Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran HourSaint Louis, Missouri, United States "I'm Okay. You're Okay" for Sunday, 25 January 2015

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran HourSaint Louis, Missouri, United States "I'm Okay. You're Okay" for Sunday, 25 January 2015

If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.[1 John 1:6-7]

To hear the experts talk, all of us -- just the way we are -- are pretty fine folk.
We're not transgressors; we're pretty perfect people who can't help making an occasional mistake. Genetics have told us we're helplessly programmed to do what we do. Psychology and science have taught us that we're not responsible for our sad situations. Guilt? You can forget about that too. There are psychological and sociological causes that have made us into the wrecks and wretches we are.
We're all okay. That's why sin isn't used in conversation anymore. That's why pastors don't pound on their pulpits and plead with their parishioners anymore. Sin is something for those who lived a long time ago, and guilt is only for folks who aren't nearly as enlightened or sophisticated as we are.
Sure, everyone makes mistakes, but that doesn't mean we're sinners. It doesn't mean we're bad.
We're okay and because we believe we're okay, we have become a nation where all things negative -- like our cereal -- have become sugar-coated. Lying is "stretching the truth." Cheating is "bending the rules." Lusting is "healthy admiration." Hatred is "dislike." Gossiping is "harmless talk." Drug abuse is an "unfortunate misdirection." Gluttony is a "lack of willpower," and a person with a temper is "temperamental." Of course, children who are disobedient to parents -- bless their little hearts -- are merely being "strong-willed."
Yes, we're all okay. At least that's what we tell ourselves.
We repeat those words again and again in the hope that we may, eventually, actually come to believe them. But if we really are okay, why is it so many people spend their days and squander their fortunes searching and seeking that something that will satisfy them and give them hope and happiness? If we're okay, why is it that so many families are self-destructing? If we're okay, why is it that school shootings have become second page news? If we're okay, why are our inner cities unsafe for even armed police? If we're okay, why do athletes feel the need to cheat the system with steroids? If we're okay, why do the world's nations continue to be in conflict?
The answer is a simple one. On our own, we're not okay. Left to our own devices, we're not all right.
We are sinners out of harmony with the Lord and the perfect life He wanted to give us. We are in rebellion against our God and, on our own, there's not a thing we can do about it.
Thankfully, we are not on our own.
We have a Savior. In the Person of Jesus Christ, God has sent His Son to carry our sins, take our punishment, die our death. His life -- lived for us -- is the path of reconciliation between a perfect God and sinful humanity.
Now, because of what Jesus has done for us, all who are brought to faith in Him are given hope, happiness, joy, and a knowledge that when we stand before the Lord's judgment seat, He will, because of Jesus say, "You're okay."
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks I am declared forgiven because of Jesus' work. May I share His story of salvation so others may also be saved. 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 41: The Lord Continues
Can You Catch a Sea Monster?
1 Can you catch a sea monster[a]
    by using a fishhook?
Can you tie its mouth shut
    with a rope?
2 Can it be led around
by a ring in its nose
    or a hook in its jaw?
3 Will it beg for mercy?
4 Will it surrender
    as a slave for life?
5 Can it be tied by the leg
like a pet bird
    for little girls?
6 Is it ever chopped up
and its pieces bargained for
    in the fish-market?
7 Can it be killed
    with harpoons or spears?
8 Wrestle it just once—
    that will be the end.
9 Merely a glimpse of this monster
    makes all courage melt.
10 And if it is too fierce
for anyone to attack,
    who would dare oppose me?
11 I am in command of the world
    and in debt to no one.
12 What powerful legs,
what a stout body
    this monster possesses!
13 Who could strip off its armor
or bring it under control
    with a harness?
14 Who would try to open its jaws,
    full of fearsome teeth?
15 Its back[b] is covered
    with shield after shield,
16 firmly bound and closer together
17     than breath to breath.
When This Monster Sneezes
18 When this monster sneezes,
lightning flashes,
and its eyes
    glow like the dawn.
19 Sparks and fiery flames
    explode from its mouth.
20 And smoke spews from its nose
like steam
    from a boiling pot,
21 while its blazing breath
    scorches everything in sight.
22 Its neck is so tremendous
    that everyone trembles,
23 the weakest parts of its body
are harder than iron,
24     and its heart is stone.
25 When this noisy monster appears,
even the most powerful[c]
    turn and run in fear.
26 No sword or spear can harm it,
27 and weapons of bronze or iron
    are as useless
as straw
    or rotten wood.
28 Rocks thrown from a sling
cause it no more harm
    than husks of grain.
This monster fears no arrows,
29     it simply smiles at spears,
and striking it with a stick
is like slapping it with straw.
30 As it crawls through the mud,
its sharp and spiny hide
    tears the ground apart.
31 And when it swims down deep,
the sea starts churning
    like boiling oil,
32 and it leaves behind a trail
    of shining white foam.
33 No other creature on earth
    is so fearless.
34 It is king of all proud creatures,
and it looks upon the others
    as nothing.
Job’s Reply to the Lord
No One Can Oppose You
42:1 Job said:
2 No one can oppose you,
because you have the power
    to do what you want.
3 You asked why I talk so much
    when I know so little.
I have talked about things
that are far beyond
    my understanding.
4 You told me to listen
    and answer your questions.[d]
5 I heard about you from others;
now I have seen you
    with my own eyes.
6 That’s why I hate myself
and sit here in dust and ashes
    to show my sorrow.
The Lord Corrects Job’s Friends
7 The Lord said to Eliphaz:
What my servant Job has said about me is true, but I am angry at you and your two friends for not telling the truth. 8 So I want you to go over to Job and offer seven bulls and seven goats on an altar as a sacrifice to please me.[e] After this, Job will pray, and I will agree not to punish you for your foolishness.
9 Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar obeyed the Lord, and he answered Job’s prayer.
A Happy Ending
10 After Job had prayed for his three friends, the Lord made Job twice as rich as he had been before. 11 Then Job gave a feast for his brothers and sisters and for his old friends. They expressed their sorrow for the suffering the Lord had brought on him, and they each gave Job some silver and a gold ring.
12 The Lord now blessed Job more than ever; he gave him fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand pair of oxen, and a thousand donkeys.
13 In addition to seven sons, Job had three daughters, 14 whose names were Jemimah, Keziah, and Keren Happuch. 15 They were the most beautiful women in that part of the world, and Job gave them shares of his property, along with their brothers.
16 Job lived for another one hundred forty years—long enough to see his great-grandchildren have children of their own— 17 and when he finally died, he was very old.[Footnotes:
41.1 sea monster: The Hebrew text has “Leviathan,” which may refer to a sea monster or possibly to a crocodile in this verse (see the note at 3.8).
41.15 back: Two ancient translations; Hebrew “pride.”
41.25 most powerful: Or “gods.”
42.4 questions: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 4.
42.8 sacrifice to please me: These sacrifices have traditionally been called “whole burnt offerings” because the whole animal was burned on the altar. A main purpose of such sacrifices was to please the Lord with the smell of the sacrifice, and so in the CEV they are often called “sacrifices to please the Lord.”]
Matthew 16: A Demand for a Sign from Heaven
1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tried to test him by asking for a sign from heaven. 2 He told them:
If the sky is red in the evening, you say the weather will be good. 3 But if the sky is red and gloomy in the morning, you say it is going to rain. You can tell what the weather will be like by looking at the sky. But you don’t understand what is happening now.[a] 4 You want a sign because you are evil and won’t believe! But the only sign you will be given is what happened to Jonah.[b]
Then Jesus left.
The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees
5 The disciples had forgotten to bring any bread when they crossed the lake.[c] 6 Jesus then warned them, “Watch out! Guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
7 The disciples talked this over and said to each other, “He must be saying this because we didn’t bring along any bread.”
8 Jesus knew what they were thinking and said:
You surely don’t have much faith! Why are you talking about not having any bread? 9 Don’t you understand? Have you forgotten about the five thousand people and all those baskets of leftovers from just five loaves of bread? 10 And what about the four thousand people and all those baskets of leftovers from only seven loaves of bread? 11 Don’t you know by now that I am not talking to you about bread? Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!
12 Finally, the disciples understood that Jesus wasn’t talking about the yeast used to make bread, but about the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Who Is Jesus?
13 When Jesus and his disciples were near the town of Caesarea Philippi, he asked them, “What do people say about the Son of Man?”
14 The disciples answered, “Some people say you are John the Baptist or maybe Elijah[d] or Jeremiah or some other prophet.”
15 Then Jesus asked them, “But who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter spoke up, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus told him:
Simon, son of Jonah, you are blessed! You didn’t discover this on your own. It was shown to you by my Father in heaven. 18 So I will call you Peter, which means “a rock.” On this rock I will build my church, and death itself will not have any power over it. 19 I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and God in heaven will allow whatever you allow on earth. But he will not allow anything that you don’t allow.
20 Jesus told his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Jesus Speaks about His Suffering and Death
21 From then on, Jesus began telling his disciples what would happen to him. He said, “I must go to Jerusalem. There the nation’s leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make me suffer terribly. I will be killed, but three days later I will rise to life.”
22 Peter took Jesus aside and told him to stop talking like that. He said, “God would never let this happen to you, Lord!”
23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Satan, get away from me! You’re in my way because you think like everyone else and not like God.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples:
If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me. 25 If you want to save your life,[e] you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find it. 26 What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself? What would you give to get back your soul?
27 The Son of Man will soon come in the glory of his Father and with his angels to reward all people for what they have done. 28 I promise you that some of those standing here will not die before they see the Son of Man coming with his kingdom.[Footnotes:
16.2,3 If the sky is red. . . what is happening now: The words of Jesus in verses 2 and 3 are not in some manuscripts.
16.4 what happened to Jonah: Jonah was in the stomach of a big fish for three days and nights (see 12.40).
16.5 crossed the lake: To the east side.
16.14 Elijah: Many of the Jewish people expected the prophet Elijah to come and prepare the way for the Messiah.

16.25 life: In verses 25 and 26 the same Greek word is translated “life,” “yourself,” and “soul.”]
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