Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" for Sunday, May 13, 2018
Matthew 5:16 - (Jesus said) "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."***
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
In 1967, Aretha Franklin sang about respect and how she wanted some. I guess most of us hope to receive respect and a great many of us are disappointed when we don't get it. Maybe that's because most of us are better at getting respect than we are at giving it.
Of course, I wouldn't want you to say that to Shimar Davis, Shimon Davis, Edward James, Brandon Burton, Quindon Burris, Stacy Ard, James Bickham, Avant Money, Malachi Martin, and Kalarrian Dillong of Franklinton, Louisiana.
Let me tell you their story.
It begins with the funeral procession of Velma Kay Crowe. In that cortege of cars were two sisters, Lynn Bienvenu and Johanna Stroud. They were mourning the death of cousin Velma. As the vehicles wended their way to the cemetery, they passed by a school's basketball court: a court occupied by the young people I mentioned above.
The sisters spotted the players just about the same time the players recognized the funeral procession.
What happened next is where that respect comes into play.
The player who had the ball put it down. Then he, along with all the others out on the court, stopped and knelt down until the procession had passed. This they all did without an adult barking orders or some coach telling them what to do.
It was just a group of young people showing respect for someone they didn't know.
The sisters in the procession paused their car for just a second, snapped a picture, and then went to the cemetery. After the funeral, they posted the picture on Facebook and told how the gesture of the teenagers had meant a great deal to their entire family.
The photo went viral and soon many others were adding their voices to applaud these teens.
Now at this point our devotion can go many different ways. We could talk about showing respect at a funeral; we could talk about how many people don't show respect, or we could even speak of how we ought to say thank you when somebody does something right.
I'm not going to talk about any of those things.
Instead, I would like to point out that life is composed of many small, almost inconsequential, actions and expressions. Like these young folks, we never know how what we do and say is going to affect others; we never know how the Lord can use the seemingly trivial to touch and move others.
In short, being a Christian is a full-time job.
It is a job we believers take seriously, knowing the life of gratitude we live to honor our Savior may be used by the Spirit to touch people we don't know and reach people whom we will never meet.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, may we not only respect the Savior for winning our salvation, may we also respect Him enough to live so others might be won for You. This I ask in the Savior's Name. Amen.
The above devotion was inspired by a number of sources, including one written by Jennifer Earl for Fox News on April 24, 2018. Those who wish to reference that article may do so at the following link, which was fully functional at the time this devotion was written:http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/04/23/louisiana-teens-stop-basketball-game-kneel-out-honor-for-passing-funeral-procession.html
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: Psalm 32; Psalm 51; John 3:16-36
Psalm 32:1
(0) By David. A maskil:
(1) How blessed are those whose offense is forgiven,
those whose sin is covered!
2 How blessed those to whom Adonai imputes no guilt,
in whose spirit is no deceit!
3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away
because of my groaning all day long;
4 day and night your hand was heavy on me;
the sap in me dried up as in a summer drought. (Selah)
5 When I acknowledged my sin to you,
when I stopped concealing my guilt,
and said, “I will confess my offenses to Adonai”;
then you, you forgave the guilt of my sin. (Selah)
6 This is what everyone faithful should pray
at a time when you can be found.
Then, when the floodwaters are raging,
they will not reach to him.
7 You are a hiding-place for me,
you will keep me from distress;
you will surround me
with songs of deliverance. (Selah)
8 “I will instruct and teach you
in this way that you are to go;
I will give you counsel;
my eyes will be watching you.”
9 Don’t be like a horse or mule
that has no understanding,
that has to be curbed with bit and bridle,
or else it won’t come near you.
10 Many are the torments of the wicked,
but grace surrounds those who trust in Adonai.
11 Be glad in Adonai; rejoice, you righteous!
Shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
51:1 (0) For the leader. A psalm of David, 2 when Natan the prophet came to him after his affair with Bat-Sheva:
3 (1) God, in your grace, have mercy on me;
in your great compassion, blot out my crimes.
4 (2) Wash me completely from my guilt,
and cleanse me from my sin.
5 (3) For I know my crimes,
my sin confronts me all the time.
6 (4) Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil from your perspective;
so that you are right in accusing me
and justified in passing sentence.
7 (5) True, I was born guilty,
was a sinner from the moment my mother conceived me.
8 (6) Still, you want truth in the inner person;
so make me know wisdom in my inmost heart.
9 (7) Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
10 (8) Let me hear the sound of joy and gladness,
so that the bones you crushed can rejoice.
11 (9) Turn away your face from my sins,
and blot out all my crimes.
12 (10) Create in me a clean heart, God;
renew in me a resolute spirit.
13 (11) Don’t thrust me away from your presence,
don’t take your Ruach Kodesh away from me.
14 (12) Restore my joy in your salvation,
and let a willing spirit uphold me.
15 (13) Then I will teach the wicked your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
16 (14) Rescue me from the guilt of shedding blood,
God, God of my salvation!
Then my tongue will sing
about your righteousness —
17 (15) Adonai, open my lips;
then my mouth will praise you.
18 (16) For you don’t want sacrifices, or I would give them;
you don’t take pleasure in burnt offerings.
19 (17) My sacrifice to God is a broken spirit;
God, you won’t spurn a broken, chastened heart.
20 (18) In your good pleasure, make Tziyon prosper;
rebuild the walls of Yerushalayim.
21 (19) Then you will delight in righteous sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then they will offer bulls on your altar.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only and unique Son, so that everyone who trusts in him may have eternal life, instead of being utterly destroyed. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but rather so that through him, the world might be saved. 18 Those who trust in him are not judged; those who do not trust have been judged already, in that they have not trusted in the one who is God’s only and unique Son.
19 “Now this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness rather than the light. Why? Because their actions were wicked. 20 For everyone who does evil things hates the light and avoids it, so that his actions won’t be exposed. 21 But everyone who does what is true comes to the light, so that all may see that his actions are accomplished through God.”
22 After this, Yeshua and his talmidim went out into the countryside of Y’hudah, where he stayed awhile with them and immersed people. 23 Yochanan too was immersing at Einayim, near Shalem, because there was plenty of water there; and people kept coming to be immersed. 24 (This was before Yochanan’s imprisonment.)
25 A discussion arose between some of Yochanan’s talmidim and a Judean about ceremonial washing; 26 and they came to Yochanan and said to him, “Rabbi, you know the man who was with you on the other side of the Yarden, the one you spoke about? Well, here he is, immersing; and everyone is going to him!” 27 Yochanan answered, “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from Heaven. 28 You yourselves can confirm that I did not say I was the Messiah, but that I have been sent ahead of him. 29 The bridegroom is the one who has the bride; but the bridegroom’s friend, who stands and listens to him, is overjoyed at the sound of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must become more important, while I become less important.
31 “He who comes from above is above all. He who is from the earth is from the earth and talks from an earthly point of view; he who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies about what he has actually seen and heard, yet no one accepts what he says! 33 Whoever does accept what he says puts his seal on the fact that God is true, 34 because the one whom God sent speaks God’s words. For God does not give him the Spirit in limited degree — 35 the Father loves the Son and has put everything in his hands. 36 Whoever trusts in the Son has eternal life. But whoever disobeys the Son will not see that life but remains subject to God’s wrath.”
(Complete Jewish Bible)
Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
CHANGE THEIR WORLD. CHANGE YOURS.
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.
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