marched against Yerushalayim with his entire army and began to lay siege against it. 2 On the ninth day of the fourth month of the eleventh year of Tzidkiyahu, they broke through into the city. 3 All the officers of the king of Bavel entered and sat at the Middle Gate — Nergal-Sar’etzer, Samgar-N’vo, Sars’khim the Rav-Saris, Nergal-Sar’etzer the Rav-Mag and all the other officers of the king of Bavel. 4 When Tzidkiyahu the king of Y’hudah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled, leaving the city by night through the king’s garden, exiting from the gate between the two walls, and continuing out by the route through the ‘Aravah. 5 But the army of the Kasdim went in pursuit of them and overtook Tzidkiyahu on the plains near Yericho. Upon capturing him, they brought him up to N’vukhadretzar king of Bavel at Rivlah, in the land of Hamat, where he passed judgment on him. 6 The king of Bavel slaughtered the sons of Tzidkiyahu before his eyes in Rivlah; the king of Bavel also slaughtered all the leading men of Y’hudah. 7 Then he put out Tzidkiyahu’s eyes and bound him in chains to be carried off to Bavel. 8 The Kasdim burned down the royal palace and the people’s houses, and they broke down the walls of Yerushalayim. 9 N’vuzar’adan commander of the guard then deported to Bavel the remaining population of the city, the deserters who had defected to him, and the rest of the people remaining. 10 But N’vuzar’adan the commander of the guard left behind in the territory of Y’hudah some of the poor people, those who had nothing, and at the same time gave them vineyards and fields.

11 Concerning Yirmeyahu, N’vukhadretzar king of Bavel gave N’vuzar’adan the commander of the guard this order: 12 “Take him, look after him well, and do him no harm, but treat him as he tells you.” 13 So N’vuzar’adan the commander of the guard, N’vushazban the Rav-Saris, Nergal-Sar’etzer the Rav-Mag, and all the chief officers of the king of Bavel 14 sent to have Yirmeyahu taken out of the guards’ quarters; they committed him to the care of G’dalyahu the son of Achikam, the son of Shafan, to be brought home. There he lived among the people.

15 This word of Adonai came to Yirmeyahu while he was imprisoned in the guards’ quarters: 16 “Go and tell ‘Eved-Melekh the Ethiopian that Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el, says: ‘“I am about to fulfill my words about this city for disaster, not for good; when the day arrives, they will come true before your eyes. 17 But at that time I will rescue you,” says Adonai, “and I will not hand you over to the men you fear. 18 Yes, I will keep you safe; you will not fall by the sword, but you will escape with your life, because you have put your trust in me,” says Adonai.’”

52:1 Tzidkiyahu was twenty-one years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for eleven years in Yerushalayim. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Yirmeyahu, from Livnah. 2 He did what was evil from Adonai’s perspective, following the example of everything Y’hoyakim had done. 3 And it was because of Adonai’s anger that all these things happened to Yerushalayim and Y’hudah, until he had thrown them out of his presence.

Tzidkiyahu rebelled against the king of Bavel; 4 so in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, N’vukhadretzar king of Bavel marched against Yerushalayim with his entire army. He set up camp against it and built siege towers against it on every side. 5 The city remained under siege into the eleventh year of King Tzidkiyahu.

6 On the ninth day of the fourth month, when the famine in the city was so severe that there was no food for the people of the land, 7 they broke through into the city. All the soldiers fled and left the city by night through the gate between the two walls, near the king’s garden. Because the Kasdim were surrounding the city, they took the route through the ‘Aravah. 8 But the army of the Kasdim went in pursuit of the king and overtook Tzidkiyahu on the plains near Yericho; all his troops deserted him. 9 Then they took the king and brought him up to the king of Bavel in Rivlah, in the land of Hamat, where he passed judgment on him. 10 The king of Bavel slaughtered his sons before his eyes; he also slaughtered all the leading men of Y’hudah in Rivlah. 11 Then the king of Bavel put out Tzidkiyahu’s eyes, bound him in chains, carried him off to Bavel and kept him in prison until the day of his death.

12 In the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, which was also the nineteenth year of King N’vukhadretzar, king of Bavel, N’vuzar’adan, the commander of the guard and a close associate of the king of Bavel, entered Yerushalayim. 13 He burned down the house of Adonai, the royal palace and all the houses in Yerushalayim — every notable person’s house he burned to the ground. 14 The whole army of the Kasdim, who were with the commander of the guard, broke down all the walls of Yerushalayim on every side. 15 N’vuzar’adan the commander of the guard then deported some of the poor people, the remaining population of the city, the deserters who had defected to the king of Bavel and the rest of the common people. 16 But N’vuzar’adan the commander of the guard left behind some of the poor people of the land to be vineyard-workers and farmers.

17 The Kasdim smashed the bronze columns of the house of Adonai, also the trolleys and bronze Sea that were in the house of Adonai, and carried their bronze to Bavel. 18 They also took away the pots, shovels, snuffers, basins, pans, and all the bronze articles they had used in worship. 19 The commander of the guard took the cups, censers, sprinkling bowls, pots, menorahs, pans and bowls — everything made of gold and everything made of silver. 20 The bronze in the two columns, the one Sea, and the twelve bronze bulls under the bases, all of which Shlomo had made for the house of Adonai, was more than could be weighed. 21 As for the columns, the height of one column was thirty-one-and-a-half feet; it took a twenty-one-foot measuring line to go around it; and its thickness was four fingers — it was hollow. 22 On it was a capital of brass eight-and-three quarters feet high, with netting and pomegranates all around the capital, all of bronze; the second column was similar, also with pomegranates. 23 There were ninety-six pomegranates on the outside; while the total number of pomegranates in the netting was one hundred.

24 The commander of the guard took [prisoner] S’rayah the chief cohen, Tz’fanyah the second-ranking cohen, and three doorkeepers. 25 From the city he took an official in charge of the soldiers, seven close associates of the king who had been found in the city, the army commander’s secretary in charge of military conscription, and sixty of the common people found inside the city. 26 N’vuzar’adan the commander of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Bavel in Rivlah. 27 There in Rivlah, in the land of Hamat, the king of Bavel had them put to death. Thus Y’hudah was carried away captive out of his land.

28 The numbers of people deported by N’vukhadretzar were as follows: in the seventh year, 3,023 persons from Y’hudah; 29 in the eighteenth year of N’vukhadretzar, 832 persons from Yerushalayim; 30 and in the twenty-third year of N’vukhadretzar, N’vuzar’adan the commander of the guard deported 745 persons from Y’hudah; the total comes to 4,600 persons.

31 In the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Y’hoyakhin king of Y’hudah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, Eveel-M’rodakh began his reign as king of Bavel; and in his first year, he commuted the sentence of Y’hoyakhin king of Y’hudah and released him from prison. 32 He treated him with kindness and gave him a throne higher than those of the other kings there with him in Bavel. 33 So Y’hoyakhin no longer had to wear prison clothes; moreover, he was provided with food as long as he lived, 34 and he was granted a daily allowance by the king of Bavel to spend on his other needs for as long as he lived, until the day of his death.

40:1 This word came to Yirmeyahu from Adonai after N’vuzar’adan the commander of the guard had let him leave Ramah, after having taken him, bound in chains, with all the captives from Yerushalayim and Y’hudah that had been carried off to Bavel. 2 The commander of the guard took Yirmeyahu and said to him, “Adonai your God decreed this disaster for this place, 3 and Adonai has brought it about; he has done what he said he would do, because you people sinned against Adonai and did not listen to what he said; that is why this has come upon you. 4 Now, today, I am freeing you from the chains on your hand. If it seems good to you to come with me to Bavel, come; and I will look after you well. But if it seems not good to you to come with me to Bavel, then don’t — the entire land is in front of you: wherever it seems good and right for you to go, go there.” 5 Before Yirmeyahu could answer, [N’vuzar’adan said,] “Go back then to G’dalyahu the son of Achikam, the son of Shafan, whom the king of Bavel has made governor over the cities of Y’hudah, and live with him among the people; or go wherever it seems right for you to go.” The commander of the guard gave him provisions and a gift, and dismissed him. 6 Yirmeyahu then went to G’dalyahu the son of Achikam in Mitzpah and lived with him among the people who were left in the land.

7 Now when all the field force commanders and their men heard that the king of Bavel had made G’dalyahu the son of Achikam governor in the land and had committed to his care men, women, children and some of the poorest people in the land of those who had not been carried captive to Bavel; 8 they approached G’dalyahu in Mitzpah — in particular, Yishma‘el the son of N’tanyahu, Yochanan and Yonatan the sons of Kareach, S’rayah the son of Tanchumet, the sons of ‘Efai the N’tofati and Y’zanyahu the son of the Ma‘akhati, they and their men. 9 G’dalyahu the son of Achikam, the son of Shafan, swore to them and their men, “Don’t be afraid to serve the Kasdim. Live in the land, serve the king of Bavel; and things will go well with you. 10 As for me, I will live in Mitzpah and be responsible to the Kasdim who come to us. But you — harvest wine, summer fruits and olive oil; put them in your containers; and live in your cities that you have taken over.”

11 Likewise, when all the Judeans who were in Mo’av, in Edom, among the people of ‘Amon, and in all the other countries heard that the king of Bavel had left a remnant in Y’hudah and had appointed G’dalyahu the son of Achikam, the son of Shafan, to govern them; 12 then all the Judeans returned from all the places where they had been driven and came to the land of Y’hudah, to G’dalyahu in Mitzpah, and harvested wine and summer fruit in great abundance.

13 Yochanan the son of Kareach and all the field force commanders came to G’dalyahu in Mitzpah 14 and said to him, “Are you aware that Ba‘alis the king of the people of ‘Amon has sent Yishma‘el the son of N’tanyahu to take your life?” But G’dalyahu the son of Achikam did not believe them. 15 Then Yochanan the son of Kareach spoke privately with G’dalyahu in Mitzpah: “Please, let me go, and I will kill Yishma‘el the son of N’tanyahu; no one will know. Why let him assassinate you? Moreover, if he does, all the Judeans gathered around you will scatter; and the remnant of Y’hudah will perish.” 16 But G’dalyahu the son of Achikam said to Yochanan the son of Kareach, “Don’t do it. What you are saying about Yishma‘el is not true.”

Hebrews 10:119 So, brothers, we have confidence to use the way into the Holiest Place opened by the blood of Yeshua. 20 He inaugurated it for us as a new and living way through the parokhet, by means of his flesh. 21 We also have a great cohen over God’s household. 22 Therefore, let us approach the Holiest Place with a sincere heart, in the full assurance that comes from trusting — with our hearts sprinkled clean from a bad conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.[Hebrews 10:22 Ezekiel 36:25] 23 Let us continue holding fast to the hope we acknowledge, without wavering; for the One who made the promise is trustworthy. 24 And let us keep paying attention to one another, in order to spur each other on to love and good deeds, 25 not neglecting our own congregational meetings, as some have made a practice of doing, but, rather, encouraging each other.

And let us do this all the more as you see the Day approaching. 26 For if we deliberately continue to sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but only the terrifying prospect of Judgment, of raging fire that will consume the enemies.[Hebrews 10:27 Isaiah 26:11]

28 Someone who disregards the Torah of Moshe is put to death without mercy on the word of two or three witnesses.[Hebrews 10:28 Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15] 29 Think how much worse will be the punishment deserved by someone who has trampled underfoot the Son of God; who has treated as something common the blood of the covenant[Hebrews 10:29 Exodus 24:8] which made him holy; and who has insulted the Spirit, giver of God’s grace!

30 For the One we know is the One who said,

“Vengeance is my responsibility;

I will repay,”

and then said,

“Adonai will judge his people.”[Hebrews 10:30 Deuteronomy 32:35–36]

31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!

32 But remember the earlier days, when, after you had received the light, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings. 33 Sometimes you were publicly disgraced and persecuted, while at other times you stood loyally by those who were treated this way. 34 For you shared the sufferings of those who had been put in prison. Also when your possessions were seized, you accepted it gladly; since you knew that what you possessed was better and would last forever.

35 So don’t throw away that courage of yours, which carries with it such a great reward. 36 For you need to hold out; so that, by having done what God wills, you may receive what he has promised. 37 For

“There is so, so little time!

The One coming will indeed come,

he will not delay.

38 But the person who is righteous

will live his life by trusting,

and if he shrinks back,

I will not be pleased with him.”[Hebrews 10:38 Habakkuk 2:3-4]

39 However, we are not the kind who shrink back and are destroyed; on the contrary, we keep trusting and thus preserve our lives!

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