(Jesus said) "And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God." Luke 12:8
For over 60 years Lutheran Hour Ministries has been helping put a float in the Rose Bowl Parade.
For just as long, people have been asking, "Isn't that a waste of money?"
Well, putting a float in the parade is terribly expensive. In fact, it would be impossibly expensive if it wasn't paid for by the volunteer effort of thousands of volunteers -- volunteers called, "Petal Pushers." These folks work on our float and also donate their time to work on other displays. The money paid for their volunteer work is what underwrites our float.
But what good does a float do? That's easy. It brings thousands of volunteers together to work. It is the only Christian float seen by the one million people on the parade route. And, depending on TV coverage, it is a Christian witness made to about a billion souls all around the world.
Not bad for a bunch of flowers and seeds!
Now, the reason I bring this up is because there is supposed to be a Christian commercial in the Super Bowl this year. That's right, Tim Tebow, who played college football for Florida, is going to be featured in a commercial put on by Focus on the Family.
I don't know how much it cost. I don't know what it will say. I don't know where the money came from.
But I do know, like the Lutheran Hour Float, there are going to be a lot of folks who are going to say, "The commercial should have said this" or "It should have said that" or "The money shouldn't be spent so frivolously."
Me? I give thanks when the Lutheran Hour float rolls through Pasadena and through my living room as I watch. And, if the Super Bowl commercial is solidly for the Savior, I'm going to give thanks for that, too.
I'll just pray the Lord uses an athlete who loves his Savior to reach out to all those armchair athletes who love the sport but don't know the crucified and risen Savior.
If the Holy Spirit can use a Super Bowl message to plant a seed from which faith can grow, it's going to be a day where there really will be some winners.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, today I pray that this Sunday the world may appreciate Your victory over sin, death, and devil. Help us remember that Sunday is not super because of a football game. It's super because it's a day You have made and a day that -- by Your grace -- someone may come to faith in You as Lord and Savior. In Your Name. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries
When Jesus was baptized, immediately He went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on Him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3:16-17
So, do you remember where you were and what you did last Epiphany?
You really don't have to answer that question. I'm impressed anytime someone from the western branch of the Christian Church remembers Epiphany is the day to celebrate the coming of the Wise Men to worship the baby Jesus.
If anyone remembers the day and what he or she was doing, well, that's a bonus.
On the other hand, if you are a member of the Russian Orthodox Church and live in Moscow or just about any city in that immense land, I would be surprised if you didn't remember what you did last Epiphany.
Why the difference?
In the Russian Orthodox Church, Epiphany marks the baptism of the Savior. In many places it is celebrated by the local church by cutting a very large cross-shaped hole into the ice of a local river. When that is done, many of the believers from the church jump into the water as a remembrance of Jesus' work and their baptisms.
This year that meant people jumped into the river when it was about 13 degrees below zero outside (Fahrenheit).
One man, his hair frozen into mini-icicles, said, "After the Epiphany dive, all your illnesses, all your problems just fade away." Now if you're thinking that custom is a bit strange, you won't get any argument from me. And if you're thinking that's the kind of custom that is probably dying off, well, you'd be absolutely wrong.
More and more people -- young people -- are participating in the ceremony.
There are probably all kinds of reasons why they would do such a thing, but more than one has said this: "Jesus suffered for me and His baptism was the beginning of that suffering. I suffer for a moment to remember how His suffering, His death, and His resurrection have taken away my sins."
If that's what they believe, that's wonderful! I'll join them!
-- in the belief, that is, not the river.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, I give thanks for all You did for my salvation. Help me. Help me remember and share with others the love and sacrifice You made so my sins might be washed away. In Your Name, I ask it. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18
Adam Wainwright is a big-league baseball pitcher.
In fact, he's a pretty good pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals.
He does, however, have a rather annoying custom. Every once in a while he puts his glove up over his face. In the past, some pitchers would use a gesture like that to put something into their gloves.
The addition might be a little tobacco juice, or petroleum jelly, or just plain spit. You put a little spit on a ball and it will do all kinds of things as it goes hurtling toward the catcher's mitt.
But Adam Wainwright says he's adding none of those things.
He says: he's praying. He prays before the games; he prays between some of the pitches. And if you're curious about what is in his prayers, he'll tell you.
Before the game he's asking the Savior for strength and that "the other team will look at him in fear." Between pitches he's asking the Lord to help him do well.
Not bad for a baseball player!
Adam seems to have grasped the idea of praying "without ceasing." On the other hand, the idea of God making the other team afraid, well, that seems a bit off the mark.
Nevertheless, Adam Wainwright is setting a good example. First and foremost, Wainwright is grateful for the forgiveness Jesus has won on the cross. He knows the risen Savior is with us, interceding on his behalf and for all people. But he is also not too proud to say, "even professional athletes need the Savior by their side."
This leads me to say this: If you're watching the TV next summer and you see pitcher Adam Wainwright put his glove up in front of his face, won't you think about this devotion. Then, while he's saying his prayers . . .
. . . won't you say one of your own?
In fact, we have a prayer coming up right now.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, we are told we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. I give thanks we also have many very real men and women who are glad to make a witness to the fact that You are in their lives. May I, by the Holy Spirit's direction, make my witness to others so they may see the wonders of Your love. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries
(Jesus said) "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10
You may not know the German word that serves as the title of our devotion.
Phonetically, it is shod-en-froy-de. It means getting a little laugh out of someone else's misfortune. Recently, the United Press International had a few examples of the word, "schadenfreude."
The first story told how a Florida man checked himself into a Florida hospital. The police wanted to know how he happened to get a bullet in his leg. The man was reluctant to say. The police, fearing some foul play, put on the pressure. Finally, the man confessed.
He had been at his girlfriend's backyard when the accident happened. He was practicing his quick draw like a western-type cowboy. He was putting the gun into the holster like a western-type cowboy. Then he accidentally pulled the trigger and shot himself, unlike a western-type cowboy.
Now if you pictured that story in your mind's eye, and if you smiled, that's schadenfreude.
Here's another. In Vaxjo, Sweden, 20 dieters at a Swedish Weight Watchers clinic said the floor of their building collapsed when they were at a weigh-in. The folks -- all of whom escaped without injury -- said they heard a "crack." Shortly after that the floor gave way.
The group finished their weigh-in at a different location.
Now, please don't write and tell me I dislike folks who are a bit not skinny or who are gun shooters. I'm a lot not skinny and I love to shoot guns. But, seriously, didn't you smile . . . just a little? If so, that's schadenfreude. And so is laughing at the pratfall of a slapstick comedian, or cackling when you watch one of those funniest home video shows and someone drops a wedding cake or the groom faints. That's schadenfreude.
Now, I can't be sure, but I believe the Lord who created the giraffe and the platypus also has a sense of humor. I also believe His humor never extends to being amused at our misfortune.
On the contrary, the Lord, moved by our lost condition, sent His Son to save us. Jesus left heaven's bliss and perfection to walk the dusty roads of some poor provinces in the Roman Empire. There, unappreciated, unapplauded, and unloved, He gave His life so we might be saved. He died, rose, ascended, and sends His Spirit upon us.
And if you wonder why, maybe it's because the Lord didn't want Satan laughing at our misfortune on Judgment Day. Maybe He wanted to rob Satan of schadenfreude.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks You took pity upon this sinful world and the sacrifice You made for my salvation. Now may I do all I can to make sure Satan has no schadenfreude on Judgment Day. In Your Name. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:3
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 Friday 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 of The Lutheran Hour
To find peace and cope with his depression, a man decided to seek the help of a psychiatrist. Detailing his situation, the man explained the traumas of his youth and the failures of his adult life, which continued to cause him anguish and sorrow.
After appraising the man's predicament, the doctor counseled him to handle the sadness in his life by looking at things from a different perspective -- a new angle. He suggested he try to laugh more and enjoy the positive things around him.
Mulling it over, the doctor recommended a somewhat novel approach to this man's plight: he referred him to a comedian who worked at a local nightclub. "People who watch him perform have come away happy and light-hearted," the doctor said enthusiastically. "Maybe an evening on the town would refresh your outlook."
The man sighed deeply at these words and said, "If seeing this comedian is going to bring me happiness and a smile then I am surely lost -- because that man is me!"
Sometimes proposed solutions are nothing more than cosmetic touches for our problems. Jesus didn't come to simply lift our spirits; He came to transform us completely, radically, from the inside out. The willing, sacrificial offering of His life on the cross for the sins of the world broke the devil's stranglehold on us. Through faith we are free -- forgiven by His blood and set aside -- beyond judgment and born unto life everlasting.
In times of anguish and sorrow, remember that through Christ, we will prevail. (Jesus said) ". . . In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33b).
THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Jesus is the only answer, the only solution to this world's woes. Help us to turn to You for all our needs and return with thanksgiving for all You give us. In Jesus' Name, we pray this. Amen.
Biography of Author: Alexander Jesus Perez Leon, the director of Lutheran Hour Ministries' Venezuelan office, wrote today's devotion. Established in 1953 in Caracas, LHM-Venezuela or Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones (CPTLN) meaning "Christ for All Nations," operates a radio and print ministry addressing issues like anxiety, sex, drugs, depression, occultism, and family relations. These programs are broadcast to more than 30 million people over 40 stations in Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Spain, and Cuba.
To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhmint.org.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16
I've always been fascinated by trivia. If you are too, here's an interesting piece of it for you.
Over 200 years ago, with flint and steel, Tom Dalton started a fire in his Blue Ridge Mountain cabin.
That's not all that important until you realize his descendants have kept the fire burning.
Requiring a cord of wood a month, the fire has been watched from one generation to another, moved from one cabin to another. It has become the oldest man-made fire in the United States -- perhaps in the world. It's not been an easy task for the Dalton descendants, but always the fire has been kept burning.
Now, that's commitment! You don't hear much about commitment anymore, do you?
Almost every year we hear stories about spies who sell out our nation and her secrets.
We have seen spouses desert each other; we have watched as promising politicians are elected and promptly forget their campaign commitments.
In contrast, Christians are blessed to have a Savior who is constantly committed to the saving of lost souls. That commitment had Him misunderstood by men, betrayed and denied by friends, and crucified by the people He had come to save.
Even so, Jesus stayed on the course that took Him to the cross.
And because He did that, the open tomb tells us we are blessed to have a Savior in whom we can believe and to whom we can be loyal.
Redeemed and restored, like the Dalton family, our lives can now be committed to letting our light shine as a witness to the lost and lonely world.
From a devotion originally written for "By the Way"
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, indeed I am blessed by Your unconditional love and loyalty. Help me to be a blessing to others by allowing them to see the light of the Savior radiate through the things I do and say. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries
(The LORD said) ". . . I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you." Jeremiah 31:3b
Because most people like to think well of themselves, most people believe they are the kind of people who are committed.
Maybe so, but the years have taught me some folks are more committed than others. An example of questionable commitment is the story of the young man who poured out his feelings of love as he wrote to the girl of his dreams. In part, his letter said, "Darling, for you I would climb the highest mountain, swim the widest stream, cross the burning desert. My dearest, I would be willing to die at the stake for you."
After a paragraph or two more of such painful pleas from his heart, the smitten lad concluded, "P.S. I will see you on Saturday -- if it doesn't rain."
It is a sign of the times that many people and companies make most of their commitments exactly this way.
We buy products which we think come with a complete warranty. And they are guaranteed . . . until the product is out of the box and actually used. Once the product is in service, we're pretty much on our own. That's because the company has made a questionable and incomplete commitment.
And, as we all know, a questionable commitment is really no commitment at all.
In contrast to the world's comfortable commitments, those who have been brought to Christ recognize in Jesus they are given a unique and wonderful Savior.
Jesus makes no commitments that are simply comfortable. On the contrary, His commitments are complete. They are so complete He was willing to undergo loneliness, pain, poverty, and betrayal; they are so complete He did not shy away from the cross or the dark grave.
Because Jesus' commitments were both complete and completed, on Resurrection Sunday, the risen Christ announced to all who would see, all who would hear, that the old way of death and damnation was over, God's new way of forgiveness and salvation had come.
Our present hope -- and our future home in heaven -- have been made possible totally because of the Christ's complete commitment.
Because of Jesus' success, we are able to pray that we, by the Holy Spirit's power, may be given the strength to live out our days in total thanks and without any questionable commitments to our loving Lord.
From a devotion originally written for "By the Way"
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, because of Your unconditional love and gracious sacrifice for me, I give thanks. For Your complete commitment to the cause of my forgiveness and salvation I will always be grateful. May that gratitude be shown in all I do, and say, and think. In Your Name. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries
As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him. . . . Psalm 103:15-17a
On the 19th of July in 1916, the young man who had been stationed in Fromelles, France was ordered to charge the German lines.
He was not alone.
Thousands of other British and Australian troops charged into the machine guns. A survivor wrote, "The air was thick with bullets, swishing in a flat, criss-crossed lattice of death. Hundreds were mown down in the flicker of an eyelid."
It was the bloodiest 24 hours in Australian military history.
2,300 died. So many died, their bodies couldn't all be recovered. The Germans buried hundreds in mass graves -- graves that were forgotten, graves that were lost, graves that were, until only recently, rediscovered in 2008.
Now, using modern DNA matching, some of the soldiers are being returned to their families and are being given a new, more fitting gravesite. But there are others -- like our young man -- who are being reburied without names, without their families, without . . .
He is a man who is known only to God. That's what it will say on his stone. That's what it will say on all of the stones of the unknowns.
I don't know if you feel lonely or lost. I don't know if you think of yourself as misunderstood or mistreated. I just don't know.
You are known to God.
He knows you as a sinner, and because of His Son's sacrifice and forgiveness, He knows you as one of His redeemed children.
THE PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, I give thanks I am known to You. Thank You, that in spite of my transgressions and foolishness, You still remember me, love me, and reach out to keep me in the faith. This day send Your Holy Spirit to especially watch over the forgotten and the unknown. In Jesus' Name, I ask this. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. Galatians 5:13-15
There are misunderstandings and there are misunderstandings.
Less than two weeks ago, a military patrol made up of Afghan military and coalition forces came under attack. The patrol, which had completed an operation and managed to arrest some insurgents, was headed back to the base when the shooting began.
Believing they were being attacked by the enemy, the patrol returned fire and called in an air strike to take out the enemy's position. It was then they realized the position was that of an outpost manned by Afghan's National Army.
A representative of the government called it a "misunderstanding." Another individual said it was a "regrettable incident."
It was a misunderstanding that left two dead and a number of Afghan soldiers wounded.
It is always a terrible tragedy when your own troops are brought down by "friendly fire." It is a tragedy in war; it is a tragedy in the Church. Sharp tongues, inconsiderate behavior, overzealous positioning can all can lead to brother and sister Christians being wounded or killed.
Friendly fire certainly isn't what Jesus wanted, and it's not what the early Church encouraged.
St Paul's warning to the Church in Galatia is representative of the urgings given to the Church in general: we are to serve each other in love. When that happens, when we love our neighbor as ourselves, everyone is built up and the witness we make to an unbelieving world is a positive one.
THE PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, even as we pray none of our loved ones will ever become the victims of friendly fire on the battlefield, so we pray our fellow Christians may be kept safe from friendly fire. May we always be known for the way we love and support each other. In Jesus' Name, I ask it. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. (KJV) Psalm 121:1-4
Hunter, a two-year-old hound, is a failure -- at least until he's really needed.
Recently, Reyna Zurita came home. As she walked in, her dog, Hunter, ran out. Zurita gave chase. As she ran, Zurita called for the dog to stop, but the dog kept going and she kept following.
The chase ended about a half mile from Zurita's home. That's where Hunter stopped by the side of an infant who was lying on the ground. Zurita noticed the child was unresponsive and had turned purple. Without knowing the details of what had happened, Zurita began CPR and the child who had nearly drowned, began to revive.
So would you like an explanation of what happened? I really don't know. Sgt. Richard Schichtel said Hunter had been a failure. Originally trained in child rescue, Hunter had "washed out of the training program" because he didn't do good enough. That all changed the day Hunter ministered to a child a half mile from where he had been. Pretty impressive!
Even more impressive is the fact that we have a God who neither slumbers nor sleeps; we have a Lord who keeps an eye out for us. It is that Lord, the same One who made heaven and earth, who sends us help.
There are times that help comes in the person of the Christ who gave Himself and His life to the cause of saving us.
And sometimes, just sometimes, the help the Lord sends is in the form of a two-year-old, washed-out-of-the-training-program hound dog named, "Hunter."
Whichever way the help comes, we give thanks.
THE PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, You always see our situation and our needs. Before we realize we are in trouble, You have responded. I give thanks for the help that You send in the Savior and the help you give in other ways. In Jesus' Name, I give thanks. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries
And as they continued to ask Him, He stood up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." John 8:7
Many years ago I saw the silent version of the movie, King of Kings.
The movie had a scene where the crowd wanted to stone the woman caught in adultery. That's when Jesus says the first sinless person in the crowd ought to throw the first stone. When one man pulls his arm back to let loose, his companion stops him. Pretty soon the crowd melts away.
That's the way it was in the movie. That's not the way it was recently in Bangladesh.
Let me explain. It was a 16-year-old girl, not a woman, who was the main character in this story. This young girl was not caught in adultery; she was raped.
Ashamed, she did not report the crime. Then, when she found out she was pregnant, she quickly married. When the groom found out his bride's condition, he divorced her.
You see, real life in Bangladesh is different than the movie. In real life the family was fined because of the moral laxness of their daughter. In real life the girl was kept in isolation until her family agreed she should be physically punished.
In real life the girl received 101 lashes.
And, in real life, the 20-year-old villager, who had raped the girl, was pardoned by the elders.
There are times, my friends, that we forget just how much our precious Savior has changed this world.
Most certainly His suffering and sacrifice have changed our eternity. Because of His perfection, because He gave Himself for our salvation, we are forgiven and saved.
That is a great change.
But Jesus, with His teachings also has changed the way Christians live and deal with each other. While we are far from perfect, I think we would, in our towns and churches, be hard pressed to see the kind of unfairness told about in this story. If you agree, then give thanks to the Lord Jesus, who is the Way and has shown us the way.
THE PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, watch over this young lady. Keep her from bitterness and let her see the Savior who can heal the deepest wounds. Let her know that Jesus, who also experienced the lash, loves her, and wishes to save her. This I pray in the Name of the Savior. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries
(Jesus said) "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first." John 15:18
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 Friday 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 of The Lutheran Hour
When we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, friends or even family members might persecute us. Becoming a child of God, the Holy Spirit gives us strength to live a godly life and turn away from evil intentions and wrongdoing. In fact, not becoming involved in acts that are displeasing to God may cause those who oppose our faith to hate us even more.
Jesus Christ anticipated this. Even as He came into the world to die for our sins, He was still hated by people. Jesus said, "No servant is greater than his master" (John 15:20a). The world hated our Master; it certainly will hate us.
As we live godly lives and serve Jesus Christ, we are blessed. It is written: "Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man" (Luke 6:22).
If the world hates you, don't lose heart. Trust in the Holy Spirit's guidance, persevere in the reading of God's Word, and consider the reward that is yours in heaven through faith in Jesus Christ. "All men will hate you because of Me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved" (Mark 13:13).
This is God's promise to us.
THE PRAYER: Dearest Heavenly Father, thank You for the strength to help us stand firm in the face of persecution from the world. Thank You for the blessings You pour on us when we are hated by men. Please keep us in Your almighty arms and give us peace through the time we have in serving you. We pray in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Biography of Author: A volunteer from Lutheran Hour Ministries' office in Vietnam wrote this devotion. Known within Vietnam as "The Voice of Hope," it has operated from offices in Ho Chi Minh City since 1999. Using creative productions like puppet performances and music in its outreach efforts, LHM-Vietnam also utilizes Equipping the Saints (ETS) and Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC) in its outreach efforts.
To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhmint.org.
DEVOTIONS ~ February
