The Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries with Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker emeritus of The Lutheran Hour of The Lutheran Hour of The Lutheran Hour "You Are the Light" for Sunday, November 6, 2016
(Jesus said) "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden."[Matthew 5:14]
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 HourThis Bible passage is one of the famous teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Almost every Christian knows this verse very well. The reason for that is this verse is simple, but it still has a deep meaning. Jesus tells us that Christians are called to be the light of this world. They are summoned from the darkness to shine their light and show their faith through their deeds. Indeed, the purpose of living as a Christian is to glorify our Lord through each aspect of our life.
In 2008 a young Hindu student from a central province enrolled in our Bible Correspondence Course. He completed it within a few months time.
Not only did he complete the course, he also found answers for his spiritual questions. His studies helped him to understand many of the fundamental teachings of the Bible. By the Holy Spirit's power, he became a Christian and began to proclaim the Gospel to his friends and relatives.
As of this writing, he has introduced our Bible lessons to more than 100 people. In many ways he helps share the Gospel message with school children in the Nuwara Eliya area.
The Lord has brought about a huge transformation in his life.
Today he is a living witness, testifying how Jesus can bring change to a person who has been living in the darkness. If the Lord wishes, this young man will become a pastor one day and serve the Lord as an undershepherd of the Lord's flock.
From personal experience he will teach that "the true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world" (John 1:9).
He will let others know that it is only by God's grace we receive the light of the Lord.
My friends, we are living in a time and place where it seems as if everything is going wrong. Our days may look dark, and we may be tempted to think there is no hope. It is precisely at such times we need to remember that God's "Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path" (Psalm 119:105).
We can be confident God's Word is leading our daily lives and can dispel problems and challenges. We can be sure that Jesus Christ is there to help us, and although we sinful humans may not always keep our word and promises, He always will.
All of this leads me to ask, in our daily lives are we showing our light to others? Can others see Christ through our lives today? If your answer to those questions is not as solid as you might wish, I encourage you to spend a few minutes in prayer. Ask God to help you remember that the loving Lord who gave His only Son Jesus Christ to die for us -- in our place -- can make us shine before others.
THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your Words, which we have heard today. Lord, help us shine for You in this world and help us live a life that glorifies Your Name. In Jesus' Name! Amen.
Biography of Author: The author of today's devotion is Mr. Sathiyabalan who has served as director for the Sri Lankan office of Lutheran Hour Ministries since it opened in 2001. Over the years hundreds of non-Christians have been reached by our programs, amongst which are Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC) in Sinhalese, Tamil and English languages; Equipping the Saints(ETS) workshops, youth gatherings, and special events in fellowship with local congregations.
In this island nation of more than 20 million people off the southern tip of India, Lutheran Hour Ministries-Sri Lanka is known as Lanka Hope Media. Established in Colombo, this ministry center relies on staff and volunteers to distribute Gospel-related material to thousands, employing literature displays and rallies. Using BCCs in Sinhalese and Tamil, LHM-Sri Lanka teaches people essential truths of Scripture they can use in their everyday lives. Additionally, puppet shows, youth-oriented concerts, and video screenings are used to promote Bible courses, and devotional songs and short sermons are offered. Equipping the Saints workshops are used to strengthen local groups of believers and help foster outreach efforts. A special Christmas film/music program reaches the often uneducated children of tea plantation workers. Use of the Internet and e-mail are helping this ministry center share the Gospel as this technology is becoming more widely available throughout the country. To connect with people on cell phones, automated messaging is proving helpful in reaching the unchurched.
Check out the ETS seminar that was attended by more than 80 people at Faith Lutheran Church in Labukele by clicking here to visit its blog.
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: Jeremiah 41-42; Hebrews 11:1-19
Jeremiah 41:1 In the seventh month Yishma‘el the son of N’tanyahu, the son of Elishama, of royal blood and one of the chief officials of the king, came with ten men to G’dalyahu in Mitzpah. While eating a meal together there in Mitzpah, 2 Yishma‘el and the ten men with him rose and attacked G’dalyahu the son of Achikam, the son of Shafan, struck him with their swords, and assassinated the man whom the king of Bavel had appointed governor of the land. 3 Yishma‘el also murdered all the Judeans who were with G’dalyahu at Mitzpah, as well as the Kasdim soldiers they found there.
4 The next day, before his assassination of G’dalyahu had become known, 5 eighty men from Sh’khem, Shiloh and Shomron came with beards shaved off, clothes torn and gashes on their bodies; they had grain offerings and frankincense with them to present in the house of Adonai. 6 Yishma‘el the son of N’tanyahu went out from Mitzpah to meet them, weeping all along the way; on meeting them, he said to them, “Come to G’dalyahu the son of Achikam.” 7 But once they were inside the city, Yishma‘el the son of N’tanyahu and the men with him slaughtered them and threw them into the cistern. 8 However, ten of them said to Yishma‘el, “Don’t kill us, for we have stores of wheat, barley, olive oil and honey hidden in the field.” So he relented, and did not kill them along with their comrades. 9 The cistern in which Yishma‘el threw the corpses of the men he had murdered with G’dalyahu was the one Asa the king had made in fear of Ba‘asha king of Isra’el; it was this cistern that Yishma‘el the son of N’tanyahu filled with the slaughtered men. 10 Then Yishma‘el carried off captive the rest of the people in Mitzpah — the king’s daughters and all the people left in Mitzpah, whom N’vuzar’adan the commander of the guard had committed to the care of G’dalyahu the son of Achikam. Yishma‘el the son of N’tanyahu carried them off captive and left to cross over to the people of ‘Amon.
11 When Yochanan the son of Kareach and all the military commanders with him heard of all the crimes committed by Yishma‘el the son of N’tanyahu, 12 they took all the men and went to attack Yishma‘el the son of N’tanyahu. They found him by the big pool in Giv‘on. 13 When all Yishma‘el’s captives saw Yochanan the son of Kareach and all the military commanders with him, they were overjoyed. 14 So all the people Yishma‘el had carried off captive from Mitzpah turned and joined Yochanan the son of Kareach. 15 But Yishma‘el the son of N’tanyahu escaped from Yochanan with eight men and went on to the people of ‘Amon. 16 Yochanan the son of Kareach and the military commanders with him then took all the rest of the people he had freed from Yishma‘el the son of N’tanyahu, those Yishma‘el had taken from Mitzpah after assassinating G’dalyahu the son of Achikam — the heroes, the soldiers, the women, the children and the officers he had brought back from Giv‘on — 17 and they left there to stay at Kimham’s Lodge, near Beit-Lechem, intending to go on to Egypt 18 and thus escape the Kasdim. They were afraid of them, because Yishma‘el the son of N’tanyahu had murdered G’dalyahu the son of Achikam, whom the king of Bavel had appointed governor of the land.
42:1 Then all the military commanders, Yochanan the son of Kareach, Y’zanyah the son of Hosha‘yah and all the people, from the least to the greatest, approached 2 and said to Yirmeyahu the prophet, “I beg you, approve our request: pray for us to Adonai your God for all of this remnant. For, while once we were numerous, only a few of us are left, as you can see. 3 Pray that Adonai your God will tell us what direction to take and what to do.”
4 Yirmeyahu the prophet said to them: “I hear you. All right, I will pray to Adonai your God, as you have asked. And whatever Adonai answers you, I will tell you; I will withhold nothing from you.” 5 They said to Yirmeyahu, “May Adonai be a true and faithful witness against us if we fail to do any part of what Adonai your God gives you to tell us. 6 Whether it be good or bad, we will listen to what Adonai our God says. We are dispatching you to him so that things will go well with us, as we heed what Adonai our God says.”
7 Ten days later the word of Adonai came to Yirmeyahu. 8 So he called Yochanan the son of Kareach, all the military commanders with him and all the people, from the least to the greatest, 9 and said to them, “You sent me to present your request to Adonai the God of Isra’el. This is what he says: 10 ‘If you will stay in this land, then I will build you up, not pull you down; I will plant you and not uproot you; for I am relenting from the calamity I inflicted on you. 11 Don’t be afraid of the king of Bavel — of whom you are afraid. Don’t be afraid of him,’ says Adonai, ‘for I am with you to save you and to rescue you from his power. 12 I will take pity on you, so that he will take pity on you and cause you to return to your own land.
13 “But if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ thereby not heeding what Adonai your God is saying, 14 and instead say, ‘No, we will go to the land of Egypt; because there we will not see war or hear the shofar sounding its alarm or be short of food; so we’ll stay there’; 15 then hear what Adonai says, remnant of Y’hudah — this is what Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and stay there, 16 the sword, of which you are afraid, will overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, of which you are afraid, will pursue you relentlessly there in Egypt; and there you will die. 17 This is how it will be for all the people determined to go to Egypt and stay there — they will die by sword, famine and plague; none of them will remain or escape the disaster that I will bring upon them.’ 18 For here is what Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el, says: ‘Just as my anger and fury were poured out on the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, so likewise my fury will be poured out on you if you go to Egypt; so that you will become an object of condemnation, astonishment, cursing and reproach; and you will see this place no more.’
19 “Adonai has spoken concerning you, remnant of Y’hudah! Don’t go to Egypt! You know for a fact that I have given you fair warning today. 20 For you have been behaving deceitfully, against your own interests. You sent me to Adonai your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to Adonai our God; tell us everything Adonai our God says, and we will do it.’ 21 Today I have told it to you, but you haven’t heeded any part of what Adonai your God gave me to tell you. 22 Therefore, know for a fact that you will die by sword, famine and plague in the place where you want to go and live.”
Hebrews 11:1 Trusting[Hebrews 11:1 Habakkuk 2:4] is being confident of what we hope for, convinced about things we do not see. 2 It was for this that Scripture attested the merit of the people of old.
3 By trusting, we understand that the universe was created through a spoken word of God, so that what is seen did not come into being out of existing phenomena.
4 By trusting, Hevel offered a greater sacrifice than Kayin; because of this, he was attested as righteous, with God giving him this testimony on the ground of his gifts. Through having trusted, he still continues to speak, even though he is dead.
5 By trusting, Hanokh was taken away from this life without seeing death — “He was not to be found, because God took him away” — for he has been attested as having been, prior to being taken away, well pleasing to God.[Hebrews 11:5 Genesis 5:24] 6 And without trusting, it is impossible to be well pleasing to God, because whoever approaches him must trust that he does exist and that he becomes a Rewarder to those who seek him out.
7 By trusting, Noach, after receiving divine warning about things as yet unseen, was filled with holy fear and built an ark to save his household. Through this trusting, he put the world under condemnation and received the righteousness that comes from trusting.
8 By trusting, Avraham obeyed, after being called to go out[Hebrews 11:8 Genesis 12:1] to a place which God would give him as a possession; indeed, he went out without knowing where he was going. 9 By trusting, he lived as a temporary resident in the Land of the promise, as if it were not his, staying in tents with Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov, who were to receive what was promised along with him. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with permanent foundations, of which the architect and builder is God.
11 By trusting, he received potency to father a child, even when he was past the age for it, as was Sarah herself; because he regarded the One who had made the promise as trustworthy. 12 Therefore this one man, who was virtually dead, fathered descendants
as numerous as the stars in the sky,
and as countless as the grains of the sand on the seashore.[Hebrews 11:12 Genesis 15:5–6; 22:17; 32:13(12); Exodus 32:13; Deuteronomy 1:10; 10:22]
13 All these people kept on trusting until they died, without receiving what had been promised. They had only seen it and welcomed it from a distance, while acknowledging that they were aliens and temporary residents on the earth.[Hebrews 11:13 1 Chronicles 29:15] 14 For people who speak this way make it clear that they are looking for a fatherland. 15 Now if they were to keep recalling the one they left, they would have an opportunity to return; 16 but as it is, they aspire to a better fatherland, a heavenly one. This is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
17 By trusting, Avraham, when he was put to the test, offered up Yitz’chak as a sacrifice. Yes, he offered up his only son, he who had received the promises, 18 to whom it had been said, “What is called your ‘seed’ will be in Yitz’chak.”[Hebrews 11:18 Genesis 21:12] 19 For he had concluded that God could even raise people from the dead! And, figuratively speaking, he did so receive him.
4 The next day, before his assassination of G’dalyahu had become known, 5 eighty men from Sh’khem, Shiloh and Shomron came with beards shaved off, clothes torn and gashes on their bodies; they had grain offerings and frankincense with them to present in the house of Adonai. 6 Yishma‘el the son of N’tanyahu went out from Mitzpah to meet them, weeping all along the way; on meeting them, he said to them, “Come to G’dalyahu the son of Achikam.” 7 But once they were inside the city, Yishma‘el the son of N’tanyahu and the men with him slaughtered them and threw them into the cistern. 8 However, ten of them said to Yishma‘el, “Don’t kill us, for we have stores of wheat, barley, olive oil and honey hidden in the field.” So he relented, and did not kill them along with their comrades. 9 The cistern in which Yishma‘el threw the corpses of the men he had murdered with G’dalyahu was the one Asa the king had made in fear of Ba‘asha king of Isra’el; it was this cistern that Yishma‘el the son of N’tanyahu filled with the slaughtered men. 10 Then Yishma‘el carried off captive the rest of the people in Mitzpah — the king’s daughters and all the people left in Mitzpah, whom N’vuzar’adan the commander of the guard had committed to the care of G’dalyahu the son of Achikam. Yishma‘el the son of N’tanyahu carried them off captive and left to cross over to the people of ‘Amon.
11 When Yochanan the son of Kareach and all the military commanders with him heard of all the crimes committed by Yishma‘el the son of N’tanyahu, 12 they took all the men and went to attack Yishma‘el the son of N’tanyahu. They found him by the big pool in Giv‘on. 13 When all Yishma‘el’s captives saw Yochanan the son of Kareach and all the military commanders with him, they were overjoyed. 14 So all the people Yishma‘el had carried off captive from Mitzpah turned and joined Yochanan the son of Kareach. 15 But Yishma‘el the son of N’tanyahu escaped from Yochanan with eight men and went on to the people of ‘Amon. 16 Yochanan the son of Kareach and the military commanders with him then took all the rest of the people he had freed from Yishma‘el the son of N’tanyahu, those Yishma‘el had taken from Mitzpah after assassinating G’dalyahu the son of Achikam — the heroes, the soldiers, the women, the children and the officers he had brought back from Giv‘on — 17 and they left there to stay at Kimham’s Lodge, near Beit-Lechem, intending to go on to Egypt 18 and thus escape the Kasdim. They were afraid of them, because Yishma‘el the son of N’tanyahu had murdered G’dalyahu the son of Achikam, whom the king of Bavel had appointed governor of the land.
42:1 Then all the military commanders, Yochanan the son of Kareach, Y’zanyah the son of Hosha‘yah and all the people, from the least to the greatest, approached 2 and said to Yirmeyahu the prophet, “I beg you, approve our request: pray for us to Adonai your God for all of this remnant. For, while once we were numerous, only a few of us are left, as you can see. 3 Pray that Adonai your God will tell us what direction to take and what to do.”
4 Yirmeyahu the prophet said to them: “I hear you. All right, I will pray to Adonai your God, as you have asked. And whatever Adonai answers you, I will tell you; I will withhold nothing from you.” 5 They said to Yirmeyahu, “May Adonai be a true and faithful witness against us if we fail to do any part of what Adonai your God gives you to tell us. 6 Whether it be good or bad, we will listen to what Adonai our God says. We are dispatching you to him so that things will go well with us, as we heed what Adonai our God says.”
7 Ten days later the word of Adonai came to Yirmeyahu. 8 So he called Yochanan the son of Kareach, all the military commanders with him and all the people, from the least to the greatest, 9 and said to them, “You sent me to present your request to Adonai the God of Isra’el. This is what he says: 10 ‘If you will stay in this land, then I will build you up, not pull you down; I will plant you and not uproot you; for I am relenting from the calamity I inflicted on you. 11 Don’t be afraid of the king of Bavel — of whom you are afraid. Don’t be afraid of him,’ says Adonai, ‘for I am with you to save you and to rescue you from his power. 12 I will take pity on you, so that he will take pity on you and cause you to return to your own land.
13 “But if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ thereby not heeding what Adonai your God is saying, 14 and instead say, ‘No, we will go to the land of Egypt; because there we will not see war or hear the shofar sounding its alarm or be short of food; so we’ll stay there’; 15 then hear what Adonai says, remnant of Y’hudah — this is what Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and stay there, 16 the sword, of which you are afraid, will overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, of which you are afraid, will pursue you relentlessly there in Egypt; and there you will die. 17 This is how it will be for all the people determined to go to Egypt and stay there — they will die by sword, famine and plague; none of them will remain or escape the disaster that I will bring upon them.’ 18 For here is what Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el, says: ‘Just as my anger and fury were poured out on the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, so likewise my fury will be poured out on you if you go to Egypt; so that you will become an object of condemnation, astonishment, cursing and reproach; and you will see this place no more.’
19 “Adonai has spoken concerning you, remnant of Y’hudah! Don’t go to Egypt! You know for a fact that I have given you fair warning today. 20 For you have been behaving deceitfully, against your own interests. You sent me to Adonai your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to Adonai our God; tell us everything Adonai our God says, and we will do it.’ 21 Today I have told it to you, but you haven’t heeded any part of what Adonai your God gave me to tell you. 22 Therefore, know for a fact that you will die by sword, famine and plague in the place where you want to go and live.”
Hebrews 11:1 Trusting[Hebrews 11:1 Habakkuk 2:4] is being confident of what we hope for, convinced about things we do not see. 2 It was for this that Scripture attested the merit of the people of old.
3 By trusting, we understand that the universe was created through a spoken word of God, so that what is seen did not come into being out of existing phenomena.
4 By trusting, Hevel offered a greater sacrifice than Kayin; because of this, he was attested as righteous, with God giving him this testimony on the ground of his gifts. Through having trusted, he still continues to speak, even though he is dead.
5 By trusting, Hanokh was taken away from this life without seeing death — “He was not to be found, because God took him away” — for he has been attested as having been, prior to being taken away, well pleasing to God.[Hebrews 11:5 Genesis 5:24] 6 And without trusting, it is impossible to be well pleasing to God, because whoever approaches him must trust that he does exist and that he becomes a Rewarder to those who seek him out.
7 By trusting, Noach, after receiving divine warning about things as yet unseen, was filled with holy fear and built an ark to save his household. Through this trusting, he put the world under condemnation and received the righteousness that comes from trusting.
8 By trusting, Avraham obeyed, after being called to go out[Hebrews 11:8 Genesis 12:1] to a place which God would give him as a possession; indeed, he went out without knowing where he was going. 9 By trusting, he lived as a temporary resident in the Land of the promise, as if it were not his, staying in tents with Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov, who were to receive what was promised along with him. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with permanent foundations, of which the architect and builder is God.
11 By trusting, he received potency to father a child, even when he was past the age for it, as was Sarah herself; because he regarded the One who had made the promise as trustworthy. 12 Therefore this one man, who was virtually dead, fathered descendants
as numerous as the stars in the sky,
and as countless as the grains of the sand on the seashore.[Hebrews 11:12 Genesis 15:5–6; 22:17; 32:13(12); Exodus 32:13; Deuteronomy 1:10; 10:22]
13 All these people kept on trusting until they died, without receiving what had been promised. They had only seen it and welcomed it from a distance, while acknowledging that they were aliens and temporary residents on the earth.[Hebrews 11:13 1 Chronicles 29:15] 14 For people who speak this way make it clear that they are looking for a fatherland. 15 Now if they were to keep recalling the one they left, they would have an opportunity to return; 16 but as it is, they aspire to a better fatherland, a heavenly one. This is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
17 By trusting, Avraham, when he was put to the test, offered up Yitz’chak as a sacrifice. Yes, he offered up his only son, he who had received the promises, 18 to whom it had been said, “What is called your ‘seed’ will be in Yitz’chak.”[Hebrews 11:18 Genesis 21:12] 19 For he had concluded that God could even raise people from the dead! And, figuratively speaking, he did so receive him.
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The Lutheran Hour Ministries
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Saint Louis, Missouri 63141, United States
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