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).] "Finding Her Way back Home" for Sunday, August 21, 2016
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.[1 John 1:8-9]
“For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.”[Isaiah 54:10]
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
Irene is a young Kazakh woman from Mongolia.
When she was young, she heard the Good News about Jesus and believed. She began attending a Christian church in her village and continued to grow in her faith. When it came time for her to attend the university, she moved to the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. This she did because that location offered more opportunities for her to work and study.
Now you and I know every big city, not just Ulaanbaatar, is full of all kinds of evil.
In all of her years Irene had never experienced much of what she now saw happening all around her. This "forbidden fruit" looked very good to her, and she wanted to taste it. As she began to sink into sin, she withdrew further and further from her church, from God's Word, and from her Lord.
She didn't want to meet with her believing friends.
"I have no time," she always told them as she pushed them out. Eventually, she fell into sexual sin, which resulted in an unplanned pregnancy. Irene was embarrassed to tell anyone of her condition. She knew she had sinned, but she didn't want to sin further by aborting the baby.
Her conscience pained her badly. It was hard to be alone with her guilt.
Finally, Irene decided to talk to a missionary pastor, as well as some other Christian friends. She confessed her sin to them, and prayed for forgiveness from the Lord. She was reminded that even though we try to push God away, God never forgets about us.
He will never turn his face away from us, no matter what we have done.
The missionary pastor and her Christian friends continued to remind Irene about these things. Today, I am pleased to report she has received freedom and forgiveness from her sin. God's hand in her life has lifted the weight of a guilty conscience.
She and her boyfriend are now married, and their baby boy will soon enter the world, being born into a home with loving, Christian parents.
THE PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, we pray for the young Christians who can easily be seduced by the world's temptations. We pray they would stand strong in their faith and stay true to you, God. We also pray for those Christians who have sinned and don't believe that God's forgiveness is big enough for them. We pray they would be reminded of Jesus' death on the cross is the complete payment for their sins. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.
Biography of Author: Today's international devotion was written by the staff at the Lutheran Hour office in Mongolia. In partnership with Lutheran pastors and missionaries, Lutheran Hour Ministries-Mongolia is using Kazakh-language radio programming to proclaim the Gospel and give basic Christian teaching. Listeners who respond to broadcasts will be invited to study the Bible with us. The center publishes other Kazakh-language resources to supplement its radio programming and Bible courses.
Situated between Russia and China, this country of less than 3 million people has as many as 100,000 Christians today, up from next to none in the late 1980s. Known in-country as "Voice of the Nation," LHM-Mongolia established its ministry center there in 2014, in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. Listeners responding to radio broadcasts are invited to study and learn more about Jesus and the Christian faith by participating in Bible listening groups that use the Who Is Jesus? Bible study.
You can check out the LHM-Mongolia blog by clicking here.
To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhm.org/international.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: 1 Chronicles 17-19; 1 Corinthians 13
1 Chronicles 17:1 After David had been living in his palace awhile, he said to Natan the prophet, “Here, I’m living in a cedar-wood palace; but the ark for the covenant of Adonai is kept under a tent!” 2 Natan said to David, “Go, do everything that is in your heart, for God is with you.”
3 But that same night the word of God came to Natan: 4 “Go, and tell David my servant that this is what Adonai says: ‘You are not to build me a house to live in, 5 because from the day I brought up Isra’el until today, I never lived in a house; rather, I’ve gone from tent to tent and from one tabernacle to another. 6 Everywhere I traveled with all Isra’el, did I ever speak a word to any of the judges of Isra’el, whom I ordered to shepherd my people Isra’el, asking, “Why haven’t you built me a cedar-wood house?”’
7 “Therefore say to my servant David that this is what Adonai-Tzva’ot says: ‘I took you from the sheep-yards, from following the sheep, to make you chief over my people Isra’el. 8 I have been with you wherever you went, I have destroyed all your enemies ahead of you; and I am making your reputation like the reputations of the greatest people on earth. 9 I will assign a place to my people Isra’el; I will plant them there, so that they can live in their own place without being disturbed any more. The wicked will no longer devastate them, as they did at the beginning, 10 and as they did from the time I ordered judges to be over my people Isra’el; instead, I will subdue all your enemies.
“‘Moreover, I tell you that Adonai will make you a house. 11 When your days come to an end and you go to be with your ancestors, I will establish one of your descendants to succeed you, one of your own sons; and I will set up his rulership. 12 He will build me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. 13 I will be a father for him, and he will be a son for me; I will not take my grace away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. 14 Rather, I will maintain him in my house and in my kingdom forever; and his throne will be set up forever.’” 15 Natan told David all of these words and described this entire vision.
16 Then David went in, sat before Adonai and said, “Who am I, Adonai, God, and what is my family, that has caused you to bring me this far? 17 Yet in your view, God, even this was but a small thing; so you have said that your servant’s dynasty will continue on into the distant future. You have regarded me, Adonai, God, as a man of high rank. 18 What more can David say to you about the honor you are bestowing on your servant? For you know your servant intimately. 19 Adonai, it is for your servant’s sake and in accordance with your own heart that you have done all this greatness and revealed all these great things. 20 Adonai, there is no one like you, and there is no God besides you — everything we have heard confirms that. 21 Who can be compared with your people Isra’el? What other nation on earth did God set out to redeem and turn into a people for himself? You made yourself a reputation by doing great and terrifying things, as you drove out the nations from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt. 22 For you made your people Isra’el your people forever; and you, Adonai, became their God. 23 So now, Adonai, let the word that you spoke concerning your servant and his house be confirmed forever; do what you have promised. 24 May your name be confirmed and magnified forever; so that it will be said, ‘Adonai-Tzva’ot is the God of Isra’el and the God for Isra’el, and the dynasty of David your servant will be set up in your presence.’ 25 For you, my God, have disclosed to your servant that you will build him a house. This is why your servant has the courage to pray to you. 26 Now, Adonai, you are God; and you have made this wonderful promise to your servant; 27 and now it has pleased you to bless the family of your servant and thereby cause it to continue forever in your presence. For you, Adonai, have blessed, and it is blessed forever.”
18:1 Some time afterwards, David attacked the P’lishtim and subdued them; David took Gat and its villages out of the hands of the P’lishtim. 2 He also defeated Mo’av, so that the people of Mo’av became subjects of David and paid tribute.
3 David, on his way to establish his dominion as far as the Euphrates River, also defeated Hadar‘ezer king of Tzovah near Hamat. 4 David captured 1,000 chariots, 7,000 horsemen and 20,000 foot soldiers. He reserved enough horses for 100 chariots and disabled the rest. 5 When the people of Aram from Dammesek came to the aid of Hadar‘ezer king of Tzovah, David killed 22,000 men of Aram. 6 Then David put [garrisons] among the people of Aram in Dammesek; Aram became subject to David and paid tribute. Adonai gave victory to David wherever he went.
7 David took the gold shields which Hadar‘ezer’s servants were wearing and brought them to Yerushalayim. 8 From Tivchat and Kun, cities of Hadar‘ezer, King David took a great quantity of bronze, which Shlomo used to make the bronze “Sea,” the columns and various bronze articles.
9 When To‘u king of Hamat heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadar‘ezer king of Tzovah, 10 he sent Hadoram his son to King David to greet and congratulate him on fighting and defeating Hadar‘ezer — for Hadar‘ezer had been at war with To‘u — and [he sent] all kinds of articles made of silver, gold and bronze, 11 which King David dedicated to Adonai, along with the silver and gold that he had carried off from all the nations — from Edom, Mo’av, the people of ‘Amon, the P’lishtim and ‘Amalek. 12 Moreover, Avishai the son of Tz’ruyah killed 18,000 men from Edom in the Salt Valley. 13 David stationed garrisons in Edom, and all the people of Edom became subject to him. Adonai gave victory to David wherever he went.
14 David ruled over all Isra’el; he administered law and justice for all his people. 15 Yo’av the son of Tz’ruyah was commander of the army, Y’hoshafat the son of Achilud was chief adviser, 16 Tzadok the son of Achituv and Avimelekh the son of Evyatar were cohanim, Shavsha was secretary, 17 B’nayahu the son of Y’hoyada was in charge of the K’reti and P’leti [serving as the king’s bodyguards], and David’s sons were the king’s chief personal advisers.
19:1 Some time later, when Nachash the king of the people of ‘Amon died, his son became king in his place. 2 David said, “I will be kind to Hanun the son of Nachash, because his father showed grace to me.” So David sent messengers to comfort him about his father.
David’s servants entered the territory of the people of ‘Amon to go to Hanun and comfort him; 3 but the leaders of the people of ‘Amon said to Hanun, “Do you really think David is honoring your father by sending people to comfort you? Haven’t his servants come to you in order to look the city over, overthrow it and reconnoiter the land?” 4 So Hanun took David’s servants, shaved them, cut off their clothes halfway up, at their hips, and then sent them away. 5 Some people reported to David how the men had been treated. He sent a delegation to meet them, because the men had been deeply humiliated. The king said, “Stay in Yericho until your beards have grown back, and then return.”
6 Aware that they had made themselves utterly abhorrent to David, Hanun and the people of ‘Amon sent thirty-three tons of silver to hire chariots and horsemen from Aram-Naharayim, Aram-Ma‘akhah and Tzovah. 7 They hired 32,000 chariots, as well as the king of Ma‘akhah with his people, who came and pitched their camp in front of Meidva. Then the people of ‘Amon assembled themselves from their cities and went out to fight. 8 When David heard of it, he sent Yo’av with his entire army of trained soldiers.
9 The army of ‘Amon came out and went into battle formation at the city gate, while the kings who had come were alone in the countryside. 10 When Yo’av saw that he would be fighting on two fronts, ahead and behind, he chose the best troops of Isra’el to deploy against Aram; 11 while the rest of the army he put under the command of Avishai his brother to deploy against the army of ‘Amon. 12 He said, “If Aram is too strong for me, you help me; but if the army of ‘Amon is too strong for you, then I will help you. 13 Take courage, and let’s be strong for the sake of our people and the cities of our God. May Adonai do what seems good to him.”
14 So Yo’av and the people with him went to engage Aram in battle, and they fled before him. 15 When the people of ‘Amon saw that Aram had fled, they likewise fled before Avishai his brother and retreated into the city. Then Yo’av went to Yerushalayim.
16 When Aram saw that Isra’el had gotten the better of them, they sent messengers and brought out the people of Aram who lived beyond the [Euphrates] River, with Shofakh the commander of Hadar‘ezer’s army at their head. 17 It was reported to David; so he gathered all Isra’el together and crossed the Yarden to engage them. David deployed his forces for battle against Aram; and after he had done so, fought them. 18 But Aram fled before Isra’el; David killed 7,000 chariot-drivers and 40,000 foot soldiers from Aram; and he killed Shofakh the commander of the army. 19 When all Hadar‘ezer’s servants saw that they had been defeated by Isra’el, they made peace with David and became his subjects; and Aram would no longer help the people of ‘Amon.
1 Corinthians 13:1 I may speak in the tongues of men, even angels;
but if I lack love, I have become merely
blaring brass or a cymbal clanging.
2 I may have the gift of prophecy,
I may fathom all mysteries, know all things,
have all faith — enough to move mountains;
but if I lack love, I am nothing.
3 I may give away everything that I own,
I may even hand over my body to be burned;
but if I lack love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind, not jealous, not boastful,
5 not proud, rude or selfish, not easily angered,
and it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not gloat over other people’s sins
but takes its delight in the truth.
7 Love always bears up, always trusts,
always hopes, always endures.
8 Love never ends; but prophecies will pass,
tongues will cease, knowledge will pass.
9 For our knowledge is partial, and our prophecy partial;
10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass.
11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child,
thought like a child, argued like a child;
now that I have become a man,
I have finished with childish ways.
12 For now we see obscurely in a mirror,
but then it will be face to face.
Now I know partly; then I will know fully,
just as God has fully known me.
13 But for now, three things last —
trust, hope, love;
and the greatest of these is love.
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The Lutheran Hour Ministries
660 Mason Ridge Ctr Drive
Saint Louis, Missouri 63141 United States
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