Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour "Victorious Conquerors That We Are" for Sunday, 23 July 2017
John 14:5-6 - Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
The salvation story of Jesus Christ reaches around the world. So that the readers of our Daily Devotion may see the power of the Savior on a global scale, we have asked the volunteers of our international ministry centers to write our Sunday devotions. We pray that the Spirit may touch your day through their words.
In Christ, I remain, His servant and yours,
Kenneth R. Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Jesus stated in John 14:1: "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me."
This shows that Jesus is our Brother and we are the Father's adopted children. Because that is so, we do not have to be preoccupied with, or worried about, material things. When God is in control, we need not be terrified of present and future unknowns.
That being said, there are times when we look around the world and we end up wondering: why are these bad things happening? Scripture clearly tells us that because of sin all of these things will come, and they will keep on coming. Thankfully, Christians know that despite all these problems and troubles, God has not forgotten them. Jesus is living proof that we are forgiven, and we will never be alone.
Because of His successful work and resurrection, Jesus can urge our hearts to be at peace.
Almost every morning I walk 25 minutes from my house to the main road. There I get on the minibus which takes me to the town's central commercial district. There I sell telephone cards and do a bit of small trading for my mother's business.
On these routine trips, morning and afternoon, I always pass by a group of young men who are sitting in a little booth where they indulge in wild talk.
One day I picked up some of the Lutheran Hour Ministries Bible Correspondence Courses, with the purpose of distributing them in my community. I planned that I would talk to that group of young men before attending to any other area.
Getting close to the little booth, I saw there were seven young men there. As we talked I came to realize these men were lonely and troubled. Society doesn't know if they exist, and I didn't either ... not until I took that step into the little booth.
The world loves to tell us we are alone and isolated, especially during a difficult time of life. In contrast to that message, we have the one given to us by the conquering Christ.
In our text, Jesus was aware of what was coming in His own life. There would be arrest, trial, execution, and resurrection. He also knew how the events of His life would frighten His fragile followers. That is why, as He prepared to finish the plan of reconciliation, He wanted His people to know they would never find themselves in a position of abandonment.
Looking at these young men in the booth in front of me, I can see that they, like Jesus' disciples, don't know if they can trust anyone and they are more than just a bit afraid. They also need to know Jesus will never leave them or forsake them.
And this day it is my honor to tell them that, with faith in the Redeemer, they will in all things be more than conquerors through Him who loves us (see Romans 8:31-39).
THE PRAYER: Our Lord, and our God, we say thanks for the life and strength You give us every day. We pray for love, favor, and mercy to be upon us more abundantly. This we pray in the Name of our risen and ever-present Redeemer. Amen.
Biography of Author: Today's international devotion was written by Abraham Sharpe. He became a volunteer of the ministry center upon his completion of the Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC). Sharpe works with the BCC supervisor to distribute our booklets to students in Gardnerville, Liberia.
Based in the capital city of Monrovia, the Lutheran Hour Ministries-Liberia ministry center reaches out across the country through a weekly interactive radio program aired over a national radio station. Listeners are invited to sign up for the center's BCCs, which are currently offered in English, but will soon be presented in two native Liberian languages: Krahn and Bassa.
Working with area congregations since 2013, LHM-Liberia presents films, outdoor concerts, and dramatic performances as a way to connect with local communities and invite people to know more about Jesus. Ministry partnerships with area congregations help cultivate volunteers and open doors for scheduling Equipping the Saints (ETS) workshops to train individuals to witness to their faith. Outreach work is also done among Muslims, speakers of the Kpelle language, and among other ethnic groups.
Be sure to check out LHM's International Ministries' blog page. You can find it by clicking here.
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 67, 71; Philippians 2
Psalms 67:1 (0) For the leader. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song:
2 (1) God, be gracious to us, and bless us.
May he make his face shine toward us, (Selah)
3 (2) so that your way may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.
4 (3) Let the peoples give thanks to you, God;
let the peoples give thanks to you, all of them.
5 (4) Let the nations be glad and shout for joy,
for you will judge the peoples fairly
and guide the nations on earth. (Selah)
6 (5) Let the peoples give thanks to you, God;
let the peoples give thanks to you, all of them.
7 (6) The earth has yielded its harvest;
may God, our God, bless us.
8 (7) May God continue to bless us,
so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.
71:1 In you, Adonai, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
2 In your righteousness, rescue me;
and help me to escape.
Turn your ear toward me,
and deliver me.
3 Be for me a sheltering rock,
where I can always come.
You have determined to save me,
because you are my bedrock and stronghold.
4 My God, help me escape from the power of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and ruthless.
5 For you are my hope, Adonai Elohim,
in whom I have trusted since I was young.
6 From birth I have relied on you;
it was you who took me from my mother’s womb.
7 To many, I am an amazing example;
but you are strong protection for me.
8 My mouth is full of praise for you,
filled with your glory all day long.
9 Don’t reject me when I grow old;
when my strength fails, don’t abandon me.
10 For my enemies are talking about me,
those seeking my life are plotting together.
11 They say, “God has abandoned him;
go after him, and seize him,
because no one will save him.”
12 God, don’t distance yourself from me!
My God, hurry to help me!
13 May those who are opposed to me
be put to shame and ruin;
may those who seek to harm me
be covered with scorn and disgrace.
14 But I, I will always hope
and keep adding to your praise.
15 All day long my mouth will tell
of your righteous deeds and acts of salvation,
though their number is past my knowing.
16 I will come in the power of Adonai Elohim
and recall your righteousness, yours alone.
17 God, you have taught me since I was young,
and I still proclaim your wonderful works.
18 So now that I’m old, and my hair is gray,
don’t abandon me, God, till I have proclaimed
your strength to the next generation,
your power to all who will come,
19 your righteousness too, God,
which reaches to the heights.
God, you have done great things;
who is there like you?
20 You have made me see much trouble and hardship,
but you will revive me again
and bring me up from the depths of the earth.
21 You will increase my honor;
turn and comfort me.
22 As for me, I will praise you with a lyre
for your faithfulness, my God.
I will sing praises to you with a lute,
Holy One of Isra’el.
23 My lips will shout for joy;
I will sing your praise, because you have redeemed me.
24 All day long my tongue
will speak of your righteousness.
For those who are seeking to harm me
will be put to shame and disgraced.
Philippians 2:1 Therefore, if you have any encouragement for me from your being in union with the Messiah, any comfort flowing from love, any fellowship with me in the Spirit, or any compassion and sympathy, 2 then complete my joy by having a common purpose and a common love, by being one in heart and mind. 3 Do nothing out of rivalry or vanity; but, in humility, regard each other as better than yourselves — 4 look out for each other’s interests and not just for your own.
5 Let your attitude toward one another be governed by your being in union with the Messiah Yeshua:
6 Though he was in the form of God,
he did not regard equality with God
something to be possessed by force.
7 On the contrary, he emptied himself,
in that he took the form of a slave
by becoming like human beings are.
And when he appeared as a human being,
8 he humbled himself still more
by becoming obedient even to death —
death on a stake as a criminal!
9 Therefore God raised him to the highest place
and gave him the name above every name;
10 that in honor of the name given Yeshua,
every knee will bow —
in heaven, on earth and under the earth —
11 and every tongue will acknowledge[Philippians 2:11 Isaiah 45:23]
that Yeshua the Messiah is Adonai —
to the glory of God the Father.
12 So, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed when I was with you, it is even more important that you obey now when I am away from you: keep working out your deliverance with fear and trembling,[Philippians 2:12 Psalm 2:11] 13 for God is the one working among you both the willing and the working for what pleases him. 14 Do everything without kvetching or arguing, 15 so that you may be blameless and pure children of God, without defect in the midst of a twisted and perverted generation,[Philippians 2:15 Deuteronomy 32:5] among whom you shine like stars in the sky, 16 as you hold on to the Word of Life. If you do this, I will be able to boast, when the Day of the Messiah comes, that I did not run or toil for nothing. 17 Indeed, even if my lifeblood is poured out as a drink offering over the sacrifice and service of your faith, I will still be glad and rejoice with you all. 18 Likewise, you too should be glad and rejoice with me.
19 But I hope in the Lord Yeshua to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I too may be cheered by knowing how you are doing. 20 I have no one who compares with him, who will care so sincerely for your welfare — 21 people all put their own interests ahead of the Messiah Yeshua’s. 22 But you know his character, that like a child with his father he slaved with me to advance the Good News. 23 So I hope to send him just as soon as I see how things will go with me, 24 and I am confident in the Lord that before long I myself will come too.
25 Also I considered it necessary to send you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow-worker and fellow-soldier, the emissary whom you sent to take care of my needs; 26 since he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, close to death; but God had mercy on him — and not only on him, but also on me — otherwise I would have had sorrow piled on sorrow. 28 Therefore, I am all the more eager to send him, so that you may rejoice when you see him again; and I, for my part, may be less sad. 29 So give him a joyful welcome in the Lord; honor such people. 30 For he risked his life and nearly died working for the Messiah, in order to give me the help you were not in a position to give.
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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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