The Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries with Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker emeritus of The Lutheran Hour Ministries "Forgiven and Forgiving" for Sunday, October 16, 2016

The Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries with Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker emeritus of The Lutheran Hour Ministries "Forgiven and Forgiving" for Sunday, October 16, 2016

And as they continued to ask Him (Jesus), He stood up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." And once more He bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before Him. Jesus stood up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more."[John 8:7-11]
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 HourJesus was teaching in the temple at Jerusalem when suddenly the scribes and Pharisees brought before Him a woman who had been caught in adultery.
They denounced her crime and asked Jesus what to do.
Understand, the woman's accusers were not on some overpowering search for justice. No, they were seeking to test the Savior so that they might add to their list of charges they hoped to bring against Him.
Instead of offering answers, Jesus said to them "Let anyone among you who is without sin be first to throw a stone at her."
What followed must have been a very long period of silence.
Each of the accusers had to search his conscience to find a personal answer to the Savior's question. To their credit, each of them was honest enough to admit he was a sinner and guilty of disobeying the Lord.
After a while Jesus was left alone, with only the woman standing before Him.
Looking at her, the Savior knew the woman had no defense. She was guilty of the crime of which she had been accused. According to the ancient law, she deserved to die. But a death sentence was not what the woman heard the Savior pronounce. No, instead of condemnation, the woman heard words of forgiveness for her guilt and a directive to change her life in the future.
All of this leads me to ask, brothers and sisters what attitude do you adopt when your brother or sister succumbs to sin? Do you condemn others for their sin but expect them to forgive you yours? Do you run away from the presence of our Lord Jesus, or do you cherish and share His forgiving word, which says to every believing, repentant heart:
"Neither do I condemn you. Go your way and from now on do not sin again."
Those words are so easy for us to say. But we all need to remember that for the Lord to forgive us in this way, it was necessary for His Son to live, suffer, die and rise for us. So we might be released from our punishment, our sins were carried by God's Son to the cross in a gracious act of love, which could only come from the Triune God.
THE PRAYER: Lord God, we ask Your forgiveness for refusing to forgive others. We acknowledge that we have often acted against Your will in word and deed. Thank You for sending Your beloved Son Jesus as our Redeemer and Rescuer. In His Holy Name we pray. Amen.
Biography of Author: Today's international devotion was written by Ania Souman of Cameroon, Africa. He is a 48-year-old layman from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon (EELC). In the Cameroon Lutheran Hour office he serves as our audience relations manager. He is married and that union has been blessed with two children.
There is freedom of religion in Cameroon, but radio broadcasts and television airings are limited. Therefore, the most effective method of ministry in this country is a personalized, one-on-one approach, which brings staff and volunteers to the front doors of those to whom they are reaching out. Though this method is hampered by an infrastructure with often impassable roads, it is effective, especially in the northern portion of the country where the influence of Islam has been spreading.
In this country of more than 22 million people on the Gulf of Guinea in central West Africa, Lutheran Hour Ministries-Cameroon employs a wide variety of resources to reach the local population with the message of Jesus Christ. Included among these efforts are radio programming, printed materials, film shows, outdoor rallies, the Internet, text messaging, and hospital and prison visits. This ministry center also uses Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC) and Equipping the Saints (ETS) workshops to strengthen the faith of Christians. To reach young women at risk, LHM-Cameroon utilizes an holistic outreach program, where vocational training and the hope they have in Christ are studied and shared. Other initiatives are aimed at youth, giving them guidance from a Christian perspective and helping them to make choices to live effectively in a secular world.
Read about LHM-Cameroon's assistance to victims of social abuse and abandoned teen mothers. You can do this 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: Zephaniah 1-3; Acts 24
Zephaniah 1:1 This is the word of Adonai that came to Tz’fanyah the son of Kushi, the son of G’dalyah, the son of Amaryah, the son of Hizkiyah, during the reign of Yoshiyahu the son of Amon, king of Y’hudah:

2 “I will completely sweep away everything

off the face of the land,” says Adonai.

3 “I will sweep away humans and animals,

the birds in the air and the fish in the sea,

also the wicked and what makes them stumble;

I will wipe humanity off the land,” says Adonai.

4 “I will stretch out my hand over Y’hudah

and all those living in Yerushalayim.

I will wipe every remnant of Ba‘al from this place,

the idol-serving priests and even their names,

5 those worshipping heaven’s army on the roofs,

also those who worship and swear by Adonai

but swear by Malkam as well,

6 those who turned away from following Adonai,

and those who haven’t sought Adonai

or consulted him at all.”

7 Keep silent before Adonai Elohim,

for the Day of Adonai is near.

Adonai has prepared a sacrifice;

he has set apart those he invited.

8 When the time comes for Adonai’s sacrifice —

“I will punish the leaders

and the sons of the king,

also those who dress in foreign clothes.

9 On the same day I will also punish

all who jump over the threshold

to fill the house of their master

with violence and deceit.

10 Also on that day,” says Adonai,

“a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate,

wailing from the city’s Second Quarter

and a loud crash from the hills.

11 Wail, you who live down in the hollow,

because all the merchants are destroyed,

all who trade with silver are ruined.

12 When that time comes, I will search

Yerushalayim with lamps

and punish those who are [smug and thick,

like wine] left too long on its dregs,

who say to themselves, ‘Adonai will do nothing —

neither good nor bad.’

13 For this, their wealth will be plundered;

and their houses will be destroyed.

Yes, they will build houses but not live in them;

they will plant vineyards but not drink the wine.”

14 The great Day of Adonai is near,

near and coming very quickly;

Hear the sound of the Day of Adonai!

When it’s here, even a warrior will cry bitterly.

15 That Day is a Day of fury,

a Day of trouble and distress,

a Day of waste and desolation,

a Day of darkness and gloom,

a Day of clouds and thick fog,

16 a Day of the shofar and battle-cry

against the fortified cities

and against the high towers [on the city walls].

17 “I will bring such distress on people

that they will grope their way like the blind,

because they have sinned against Adonai.

Their blood will be poured out like dust

and their bowels like dung.

18 Neither their silver nor their gold

will be able to save them.

On the day of Adonai’s fury,

the whole land will be destroyed

in the fire of his jealousy.

For he will make an end, a horrible end,

of all those living in the land.”

2:1 Gather together, gather yourselves,

nation devoid of shame;

2 before the decree takes effect,

and the day comes when one passes like chaff;

before Adonai’s fierce anger

comes on you,

before the day of Adonai’s anger

comes on you.

3 Seek Adonai, all you humble in the land,

you who exercise his justice;

seek righteousness, seek humility —

you might be hidden

on the day of Adonai’s anger.

4 For ‘Azah will be abandoned,

Ashkelon will be desolate,

they will evacuate Ashdod at noon,

and ‘Ekron will be uprooted.

5 Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast,

the nation of the K’reti!

The word of Adonai is against you,

Kena‘an, land of the P’lishtim:

“I will destroy you; no one will be left.”

6 The seacoast will be reduced to pastures,

meadows for shepherds, pens for sheep;

7 and the coast will belong to the remnant

of the house of Y’hudah.

They will pasture their flocks there

and in the evening lie down

in the houses of Ashkelon.

For Adonai their God will remember them

and restore their fortunes.

8 “I have heard the insults of Mo’av

and the taunts of the people of ‘Amon,

how they reviled my people

and boasted of expanding their territory.

9 Therefore, as I live,” says Adonai-Tzva’ot,

the God of Isra’el,

“Mo’av will become like S’dom

and the people of ‘Amon like ‘Amora,

a land covered with nettles and salt pits,

desolate forever.

The remnant of my people will plunder them,

the survivors in my nation will inherit them.”

10 This is what they will earn for their pride,

for having reviled and boasted against

the people of Adonai-Tzva’ot.

11 Adonai will be fearsome against them,

for he will make all the earth’s gods waste away.

Then all the coasts and islands of the nations

will worship him, each from its place.

12 “You too, Ethiopians,

will be put to death by my sword.”

13 He will stretch out his hand against the north;

he will destroy Ashur;

he will make Ninveh desolate,

as dry as the desert.

14 Herds will lie down in it,

and all kinds of wild animals too —

jackdaws and owls will roost on her columns,

voices screeching in the windows,

desolation on the doorsteps,

for its cedarwork is stripped bare.

15 This is the city, once so joyful,

whose people felt themselves secure,

who used to say to herself,

“I am [the greatest]! I have no rival.”

What a ruin she has become —

a place for wild animals to lie down!

Everyone passing by her

hisses and shakes his fist!

3:1 Woe to her who is filthy, defiled;

woe to the tyrant city!

2 She wouldn’t listen to the voice,

wouldn’t receive correction;

she didn’t trust in Adonai,

didn’t draw close to her God.

3 Her leaders there with her are roaring lions,

her judges desert wolves,

who don’t leave even a bone for tomorrow.

4 Her prophets are reckless, treacherous men;

her cohanim profane the holy

and do violence to Torah.

5 Adonai, who is righteous, is there among them;

he never does anything wrong.

Every morning he renders his judgment,

every morning, without fail;

yet the wrongdoer knows no shame.

6 “I have cut off nations,

their battlements are ruined;

I have made their streets ruins,

no one walks in them.

Their cities are destroyed,

abandoned, unpeopled.

7 I said, ‘Surely now you will fear me,

you will receive correction’;

so that her place will not be cut off

by all the punishments I brought on her.

But no, they only grew all the more eager

to be corrupt in all that they do.

8 Therefore, wait for me,” says Adonai,

“for the day when I rise to witness against you,

when I decide to assemble nations,

to gather kingdoms together,

to pour on them my indignation,

all my furious anger;

for all the earth will be consumed

in the fire of my passion.

9 For then I will change the peoples,

so that they will have pure lips,

to call on the name of Adonai, all of them,

and serve him with one accord.

10 Even from beyond Ethiopia’s rivers

they will bring those who petition me,

the daughter of my dispersed as my offering.

11 When that day comes, you will not be ashamed

of everything you have done,

committing wrongs against me;

for then I will remove from among you

those of you who take joy in arrogance;

you will no longer be full of pride

on my holy mountain.

12 I will leave among you

a poor and afflicted people,

who will find their refuge

in the name of Adonai.”

13 The remnant of Isra’el will not do wrong,

nor will they speak lies,

nor will there be found in their mouths

a tongue given over to deceit;

for they will be able to graze and lie down,

with no one to disturb them.

14 Sing, daughter of Tziyon!

Shout, Isra’el!

Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,

daughter of Yerushalayim!

15 Adonai has removed the judgments against you,

he has expelled your enemy;

the king of Isra’el, Adonai,

is right there with you.

You no longer need to fear

that anything bad will happen.

16 On that day, it will be said

to Yerushalayim,

“Do not fear, Tziyon!

don’t let your hands droop down.

17 Adonai your God is right there with you,

as a mighty savior.

He will rejoice over you and be glad,

he will be silent in his love,

he will shout over you with joy.”

18 “I will gather those of yours

who grieve over the appointed feasts

and bear the burden of reproach

[because they cannot keep them].

19 When that time comes, I will deal

with all those who oppress you.

I will save her who is lame,

gather her who was driven away,

and make them whose shame spread over the earth

the object of praise and renown.

20 When that time comes, I will bring you in;

when that time comes, I will gather you

and make you the object of fame and praise

among all the peoples of the earth —

when I restore your fortunes

before your very eyes,” says Adonai.

Acts 24:1 After five days, the cohen hagadol Hananyah came down with some elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they presented their case against Sha’ul to the governor. 2 Sha’ul was called, and Tertullus began to make the charges: “Felix, your Excellency, it is because of you that we enjoy unbroken peace, and it is your foresight that has brought to this nation 3 so many reforms in so many areas. It is with the utmost gratitude that we receive this. 4 But, in order not to take up too much of your time, I beg your indulgence to give us a brief hearing.

5 “We have found this man a pest. He is an agitator among all the Jews throughout the world and a ringleader of the sect of the Natzratim. 6 He even tried to profane the Temple, but we arrested him. 7 [Acts 24:7 Some manuscripts include verses 6b–8a: We wanted to try him under our own law, 7 but Lysias the commander intervened. He took him out of our hands by force 8 and ordered his accuser to appear before you.] 8 By questioning this man yourself, you will be able to learn all about the things of which we are accusing him.” 9 The Judeans also joined in the accusation and alleged that these were the facts.

10 When the governor motioned for Sha’ul to speak, he replied, “I know that you have been judge over this nation for a number of years, so I am glad to make my defense. 11 As you can verify for yourself, it has not been more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Yerushalayim; 12 and neither in the Temple nor in the synagogues nor anywhere else in the city did they find me either arguing with anyone or collecting a crowd. 13 Nor can they give any proof of the things of which they are accusing me.

14 “But this I do admit to you: I worship the God of our fathers[Acts 24:14 Exodus 3:15] in accordance with the Way (which they call a sect). I continue to believe everything that accords with the Torah and everything written in the Prophets. 15 And I continue to have a hope in God — which they too accept — that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. 16 Indeed, it is because of this that I make a point of always having a clear conscience in the sight of both God and man.

17 “After an absence of several years, I came to Yerushalayim to bring a charitable gift to my nation and to offer sacrifices. 18 It was in connection with the latter that they found me in the Temple. I had been ceremonially purified, I was not with a crowd, and I was not causing a disturbance. 19 But some Jews from the province of Asia — they ought to be here before you to make a charge if they have anything against me! 20 Or else, let these men themselves say what crime they found me guilty of when I stood in front of the Sanhedrin, 21 other than this one thing which I shouted out when I was standing among them: ‘I am on trial before you today because I believe in the resurrection of the dead!’”

22 But Felix, who had rather detailed knowledge of things connected with the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case.” 23 He ordered the captain to keep Sha’ul in custody, but to let him have considerable liberty and not prevent any of his friends from taking care of his needs.

24 After some days, Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Sha’ul and listened to him as he spoke about trusting in the Messiah Yeshua. 25 But when Sha’ul began to discuss righteousness, self-control and the coming Judgment, Felix became frightened and said, “For the time being, go away! I will send for you when I get a chance.” 26 At the same time, he hoped that Sha’ul would offer him a bribe; so he sent for him rather often and kept talking with him.

27 After two years, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus; but because Felix wanted to grant the Judeans a favor, he left Sha’ul still a prisoner.

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