Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour from Saint Louis, Missouri, United States [Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).] "Just under the Wire" for Friday, July 29, 2016

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour from Saint Louis, Missouri, United States [Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).] "Just under the Wire" for Friday, July 29, 2016 

(Jesus said) "And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he answered, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour."[Matthew 25:10-13]
On April 14, 2015, the State of New Jersey picked a lottery winner.
The winner had a year to come forward and claim the $470,000 amount that was being awarded. Amazingly, nobody came running into the lottery offices waving a ticket and yelling, "I've won! I've won!" That was surprising because New Jersey knew a ticket with the winning number had been sold, and it knew where that ticket had been purchased. The only thing they didn't know was the name of the buyer.
Nope, nobody showed up in April, May, June, July or August. Nobody came forward during the fall or winter of 2015. The New Year came and that money did nothing other than collect dust in some New Jersey account. The one-year deadline to claim the prize was approaching. Of course, with people preparing their taxes, nobody paid much attention to a year-old lottery.
Preparing her taxes, that's what Yokasta Boyer of Clifton, New Jersey, was doing. With a full-time job and a part-time job, getting her tax forms ready was a necessary evil. It was while she was organizing all her paperwork that Boyer came upon an old lottery ticket. With nothing to lose other than a few minutes of time, she checked the numbers, checked them again and, finally, had her brother take a look.
All those checks agreed. Boyer had the winning number, which gave her almost half-a-million dollars. Of course, there was that rule which said, she had to make her claim within the year. She did. With less than two weeks left, a very happy Boyer got her cash and paid off her debts.
Over the years others have not fared as well.
For them, for whatever reason, the deadline came and went and they were not able to collect a single penny. Sad? Absolutely! But not as sad as those who have heard about the Savior but never allowed the Holy Spirit to place faith into their hearts.
If things don't change, they -- like the five foolish virgins in Jesus' parable -- will find themselves locked out of heaven. They will be shut out if Judgment Day comes and finds them never having received the gifts of forgiveness and eternal life, which the Lord wishes to give them.
Now Boyer would have been most upset if she had not been able to claim her half mil, but think how unbelievers are going to feel after Judgment Day when they realize they had ignored and disregarded the salvation Jesus lived, died and rose to give them. Their agony will be intense and it will be never-ending.
This is why we share the Savior's story of sacrifice and salvation with the lost -- whenever andwherever we can.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, may the unbelievers of the world be given faith while there is still time. Soften their hearts and grant them the gift of faith and forgiveness. This I ask in Jesus' Name.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Psalms 106, 111-112; 1 Thessalonians 2
Psalms 106:1 Halleluyah!

Give thanks to Adonai; for he is good,

for his grace continues forever.

2 Who can express Adonai’s mighty doings

or proclaim in full his praise?

3 How happy are those who act justly,

who always do what is right!

4 Remember me, Adonai, when you show favor to your people,

keep me in mind when you save them;

5 so I can see how well things are going

with those whom you have chosen,

so that I can rejoice in your nation’s joy,

and glory in your heritage.

6 Together with our ancestors, we have sinned,

done wrong, acted wickedly.

7 Our ancestors in Egypt failed to grasp

the meaning of your wonders.

They didn’t keep in mind your great deeds of grace

but rebelled at the sea, at the Sea of Suf.

8 Yet he saved them for his own name’s sake,

to make known his mighty power.

9 He rebuked the Sea of Suf, and it dried up;

he led them through its depths as through a desert.

10 He saved them from hostile hands,

redeemed them from the power of the foe.

11 The water closed over their adversaries;

not one of them was left.

12 Then they believed his words,

and they sang his praise.

13 But soon they forgot his deeds

and wouldn’t wait for his counsel.

14 In the desert they gave way to insatiable greed;

in the wastelands they put God to the test.

15 He gave them what they wanted

but sent meagerness into their souls.

16 In the camp they were jealous of Moshe

and Aharon, Adonai’s holy one.

17 The earth opened up and swallowed Datan

and closed over Aviram’s allies.

18 A fire blazed out against that group,

the flames consumed the wicked.

19 In Horev they fashioned a calf,

they worshipped a cast metal image.

20 Thus they exchanged their Glory

for the image of an ox that eats grass!

21 They forgot God, who had saved them,

who had done great things in Egypt,

22 wonders in the land of Ham,

fearsome deeds by the Sea of Suf.

23 Therefore he said that he would destroy them,

[and he would have,] had not Moshe his chosen one

stood before him in the breach

to turn back his destroying fury.

24 Next, they rejected the beautiful land,

they didn’t trust his promise;

25 and they complained in their tents,

they didn’t obey Adonai.

26 Therefore, raising his hand, he swore to them

that he would strike them down in the desert

27 and strike down their descendants among the nations,

dispersing them in foreign lands.

28 Now they joined themselves to Ba‘al-P‘or

and ate meat sacrificed to dead things.

29 Thus they provoked him to anger with their deeds,

so that a plague broke out among them.

30 Then Pinchas stood up and executed judgment;

so the plague was checked.

31 That was credited to him as righteousness,

through all generations forever.

32 They angered him at the M’rivah Spring,

and Moshe suffered on their account;

33 for when they embittered his spirit,

[Moshe] spoke up without thinking.

34 They failed to destroy the peoples,

as Adonai had ordered them to do,

35 but mingled with the nations

and learned to follow their ways.

36 They went on to serve their idols,

which became a snare for them.

37 They even sacrificed their sons

and their daughters to demons.

38 Yes, they shed innocent blood,

the blood of their own sons and daughters,

whom they sacrificed to Kena‘an’s false gods,

polluting the land with blood.

39 Thus they were defiled by their deeds;

they prostituted themselves by their actions,

40 For this Adonai’s fury blazed up against his people,

and he detested his heritage.

41 He handed them over to the power of the nations,

and those who hated them ruled over them.

42 Their enemies oppressed them

and kept them in subjection to their power.

43 Many times [God] rescued them,

but they kept making plans to rebel.

Thus they were brought low

by their own wrongdoing.

44 Still he took pity on their distress

whenever he heard their cry.

45 For their sakes he kept in mind his covenant

and in his limitless grace relented,

46 causing them to be treated with compassion

by all who had taken them captive.

47 Save us, Adonai our God!

Gather us from among the nations,

so that we can thank your holy name

and glory in praising you.

48 Blessed be Adonai, the God of Isra’el,

from eternity past to eternity future.

Now let all the people say,

“Amen! Halleluyah!”

111:1 Halleluyah!

I will wholeheartedly give thanks to Adonai

in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

2 The deeds of Adonai are great,

greatly desired by all who enjoy them.

3 His work is full of majesty and splendor,

and his righteousness continues forever.

4 He has gained renown for his wonders.

Adonai is merciful and compassionate.

5 He gives food to those who fear him.

He remembers his covenant forever.

6 He shows his people how powerfully he works

by giving them the nations as their heritage.

7 The works of his hands are truth and justice;

all his precepts can be trusted.

8 They have been established forever and ever,

to be carried out truly and honestly.

9 He sent redemption to his people

and decreed that his covenant should last forever.

His name is holy and fearsome —

10 the first and foremost point of wisdom is the fear of Adonai;

all those living by it gain good common sense.

His praise stands forever.

112:1 Halleluyah!

How happy is anyone who fears Adonai,

who greatly delights in his mitzvot.

2 His descendants will be powerful on earth,

a blessed generation of upright people.

3 Wealth and riches are in his house,

and his righteousness stands forever.

4 To the upright he shines like a light in the dark,

merciful, compassionate and righteous.

5 Things go well with the person who is merciful and lends,

who conducts his affairs with fairness;

6 for he will never be moved.

The righteous will be remembered forever.

7 He will not be frightened by bad news;

he remains steady, trusting in Adonai.

8 His heart is set firm, he will not be afraid,

till finally he looks in triumph at his enemies.

9 He distributes freely, he gives to the poor;

his righteousness stands forever.

His power will be increased honorably.

10 The wicked will be angry when they see this;

they will gnash their teeth and waste away,

the desires of the wicked will come to nothing.

1 Thessalonians 2:1 You yourselves know, brothers, that our visit to you was not fruitless. 2 On the contrary, although we had already suffered and been outraged in Philippi, as you know, we had the courage, united with our God, to tell you the Good News even under great pressure. 3 For the appeal we make does not flow from error or from impure motives, neither do we try to trick people. 4 Instead, since God has tested us and found us fit to be entrusted with Good News, this is how we speak: not to win favor with people but with God, who tests our hearts. 5 For, as you know, never did we employ flattering talk, nor did we put on a false front to mask greed — God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek human praise — either from you or from others. 7 As emissaries of the Messiah, we could have made our weight felt; but instead, we were gentle when we were with you, like a mother feeding and caring for her children. 8 We were so devoted to you that we were glad to share with you not only God’s Good News but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us. 9 For you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship, how we worked night and day not to put a burden on any of you while we were proclaiming God’s Good News to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless our behavior was in the sight of you believers; 11 for you know that we treated each one of you the way a father treats his children — 12 we encouraged you and comforted you and appealed to you to lead lives worthy of God, who calls you into his Kingdom and glory.

13 Another reason we regularly thank God is that when you heard the Word of God from us, you received it not merely as a human word, but as it truly is, God’s Word, which is at work in you believers. 14 For, brothers, you came to be imitators of God’s congregations in Y’hudah that are united with the Messiah Yeshua — you suffered the same things from your countrymen as they did from the Judeans who 15 both killed the Lord Yeshua and the prophets, and chased us out too. They are displeasing God and opposing all mankind 16 by trying to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles, so that they may be delivered. Their object seems to be always to make their sins as bad as possible! But God’s fury will catch up with them in the end.

17 And as for us, brothers, when we were deprived of your company for a short time — in person, but not in thought — we missed you and tried hard to come and see you. 18 We wanted so much to come to you — I, Sha’ul, tried more than once — but the Adversary stopped us. 19 For when our Lord Yeshua returns, what will be our hope, our joy, our crown to boast about? Won’t it be you? 20 Yes, you are our glory and our joy!

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CHANGE THEIR WORLD. CHANGE YOURS.
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.

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