Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour of Saint Louis, Missouri, United States "The Good Old Days" for Monday, 1 June 2015

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour of Saint Louis, Missouri, United States "The Good Old Days" for Monday, 1 June 2015

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the Law, to redeem those who were under the Law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.[Galatians 4:4-5]
The good old days.
A lot of people speak fondly of the "good old days." That's because our rose-colored glasses (and selective memories) help us see the good times of those years and ignore that which was uncomfortable and hurtful. If truth is remembered accurately, and we are brave enough to say it, most of us will admit our high school years weren't always the good old days.
Without working too hard, most of us can remember cruel words that left lasting scars, the betrayal of best friends and true loves that were neither true nor real.
This takes us to Mary Lapkowicz and Ben Moser.
A few years ago, when Moser and Lapkowicz were in fourth grade, he was very kind to her, a girl who has Down syndrome. If she was being left out of an activity, he brought her in. If she was sad, he tried to cheer her up. Having seen his cousin's prom, Moser even told Lapkowicz he would, when the time was right, take her to prom.
As I say, that was a few years ago, and things change.
Eventually, Moser moved away, and the two lost track of each other. Moser became quarterback of his high school football team, and Lapkowicz, well, her father was the one who took her to high school homecoming. Moser and Lapkowicz lived separate lives, until his football team played her school. The two ran into each other and shared memories.
Now that could be the end of the story, but it's not. A short time later, Moser bought some balloons and wrote "PROM" on them. Remembering his promise from years ago, Moser asked Lapkowicz to prom. She said yes and the quarterback and the Down syndrome girl -- gussied up in a fancy, purple gown -- attended the festive occasion together.
A pretty good story, don't you think?
It's the kind of story that reminds Christians of their relationship with the Lord. Long ago, shortly after humankind had sinned, the Lord made a promise. He promised He would send a Savior to take us away from sin, the devil, and death. It was a promise that would offer unbelievable and unexpected happiness to believers in His Son.
It was a promise which many people were sure He had forgotten -- or had no intention of keeping.
But God remembered, and He kept that promise. And because He did, the present lives of believers have been changed and our eternity, well, our eternity ... those will be the real "good, old days."
THE PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, we give thanks for those people who remember and keep their promises. We are even more grateful for Your fulfillment of a promise made to save us from our spiritual enemies. Grant us grace to love our Savior who first loved us. 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:
Psalms 39:(0) For the leader. Set in the style of Y’dutun. A psalm of David:

2 (1) I said, “I will watch how I behave,

so that I won’t sin with my tongue;

I will put a muzzle on my mouth

whenever the wicked confront me.”

3 (2) I was silent, said nothing, not even good;

but my pain kept being stirred up.

4 (3) My heart grew hot within me;

whenever I thought of it, the fire burned.

Then, [at last,] I let my tongue speak:

5 (4) “Make me grasp, Adonai, what my end must be,

what it means that my days are numbered;

let me know what a transient creature I am.

6 (5) You have made my days like handbreadths;

for you, the length of my life is like nothing.”

Yes, everyone, no matter how firmly he stands,

is merely a puff of wind. (Selah)

7 (6) Humans go about like shadows;

their turmoil is all for nothing.

They accumulate wealth, not knowing

who will enjoy its benefits.

8 (7) Now, Adonai, what am I waiting for?

You are my only hope.

9 (8) Rescue me from all my transgressions;

don’t make me the butt of fools.

10 (9) I am silent, I keep my mouth shut,

because it is you who have done it.

11 (10) Stop raining blows on me;

the pounding of your fist is wearing me down.

12 (11) With rebukes you discipline people for their guilt;

like a moth, you destroy what makes them attractive;

yes, everyone is merely a puff of wind. (Selah)

13 (12) Hear my prayer, Adonai, listen to my cry,

don’t be deaf to my weeping;

for with you, I am just a traveler

passing through, like all my ancestors.

14 (13) Turn your gaze from me, so I can smile again

before I depart and cease to exist.

40:(0) For the leader. A psalm of David:

2 (1) I waited patiently for Adonai,

till he turned toward me and heard my cry.

3 (2) He brought me up from the roaring pit,

up from the muddy ooze,

and set my feet on a rock,

making my footing firm.

4 (3) He put a new song in my mouth,

a song of praise to our God.

Many will look on in awe

and put their trust in Adonai.

5 (4) How blessed the man who trusts in Adonai

and does not look to the arrogant

or to those who rely on things that are false.

6 (5) How much you have done, Adonai my God!

Your wonders and your thoughts toward us —

none can compare with you!

I would proclaim them, I would speak about them;

but there’s too much to tell!

7 (6) Sacrifices and grain offerings you don’t want;

burnt offerings and sin offerings you don’t demand.

Instead, you have given me open ears;

8 (7) so then I said, “Here I am! I’m coming!

In the scroll of a book it is written about me.

9 (8) Doing your will, my God, is my joy;

your Torah is in my inmost being.

10 (9) I have proclaimed what is right in the great assembly;

I did not restrain my lips, Adonai, as you know.

11 (10) I did not hide your righteousness in my heart

but declared your faithfulness and salvation;

I did not conceal your grace and truth

from the great assembly.”

12 (11) Adonai, don’t withhold your mercy from me.

Let your grace and truth preserve me always.

13 (12) For numberless evils surround me;

my iniquities engulf me — I can’t even see;

there are more of them than hairs on my head,

so that my courage fails me.

14 (13) Be pleased, Adonai, to rescue me!

Adonai, hurry and help me!

15 (14) May those who seek to sweep me away

be disgraced and humiliated together.

May those who take pleasure in doing me harm

be turned back and put to confusion.

16 (15) May those who jeer at me, “Aha! Aha!”

be aghast because of their shame.

17 (16) But may all those who seek you

be glad and take joy in you.

May those who love your salvation say always,

“Adonai is great and glorious!”

18 (17) But I am poor and needy;

may Adonai think of me.

You are my helper and rescuer;

my God, don’t delay!

41:(0) For the leader. A psalm of David:

2 (1) How blessed are those who care for the poor!

When calamity comes, Adonai will save them.

3 (2) Adonai will preserve them, keep them alive,

and make them happy in the land.

You will not hand them over

to the whims of their enemies.

4 (3) Adonai sustains them on their sickbed;

when they lie ill, you make them recover.

5 (4) I said, “Adonai, have pity on me!

Heal me, for I have sinned against you!”

6 (5) My enemies say the worst about me:

“When will he die and his name disappear?”

7 (6) When they come to see me they speak insincerely,

their hearts meanwhile gathering falsehoods;

then they go out and spread bad reports.

8 (7) All who hate me whisper together against me,

imagining the worst about me.

9 (8) “A fatal disease has attached itself to him;

now that he lies ill, he will never get up.”

10 (9) Even my close friend, on whom I relied,

who shared my table, has turned against me.

11 (10) But you, Adonai, have pity on me,

put me on my feet, so I can pay them back.

12 (11) I will know you are pleased with me

if my enemy doesn’t defeat me.

13 (12) You uphold me because of my innocence

you establish me in your presence forever.

14 (13) Blessed be Adonai the God of Isra’el

from eternity past to eternity future.

Amen. Amen.

John 12:27 “Now I am in turmoil. What can I say — ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason that I have come to this hour. I will say this: 28 ‘Father, glorify your name!’” At this a bat-kol came out of heaven, “I have glorified it before, and I will glorify it again!” 29 The crowd standing there and hearing it said that it had thundered; others said, “An angel spoke to him.” 30 Yeshua answered, “This bat-kol did not come for my sake but for yours. 31 Now is the time for this world to be judged, now the ruler of this world will be expelled. 32 As for me, when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” 33 He said this to indicate what kind of death he would die.

34 The crowd answered, “We have learned from the Torah that the Messiah remains forever. How is it that you say the Son of Man has to be ‘lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?” 35 Yeshua said to them, “The light will be with you only a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, or the dark will overtake you; he who walks in the dark doesn’t know where he’s going. 36 While you have the light, put your trust in the light, so that you may become people of light.” Yeshua said these things, then went off and kept himself hidden from them.

37 Even though he had performed so many miracles in their presence, they still did not put their trust in him, 38 in order that what Yesha‘yahu the prophet had said might be fulfilled,

“Adonai, who has believed our report?

To whom has the arm of Adonai been revealed?”[a]

39 The reason they could not believe was — as Yesha‘yahu said elsewhere —

40 “He has blinded their eyes

and hardened their hearts,

so that they do not see with their eyes,

understand with their hearts,

and do t’shuvah,

so that I could heal them.”[b]

41 (Yesha‘yahu said these things because he saw the Sh’khinah of Yeshua and spoke about him.) 42 Nevertheless, many of the leaders did trust in him; but because of the P’rushim they did not say so openly, out of fear of being banned from the synagogue; 43 for they loved praise from other people more than praise from God.

44 Yeshua declared publicly, “Those who put their trust in me are trusting not merely in me, but in the One who sent me. 45 Also those who see me see the One who sent me. 46 I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who trusts in me might not remain in the dark. 47 If anyone hears what I am saying and does not observe it, I don’t judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 Those who reject me and don’t accept what I say have a judge — the word which I have spoken will judge them on the Last Day. 49 For I have not spoken on my own initiative, but the Father who sent me has given me a command, namely, what to say and how to say it. 50 And I know that his command is eternal life. So what I say is simply what the Father has told me to say.”[Footnotes:

John 12:38 Isaiah 53:1

John 12:40 Isaiah 6:10]

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