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Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour "A Necessary Change" for Thursday, February 24, 2017Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.[2 Corinthians 5:17]
It has been some years since I was told of a small town newspaper which ran an article about the city council.
The owner of the paper, somewhat upset by recent events, had written an editorial which, in big, bold type, proclaimed, "Half the City Council Are Crooks!" While the editor expected some would demand a retraction, he never thought people would begin to cancel.
Finally, fear of having to shut down the paper permanently made him promise that he would, as many had suggested, print a retraction. The decision was made with great reluctance. Even so, being a man of his word, the following week the paper did come out with a retraction printed on the front page.
Along with the retraction, the newspaper featured a headline in big, bold type. That headline read,
"Half of Our City Council Are Not Crooks!"
Now I can't tell you whether that town's city council was dishonest. On the other hand, I do know that all of us are sinners -- every last one of us.
We are all sinners whom Jesus wishes to receive and change. Yes, that's right. Jesus will receive us and He will change us. You didn't think He was going to leave us the way we were, did you?
What would be the point in that?
If we were going to stay the same, there would have been no purpose in Jesus living and dying for us. No, Jesus will receive us as the sinners we are and then He will remake us into what God wants us to be.
Jesus will receive us, and give faith to us, and forgive us, and change us.
Now understand this God-performed transformation is not painful. On the contrary, it's wonderful to be redeemed, recycled and remade with a new heart and a new life filled with forgiveness. It is a blessed thing when God lifts you up and presents you with a wonderful life that will never end.
And all this happens because Jesus, the Savior, receives sinners.
How do I know? Well, I know because He changed me just like He has changed hundreds of millions before me. He has changed big sinners, little sinners, and large, and economy-sized sinners. He has changed ... well, you get the idea.
In short, you have a Savior who changed and became one of us. God's only Son became Mary's Firstborn. He who was present at the creation of the universe and called everything into being with a thought, was willing to live and die for us so that we might be rescued ... and changed.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, we will all experience many changes in our lives. Still, none of those changes will be any better than the one that takes us from damnation to salvation. Grant that we may do our best to show appreciation for the changes You have wrought through Jesus. In His Name. 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: Psalms 90; Leviticus 1-2; Mark 5:1-20
Leviticus 1:1 Adonai called to Moshe and spoke to him from the tent of meeting. He said, 2 “Speak to the people of Isra’el; say to them, ‘When any of you brings an offering to Adonai, you may bring your animal offering either from the herd or from the flock. 3 If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he must offer a male without defect. He is to bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, so that it can be accepted by Adonai. 4 He is to lay his hand upon the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him. 5 He is to slaughter the young bull before Adonai ; and the sons of Aharon, the cohanim, are to present the blood. They are to splash the blood against all sides of the altar, which is by the entrance to the tent of meeting. 6 He is to skin the burnt offering and cut it in pieces. 7 The descendants of Aharon the cohen are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. 8 The sons of Aharon, the cohanim, are to arrange the pieces, the head and the fat on the wood which is on the fire on the altar. 9 He is to wash the entrails and lower parts of the legs with water, and the cohen is to cause all of it to go up in smoke on the altar as a burnt offering; it is an offering made by fire, a fragrant aroma for Adonai.
10 “‘If his offering is from the flock, whether from the sheep or from the goats, for a burnt offering, he must offer a male without defect. 11 He is to slaughter it on the north side of the altar before Adonai; and the sons of Aharon, the cohanim, are to splash its blood against all sides of the altar. 12 He is to cut it into pieces, and the cohen is to arrange them with the head and fat on the wood which is on the fire on the altar. 13 He is to wash the entrails and lower parts of the legs with water; and the cohen is to offer it all and make it go up in smoke on the altar as a burnt offering; it is an offering made by fire, a fragrant aroma for Adonai.
(ii) 14 “‘If his offering to Adonai is a burnt offering of birds, he must offer a dove or a young pigeon. 15 The cohen is to bring it to the altar, snap off its head and make it go up in smoke on the altar; its blood is to be drained out on the side of the altar. 16 He is to remove the food pouch and its feathers from its neck and discard it on the pile of ashes just east of the altar. 17 He is to pull it open with a wing on each side, but without tearing it in half. The cohen is to make it go up in smoke on the altar, on the wood which is on the fire, as a burnt offering; it is an offering made by fire, a fragrant aroma for Adonai.
2:1 “‘Anyone who brings a grain offering to Adonai is to make his offering of fine flour; he is to pour olive oil on it and put frankincense on it. 2 He is to bring it to the sons of Aharon, the cohanim. The cohen is to take a handful of fine flour from it, together with its olive oil and all its frankincense, and make this reminder portion go up in smoke on the altar as an offering made by fire, a fragrant aroma for Adonai. 3 But the rest of the grain offering will belong to Aharon and his sons; it is an especially holy part of the offerings for Adonai made by fire.
4 “‘When you bring a grain offering which has been baked in the oven, it is to consist of either unleavened cakes made of fine flour mixed with olive oil or matzah spread with olive oil. 5 If your offering is a grain offering cooked on a griddle, it is to consist of unleavened fine flour mixed with olive oil; 6 you are to break it in pieces and pour olive oil on it — it is a grain offering. (iii) 7 If your offering is a grain offering cooked in a pot, it is to consist of fine flour with olive oil.
8 “‘You are to bring the grain offering prepared in any of these ways to Adonai ; it is to be presented to the cohen, and he is to bring it to the altar. 9 The cohen is to remove the reminder portion of the grain offering and make it go up in smoke on the altar as an offering made by fire, a fragrant aroma for Adonai. 10 But the rest of the grain offering will belong to Aharon and his sons; it is an especially holy part of the offerings for Adonai made by fire.
11 “‘No grain offering that you bring to Adonai is to be made with leaven, because you are not to cause any leaven or honey to go up in smoke as an offering made by fire to Adonai. 12 As an offering of firstfruits you may bring these to Adonai, but they are not to be brought up onto the altar to make a fragrant aroma. 13 You are to season every grain offering of yours with salt — do not omit from your grain offering the salt of the covenant with your God, but offer salt with all your offerings.
14 “‘If you bring a grain offering of firstfruits to Adonai, you are to bring as the grain offering from your firstfruits kernels of grain from fresh ears, dry-roasted with fire. 15 Put olive oil on it, and lay frankincense on it; it is a grain offering. 16 The cohen is to cause the reminder portion of it, its grits and olive oil, with all its frankincense, to go up in smoke; it is an offering made by fire for Adonai.
Mark 5:1 Yeshua and his talmidim arrived at the other side of the lake, in the Gerasenes’ territory. 2 As soon as he disembarked, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the burial caves to meet him. 3 He lived in the burial caves; and no one could keep him tied up, not even with a chain. 4 He had often been chained hand and foot, but he would snap the chains and break the irons off his feet, and no one was strong enough to control him. 5 Night and day he wandered among the graves and through the hills, howling and gashing himself with stones.
6 Seeing Yeshua from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him 7 and screamed at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Yeshua, Son of God Ha‘Elyon? I implore you in God’s name! Don’t torture me!” 8 For Yeshua had already begun saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of this man!” 9 Yeshua asked him, “What’s your name?” “My name is Legion,” he answered, “there are so many of us”; 10 and he kept begging Yeshua not to send them out of that region.
11 Now there was a large herd of pigs feeding near the hill, 12 and the unclean spirits begged him, “Send us to the pigs, so we can go into them.” 13 Yeshua gave them permission. They came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering around two thousand, rushed down the hillside into the lake and were drowned. 14 The swineherds fled and told it in the town and in the surrounding country, and the people went to see what had happened. 15 They came to Yeshua and saw the man who had had the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were frightened. 16 Those who had seen it told what had happened to the man controlled by demons and to the pigs; 17 and the people began begging Yeshua to leave their district.
18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been demonized begged him to be allowed to go with him. 19 But Yeshua would not permit it. Instead, he said to him, “Go home to your people, and tell them how much Adonai in his mercy has done for you.” 20 He went off and began proclaiming in the Ten Towns how much Yeshua had done for him, and everyone was amazed.
-------Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
CHANGE THEIR WORLD. CHANGE YOURS.
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.
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