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).] "Unappreciated" for Saturday, September 10, 2016
He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God.[John 1:11-12]The title of the article that caught my attention was "Love makes us do crazy things."
The rest of the piece told the story of 41-year-old Alexander Cirk from Holland. Cirk had begun an online relationship with a 26-year-old, young lady from China. Eventually, the relationship became serious enough that Cirk decided to fly to China to meet his pen pal. He made the flight and landed at the Changsha airport where he was to be met.
Unfortunately, his pen pal wasn't there.
Believing she had been unexpectedly delayed, Cirk sat down and waited. After a bit, he tried to call her. He never got an answer, so he continued to wait.
Cirk waited in the airport for ten days. He might have waited longer, but he ended up having to go to the hospital where he was treated for exhaustion. After he was released from the hospital, he flew home to Holland, without ever having seen his telephone buddy.
When the lady was contacted by the media, she said,
1. she thought Cirk had been joking about coming to see her;
2. she didn't think their relationship was that far along;
3. she thought he was coming the following year;
4. she couldn't be reached because she was in a different province undergoing some cosmetic surgery.
Having read the story of Cirk, I had to feel sorry for him. On the other hand, he is not the first person in history to be stood up after he made a lengthy trip to see someone he loved.
Consider the Savior who, according to promise and prophet, left heaven and was born here on earth to redeem and save God's condemned people. Even though we had fallen into sin, the Lord still loved us and was willing to do what was necessary to rescue us.
And so Jesus was born in Bethlehem. He spent the rest of His life fulfilling the Law, resisting temptation, carrying our sins, and dying our death.
It was a magnificent display of love.
And how was He welcomed and received? John tells us. The vast majority of the world did not receive Him. Indeed, those who should have recognized and acknowledged Him ended up rejecting and murdering Him. It was a tragic story back then. It is a tragic story today when the same thing happens.
This is why you and I need to do all we can to assist the Holy Spirit to help the lost be adopted into the family of God.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, for my salvation I give thanks, now may I reach out and help others see the Savior and the salvation He has won. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.
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: 2 Chronicles 27-28; Acts 19:1-20
2 Chronicles 27:1 Yotam was twenty-five years old when he began his reign, and he ruled for sixteen years in Yerushalayim. His mother’s name was Yerushah the daughter of Tzadok. 2 He did what was right from Adonai’s perspective, following the example of everything his father ‘Uziyah had done, except that he did not enter the temple of Adonai. Nevertheless, the people acted corruptly.
3 He built the Upper Gate of the house of Adonai and added considerably to the wall of the ‘Ofel. 4 He built cities in the hills of Y’hudah, and in the wooded areas he built forts and towers.
5 He fought with the king of the people of ‘Amon and defeated them. That year the people of ‘Amon paid him tribute of three-and-a-third tons of silver, 50,000 bushels of wheat and 50,000 [bushels] of barley. The people of ‘Amon paid him the same amount the second and third years also. 6 Thus Yotam became strong, because he prepared his ways [of doing things] before Adonai his God.
7 Other activities of Yotam, all his wars and his ways [of doing things] are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Isra’el and Y’hudah. 8 He was twenty-five years old when he began his reign, and he ruled for sixteen years in Yerushalayim. 9 Yotam slept with his ancestors and they buried him in the City of David. Then Achaz his son took his place as king.
28:1 Achaz was twenty years old when he began his reign, and he ruled sixteen years in Yerushalayim. But he did not do what was right from the perspective of Adonai, as David his ancestor had done. 2 Rather, he lived in the manner of the kings of Isra’el and made cast metal images for the ba‘alim. 3 Moreover, he made offerings in the Ben-Hinnom Valley and even burned up his own children as sacrifices, in keeping with the horrible practices of the pagans, whom Adonai had thrown out ahead of the people of Isra’el. 4 He also sacrificed and offered on the high places, on the hills and under any green tree.
5 Because of this, Adonai his God handed him over to the king of Aram; they attacked him and carried off from his people a great number of captives, bringing them to Dammesek.
In addition, he was handed over to the king of Isra’el, who inflicted on him a great massacre. 6 For Pekach the son of Remalyah killed in Y’hudah 120,000 men in one day, all of them brave men, because they had abandoned Adonai, the God of their ancestors. 7 And Zikhri, a champion from Efrayim, killed Ma‘aseiyah the king’s son, ‘Azrikam the administrator of the household and Elkanah, who was second only to the king. 8 The people of Isra’el took captive from their kinsmen 200,000 wives, sons and daughters; they also captured from them much spoil, which they brought to Shomron.
9 But a prophet of Adonai named ‘Oded was there; he went out to meet the army coming to Shomron and said to them, “Look, it’s because Adonai the God of your fathers was angry with Y’hudah that he has handed them over to you, and you have slaughtered them in a fury that has reached up to heaven. 10 Now you intend to force the people from Y’hudah and Yerushalayim into subjection as your slaves; but haven’t you guilty deeds of your own that you committed against Adonai your God? 11 Therefore listen to me now; and send the captives back, the people you have taken captive from your kinsmen; because the fierce anger of Adonai is on you.”
12 At this, some of the leaders of the people of Efrayim — ‘Azaryahu the son of Y’hochanan, Berekhyahu the son of Meshilemot, Y’chizkiyah the son of Shalum and ‘Amasa the son of Hadlai — protested against those who were returning from the war, 13 saying to them, “Don’t bring the captives here, because you intend to do something that will bring guilt on us against Adonai. It will only add to our sins and guilt, for our guilt is great, and there is fierce anger against Isra’el.”
14 So the armed soldiers left the captives and the spoil there with the leaders and the whole community; 15 while the men named above took charge of the captives and from the spoil clothed those among them who were inadequately clothed, giving them garments and shoes, providing them food and drink and anointing them with oil. After placing all the weak among them on donkeys, they brought them to Yericho, the City of Date-Palms, to their kinsmen; only then did they return to Shomron.
16 It was at that time that King Achaz sent to the kings of Ashur to help him. 17 For again the people from Edom had come, attacking Y’hudah and carrying off captives. 18 The P’lishtim too had invaded the cities in the Sh’felah and in the Negev of Y’hudah; they had captured Beit-Shemesh, Ayalon, G’derot, Sokho with its villages, Timnah with its villages and Gimzo with its villages; and they settled there. 19 For Adonai brought Y’hudah low because of Achaz king of Isra’el, since he had caused disturbances in Y’hudah and acted very treacherously against Adonai.
20 Tilgat-Piln’eser king of Ashur attacked and besieged Achaz instead of strengthening him — 21 even though Achaz had stripped the house of Adonai and the palaces of the king and princes and had given the plunder to the king of Ashur, it didn’t help him at all.
22 During his time of distress this same King Achaz added to his treachery against Adonai 23 by sacrificing to the gods of Dammesek, who had attacked him, reasoning, “The gods of the kings of Aram helped them, so I will sacrifice to them, and then they’ll help me.” But they became the ruin of him and of all Isra’el. 24 Achaz collected the equipment from the house of God, broke to pieces the equipment from the house of God and sealed the doors of the house of Adonai; then he made himself altars in every corner of Yerushalayim. 25 In every city of Y’hudah he made high places for offering to other gods, thus provoking Adonai the God of his ancestors.
26 Other activities of Achaz and his ways [of doing things], from beginning to end, are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Y’hudah and Isra’el. 27 Achaz slept with his ancestors, and they buried him in the city, in Yerushalayim; because they did not bring him to the tombs of the kings of Isra’el. Then Hizkiyahu his son took his place as king.
Acts 19:1 While Apollos was in Corinth, Sha’ul completed his travels through the inland country and arrived at Ephesus, where he found a few talmidim. 2 He asked them, “Did you receive the Ruach HaKodesh when you came to trust?” “No,” they said to him, “we have never even heard that there is such a thing as the Ruach HaKodesh.” 3 “In that case,” he said, “into what were you immersed?” “The immersion of Yochanan,” they answered. 4 Sha’ul said, “Yochanan practiced an immersion in connection with turning from sin to God; but he told the people to put their trust in the one who would come after him, that is, in Yeshua.” 5 On hearing this, they were immersed into the name of the Lord Yeshua; 6 and when Sha’ul placed his hands on them, the Ruach HaKodesh came upon them; so that they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. 7 In all, there were about twelve of these men.
8 Sha’ul went into the synagogue; and for three months he spoke out boldly, engaging in dialogue and trying to persuade people about the Kingdom of God. 9 But some began hardening themselves and refusing to listen; and when these started defaming the Way before the whole synagogue, Sha’ul withdrew, took the talmidim with him, and commenced holding daily dialogues in Tyrannus’s yeshivah. 10 This went on for two years; so that everyone, both Jews and Greeks, living in the province of Asia heard the message about the Lord.
11 God did extraordinary miracles through Sha’ul. 12 For instance, handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were brought to sick people; they would recover from their ailments; and the evil spirits would leave them.
13 Then some of the Jewish exorcists who traveled from place to place tried to make use of the name of the Lord Yeshua in connection with people who had evil spirits. They would say, “I exorcise you by the Yeshua that Sha’ul is proclaiming!” 14 One time, seven sons of a Jewish cohen gadol named Skeva were doing this; 15 and the evil spirit answered them. It said, “Yeshua I know. And Sha’ul I recognize. But you? Who are you?” 16 Then the man with the evil spirit fell upon them, overpowered them and gave them such a beating that they ran from the house, naked and bleeding.
17 When all this became known to the residents of Ephesus, fear fell on all of them, Jews and Greeks alike; and the name of the Lord Yeshua came to be held in high regard. 18 Many of those who had earlier made professions of faith now came and admitted publicly their evil deeds; 19 and a considerable number of those who had engaged in occult practices threw their scrolls in a pile and burned them in public. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, it came to fifty thousand drachmas. 20 Thus the message about the Lord continued in a powerful way to grow in influence.
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