Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the Law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law, because by works of the Law no one will be justified.[Galatians 2:16]
The British-made McLaren 650S is the stuff automotive dreams are made of.
Car lovers will drool when I tell them this supercar has a V-8 engine which produces 641 horsepower. That horsepower, in the hands of an expert, can take the McLaren from 0 to 62 mph in three seconds. It hits 100 mph in six seconds and has a top speed of 207.
For those of you who are not car lovers, I can tell you the McLaren goes really, really fast.
There's one other thing you probably should know about the McLaren. That vehicle's speed comes at a price: a rather stiff price. In the case of the McLaren 650S, the sticker says you can have such a vehicle if you plunk down $265,000.
Recently, such a vehicle was delivered to a well-heeled enthusiast in Essex, England.
Understandably, the man was excited. He and his friends toasted the four-wheeled acquisition with a bottle of champagne. Then the owner took his new McLaren, along with a friend, out on the open road, for a test spin.
On the test drive they found out one other fact about the McLaren. They discovered the McLaren's state-of-the-art carbon-fiber body is not a match for a tree. At a high speed, the McLaren disintegrates and the tree stays standing. And the owner, well, the owner has lost a very large chunk of change.
A tragedy? Absolutely!
But it is not near as big a tragedy as those folks who walk away from the forgiveness and salvation that has been won for them through the life, suffering, death and resurrection of God's Son, our Savior, Jesus.
Now I know these people did not pay for their redemption. They couldn't, and Jesus did.
Now you might think such a costly gift might be appreciated, cherished and valued. Yes, you might think that, but in some cases that is not the case. There are some folks who abuse, misuse and disregard what Christ has done and the forgiving faith the Holy Spirit offers.
It's the spiritual equivalent of wrapping a McLaren around a tree.
No, it's worse than that. In the true story at the beginning of this devotion, the owner and his friend walked away from the accident. That is not going to happen to those who deliberately deny or disregard God's great and gracious gift. On Judgment Day they will find they have lost far more than a car.
Without faith they will have lost their one chance for heaven, which is why we pray for them today.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, today I give thanks for Jesus' sacrifice and the Holy Spirit's gift of faith. But I also pray for those who treat these saving kindnesses with disdain. Touch them and give them an appreciation for the Savior whose life was the sacrifice that has freed them. This I ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.
The British-made McLaren 650S is the stuff automotive dreams are made of.
Car lovers will drool when I tell them this supercar has a V-8 engine which produces 641 horsepower. That horsepower, in the hands of an expert, can take the McLaren from 0 to 62 mph in three seconds. It hits 100 mph in six seconds and has a top speed of 207.
For those of you who are not car lovers, I can tell you the McLaren goes really, really fast.
There's one other thing you probably should know about the McLaren. That vehicle's speed comes at a price: a rather stiff price. In the case of the McLaren 650S, the sticker says you can have such a vehicle if you plunk down $265,000.
Recently, such a vehicle was delivered to a well-heeled enthusiast in Essex, England.
Understandably, the man was excited. He and his friends toasted the four-wheeled acquisition with a bottle of champagne. Then the owner took his new McLaren, along with a friend, out on the open road, for a test spin.
On the test drive they found out one other fact about the McLaren. They discovered the McLaren's state-of-the-art carbon-fiber body is not a match for a tree. At a high speed, the McLaren disintegrates and the tree stays standing. And the owner, well, the owner has lost a very large chunk of change.
A tragedy? Absolutely!
But it is not near as big a tragedy as those folks who walk away from the forgiveness and salvation that has been won for them through the life, suffering, death and resurrection of God's Son, our Savior, Jesus.
Now I know these people did not pay for their redemption. They couldn't, and Jesus did.
Now you might think such a costly gift might be appreciated, cherished and valued. Yes, you might think that, but in some cases that is not the case. There are some folks who abuse, misuse and disregard what Christ has done and the forgiving faith the Holy Spirit offers.
It's the spiritual equivalent of wrapping a McLaren around a tree.
No, it's worse than that. In the true story at the beginning of this devotion, the owner and his friend walked away from the accident. That is not going to happen to those who deliberately deny or disregard God's great and gracious gift. On Judgment Day they will find they have lost far more than a car.
Without faith they will have lost their one chance for heaven, which is why we pray for them today.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, today I give thanks for Jesus' sacrifice and the Holy Spirit's gift of faith. But I also pray for those who treat these saving kindnesses with disdain. Touch them and give them an appreciation for the Savior whose life was the sacrifice that has freed them. This I ask in Jesus' 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: Psalms 4-6; John 7:1-27
Psalms 4:1 (0) For the leader. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David:
660 Mason Ridge Center Drive
St. Louis, Missouri 63141, United States
1-800-876-9880
www.lhm.org
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Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Through the Bible in a Year
Today Read: Psalms 4-6; John 7:1-27
Psalms 4:1 (0) For the leader. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David:
2 (1) O God, my vindicator!
Answer me when I call!
When I was distressed, you set me free;
now have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
3 (2) Men of rank, how long will you shame my honor,
love what is vain, chase after lies? (Selah)
4 (3) Understand that Adonai sets apart
the godly person for himself;
Adonai will hear when I call to him.
5 (4) You can be angry, but do not sin!
Think about this as you lie in bed,
and calm down. (Selah)
6 (5) Offer sacrifices rightly,
and put your trust in Adonai.
7 (6) Many ask, “Who can show us some good?”
Adonai, lift the light of your face over us!
8 (7) You have filled my heart with more joy
than all their grain and new wine.
9 (8) I will lie down and sleep in peace;
for, Adonai, you alone make me live securely.
5:1 (0) For the leader. On wind instruments. A psalm of David:
2 (1) Give ear to my words, Adonai,
consider my inmost thoughts.
3 (2) Listen to my cry for help,
my king and my God, for I pray to you.
4 (3) Adonai, in the morning you will hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my needs before you
and wait expectantly.
5 (4) For you are not a God
who takes pleasure in wickedness;
evil cannot remain with you.
6 (5) Those who brag cannot stand before your eyes,
you hate all who do evil,
7 (6) you destroy those who tell lies,
Adonai detests men of blood and deceivers.
8 (7) But I can enter your house
because of your great grace and love;
I will bow down toward your holy temple
in reverence for you.
9 (8) Lead me, Adonai, in your righteousness
because of those lying in wait for me;
make your way straight before me.
10 (9) For in their mouths there is nothing sincere,
within them are calamities,
their throats are open tombs,
they flatter with their tongues.
11 (10) God, declare them guilty!
Let them fall through their own intrigues,
For their many crimes, throw them down;
since they have rebelled against you.
12 (11) But let all who take refuge in you rejoice,
let them forever shout for joy!
Shelter them; and they will be glad,
those who love your name.
13 (12) For you, Adonai, bless the righteous;
you surround them with favor like a shield.
6:1 (0) For the leader. With stringed instruments. On sh’minit [low-pitched musical instruments?]. A psalm of David:
2 (1) Adonai, don’t rebuke me in your anger,
don’t discipline me in the heat of your fury.
3 (2) Be gracious to me, Adonai,
because I am withering away;
heal me, Adonai,
because my bones are shaking;
4 (3) I am completely terrified;
and you, Adonai — how long?
5 (4) Come back, Adonai, and rescue me!
Save me for the sake of your grace;
6 (5) for in death, no one remembers you;
in Sh’ol, who will praise you?
7 (6) I am worn out with groaning;
all night I drench my bed with tears,
flooding my couch till it swims.
8 (7) My vision is darkened with anger;
it grows weak because of all my foes.
9 (8) Get away from me, all you workers of evil!
For Adonai has heard the sound of my weeping,
10 (9) Adonai has heard my pleading,
Adonai will accept my prayer.
11 (10) All my enemies will be confounded,
completely terrified;
they will turn back
and be suddenly put to shame.
John 7:1 After this, Yeshua traveled around in the Galil, intentionally avoiding Y’hudah because the Judeans were out to kill him. 2 But the festival of Sukkot in Y’hudah was near; 3 so his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go into Y’hudah, so that your talmidim can see the miracles you do; 4 for no one who wants to become known acts in secret. If you’re doing these things, show yourself to the world!” 5 (His brothers spoke this way because they had not put their trust in him.) 6 Yeshua said to them, “My time has not yet come; but for you, any time is right. 7 The world can’t hate you, but it does hate me, because I keep telling it how wicked its ways are. 8 You, go on up to the festival; as for me, I am not going up to this festival now, because the right time for me has not yet come.” 9 Having said this, he stayed on in the Galil.
10 But after his brothers had gone up to the festival, he too went up, not publicly but in secret. 11 At the festival, the Judeans were looking for him. “Where is he?” they asked. 12 And among the crowds there was much whispering about him. Some said, “He’s a good man”; but others said, “No, he is deceiving the masses.” 13 However, no one spoke about him openly, for fear of the Judeans.
14 Not until the festival was half over did Yeshua go up to the Temple courts and begin to teach. 15 The Judeans were surprised: “How does this man know so much without having studied?” they asked. 16 So Yeshua gave them an answer: “My teaching is not my own, it comes from the One who sent me. 17 If anyone wants to do his will, he will know whether my teaching is from God or I speak on my own. 18 A person who speaks on his own is trying to win praise for himself; but a person who tries to win praise for the one who sent him is honest, there is nothing false about him. 19 Didn’t Moshe give you the Torah? Yet not one of you obeys the Torah! Why are you out to kill me?” 20 “You have a demon!” the crowd answered. “Who’s out to kill you?” 21 Yeshua answered them, “I did one thing; and because of this, all of you are amazed. 22 Moshe gave you b’rit-milah — not that it came from Moshe but from the Patriarchs — and you do a boy’s b’rit-milah on Shabbat. 23 If a boy is circumcised on Shabbat so that the Torah of Moshe will not be broken, why are you angry with me because I made a man’s whole body well on Shabbat? 24 Stop judging by surface appearances, and judge the right way!”
25 Some of the Yerushalayim people said, “Isn’t this the man they’re out to kill? 26 Yet here he is, speaking openly; and they don’t say anything to him. It couldn’t be, could it, that the authorities have actually concluded he’s the Messiah? 27 Surely not — we know where this man comes from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he comes from.”
The Lutheran Hour660 Mason Ridge Center Drive
St. Louis, Missouri 63141, United States
1-800-876-9880
www.lhm.org
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