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Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
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"Standing Firm"
Saturday, June 3, 2017
Ephesians 6:12-14 - For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness.
Dustin Braxton was and is a good student. In 2013 he made the dean's list. In 2014 he even improved his grade point average.
With all that in his favor, when Braxton applied for a spot in the radiation therapy program at the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC), he was pretty sure he was going to get in. Indeed, he might have made the cut without any difficulty if he hadn't failed the interview.
And he did fail the face-to-face interview. It was his answer to one question that sunk his ship. The question was "On what do you base your morals?"
To that query Braxton replied, "My faith." Although his religious precepts were not mentioned again, that one answer kept him out of the program.
That's because the CCBC Program Director, Dr. Adrienne Dougherty, penalizes, and denies admission to students who are forthright about their faith. Another student, Brandon Jenkins, was also not allowed into the CCBC radiation therapy program. Jenkins' sin was this: when he was asked "What is the most important thing in your life?" he replied, "My God."
Reviewing the interview and the decision, Dr. Dougherty said, "The applicant brought up religion a great deal during the interview... (The radiation therapy field) is not the place for religion."
Recognizing the unjustness of the situation, these boys have "appealed to Caesar" and their case is being decided in the next few months by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia. By God's grace the Court will plainly rule that nobody in the U.S. of A. should be penalized or ostracized because of their race, creed, or color.
The truth is this:
• while we don't expect Christian students will be given extra credit for being believers, we also don't expect them to be downgraded for their faith;
• we don't expect the rights of every person on campus to be defended except for those who are part in the Christian community;
• we don't expect our Christian students to be profiled when nobody else is.
Following in the 500-year-old steps of the Reformer, may we take a stand. Echoing the apostles, may our present age hear of our loyalty to the Redeemer as we say, "We must obey God rather than men" (see Acts 5:29).THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, bless and protect our young people who are enduring attacks that were never directed against us. Keep us all in the faith and love of our Redeemer in whose Name we pray. Amen.
The above devotion was inspired by a number of sources, including one written by the Michael F. Haverluck for One News Now on May 21, 2017. Those who wish to reference that article may do so at the following link which was fully functional at the time this devotion was written. Please click here.
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In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
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Psalms 61:1 (0) For the leader. With stringed instruments. By David:
2 (1) Hear my cry, God;
listen to my prayer.
3 (2) From the end of the earth, with fainting heart,
I call out to you.
Set me down on a rock
far above where I am now.
4 (3) For you have been a refuge for me,
a tower of strength in the face of the foe.
5 (4) I will live in your tent forever
and find refuge in the shelter of your wings. (Selah)
6 (5) For you, God, have heard my vows;
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
7 (6) Prolong the life of the king!
May his years go on for many generations.
8 (7) May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever!
Appoint grace and truth to preserve him!
9 (8) Then I will sing praise to your name forever,
as day after day I fulfill my vows.
62 (0) For the leader. Set in the style of Y’dutun. A psalm of David:
2 (1) My soul waits in silence for God alone;
my salvation comes from him.
3 (2) He alone is my rock and salvation,
my stronghold; I won’t be greatly moved.
4 (3) How long will you assail a person
in order to murder him, all of you,
as if he were a sagging wall
or a shaky fence?
5 (4) They only want to shake him from his height,
they take delight in lying —
with their mouths they bless,
but inwardly they curse. (Selah)
6 (5) My soul, wait in silence for God alone,
because my hope comes from him.
7 (6) He alone is my rock and salvation,
my stronghold; I won’t be moved.
8 (7) My safety and honor rest on God.
My strong rock and refuge are in God.
9 (8) Trust in him, people, at all times;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us. (Selah)
10 (9) Ordinary folks are merely a breath
and important people a sham;
if you lay them on a balance-scale, they go up —
both together are lighter than nothing.
11 (10) Don’t put your trust in extortion,
don’t put false hopes in robbery;
even if wealth increases,
don’t set your heart on it.
12 (11) God has spoken once, I have heard it twice:
strength belongs to God.
13 (12) Also to you, Adonai, belongs grace;
for you reward all as their deeds deserve.
2 (1) To you, God, in Tziyon, silence is praise;
and vows to you are to be fulfilled.
3 (2) You who listen to prayer,
to you all living creatures come.
4 (3) When deeds of wickedness overwhelm me,
you will atone for our crimes.
5 (4) How blessed are those you choose and bring near,
so that they can remain in your courtyards!
We will be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
the Holy Place of your temple.
6 (5) It is just that you answer us with awesome deeds,
God of our salvation,
you in whom all put their trust,
to the ends of the earth and on distant seas.
7 (6) By your strength you set up the mountains.
You are clothed with power.
8 (7) You still the roaring of the seas,
their crashing waves, and the peoples’ turmoil.
9 (8) This is why those living at the ends of the earth
stand in awe of your signs.
The places where the sun rises and sets
you cause to sing for joy.
10 (9) You care for the earth and water it,
you enrich it greatly;
with the river of God, full of water,
you provide them grain and prepare the ground.
11 (10) Soaking its furrows and settling its soil,
you soften it with showers and bless its growth.
12 (11) You crown the year with your goodness,
your tracks overflow with richness.
13 (12) The desert pastures drip water,
the hills are wrapped with joy,
14 (13) the meadows are clothed with flocks
and the valleys blanketed with grain,
so they shout for joy and break into song.
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31 After Y’hudah had left, Yeshua said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32 If the Son has glorified God, God will himself glorify the Son, and will do so without delay. 33 Little children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and, as I said to the Judeans, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ now I say it to you as well.
34 “I am giving you a new command: that you keep on loving each other. In the same way that I have loved you, you are also to keep on loving each other. 35 Everyone will know that you are my talmidim by the fact that you have love for each other.”
36 Shim‘on Kefa said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Yeshua answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now; but you will follow later.” 37 “Lord,” Kefa said to him, “why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you!” 38 Yeshua answered, “You will lay down your life for me? Yes, indeed! I tell you, before the rooster crows you will disown me three times.
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Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
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