The 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).] "A Clearer Picture" for Tuesday, July 26, 2016 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him He said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He answered, "And who is He, sir, that I may believe in Him?" Jesus said to him, "You have seen Him, and it is He who is speaking to you." He said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped Him. Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind."[John 9:35-39]
Let me ask you a question: have you ever taken a completely satisfactory photograph?
No? Me either.
My U.S. passport photo makes me look like a prizefighter who has lost his last 20 fights. Maybe that's why the border guards of various countries wave me through when I'm leaving, but try to put me into quarantine for a month when I'm arriving.
None of us ever takes a good picture, do we?
In some junk drawer or high closet shelf we've tucked away the cute pictures that someone snapped of us when we were babies. Since then we've all had other pictures that didn't turn out well. There were the mandatory school pictures we were ashamed to take home. In high school we picked the graduation photo in which we didn't look too bad.
Then there are wedding photographs. I stand in awe of any photographer who tries to take a good picture of four hung-over groomsmen, four bridesmaids who rightly question whether they look good in bubblegum pink dresses, and a father-of-the-bride who is convinced his daughter is making the biggest mistake of her life.
The truth is most of us don't like our photos.
It occurs to me that Jesus had the same problem. Jesus never had a good picture made of Him. No, no, I'm fully aware that cameras hadn't been invented when the Savior walked this earth. But that doesn't change the fact that, while He lived, nobody ever got a good picture of Jesus -- who He was, and why He'd come.
I mean, think about it, the Pharisees had a bad picture of Jesus. They thought He was a devil, a deceiver, a fraud, and a fake. John the Baptist, from his prison cell, found his picture of the Messiah had become a little blurry. Even the disciples had a bad picture of Jesus. Just before the risen Redeemer ascended into heaven, those men who had been closest to Him asked, "Lord, is it now that You're going to restore the Kingdom?" (See Acts 1:6.) Their picture of Jesus was a bad one.
This leads me to ask do you have a good picture of Jesus?
Do you see Him as God's sinless Son who came to this world for the express purpose of carrying our transgressions, fulfilling the laws we had broken, and dying the death we deserved? Do you see Him as the risen Redeemer who has conquered death and saved you? I pray you do and I pray all those around you also see the same. If not, I encourage you to share your picture of the Savior with them so they might see.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, help us see Jesus most clearly and let us help others see Him more clearly too. In His Name I ask it. Amen.
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Psalms 96-98; Acts 17:1-15
Psalms 96:1 Sing to Adonai a new song!
Sing to Adonai, all the earth!
2 Sing to Adonai, bless his name!
Proclaim his victory day after day!
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his wonders among all peoples!
4 For Adonai is great, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared more than all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but Adonai made the heavens.
6 In his presence are honor and majesty;
in his sanctuary, strength and splendor.
7 Give Adonai his due, you families from the peoples;
give Adonai his due of glory and strength;
8 give Adonai the glory due to his name;
bring an offering, and enter his courtyards.
9 Worship Adonai in holy splendor;
tremble before him, all the earth!
10 Say among the nations, “Adonai is king!”
The world is firmly established, immovable.
He will judge the peoples fairly.
11 Let the heavens rejoice; let the earth be glad;
let the sea roar, and everything in it;
12 let the fields exult and all that is in them.
Then all the trees in the forest will sing
13 before Adonai, because he has come,
he has come to judge the earth;
he will judge the world rightly
and the peoples with his faithfulness.
97:1 Adonai is king, let the earth rejoice,
let the many coasts and islands be glad.
2 Clouds and thick darkness surround him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him,
setting ablaze his foes on every side.
4 His flashes of lightning light up the world;
the earth sees it and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax at the presence of Adonai,
at the presence of the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens declare his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory.
7 All who worship images will be put to shame,
those who make their boast in worthless idols.
Bow down to him, all you gods!
8 Tziyon hears and is glad, Adonai;
the daughters of Y’hudah rejoice at your rulings.
9 For you, Adonai, most high over all the earth,
you are exalted far above all gods.
10 You who love Adonai, hate evil!
He keeps his faithful servants safe.
He rescues them from the power of the wicked.
11 Light is sown for the righteous
and joy for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in Adonai, you righteous;
and give thanks on recalling his holiness.
98:(0) A psalm:
(1) Sing a new song to Adonai,
because he has done wonders.
His right hand, his holy arm
have won him victory.
2 Adonai has made known his victory;
revealed his vindication in full view of the nations,
3 remembered his grace and faithfulness
to the house of Isra’el.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the victory of our God.
4 Shout for joy to Adonai, all the earth!
Break forth, sing for joy, sing praises!
5 Sing praises to Adonai with the lyre,
with the lyre and melodious music!
6 With trumpets and the sound of the shofar,
shout for joy before the king, Adonai!
7 Let the sea roar, and everything in it;
the world, and those living in it.
8 Let the floods clap their hands;
let the mountains sing together for joy
9 before Adonai, for he has come to judge the earth;
he will judge the world rightly and the peoples fairly.
Acts 17:1 After passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, Sha’ul and Sila came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue. 2 According to his usual practice, Sha’ul went in; and on three Shabbats he gave them drashes from the Tanakh, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and that “this Yeshua whom I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah.” 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and threw in their lot with Sha’ul and Sila, as did a great many of the Greek men who were “God-fearers,” and not a few of the leading women.
5 But the unbelieving Jews grew jealous; so they got together some vicious men from the riffraff hanging around in the market square, collected a crowd and started a riot in the city. They attacked Jason’s house, hoping to bring Sha’ul and Sila out to the mob. 6 But when they didn’t find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city authorities and shouted, “These men who have turned the whole world upside down have come here too! 7 And Jason has let them stay in his home! All of them are defying the decrees of the Emperor; because they assert that there is another king, Yeshua!” 8 Their words threw the crowd and the authorities into a turmoil, 9 so that only after Jason and the others had posted bond did they let them go. 10 But as soon as night fell, the brothers sent Sha’ul and Sila off to Berea.
As soon as they arrived, they went to the synagogue. 11 Now the people here were of nobler character than the ones in Thessalonica; they eagerly welcomed the message, checking the Tanakh every day to see if the things Sha’ul was saying were true. 12 Many of them came to trust, as did a number of prominent Greek women and not a few Greek men.
13 But when the unbelieving Jews of Thessalonica learned that the word of God had been proclaimed by Sha’ul in Berea as well, they went there too to make trouble and agitate the crowds. 14 The brothers sent Sha’ul away at once to go down to the seacoast, while Sila and Timothy stayed behind. 15 Sha’ul’s escort went with him as far as Athens, then left with instructions for Sila and Timothy to come as quickly as they could.
-------CHANGE THEIR WORLD. CHANGE YOURS.
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.
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