Missionary Renegade: The Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour in 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).] "Betrayed" for Thursday, August 18, 2016

The Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour in 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).] "Betrayed" for Thursday, August 18, 2016

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works.[Titus 2:11-14]
History has produced any number of people who betrayed those who were close to them.
Americans all know Benedict Arnold, and at the top of the list for Christians would be Judas. Of course, most betrayers are not that well-known.
In that list would be Chad Moore.
Mr. Moore is the grandson of Hank and Helen Kawecki of Thousand Oaks, California. Not so long ago, the Kaweckis gave Moore the deed to their home, with the understanding that he would take care of them. That was the plan.
Rather than taking care of his grandparents, what Moore really did was this:
* He took out a number of loans on their home and didn't repay them.
* He sold the home, without telling his grandparents.
* When the Kaweckis confronted their grandson, he simply disappeared.
That's the bad news of this story. There is also good news. There is good news because history has also produced heroes who go out of their way for those who are not that close to them.
In the case of the Kaweckis, their neighbors are providing all manner of support, including raising funds (GoFundMe) to assist with moving costs and legal fees. Indeed, one new neighbor has even offered to let the Kaweckis stay with them as they try to establish a new life.
Now I suppose it's almost unnecessary for me to write the rest of this devotion. Without much difficulty you could fill in the rest of this parable. For example, you already know the Kaweckis are a symbol of every man, woman and child who have ever lived.
It's true. Like the Kaweckis, we also have been duped -- not by a grandchild, but by Satan. The smooth-talking rapscallion made some promises, unkept promises, to Adam and Eve, who ended up losing their home in the Garden that God had given them.
And we lost our eternal home in heaven.
Amazingly, the Lord didn't let the story end with us headed to hell. Without any redeeming merit on our parts, without any logical reason for Him to do so, the Lord acted to save us. All on His own He sent His Son into this world to do for us that which we could not do for ourselves.
God's Son carried our sins, resisted temptation, fulfilled the commandments, and then defeated death. Because of Him, those who believe are forgiven, saved and are given a home in heaven.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, keep us in the truth and grant us an ear that can discern the lies of those who would hurt us. Grant us a faith which is strong and steadfast in our Savior, Jesus. In His Name we pray. Amen.

Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Psalms 48-50; 1 Corinthians 11:1-16
Psalms 48:1 (0) A song. A psalm of the descendants of Korach:

2 (1) Great is Adonai

and greatly to be praised,

in the city of our God,

his holy mountain,

3 (2) beautiful in its elevation,

the joy of all the earth,

Mount Tziyon, in the far north,

the city of the great king.

4 (3) In its citadels God

has been revealed as a strong defense.

5 (4) For the kings met by agreement;

together they advanced.

6 (5) They saw and were filled with consternation;

terrified, they took to flight.

7 (6) Trembling took hold of them,

pains like those of a woman in labor,

8 (7) as when the wind out of the east

wrecks the “Tarshish” ships.

9 (8) We heard it, and now we see for ourselves

in the city of Adonai-Tzva’ot,

in the city of our God.

May God establish it forever. (Selah)

10 (9) God, within your temple

we meditate on your grace.

11 (10) God, your praise, like your name,

extends to the ends of the earth.

Your right hand is filled with righteousness.

12 (11) Let Mount Tziyon rejoice,

let the daughters of Y’hudah be glad,

because of your judgment [on the enemy].

13 (12) Walk through Tziyon, go all around it;

count how many towers it has.

14 (13) Note its ramparts, pass through its citadels,

so that you can tell generations to come

15 (14) that such is God, our God forever;

he will guide us eternally.

49:1 (0) For the leader. A psalm of the descendants of Korach:

2 (1) Hear this, all you peoples!

Listen, everyone living on earth,

3 (2) regardless of whether low or high,

regardless of whether rich or poor!

4 (3) My mouth is about to speak wisdom;

my heart’s deepest thoughts will give understanding.

5 (4) I will listen with care to [God’s] parable,

I will set my enigma to the music of the lyre.

6 (5) Why should I fear when the days bring trouble,

when the evil of my pursuers surrounds me,

7 (6) the evil of those who rely on their wealth

and boast how rich they are?

8 (7) No one can ever redeem his brother

or give God a ransom for him ,

9 (8) because the price for him is too high

(leave the idea completely alone!)

10 (9) to have him live on eternally

and never see the pit.

11 (10) For he can see that wise men will die,

likewise the fool and the brute will perish

and leave their wealth to others.

12 (11) They think their homes will last forever,

their dwellings through all generations;

they give their own names to their estates.

13 (12) But people, even rich ones, will live only briefly;

then, like animals, they will die.

14 (13) This is the manner of life of the foolish

and those who come after, approving their words. (Selah)

15 (14) Like sheep, they are destined for Sh’ol;

death will be their shepherd.

The upright will rule them in the morning;

and their forms will waste away in Sh’ol,

until they need no dwelling.

16 (15) But God will redeem me from Sh’ol’s control,

because he will receive me. (Selah)

17 (16) Don’t be afraid when someone gets rich,

when the wealth of his family grows.

18 (17) For when he dies, he won’t take it with him;

his wealth will not go down after him.

19 (18) True, while he lived, he thought himself happy —

people praise you when you do well for yourself —

20 (19) but he will join his ancestors’ generations

and never again see light.

21 (20) People, even rich ones, can fail to grasp

that, like animals, they will die.

50:(0) A psalm of Asaf:

(1) The Mighty One, God, Adonai, is speaking,

summoning the world from east to west.

2 Out of Tziyon, the perfection of beauty,

God is shining forth.

3 Our God is coming and not staying silent.

With a fire devouring ahead of him

and a great storm raging around him,

4 he calls to the heavens above and to earth,

in order to judge his people.

5 “Gather to me my faithful,

those who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”

6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness,

for God himself is judge. (Selah)

7 “Listen, my people, I am speaking:

Isra’el, I am testifying against you,

I, God, your God.

8 I am not rebuking you for your sacrifices;

your burnt offerings are always before me.

9 I have no need for a bull from your farm

or for male goats from your pens;

10 for all forest creatures are mine already,

as are the animals on a thousand hills;

11 I know all the birds in the mountains;

whatever moves in the fields is mine.

12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you;

for the world is mine, and everything in it.

13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls

or drink the blood of goats?

14 Offer thanksgiving as your sacrifice to God,

pay your vows to the Most High,

15 and call on me when you are in trouble;

I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

16 But to the wicked God says:

“What right do you have to proclaim my laws

or take my covenant on your lips,

17 when you so hate to receive instruction

and fling my words behind you?

18 When you see a thief, you join up with him,

you throw in your lot with adulterers,

19 you give your mouth free rein for evil

and harness your tongue to deceit;

20 you sit and speak against your kinsman,

you slander your own mother’s son.

21 When you do such things, should I stay silent?

You may have thought I was just like you;

but I will rebuke and indict you to your face.

22 Consider this, you who forget God,

or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to save you.

23 “Whoever offers thanksgiving

as his sacrifice honors me;

and to him who goes the right way

I will show the salvation of God.”

1 Corinthians 11:1
try to imitate me, even as I myself try to imitate the Messiah.

2 Now I praise you because you have remembered everything I told you and observe the traditions just the way I passed them on to you. 3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is the Messiah, and the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of the Messiah is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies wearing something down over his head brings shame to his head, 5 but every woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled brings shame to her head — there is no difference between her and a woman who has had her head shaved. 6 For if a woman is not veiled, let her also have her hair cut short; but if it is shameful for a woman to wear her hair cut short or to have her head shaved, then let her be veiled. 7 For a man indeed should not have his head veiled, because he is the image and glory of God, and the woman is the glory of man. 8 For man was not made from woman, but woman from man; 9 and indeed man was not created for the sake of the woman but woman for the sake of the man. 10 The reason a woman should show by veiling her head that she is under authority has to do with the angels. 11 Nevertheless, in union with the Lord neither is woman independent of man nor is man independent of woman; 12 for as the woman was made from the man, so also the man is now born through the woman. But everything is from God. 13 Decide for yourselves: is it appropriate for a woman to pray to God when she is unveiled? 14 Doesn’t the nature of things itself teach you that a man who wears his hair long degrades himself? 15 But a woman who wears her hair long enhances her appearance, because her hair has been given to her as a covering. 16 However, if anyone wants to argue about it, the fact remains that we have no such custom, nor do the Messianic communities of God.

-------
CHANGE THEIR WORLD. CHANGE YOURS.

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.