The Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour in Saint Louis, Missouri, United States "Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM)." "Set Free by the Truth" for Sunday, June 5, 2016
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.[John 3:16]
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 Sunday 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
By God's grace, I am now 16 years old, and many things in my childhood have crushed my spirit.
One of those things happened when I was 10. At that time a strange woman came to my home claiming to be my mother! I soon discovered my mother had abandoned me when I was seven days old. That explained why I had been raised in several homes, and the woman who was raising me at the time was actually my grandmother.
This event changed my life by making me very bitter. I developed an intense hatred for my mother since I felt she hadn't cared for me and had never been there for me when I needed her the most. Then and there I decided never to forgive her.
My grandma raised me lovingly, but then she became ill and she no longer could take care of me. I was sent off to a foster family that was non-Christian. In my new home I was taught Islam and spent many hours learning the practices of my new faith. In 2011 my father died, and that stripped me of any hope of reuniting with that part of my family.
I felt lost and worried about what would happen next.
I prayed to Allah for help. I could not have imagined that the Triune God was already working out a plan for me. That plan became real when I was reunited with my grandma. It was at that time I enrolled in the Lutheran Hour Ministries Bible Correspondence Course.
The Bible course opened up a whole new world for me. I came to know who God really is. I learned about His love and care for me but, most importantly, I learned about His free gift of salvation. As I studied, I desired to know more about the Christian faith and this ministry which sent me these books. It was the Lord's will when I was selected to be among the students who would take part in a behavior change seminar that had been organized by the ministry center.
During the seminar I experienced a love I had never seen before.
The ministry staff loved and cared for us in a way I could not have imagined. In all the discussions, God was accorded the first place. My heart was convicted, and right there I knew the Holy Spirit was bringing Jesus into my life.
Since that day my life has never been the same.
In this new life I have found healing for my soul. Through prayer and counseling I was able to forgive my mother and have been reunited with her. More importantly, I have a living hope for eternal life. Through the ministry I have been brought exactly where I belong: to my Father's arms.
THE PRAYER: Father God, thank You for showing me the light and for loving me and making me know Your great love. Send Your Spirit so others are also brought to Jesus. In His Name I pray. Amen.
Biography of Author: Today's international devotion was written by Sudat Ndagire. She is one of the youth volunteers involved in the coordination of the Bible course at Kisugu in Kampala. She first came into contact with Lutheran Hour Ministries in Uganda when she enrolled in the Bible Correspondence Course (BCC).
In this African nation of more than 37 million people, Lutheran Hour Ministries-Uganda, known locally as Lutheran Media Ministry, has connected with more than 250,000 individuals through print, broadcast, electronic and traditional media, which includes radio and television programming. This outreach has led to the formation of more than 100 Lutheran churches countrywide, working in cooperation with area Lutheran churches. Further efforts include enrolling students in BCCs (of which more than 130,000 have now participated), distributing Bibles and topical booklets, and launching a biblical values-based peer education program designed for secondary school students. The Equipping the Saints (ETS) program assists people with their understanding of Scripture and strengthens their outreach to others. Beyond this, holiday specials, dramatic shows and storytelling performances, concerts, films, and youth and small group ministry share with audiences the Good News of Jesus as Lord and Savior.
You can check out LHM-Uganda's blog and the efforts of this ministry center's staff and volunteers as they take the Gospel to people in the Kampalan slums of Kamwokya, Ggaba and Kisugu. Along with this effort a film on Jesus was shown to more than 1,200 people, which generated more than 800 responses! You can visit the Uganda blog and see this story in text and pictures by clicking here.
To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhm.org/international.
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Today's Bible in a Year readings: Psalm 101, 103, 108
Psalm 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!
108:1(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.
-------CHANGE THEIR WORLD. CHANGE YOURS.
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.
Share this email:
The Lutheran Hour Ministries660 Mason Ridge Center Drive
Saint Louis , Missouri 63141 United States
-----------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment