Missionary Renegade: Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour "Secret Sins" for Thursday, February 23, 2017

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour "Secret Sins" for Thursday, February 23, 2017

The Lutheran Hour Ministries Daily Devotion - Thursday, February 23, 2017 "Secret Sins"

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Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour "Secret Sins" for Thursday, February 23, 2017
You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence.[Psalm 90:8]
As all of us sometimes do, Joseph Talbot made a mistake. In this case, Mr. Talbot had a bit too much to drink before he got behind the wheel of his car.
It was a mistake noted by a New York patrolman who arrested him.
After that, things got a bit strange. Mr. Talbot called the officer a not-so-nice name and said the officer was ruining his life. Then Mr. Talbot refused to be fingerprinted and he refused to be photographed. His reason? He didn't want his mug shot in the local paper, which he called a "rag."
Well, the newspaper in question, the Times of Wayne County has a circulation of about 12,000. They got hold of the story along with Mr. Talbot's picture and published them both. Well, the paper underestimated how much Mr. Talbot wanted people not to know what he had done wrong.
That's why, when the delivery trucks went out to the newsstands, Mr. Talbot followed and bought up every paper they put out. Yes, he bought up almost 1,000 papers at the going rate of $1.25.
Well, Mr. Talbot underestimated the power of the press. The publisher of the paper went out and replenished the papers in all of its outlets, and then the Associated Press got hold of the story and it went viral, including being used as the basis for this Daily Devotion.
And the sin Mr. Talbot wanted so desperately to keep secret, wasn't.
Of course, he may take comfort in the fact he is not alone. Reading through the Bible, he may find many others who tried to keep their sins secret from the Lord. Adam and Eve hid after they had eaten the forbidden fruit. Achan tried to hide the forbidden booty he stole from Jericho when it was destroyed. David tried, unsuccessfully, to keep his sins of adultery and murder hush-hush. Ananias and his wife Sapphira tried to keep their business dealings secret and lied to the Lord.
Yes, all these biblical personalities had a sin they tried to keep from other people and the Lord. They tried and they failed. They failed because along with being just and merciful, our Lord is also omniscient, that is, He knows everything. That is a truth Moses recognized when he wrote: "You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence."
John agreed with that idea, and under the Holy Spirit's direction, took it one step further when he wrote, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:8-9).
So that the Lord might forgive our sins and save us from eternal punishment, Jesus was sent into this world. Jesus' entire life was dedicated to Him being the prophesied Savior, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Forgiveness -- that's the gift the Lord gladly bestows on every soul who acknowledges his sin and confesses them to the Lord, and that includes all our not-so-secret sins as well.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I regret and confess my sins to You. Now may I rejoice in the forgiveness which is given because of Your Son's sacrifice. In His 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
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Exodus 39-40; Mark 4:21-41
Exodus 39:1 From the blue, purple and scarlet yarn they made the garments for officiating, for serving in the Holy Place; and they made the holy garments for Aharon, as Adonai had ordered Moshe. (RY: v, LY: ii) 2 He made the ritual vest of gold, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely woven linen. 3 They hammered the gold into thin plates and cut them into threads in order to work it into the blue, purple and scarlet yarn and the fine linen crafted by the skilled artisan. 4 They made shoulder-pieces for it, joined together; they were joined together at the two ends. 5 The decorated belt on the vest, used to fasten it, was of the same workmanship and materials — gold; blue, purple and scarlet yarn; and finely twined linen — as Adonai had ordered Moshe. 6 They worked the onyx stones, mounted in gold settings, engraving them with the names of the sons of Isra’el as they would be engraved on a seal. 7 Then he put them on the shoulder-pieces of the vest to be stones calling to mind the sons of Isra’el, as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

8 He made the breastplate; it was crafted by a skilled artisan and made like the work of the ritual vest — of gold; blue, purple and scarlet yarn; and finely woven linen. 9 When folded double, the breastplate was square — doubled, it was a hand-span by a hand-span. 10 They set in it four rows of stones: the first row was a carnelian, a topaz and an emerald; 11 the second row a green feldspar, a sapphire and a diamond; 12 the third row an orange zircon, an agate and an amethyst; 13 and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx and a jasper. They were mounted in settings of gold. 14 The stones corresponded to the names of the twelve sons of Isra’el; they were engraved with their names as a seal would be engraved, each name representing one of the twelve tribes.

15 On the breastplate they made two pure gold chains, twisted like cords. 16 Also for the breastplate they made two settings of gold and two gold rings, and they put the two rings at the two ends of the breastplate. 17 They put the two twisted gold chains in the two rings at the ends of the breastplate 18 and attached the other two ends of the twisted chains to the front of the shoulder-pieces of the ritual vest. 19 They also made two gold rings and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, at its edge, on the side facing in toward the vest. 20 Also they made two gold rings and attached them low on the front part of the vest’s shoulder-pieces, near the join, above the vest’s decorated belt. 21 Then they bound the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the vest with a blue cord, so that it could be on the vest’s decorated belt, and so that the breastplate would not swing loose from the vest — as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

(RY: vi, LY: iii) 22 He made the robe for the ritual vest; it was woven entirely of blue, 23 with its opening in the middle, like that of a coat of mail, and with a border around the opening, so that it wouldn’t tear. 24 On the bottom hem they made pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet, and woven linen; 25 and they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates all the way around the hem of the robe — between the pomegranates, 26 that is, bell, pomegranate, bell, pomegranate, all the way around the hem of the robe for service — as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

27 They made the tunics of finely woven linen for Aharon and his sons, 28 the turban of fine linen, the splendid headgear of fine linen, the linen shorts, 29 and the sash of finely woven linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, the work of a weaver in colors — as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

30 They made the ornament for the holy turban of pure gold; wrote on it the words, “Set apart for Adonai,” like the engraving on a seal; 31 and tied a blue cord on it to fasten it to the front of the turban — as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

32 Thus all the work for the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was finished, with the people of Isra’el doing everything exactly as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

(LY: iv) 33 Then they brought the tabernacle to Moshe — the tent and all its furnishings, clasps, planks, crossbars, posts and sockets; 34 the covering of tanned ram skins, the covering of fine leather and the curtain for the screen; 35 the ark for the testimony, its poles and the ark-cover; 36 the table, all its utensils and the showbread; 37 the pure menorah, its lamps and their arrangement for display, its accessories and the oil for the light; 38 the gold altar; the anointing oil; the fragrant incense; the screen for the entrance to the tent; 39 the bronze altar with its bronze grate, poles and all its utensils; the basin with its base; 40 the tapestries for the courtyard, with their posts and sockets; the screen for the entrance to the courtyard, with its ropes and tent pegs; all the utensils for the service in the tabernacle, the tent of meeting; 41 the garments for officiating, for serving in the Holy Place; the holy garments for Aharon the cohen; and the garments for his sons to serve in the office of cohen.

42 The people of Isra’el did all the work just as Adonai had ordered Moshe. 43 Moshe saw all the work, and — there it was! — they had done it! Exactly as Adonai had ordered, they had done it. And Moshe blessed them.

40:1 (RY: vii, LY: v) Adonai said to Moshe, 2 “On the first day of the first month, you are to set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. 3 Put in it the ark for the testimony, and conceal the ark with the curtain. 4 Bring in the table, and arrange its display. Bring in the menorah, and light its lamps. 5 Set the gold altar for incense in front of the ark for the testimony, and set up the screen at the entrance to the tabernacle. 6 Place the altar for burnt offerings in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. 7 Set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 8 Set up the courtyard all the way around, and hang up the screen for the entrance to the courtyard.

9 “Take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it — consecrate it with all its furnishings; then it will be holy. 10 Anoint the altar for burnt offerings with all its utensils — consecrate the altar; then the altar will be especially holy. 11 Anoint the basin and its base, and consecrate it.

12 “Then bring Aharon and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. 13 Put the holy garments on Aharon, anoint him, and consecrate him, so that he can serve me in the office of cohen. 14 Bring his sons, put tunics on them, 15 and anoint them as you anointed their father, so that they can serve me in the office of cohen. Their anointing will signify that the office of cohen is theirs through all their generations.”

16 Moshe did this — he acted in accordance with everything Adonai had ordered him to do.

(LY: vi) 17 On the first day of the first month of the second year, the tabernacle was set up. 18 Moshe erected the tabernacle, put its sockets in place, put up its planks, put in its crossbars and set up its posts. 19 He spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent above it, as Adonai had ordered Moshe. 20 He took and put the testimony inside the ark, put the poles on the ark, and set the ark-cover above, on the ark. 21 Then he brought the ark into the tabernacle, set up the curtain as a screen and concealed the ark for the testimony, as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

22 He put the table in the tent of meeting on the side of the tabernacle facing north, outside the curtain. 23 He arranged a row of bread on it before Adonai, as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

24 He put the menorah in the tent of meeting across from the table, on the side of the tabernacle facing south. 25 Then he lit the lamps before Adonai, as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

26 He set the gold altar in the tent of meeting in front of the curtain 27 and burned on it incense made from aromatic spices, as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

(LY: vii) 28 He set up the screen at the entrance to the tabernacle. 29 The altar for burnt offerings he placed at the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

30 He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing, 31 so that Moshe and Aharon and his sons could wash their hands and feet there — 32 so that they could wash when entering the tent of meeting and when approaching the altar, as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

33 Finally, he erected the courtyard around the tabernacle and the altar and set up the screen for the entrance to the courtyard.

(Maftir) 34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of Adonai filled the tabernacle. 35 Moshe was unable to enter the tent of meeting, because the cloud remained on it, and the glory of Adonai filled the tabernacle.

36 Whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Isra’el continued with all their travels. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not travel onward until the day when it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of Adonai was above the tabernacle during the day, and fire was in [the cloud] at night, so that all the house of Isra’el could see it throughout all their travels.

Mark 4:21 He said to them, “A lamp isn’t brought in to be put under a bowl or under the bed, is it? Wouldn’t you put it on a lampstand? 22 Indeed, nothing is hidden, except to be disclosed; and nothing is covered up, except to come out into the open. 23 Those who have ears to hear with, let them hear!”

24 He also said to them, “Pay attention to what you are hearing! The measure with which you measure out will be used to measure to you — and more besides! 25 For anyone who has something will be given more; but from anyone who has nothing, even what he does have will be taken away.”

26 And he said, “The Kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground. 27 Nights he sleeps, days he’s awake; and meanwhile the seeds sprout and grow — how, he doesn’t know. 28 By itself the soil produces a crop — first the stalk, then the head, and finally the full grain in the head. 29 But as soon as the crop is ready, the man comes with his sickle, because it’s harvest-time.”

30 Yeshua also said, “With what can we compare the Kingdom of God? What illustration should we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when planted, is the smallest of all the seeds in the field; 32 but after it has been planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all the plants, with such big branches that the birds flying about can build nests in its shade.”

33 With many parables like these he spoke the message to them, to the extent that they were capable of hearing it. 34 He did not say a thing to them without using a parable; when he was alone with his own talmidim he explained everything to them.

35 That day, when evening had come, Yeshua said to them, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So, leaving the crowd behind, they took him just as he was, in the boat; and there were other boats with him. 37 A furious windstorm arose, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was close to being swamped. 38 But he was in the stern on a cushion, asleep. They woke him and said to him, “Rabbi, doesn’t it matter to you that we’re about to be killed?” 39 He awoke, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind subsided, and there was a dead calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you no trust even now?” 41 But they were terrified and asked each other, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the waves obey him?”