Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour of Saint Louis, Missouri, United States "Worth Remembering" for Wednesday, 10 June 2015

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour of Saint Louis, Missouri, United States "Worth Remembering" for Wednesday, 10 June 2015 

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my Gospel. 2 Timothy 2:8
There are 8,300 American graves in the 65-acre military cemetery in Margraten, a city in the Netherlands.
You should know a bit about this special community. For example, you ought to know that during the war, the town's mayor invited company commanders to sleep at his house. The common Joe escaped the ravages of bad weather, and German missiles, by staying in the schools. From the day of liberation until the end of the war, the families of Margraten opened their homes to the GIs who were enjoying some R and R.
But the war has been over for 70 years. No longer do death-filled trucks come rumbling into town; no longer is it necessary for the community to dig rows of new graves. World War II is history, and many people and communities have long since moved on, but not the people of Margraten.
That community continues to remember. That's why every one of those graves has been adopted by a local family. Today, there are some graves which are being visited and remembered by the third generation of a Margraten family. More than that, there is a waiting list of people ready and willing to adopt a GI's grave and treat it as they would a plot for one of their own family members.
And if you are wondering why are the people of Margraten doing this, they will say, "After four dark years of occupation, we were free from the Nazis, and we could go back to our lives and enjoy all the freedoms that we used to. We have to thank the American allies for that." The grave-adoption program, an idea proposed by a local pastor and a city clerk, was born out of this feeling of gratitude. The people of Margraten felt they could do no less.
How sad that we have so few places like Margraten in this world. How distressing it is that so many people can't remember those who gave their lives to win their freedom.
That would be as true for spiritual freedom as it is for earthly freedom.
You see, outside the walls of Jerusalem there is another grave. This grave is different than those at Margraten. This grave is unique because no body is buried there. The sepulcher of Jesus is empty because -- three days after He had finished His work which defeated sin, Satan and temptation -- Jesus conquered death and came out of that grave. Now all who believe on Him as their Redeemer are forgiven and granted a freedom that will last for the rest of eternity.
In other words, Jesus gave His life for our salvation, and He should be remembered.
Every man, woman and child should eagerly pay their respects to the single Individual who gave His life so they might have life. They should remember and never forget. And it is our job to help them recall the wonderful thing the Savior has done.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, grant that we may do our best to help people remember and worship the Savior who sacrificed His life for theirs. In Jesus' Name I ask it. 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:
1 Kings 3:1 Shlomo formed an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt by marrying Pharaoh’s daughter. He brought her into the City of David, [where she lived] until he had finished building his own palace, the house of Adonai and the wall around Yerushalayim. 2 The people, however, were still sacrificing on the high places, because no house had yet been built for the name of Adonai. 3 Shlomo loved Adonai, living according to the regulations set forth by David his father; nevertheless, he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places.

4 One time the king went to Giv‘on to sacrifice there, because that was the main high place. Shlomo offered a thousand burnt offerings on the altar there. 5 At Giv‘on Adonai appeared to Shlomo in a dream at night; God said, “Tell me what I should give you.” 6 Shlomo said, “You showed your servant David my father much grace, as he lived before you honestly and righteously, having an upright heart with you. You preserved this great grace for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne, as is the case today. 7 So now, Adonai my God, you have made your servant king in the place of David my father; but I am a mere child — I don’t know how to lead! 8 Moreover your servant is among your people, whom you chose, a great people so numerous that they cannot be counted. 9 Therefore, give your servant an understanding heart able to administer justice to your people, so that I can discern between good and bad — for who is equal to judging this great people of yours?”

10 What Shlomo had said in making this request pleased Adonai. 11 God said to him, “Because you have made this request instead of asking long life or riches for yourself, or your enemies’ death, but rather asked for yourself understanding to discern justice; 12 I am doing what you requested. I am giving you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you, nor will there ever again be anyone like you. 13 I am also giving you what you didn’t ask for, riches and honor greater than that of any other king throughout your life. 14 More than that, if you will live according to my ways, obeying my laws and mitzvot like your father David, I will give you a long life.”

15 Shlomo awoke and found it had been a dream. But he went to Yerushalayim, stood before the ark for the covenant of Adonai and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings. He also made a feast for all his servants.

16 After this, there came to the king two women who were prostitutes. After presenting themselves to him, 17 one of the women said, “My lord, I and this woman live in the same house; and when she was in the house, I gave birth to a baby. 18 Three days after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. We were there together; there was no one else with us in the house except the two of us. 19 During the night this woman’s child died, because she rolled over on top of it. 20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from next to me, while your servant was sleeping, and put it in her arms; and she laid her dead child in my arms. 21 When I awoke in the morning to feed my child from my breast, there it was, dead. But when I took a closer look later in the morning, why, it wasn’t my son at all — not the one I gave birth to!” 22 The other woman broke in, “No! The living one is my son, and the dead one is your son!” The first one said, “No! The dead one is your son and the living one is my son!” This is how they spoke in the presence of the king.

23 Then the king said, “This woman says, ‘The living one is my son; your son is the dead one’; while the other says, ‘No, the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.’ 24 Bring me a sword,” said the king. They brought a sword to the king. 25 The king said, “Cut the living child in two; give half to the one and half to the other.” 26 At this, the woman to whom the living child belonged addressed the king, because she felt so strongly toward her son: “Oh, my lord, give her the living child; you mustn’t kill it!” But the other one said, “It will be neither yours nor mine. Divide it up!” 27 Then the king answered, “Give the living child to the first woman, don’t kill it, because she is its mother.” 28 All Isra’el heard of the decision the king had made and held the king in awe, for they saw that God’s wisdom was in him, enabling him to render justice properly.

4:1 King Shlomo was king over all Isra’el, 2 and these were his high officials:

‘Azaryah the son of Tzadok, the cohen;

3 Elichoref and Achiyah the sons of Shisha, secretaries;

Y’hoshafat the son of Achilud, secretary of state;

4 B’nayah the son of Y’hoyada, commander of the army;

Tzadok and Evyatar, cohanim;

5 ‘Azaryah the son of Natan, chief administrator;

Zavud the son of Natan, the king’s trusted counselor;

6 Achishar, in charge of the palace;

Adoniram the son of ‘Avda, in charge of forced labor.

7 Shlomo had twelve officers over all Isra’el who were in charge of providing food and supplies for the king and his household; each one was in charge of provisions for one month out of the year. 8 They were:

the son of Hur, in the hills of Efrayim;

9 the son of Deker, in Makatz, Sha‘albim, Beit-Shemesh and Eilon-Beit-Hanan;

10 the son of Hesed, in Arubot; he also had charge of Sokhoh and all the territory of Hefer;

11 the son of Avinadav, in all the area of Dor; he had Tafat the daughter of Shlomo as his wife;

12 Ba‘ana the son of Achilud, in Ta‘anakh, Megiddo, and all Beit-Sh’an by Tzartan below Yizre‘el, from Beit-Sh’an to Avel-M’cholah, as far as beyond Yokme‘am;

13 the son of Gever, in Ramot-Gil‘ad; he was in charge of the villages of Ya’ir the son of M’nasheh in Gil‘ad and in charge of the region of Argov in Bashan, sixty large cities with walls and bronze bars;

14 Achinadav the son of ‘Iddo, in Machanayim;

15 Achima‘atz, in Naftali; he also took Basmat the daughter of Shlomo as his wife;

16 Ba‘ana the son of Hushai, in Asher and in Alot;

17 Y’hoshafat the son of Paruach, in Yissakhar;

18 Shim‘i the son of Ela, in Binyamin; and

19 Gever the son of Uri, in the land of Gil‘ad, the country of Sichon king of the Emori and ‘Og king of Bashan.

Over all these, there was one administrator in the land.

20 Y’hudah and Isra’el were as numerous as sand grains on the seashore; they ate, drank and enjoyed themselves.

Proverbs 1:1 The proverbs of Shlomo the son of David,

king of Isra’el,

2 are for learning about wisdom and discipline;

for understanding words expressing deep insight;

3 for gaining an intelligently disciplined life,

doing what is right, just and fair;

4 for endowing with caution those who don’t think

and the young person with knowledge and discretion.

5 Someone who is already wise

will hear and learn still more;

someone who already understands

will gain the ability to counsel well;

6 he will understand proverbs, obscure expressions,

the sayings and riddles of the wise.

7 The fear of Adonai is the beginning of knowledge,

but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

8 My son, heed the discipline of your father,

and do not abandon the teaching of your mother;

9 they will be a garland to grace your head,

a medal of honor for your neck.

10 My son, if sinners entice you,

don’t go along with them.

11 Suppose they say, “Come with us:

we’ll ambush somebody and kill him,

we’ll waylay some harmless soul, just for fun;

12 we’ll swallow him alive, like Sh’ol,

whole, like those who descend to the pit;

13 we’ll find everything he has of value,

we’ll fill our homes with loot!

14 Throw in your lot with us;

we’ll share a common purse” —

15 my son, don’t go along with them,

don’t set foot on their path;

16 Their feet run to evil,

they rush to shed blood.

17 For in vain is the net baited

if any bird can see it;

18 rather, they are ambushing themselves

to shed their own blood, waylaying themselves.

19 So are the ways of all greedy for gain —

it takes the lives of those who get it.

20 Wisdom calls aloud in the open air

and raises her voice in the public places;

21 she calls out at streetcorners

and speaks out at entrances to city gates:

22 “How long, you whose lives have no purpose,

will you love thoughtless living?

How long will scorners find pleasure in mocking?

How long will fools hate knowledge?

23 Repent when I reprove —

I will pour out my spirit to you,

I will make my words known to you.

24 Because you refused when I called,

and no one paid attention when I put out my hand,

25 but instead you neglected my counsel

and would not accept my reproof;

26 I, in turn, will laugh at your distress,

and mock when terror comes over you —

27 yes, when terror overtakes you like a storm

and your disaster approaches like a whirlwind,

when distress and trouble assail you.

28 Then they will call me, but I won’t answer;

they will seek me earnestly, but they won’t find me.

29 Because they hated knowledge

and did not choose the fear of Adonai,

30 they refused my counsel

and despised my reproof.

31 So they will bear the consequences of their own way

and be overfilled with their own schemes.

32 For the aimless wandering of the thoughtless will kill them,

and the smug overconfidence of fools will destroy them;

33 but those who pay attention to me will live securely,

untroubled by fear of misfortune.”

John 19:1 Pilate then took Yeshua and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted thorn-branches into a crown and placed it on his head, put a purple robe on him, 3 and went up to him, saying over and over, “Hail, ‘king of the Jews’!” and hitting him in the face.

4 Pilate went outside once more and said to the crowd, “Look, I’m bringing him out to you to get you to understand that I find no case against him.” 5 So Yeshua came out, wearing the thorn-branch crown and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Look at the man!” 6 When the head cohanim and the Temple guards saw him they shouted, “Put him to death on the stake! Put him to death on the stake!” Pilate said to them, “You take him out yourselves and put him to death on the stake, because I don’t find any case against him.” 7 The Judeans answered him, “We have a law; according to that law, he ought to be put to death, because he made himself out to be the Son of God.” 8 On hearing this, Pilate became even more frightened.

9 He went back into the headquarters and asked Yeshua, “Where are you from?” But Yeshua didn’t answer. 10 So Pilate said to him, “You refuse to speak to me? Don’t you understand that it is in my power either to set you free or to have you executed on the stake?” 11 Yeshua answered, “You would have no power over me if it hadn’t been given to you from above; this is why the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” 12 On hearing this, Pilate tried to find a way to set him free; but the Judeans shouted, “If you set this man free, it means you’re not a ‘Friend of the Emperor’! Everyone who claims to be a king is opposing the Emperor!” 13 When Pilate heard what they were saying, he brought Yeshua outside and sat down on the judge’s seat in the place called The Pavement (in Aramaic, Gabta); 14 it was about noon on Preparation Day for Pesach. He said to the Judeans, “Here’s your king!” 15 They shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Put him to death on the stake!” Pilate said to them, “You want me to execute your king on a stake?” The head cohanim answered, “We have no king but the Emperor.” 16 Then Pilate handed Yeshua over to them to have him put to death on the stake.

So they took charge of Yeshua. 17 Carrying the stake himself he went out to the place called Skull (in Aramaic, Gulgolta). 18 There they nailed him to the stake along with two others, one on either side, with Yeshua in the middle. 19 Pilate also had a notice written and posted on the stake; it read,

YESHUA FROM NATZERET

THE KING OF THE JEWS

20 Many of the Judeans read this notice, because the place where Yeshua was put on the stake was close to the city; and it had been written in Hebrew, in Latin and in Greek. 21 The Judeans’ head cohanim therefore said to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but ‘He said, “I am King of the Jews.”’” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

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