Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21
Some of us have come to believe doing nothing is one of the great pleasures of life.
Doing nothing is something at which Melody Schick is very good. Not so very long ago, Melody, dressed as a rag doll, sat on a revolving platform in a Dallas shopping center.
Thousands of people gathered to watch Melody sit and do nothing.
For five hours and forty-three boring minutes Melody sat and did nothing. Then, at the end of that time, Melody rose, tried to smile, and left the platform as the proud possessor of the world's record for sitting still and doing nothing.
Now the purpose of this devotion is not to get you to start thinking, "I bet I could beat that record." Nor is it to encourage husbands and wives to say, "Melody is an amateur at doing nothing compared to my spouse."
Of course, such an observation may be right.
There are a lot of folks who work very hard at doing nothing -- even more who like to observe others doing nothing.
What a waste. Each of us has been given gifts from God -- gifts He wishes us to use for a purpose.
Now, it's possible that doing nothing may be Melody's gift. However, doing nothing is not the kind of life to which all of us should aspire. The Lord sent His Son to save us. Now, the Holy Spirit equips us to do His will, to work that which is pleasing in His sight.
Now, I don't know what that might mean for you, but I'm pretty sure the Lord has something for you to do today. May you do that something to the glory of Jesus Christ.
From a devotion originally written for "By the Way"
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, help me to do Your work while there is time to do it. When a job needs to be done, and You have given me the talents to do it, may I tackle it willingly and joyfully. This I ask in the Name of Jesus who did everything so I might be saved. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23-24
According to www.insurance.com, 80 percent of auto accidents take place because of distractions.
Not only does the Web site share that very believable figure, they also list some of the most obvious distractions.
For example, they share the "ten most dangerous foods" a safe driver ought to avoid when behind the wheel.
Having read the article, I now know a person shouldn't drink coffee or eat hamburgers when behind the wheel. (I can almost hear the groans going up from our German and Scandinavian readers when they hear that first one.)
And although I never considered myself as having lived a sheltered life, it never occurred to me to indulge in many of the other items on the list. For example, a safe driver shouldn't drink soup like coffee, since soup spills. Nor should he or she indulge in chomping down some tacos.
It also never occurred to me to eat a chili dog, barbecued ribs, or any kind of fried chicken when driving. Still, those foods are on the list. So are jelly donuts and soda, which can fizz the nose.
Do any of these sound familiar to you? Rounding out the list of things to be avoided is chocolate. According to the article, chocolate can melt in your hands and make the steering wheel slippery.
They don't say anything about M&MsŪ, which "melt in your mouth, not in your hand!"
So, there you have the list of foods to avoid. The question is, "Will you avoid eating every one of those foods when driving?"
I'm guessin' probably not. People will break these ten commandments, just as they break the Lord's.
When it comes to God's rules, we may know something isn't good for us. We may even acknowledge some things aren't right for us or are dangerous for us, but we do them anyway.
That disobedient spirit is part of our sinful nature. We think we know better than God does; we
believe His rules don't apply to us; we feel secure in thinking nobody is going to tell us what to do.
This is why we, when left to our own devices, are headed in the wrong direction eternally. It is also why we need the Savior. If we are to be forgiven of our sins and justified before the Lord, it will only be because Jesus has taken our punishment and given Himself as our substitute.
THE PRAYER: Dear heavenly Father, forgive me for thinking I know better than You. Also accept my thanks for sending Your Son who took my punishment so I might be forgiven. Now, I pray, that Your will shall also be mine. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries
This hit my eating routine , I try to stay on my diet to please God to having a better temple for him but my wants seem to get bigger than my control of what I have planned. I do exactly what I don't want to do, knowing that is what I am doing! I really don't make any sense to myself for overeating or eating the wrong foods and then I do the one thing Jesus does not want me to do, I hate myself.
And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us. . . . Ephesians 5:2a
A week or so ago, when I was at the 92nd convention of the International Lutheran Laymen's League (the organization which sponsors these devotions), I came across an article in the Greensboro News & Record.
The story told how Danielle Starr and Anthony Mohney were married for one whole day. For one day the couple became husband and wife. Then, on the second day, Anthony died of cancer.
The story went on to tell how Anthony's hospice team had planned the wedding and how the businessmen of that wonderful North Carolina community had graciously given everything necessary for the couple to get hitched -- even the rings.
The story spoke of how Danielle, who had been told Anthony would soon die of his illness, had assured him, saying, "I'd rather be married to you for one day, than not at all."
My first reaction to that story was to cry. It was a beautiful human-interest story.
My second reaction to the story was to ask a few questions: Why did they bother? Why did a jeweler give away some expensive rings? Why did the folks who catered the meal offer up their services? Why did the tux people not charge for the rental? Why bother to do any of this if you're sure one of the principals is going to die?
These were questions that bothered me -- a lot.
Turning from what this very special bride and groom had done, my thoughts went to the Savior. I asked many of the same questions about Him I had asked about the newlyweds. Why did Jesus come into this world? After all, He knew how things would end up. He knew a friend would betray Him; He knew He would be rejected; He knew He would be beaten, whipped, crowned with thorns, and nailed to the cross.
Why did Jesus come if He knew He was going to die?
The answer to why the bride and groom got married and to why Jesus entered this world is the same: they were in love.
Danielle loved Anthony, and she was willing to suffer a great deal to be with him. The same is true for Jesus. So we could be with Him, Jesus was willing to live, suffer, and die for us. Now, because of what He did, we can be forgiven, saved, and with Him forever. Because of what Jesus did, the story of Danielle and Anthony isn't over.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, for having a great love for me, I praise You. I am unworthy, but I give thanks for Your commitment, care, and sacrifice that saves me. In Your Name. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Exodus 20:16
"Christians in one Indian state are once again targets of radical Hindus." That was how an article carried on www.onenewsnow.com began.
The story went on to tell how believers in Orissa, India, had been attacked by a mob of 40 to 50 weapon-carrying people. It seems the vigilantes were upset because Christians there wouldn't participate in a Hindu festival.
You might note this is the same charge, which was brought against early Christians who refused to make a sacrifice to the heathen gods of Rome, Greece, and Egypt.
According to the article, the mob broke into Christian homes and began to beat our brothers and sisters. Then the fanatics tried to find -- and promised to kill -- the local pastor.
It's the kind of story that is repeated so often I don't generally report it in the Daily Devotion.
But this story was different. It had an added element.
This story had an element of hope. The man who heads up the local missionaries said, "some of the people who do the persecuting are some of the first believers to be added to the Church . . . the response of these (persecuted) believers . . . stirs these people's hearts and . . . God uses that to draw them to Himself."
I was amazed to hear those words.
The man did something Luther said all of us should do: he resisted condemning all Hindus and he didn't bear false witness. On the contrary, he put the best construction on everything.
Knowing the same Savior who conquered sin, death, and devil could also conquer hateful, human hearts, he spoke no words of anger.
There is nothing in his statements that calls for revenge or withdrawing the missionaries to a place of safety. He doesn't demand the authorities get those Hindus.
From beginning to end, the man showed his complete and utter faith in the Lord. In doing so he shared something that we know, that we believe, but that we often forget.
Putting the best construction on everything, he told anyone who listened that Jesus' redeemed children are victors.
As Luther might have said, "This is most certainly true."
THE PRAYER: Dear heavenly Father, give me a faith that sees You are in control. Help me point people to the Savior rather than giving into my desire for revenge. Help me put the best construction on everything so the lost may see the living Savior. In His Name. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27
Most of us, when we look back on our lives, can remember a few special moments -- moments that made us proud, or less embarrassed than usual.
Recently, CNN asked a question to people in Berlin, Madrid, Rome, Bangkok, Tokyo, New Delhi, and Paris. CNN asked, "What is humanity's greatest achievement?"
As might be expected, the answers were pretty diverse.
Some said "fire" was the best thing humankind had ever done; others said the "wheel" ought to qualify as our outstanding accomplishment. More than a few said it was the "airplane," or "printing," or "landing a man on the moon," or the "computer."
Then there were other responses, what I think are less obvious answers. Some people said "architecture" or "sanitation" or even "video games" were our highest achievement. That video game man explained his thinking by saying that "video games allow us to live in whatever world we want."
Perhaps the most interesting reply came from a man who said, "Peace . . . peace would be the greatest achievement for all."
Of course, peace is a pretty hard thing to come by -- an even harder thing to keep.
Students of history say there are very few years that don't see the outbreak of a major conflict between nations. Personally, most people seem to be dissatisfied with the way their lives are going.
In truth, peace is a pretty rare commodity.
This is precisely why we need the Savior. Sinful humanity cannot -- on its own -- achieve personal or public peace. It is a dream, a hope, an idea, but without Jesus, that really is all it will ever be.
Yes, we need Jesus. We need Him who gave His life so we might have life. We need His perfect substitution, which fulfills the God's Law and forgives our sins. We need a living Lord because with Him in our heart, we will never be alone.
We need Jesus. We need the Savior who gives us a lasting peace, a complete peace, a peace the world, for all its claims, will never be able to bestow. We need the peace of Jesus, which removes our fears and troubles.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, there are many things that try to frighten us, which will try to ruin our days and our lives. As Christians, we know the world cannot give us something it simply does not have. If we are to be given lasting peace, we will find it only in the crucified, risen, and ever-present Savior. It is in Your Name we pray it. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. Romans 13:13-14
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
Though Christians are forgiven by the grace of God, they certainly are not beyond sinning. The apostle Paul knew this when he wrote to the Christians in Rome that they needed to "clothe" themselves "with the Lord Jesus Christ," rather than partake in debauchery and gratify the desires of the flesh through immoral sexual behavior.
Conducting ourselves as Christians means showing love and concern for one's brothers and sisters in Christ and compassion for those who do not yet know their Savior. It also means what we do, how we act, and the way we come across to people is a significant part of our witness as well. For dedicated Christians, shunning participation in orgies, drunkenness, sexual immorality, and the rest should be an easy call. Paul, however, reminds his readers that the first battles against such behavior begin in the mind: "and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature."
Yet, sorrowfully, daily we do. We not only think about old, dead nature desires, we coddle them, get comfortable with them, rationalize them, and let them get the best of us. We sin.
But thanks be to God for His Son Jesus. In Him there is forgiveness. In Him there is the newness of life that transforms us into reliable witnesses for Him. In Him -- Him alone -- there is a complete victory over "the desires of the sinful nature."
THE PRAYER: Jesus, please help us find release from our past sins and trust in the forgiveness You have won for us on the cross at Calvary, that we may become free to live life in fullness for You. Clothe us with Your Holy Spirit and strengthen us in our witness. In Your Name we pray. Amen.
Biography of Author:
Christel Scharlach is the director of Lutheran Hour Ministries-South Africa with its office in Johannesburg. In addition to Equipping the Saints (ETS), Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC), and a performing arts program, LHM-South Africa conducts an active prison ministry providing spiritual counseling and support.
To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhmint.org.
