Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran HourSaint Louis, Missouri, United States "Mighty Tempting" for Saturday, 17 January 2015

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran HourSaint Louis, Missouri, United States "Mighty Tempting" for Saturday, 17 January 2015

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.[James 1:12-15]

Manfred von Richthofen was a famous German First World War fighter pilot. Most people know him as the "Red Baron," a nickname he received because he flew a red tri-plane.
Perhaps we should also tell you that von Richthofen, with 80 known kills, was an incredibly effective combat pilot. That being said, there came a day when he made a mistake ... a couple of mistakes.
Richthofen's day of reckoning came on April 21st, 1918. On that day he was chasing a Canadian plane, which was trying to escape the battle. The Red Baron's pursuit took him behind enemy lines.
That was mistake number one.
The Canadian pilot did as he had been instructed in such desperate situations: he took his plane down low, skimming the tree and house tops. The more seasoned German had absolutely no problem following his Canadian adversary.
That was mistake number two.
As they flew, the Red Baron's attention was focused on his prey. He never noticed a Canadian pilot, Ray Brown, who had come to his friend's aid.
That was mistake number three.
If you read the history books, they will be silent as to exactly how the Red Baron was shot from the sky. There are those who maintain it was the ground fire, which came up from the infantry, while others maintain that Brown was the one who fired the fatal shots. No matter who is responsible, the Red Baron went down that day because he had not paid attention as he flew too far and too low.
You know there are a lot of Christians who do that sort of thing when it comes to temptation.
These Christians think they are experienced, successful veterans of many past conflicts -- which they are. They think that a particular temptation may not do them any damage, and it may not. They think they can handle the temptation without any negative consequences. In this, too, they may be right.
All too often the day eventually comes when a temptation manages to bring them down. That day usually arrives when an overly confident Christian flies too low, too long, and forgets the enemy can sneak up on him from behind.
Far better for us to be honest with ourselves.
We are saved and forgiven saints, but we are still sinners who daily need to be rededicated to the Savior. Part of that commitment to the Savior is to flee temptation and cling to Christ, the Savior who gave His life for our forgiveness and salvation.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks that You have called me to forgiveness and salvation through the cleansing blood of the Redeemer. May I, in humility, rely and cling to Him as I live each day of my life. This I ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour^®
Lutheran Hour Ministries

Through the Bible in a Year
Today Read:
Job 22: Eliphaz’s Third Speech
What Use Are We Humans to God?
1 Eliphaz from Teman[a] said:
2 What use are we humans
    to God,
    even the wisest of us?
3 If you were completely sinless,
that would still mean nothing
    to God All-Powerful.
4 Is he correcting you
    for worshiping him?
5 No! It’s because
    of your terrible sins.
6 To guarantee payment of a debt,
you have taken clothes
    from the poor.
7 And you refused bread and water
    to the hungry and thirsty,
8 although you were rich,
    respected, and powerful.
9 You have turned away widows
and have broken the arms
    of orphans.
10 That’s why you were suddenly
    trapped by terror,
11 blinded by darkness,
    and drowned in a flood.
God Lives in the Heavens
12 God lives in the heavens
above the highest stars,
    where he sees everything.
13 Do you think the deep darkness
    hides you from God?
14 Do thick clouds cover his eyes,
as he walks around heaven’s dome
    high above the earth?
15 Give up those ancient ideas
    believed by sinners,
16 who were swept away
    without warning.
17 They rejected God All-Powerful,
    feeling he was helpless,
18 although he had been kind
    to their families.
The beliefs of these sinners
    are truly disgusting.
19 When God’s people see
the godless swept away,
    they celebrate, 20 saying,
“Our enemies are gone,
and fire has destroyed
    their possessions.”
Surrender to God All-Powerful
21 Surrender to God All-Powerful!
You will find peace
    and prosperity.
22 Listen to his teachings
    and take them to heart.
23 If you return to God
and turn from sin,
    all will go well for you.
24 So get rid of your finest gold,
    as though it were sand.
25 Let God All-Powerful
    be your silver and gold,
26 and you will find happiness
    by worshiping him.
27 God will answer your prayers,
and you will keep the promises
    you made to him.
28 He will do whatever you ask,
    and life will be bright.
29 When others are disgraced,
God will clear their names
    in answer to your prayers.
30 Even those who are guilty
will be forgiven,
    because you obey God.[b]
Job’s Reply to Eliphaz
Today I Complain Bitterly
23:1 Job said:
2 Today I complain bitterly,
because God has been cruel
    and made me suffer.
3 If I knew where to find God,
I would go there
4     and argue my case.
5 Then I would discover
    what he wanted to say.
6 Would he overwhelm me
    with his greatness?
No! He would listen
7     because I am innocent,
and he would say,
    “I now set you free!”
8 I cannot find God anywhere—
in front or back of me,
9     to my left or my right.
God is always at work,
    though I never see him.
10 But he knows what I am doing,
and when he tests me,
    I will be pure as gold.
11 I have never refused to follow
    any of his commands,
12 and I have always treasured
    his teachings.[c]
13 But he alone is God,
    and who can oppose him?
God does as he pleases,
14 and he will do exactly
    what he intends with me.
15 Merely the thought
of God All-Powerful
16     makes me tremble with fear.
17 God has covered me
    with darkness,
    but I refuse to be silent.[d]
Job Continues
Why Doesn’t God Set a Time?
24:1 Why doesn’t God
    set a time for court?
Why don’t his people know
    where he can be found?
2 Sinners remove boundary markers
and take care of sheep
    they have stolen.
3 They cheat orphans and widows
by taking their donkeys
    and oxen.
4 The poor are trampled
and forced to hide
5     in the desert,
where they and their children
must live like wild donkeys
    and search for food.
6 If they want grain or grapes,[e]
they must go to the property
    of these sinners.
7 They sleep naked in the cold,
    because they have no cover,
8 and during a storm
their only shelters are caves
    among the rocky cliffs.
9 Children whose fathers have died
are taken from their mothers
    as payment for a debt.
10 Then they are forced to work
    naked in the grain fields
because they have no clothes,
    and they go hungry.
11 They crush olives to make oil
and grapes to make wine—
    but still they go thirsty.
12 And along the city streets,
the wounded and dying cry out,
    yet God does nothing.
Some Reject the Light
13 Some rebel and refuse
    to follow the light.
14 Soon after sunset they murder
the poor and the needy,
    and at night they steal.
15 Others wait for the dark,
    thinking they won’t be seen
if they sleep with the wife
    or husband of someone else.
16 Robbers hide during the day,
then break in after dark
    because they reject the light.
17 They prefer night to day,
since the terrors of the night
    are their friends.
Sinners Are Filthy Foam
18 Those sinners are filthy foam
    on the surface of the water.
And so, their fields and vineyards
will fall under a curse
    and won’t produce.
19 Just as the heat of summer
    swallows the snow,
the world of the dead
    swallows those who sin.
20 Forgotten here on earth,
and with their power broken,
    they taste sweet to worms.
21 Sinners take advantage of widows
    and other helpless women.[f]
22 But God’s mighty strength
    destroys those in power.
Even if they seem successful,
    they are doomed to fail.
23 God may let them feel secure,
but they are never
    out of his sight.
24 Great for a while; gone forever!
Sinners are mowed down
    like weeds,
    then they wither and die.
25 If I haven’t spoken the truth,
    then prove me wrong.[Footnotes:
22.1 Teman: See the note at 2.11.
22.30 God: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verses 29,30.
23.12 treasured his teachings: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
23.17 silent: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 17.
24.6 If they want grain or grapes: Poor people were allowed to gather what was left in the fields and vineyards after the harvest.
24.21 women: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 21.]
Matthew 12: A Question about the Sabbath
1 One Sabbath, Jesus and his disciples were walking through some wheat fields.[a] His disciples were hungry and began picking and eating grains of wheat. 2 Some Pharisees noticed this and said to Jesus, “Why are your disciples picking grain on the Sabbath? They are not supposed to do that!”
3 Jesus answered:
You surely must have read what David did when he and his followers were hungry. 4 He went into the house of God, and then they ate the sacred loaves of bread that only priests are supposed to eat. 5 Haven’t you read in the Law of Moses that the priests are allowed to work in the temple on the Sabbath? But no one says that they are guilty of breaking the law of the Sabbath. 6 I tell you that there is something here greater than the temple. 7 Don’t you know what the Scriptures mean when they say, “Instead of offering sacrifices to me, I want you to be merciful to others?” If you knew what this means, you would not condemn these innocent disciples of mine. 8 So the Son of Man is Lord over the Sabbath.
A Man with a Crippled Hand
9 Jesus left and went into one of the Jewish meeting places, 10 where there was a man whose hand was crippled. Some Pharisees wanted to accuse Jesus of doing something wrong, and they asked him, “Is it right to heal someone on the Sabbath?”
11 Jesus answered, “If you had a sheep that fell into a ditch on the Sabbath, wouldn’t you lift it out? 12 People are worth much more than sheep, and so it is right to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then Jesus told the man, “Hold out your hand.” The man did, and it became as healthy as the other one.
14 The Pharisees left and started making plans to kill Jesus.
God’s Chosen Servant
15 When Jesus found out what was happening, he left there and large crowds followed him. He healed all of their sick, 16 but warned them not to tell anyone about him. 17 So God’s promise came true, just as Isaiah the prophet had said,
18 “Here is my chosen servant!
I love him,
    and he pleases me.
I will give him my Spirit,
and he will bring justice
    to the nations.
19 He won’t shout or yell
    or call out in the streets.
20 He won’t break off a bent reed
    or put out a dying flame,
but he will make sure
    that justice is done.
21 All nations will place
    their hope in him.”
Jesus and the Ruler of the Demons
22 Some people brought to Jesus a man who was blind and could not talk because he had a demon in him. Jesus healed the man, and then he was able to talk and see. 23 The crowds were so amazed that they asked, “Could Jesus be the Son of David?”[b][Footnotes:
12.1 walking through some wheat fields: It was the custom to let hungry travelers pick grains of wheat.
12.23 Could Jesus be the Son of David: Or “Does Jesus think he is the Son of David?” See the note at 9.27.]
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