You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.-Leviticus 19:18
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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 Friday 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
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One of our contacts named Manuel told us he always said, "I do no harm to anyone. However, when it comes to trusting other people, I was very closed. My attitude towards others was vindictive and spiteful. That philosophy produced resentment among family and friends. Worst of all, I refused to admit I was hurting my loved ones, others and myself. I felt despair when my wife asked for divorce because this attitude had caused her much harm."
Afterwards, on one of the days of deep reflection on what had happened to me, a Lutheran Hour brochure about anger management through trust in God's love fell into my hands.
That tract allowed God to shed light on the one who had been acting wrongly.
Then and there I asked Him to help me, and soon my life was in His loving hands. This was shown by a deep change in my spiritual life and in my relations with others. That was especially important to my wife who saw this change most personally.
With his problems, Manuel speaks for many of us.
By God's grace and the Holy Spirit's interaction, people of faith are changed. First, we are changed from being lost sinners to saved saints. But we are also empowered to let the Lord's love be reflected to those around us, to our loved ones and our friends.
No longer condemned by our transgressions, we can rejoice in the love of Jesus and our brothers and sisters in the faith. The Bible says, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It rejoices with the truth, and always perseveres" (see 1 Corinthians 13). By constantly receiving and reflecting love, our lives become far more pleasant, safer and God pleasing.
My friends, many times people are wrongly convinced they can solve any problem. This is not the case. There are many situations over which we have no control. We cannot do miracles, and we most certainly cannot change others. No, we are not God.
Thankfully, although we fall far short of perfection, God remains in control. In Jesus our sins were forgiven and death was defeated. That is divine proof that God is able to handle all that we cannot. This is why, today, I pray all of us be cradled in God's hands. You will find, as Manuel found, that with God all things are possible.
God is love, and through Jesus Christ, He gives each of us a renewed relationship with God, with ourselves, with our loved ones, and with other people around us. In this He gives us a true inner peace. It is a peace which can accomplish much for it comes from the Lord Jesus Christ.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, we thank You because You love us. I ask that You fill us with Your holy love. Grant me the ability to love my family and all those whose lives I might touch. Let them see the true happiness and peace which You have given. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.
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Biography of Author: Venezuela's Alexander Jesus Perez Leon has an accounting degree and has taken religious courses at Juan de Frias Theological Institute. He currently works as an insurance executive at Sanitas Insurance Venezuela. He also is involved with the Association for the Assistance of the Helpless Child. We are thankful that he has also served as coordinator and director of the Lutheran Hour office in Carabobo and assistant to the director of the Venezuelan office in Caracas. In this country of nearly 30 million people, LHM-Venezuela, known in-country as Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones, uses programs like Equipping the Saints (ETS) and Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC) to reach out to South Americans with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Short radio broadcasts like A Moment with God and Perspectives address everyday concerns and give listeners spiritual help in dealing with pressing issues in their lives. Additionally, this ministry center's website offers helpful resources and information to help people in a practical way. You can find Venezuela's blog at lhmvenezuela.wordpress.com.
To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhmint.org.
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In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
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Through the Bible in a Year
Today Read:
Leviticus 11:1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘These are the living things which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth. 3 Whatever parts the hoof, and is cloven-footed, and chews the cud among the animals, that you may eat.
4 “‘Nevertheless these you shall not eat of those that chew the cud, or of those who part the hoof: the camel, because he chews the cud but doesn’t have a parted hoof, he is unclean to you. 5 The cony,[a] because he chews the cud but doesn’t have a parted hoof, he is unclean to you. 6 The hare, because she chews the cud but doesn’t part the hoof, she is unclean to you. 7 The pig, because he has a split hoof, and is cloven-footed, but doesn’t chew the cud, he is unclean to you. 8 Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch; they are unclean to you.
9 “‘These you may eat of all that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, that you may eat. 10 All that don’t have fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of all the living creatures that are in the waters, they are an abomination to you, 11 and you detest them. You shall not eat of their flesh, and you shall detest their carcasses. 12 Whatever has no fins nor scales in the waters, that is an abomination to you.
13 “‘These you shall detest among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the vulture, and the black vulture, 14 and the red kite, any kind of black kite, 15 any kind of raven, 16 the horned owl, the screech owl, and the gull, any kind of hawk, 17 the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, 18 the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, 19 the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.
20 “‘All flying insects that walk on all fours are an abomination to you. 21 Yet you may eat these: of all winged creeping things that go on all fours, which have legs above their feet, with which to hop on the earth. 22 Even of these you may eat: any kind of locust, any kind of katydid, any kind of cricket, and any kind of grasshopper. 23 But all winged creeping things which have four feet, are an abomination to you.
24 “‘By these you will become unclean: whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening. 25 Whoever carries any part of their carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening.
26 “‘Every animal which parts the hoof, and is not cloven-footed, nor chews the cud, is unclean to you. Everyone who touches them shall be unclean. 27 Whatever goes on its paws, among all animals that go on all fours, they are unclean to you. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening. 28 He who carries their carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening. They are unclean to you.
29 “‘These are they which are unclean to you among the creeping things that creep on the earth: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard, 30 the gecko, and the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink, and the chameleon. 31 These are they which are unclean to you among all that creep. Whoever touches them when they are dead, shall be unclean until the evening. 32 On whatever any of them falls when they are dead, it shall be unclean; whether it is any vessel of wood, or clothing, or skin, or sack, whatever vessel it is, with which any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the evening; then it will be clean. 33 Every earthen vessel, into which any of them falls, all that is in it shall be unclean, and you shall break it. 34 All food which may be eaten, that on which water comes, shall be unclean; and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean. 35 Everything whereupon part of their carcass falls shall be unclean; whether oven, or range for pots, it shall be broken in pieces: they are unclean, and shall be unclean to you. 36 Nevertheless a spring or a cistern in which water is gathered shall be clean: but that which touches their carcass shall be unclean. 37 If part of their carcass falls on any sowing seed which is to be sown, it is clean. 38 But if water is put on the seed, and part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.
39 “‘If any animal, of which you may eat, dies; he who touches its carcass shall be unclean until the evening. 40 He who eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening. He also who carries its carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening.
41 “‘Every creeping thing that creeps on the earth is an abomination. It shall not be eaten. 42 Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet, even all creeping things that creep on the earth, them you shall not eat; for they are an abomination. 43 You shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creeps. You shall not make yourselves unclean with them, that you should be defiled thereby. 44 For I am Yahweh your God. Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any kind of creeping thing that moves on the earth. 45 For I am Yahweh who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
46 “‘This is the law of the animal, and of the bird, and of every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth, 47 to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the living thing that may be eaten and the living thing that may not be eaten.’”
12:1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘If a woman conceives, and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of her monthly period she shall be unclean. 3 In the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4 She shall continue in the blood of purification thirty-three days. She shall not touch any holy thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are completed. 5 But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her period; and she shall continue in the blood of purification sixty-six days.
6 “‘When the days of her purification are completed, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the door of the Tent of Meeting, a year old lamb for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering: 7 and he shall offer it before Yahweh, and make atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the fountain of her blood.
“‘This is the law for her who bears, whether a male or a female. 8 If she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves, or two young pigeons; the one for a burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.’”
Footnotes:
a. Leviticus 11:5 or hyrax, or rock badger
Mark 7:1 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered together to him, having come from Jerusalem. 2 Now when they saw some of his disciples eating bread with defiled, that is unwashed, hands, they found fault. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews, don’t eat unless they wash their hands and forearms, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4 They don’t eat when they come from the marketplace unless they bathe themselves, and there are many other things, which they have received to hold to: washings of cups, pitchers, bronze vessels, and couches.) 5 The Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why don’t your disciples walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with unwashed hands?”
6 He answered them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,
‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me.
7 But they worship me in vain,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’[a]
8 “For you set aside the commandment of God, and hold tightly to the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and you do many other such things.” 9 He said to them, “Full well do you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother;’[b] and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’[c] 11 But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban[d] , that is to say, given to God”;’ 12 then you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or his mother, 13 making void the word of God by your tradition, which you have handed down. You do many things like this.”
Footnotes:
a. Mark 7:7 Isaiah 29:13
b. Mark 7:10 Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16
c. Mark 7:10 Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 20:9
d. Mark 7:11 Corban is a Hebrew word for an offering devoted to God.
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