"Usefulness"

January 17, 2010



Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands! Psalm 90:17



Most people like to think they have a purpose in life.

Most people.

But some folks have to search very hard to fill their days and make the time pass. Not so long ago I was told of a man who retired in Detroit. That man spends most of his day playing solitaire. He plays it with a passion.

In ten years he has managed to play 132,400 games and he has recorded the results of each one. He can show visitors six ledger books filled with the figures.

Now, this Daily Devotion is not being written to take a stand for or against cards or the value in playing solitaire. We all need our hobbies, and most of us need some moments to be alone. On the other hand, I hate to see someone waste a perfectly good retirement recording the results of thousands of games of solitaire.

Now many people may be nodding their heads in agreement with my previous thought. They can feel pretty good that they don't do that. After all, they dislike cards. Well, how about TV? Do you spend countless hours in front of the tube? No? Well, I can't go through the entire list of how people can waste time, but most of us do.

So, the question before you is this: how can the Lord use you? There are so many lonely and hurting people. There are so many needs that remain unmet.

Perhaps it is time to ask the Lord what He wants you to do. He has put you here for a purpose, you know. Yes, we are here to worship Him for saving us through His Son, but we are also here to love and help each other.

We may not change the world when we do these things, but it sure beats playing 132,400 games of solitaire.


From a devotion originally written for "By the Way"



THE PRAYER: Dear Jesus, may the things we do with our time, our hands, and our thoughts ultimately glorify You. Thank You for those friends and helpers You put into our lives. Together may our actions glorify You. In Your Name. Amen.


In Christ I remain His servant and yours,


Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries

"Saved By An Angel"

January 18, 2010



For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. Psalm 91:11



If you expect to hear stories about angels when you read the Daily Devotions, today you will not be disappointed.

Today's devotion is about angels, well, at least one, very real Angel.

Before I go too far with this tomfoolery, let me introduce you to Angel, an 18-month-old Golden Retriever. You should also meet Austin, the 11-year-old boy that Angel loves.

And if you said Angel loves that boy more than life itself, that wouldn't be a stretch. You see, when it appeared a cougar was going to attack Austin, Angel threw herself at the cougar to let the lad get away.

Austin did make his escape; Angel didn't.

Even though Angel may have the heart of a lion, even on the best of days a young Golden Retriever is no match for a cougar. Indeed, that would have been the end of Angel's story if a Canadian Mountie, Peter Thiessen, hadn't heard the ruckus and shot the cat.

Now that's the kind of story that could be made into a movie; instead, it's a Daily Devotion.

And what can this devotion do with this story? How about this: the Lord can use some very unlikely candidates to accomplish His purpose of rescue.

Everybody is thankful Angel threw all caution to the wind and did all she could to save her master. In this case the Lord used a Golden Retriever to physically save a boy. Is it possible the Lord has used a surgeon to save your life . . . or a lifeguard . . . or some medicine . . . or seat belts or . . . ? You get the idea.

Yes, the Lord can use many agents to physically rescue people, but there is only one Rescuer of our souls: Jesus, the Babe of Bethlehem, the Christ of the cross, the Savior of the empty tomb.

Jesus is the One, the only, the heaven-sent Rescuer.

Unlike Angel who couldn't have imagined how the battle with the cougar was going to turn out, Jesus knew.

Jesus knew He would be betrayed by a friend; He knew He was going to be denied, deserted, and condemned. He knew about the whip, the crown of thorns, the nails, and the cross.

Even so, Jesus continued on. He gave His happiness for ours, His future for ours, His death for our lives. His was a sacrifice unparalleled and unmatched in history. It is unique.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks a dog was able to save the earthly life of a little boy. I give thanks for the many ways You protect me. Most of all I give thanks for my Savior who sacrificed His life to save the world. May I continue to rejoice in Jesus, the Redeemer of the world. In His Name. Amen.

PS - Angel has had surgery to repair her wounds and, as of this writing, is recovering nicely.


In Christ I remain His servant and yours,



Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries

"Moving Up"

January 19, 2010



If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (KJV) 1 John 1:9



In March of 2005, Mark McGwire, ex-professional baseball player and home-run hitter extraordinaire, appeared before the Congress of the United States. When he was asked to address the subject of his having used steroids, he told them, "I'm not here to talk about the past."

Apparently, something has changed because Mark McGwire is now doing just that.

He has confessed to the news media that he was using steroids and human growth hormones in 1998 when he broke the previous single-season home run record of Roger Maris.

He has confessed that same thing to his wife, his son, his parents.

He has made his confession to the widow and family of Roger Maris.

He has made a confession to the general public.

Immediately after the TV cameras stopped rolling, the commentators began to evaluate the confession of Mark McGwire.

For some his confession was too late; for others it was too little, and for yet others the confession seemed insincere. For some, McGwire's confession smacked of an attempt to get elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame; others maintain this confession was the price he had to pay to work as a hitting coach with the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team.

As for me, when Mark McGwire was done crying and confessing, he looked more like a hero to me than he ever had as a home run hitter.

Of course, some will ask, "How do you know he was sincere?" I don't. But it's not my job to judge sincerity. That belongs to God, and the Lord knows McGwire's heart.

But I will hope and pray the confession was real. After all, if we confess our sins, the Lord has promised to be faithful and just and gracious and forgive us those sins.

So we might be forgiven is why Jesus was born; so we might be forgiven, the Savior carried our sins to the cross.

If that forgiveness belongs to Mark McGwire -- like it belongs to so many of us who have been called to confession and the Christ -- I will thank the Lord.

THE PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, for having sent the Holy Spirit to call me to faith in the Christ, I give thanks. Now I pray that others may also fall to their knees in heartfelt confession. Then, having made confession, may they be told to rise up -- forgiven and free. 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

"Not That Open-Minded"

January 20, 2010



. . . They displease God and are hostile to all men in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last. (NIV) 1 Thessalonians 2:15b-16



For the last few weeks, this Devotion has resisted the temptation to speak about Tiger Woods.

That's because we didn't have a whole lot to add to the countless voices that were criticizing and defending the great golfer. Now, however, it may be time to comment. Understand, we're not commenting on Tiger Woods; we're speaking about open-mindedness -- or a lack of it.

You see, when a fellow by the name of Brit Hume made a guest appearance on Fox News Sunday, he said, "Tiger, turn your faith to the Christian faith, and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world."

As a Christian, Hume was offering his personal urgings to Mr. Woods, who is not an avowed Christian, to be given faith and forgiveness that comes only through the sacrifice of the crucified and risen Savior. Hume was doing the kind of thing Christians have been doing for almost 2,000 years now.

It's the kind of comment with which people are free to agree or disagree.

I want to tell you people have disagreed with Mr. Hume. Big time. People who are supposed to be open-minded about things showed their open-mindedness by condemning Hume, by calling him names, by threatening him, by saying all Christians were nothing more than a bunch of (you can fill in the blank here with any nasty name you would like).

So, we must conclude, open-mindedness for many of these people is to be reserved for those who malign the Savior; who laugh at the Savior, who mock the Savior, or who oppose the Savior.

And we can further conclude that closed-mindedness is what we Christians can expect when we say, "Jesus is the Savior of the world."

Hume wasn't surprised he was being criticized. He said, "The Name of Jesus has been intimidating people for ages and that's not going to stop now."

I guess I wasn't surprised either. As Paul wrote, there are those who "are hostile to all men in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved."

So there we have it. The Savior tells us to share His Name; the world tells us to be quiet. What shall we do? Pretty easy choice, isn't it? Peter and John should be speaking for all of us when they said, "For we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20).

And we can't.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, the world still doesn't wish to hear of Jesus who has offered His life for its salvation. Send Your Holy Spirit to break Satan's hold and open minds and hearts to the grace we have been given in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. In His Name. Amen.



In Christ I remain His servant and yours,



Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries

"Full Of Evil"

January 21, 2010



. . . The hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. Ecclesiastes 9:3b



Hong Kong's Temple Street Night Market is a busy place.

Situated at ground level and surrounded by old apartments, it is usually filled with local residents and tourists checking out the unusual wares and bargains to be had by the discerning shopper.

It is also the place of the most recent acid bombing.

For those of you who don't know -- and I would pray that ignorance would extend to most of you -- an acid bombing takes place when a person or group of people go to the top of one of these apartments and throws full bottles of acid down on the people below.

There have been six such attacks in the last year.

Since no one takes credit for the bombings, the police assume it is not politically motivated. Since no special person is targeted, nobody believes it is an act of family vengeance.

With no suspects, police are concerned about who it is that likes to throw acid on strangers, children, the unprepared, and the unsuspecting. The acid bomber is like the pyromaniac, except his thrill comes from destroying people not buildings.

I know that nowadays it's pretty normal to reject the idea of original sin, and most folks would have us believe humanity is basically good. It's not; we're not. Ecclesiastes is right when it says, "The hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live."

Granted, most of us don't throw acid bombs on the unsuspecting but, all of us, by nature, are sinners -- lost and helpless sinners.

It is into this sick and sinful world that the Lord sent His perfect Son. It was Jesus' job to rescue us from the evil that permeates, to pull us back from the clutches of sin and Satan. It was an obligation Jesus fulfilled flawlessly. Now, because of His selfless sacrifice all who believe on Him are saved and all who trust in Him are forgiven and offered His promise of paradise.

Thank God. In a world of wars and rumors of wars, when acid can rain down unexpectedly from the sky, we need the hope Jesus alone can provide.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, as You look upon this sinful planet, You must grieve. You sent Your Son to save us, but so many prefer to live in sin rather than with the Savior. Use me, I pray, to make a witness to Jesus where I can, to whomever I can, as often as I can. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,



Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ

"The Marathon Of Faith"

January 22, 2010



. . . And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? Romans 10:14b



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



The Olympics always launch by transferring the flame from the site of the original contests in Olympia, Greece to where the games will be held next. It is a privilege to be chosen as a torchbearer. Athletes, actors, musicians, sports figures, and politicians have all carried the torch, transferring the flame to the next person in the procession as it makes its way to its final destination. It is an impressive sight with millions of people watching the pageant on television. The conclusion to this spectacle is when the fire is transferred to the stadium's torch prior to the games beginning.

Faith is like this. With the atoning work for our sins accomplished by Jesus Christ's death and resurrection two thousand years ago, His message to His disciples was to take the Gospel out into the whole world. He told them, "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," (Matthew 28:19). Since then, the fire of faith has spread to the earth's distant corners, and year after year we see many people transferring their torches to another person.

The apostle Paul knew, too, that reaching others with the light of salvation means sharing the Good News of God's love in Jesus Christ: "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ," (Romans 10:17). As elected people in this great marathon of faith, preaching is our duty-a blessed opportunity to participate in the growth of God's Kingdom on earth. It is our obligation and responsibility to bring the torch of faith to all we meet along our road of life.

How wonderful it is when people who have received God's Word from us are moved by the Holy Spirit to lives of faith and who can then say, along with the apostle Paul, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1).

How wonderful when these same people-newly justified by God's grace-take up the torch and join in sharing His story of salvation with others!

THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we pray for those who carry the torch of Your Word to a world groping in darkness. Give them strength and purposefulness to share the light of Jesus Christ with all they meet. In His Name, we pray. Amen.

Biography of Author: This devotion was written by Igor Savich, the director of Lutheran Hour Ministries' Russian office. The ministry of LHM-Russia is active in several outreach services: radio, TV, CD and DVD production, booklets, and the Internet. Based in St. Petersburg, LHM-Russia also utilizes Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC) and Equipping the Saints (ETS) workshops.


To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhmint.org.







Pastor Klaus returns
again tomorrow.

"God Sees And Cares"

January 23, 2010



If You, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? Psalm 130:3



I have some friends who are, because of a promotion, selling their house and moving to another city.

The idea of leaving their church, their neighborhood, their friends, and their home has made the move traumatic.

Amazingly, one of the things that bothers them the most is when the realtors call and say, "We're bringing over some prospective buyers in a half hour. Give the house a quick straightening up and then disappear."

Both husband and wife have confessed they don't like the idea of someone prowling around their kitchen and poking into the drawers and closets. The thought has made them very uncomfortable. No, it's not that they have anything wrong hidden away, and it's not that they're embarrassed at the cleanliness of their house.

It's just that, well, there are just some things they'd rather not have people see.
I can sure understand that feeling. You can, too.

All of us have things we would rather not have other people know about us. Just as we don't want anybody snooping in our closets and drawers, we don't want people prying into our private affairs.

We all have too much to hide -- too many things we've done of which we're not proud.
Have you ever thought how the Lord sees each and every one of those sad, sorry, and sinful things we've done? He knows our thoughts and our wrong actions. Amazingly, in spite of seeing every one of our hidden secrets, He still loves us.

He loves us enough to send His Son to become one of us, to fulfill the Law for us, to resist temptation for us, and to die and rise for us.

It's an incredible and gracious attribute for a gracious God.

In spite of knowing who we really are, He still cares.


From a devotion originally written for "By the Way"



THE PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, for all my sins that are an insult and an affront to You, I am sincerely sorry. Please accept my appreciation for Your Son and the forgiveness He has won for me on the cross. In Jesus' Name. Amen.



In Christ I remain His servant and yours,



Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries

"Hidden Blessings"

January 24, 2010



Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21



In the early years of the 1900s, a couple moved from North Carolina to Oklahoma. There they farmed a small piece of land.

Truth be told, they lived mighty poorly for a good number of years. That all changed when a stranger drove up on their property and took a sample of their water. I'm not sure what he found, but it wasn't too much later that another stranger showed up and offered to buy their farm at an unbelievable price.

Before long, a high-producing oil well was located between the house and the barn. Reminiscing, the old farmer said, "To think that we slaved here for all those years and all that time we had a fortune under our doorstep and we didn't know about it."

Now, I'm not going to suggest we all ought to go out and dig in our backyard for oil. Life doesn't work that way -- at least not very often.

But I do suggest that the Lord, who gave His Son to save us, may have also given unrecognized fortunes to many of us.

Perhaps your unrecognized fortune is a spouse who has given faithfully without getting much in return. Perhaps your unrecognized fortune is an unexpectedly kind place of employment. Maybe it is in the form of children who respect you, or a church that appreciates you.

Most of us have fortunes right outside our back doors or under our roofs.
This is why I would encourage you to offer a special "thank you" for those hidden fortunes; it seems the right thing to do.


From a devotion originally written for "By the Way"



THE PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, I am grateful for the unexpected, undeserved blessings that You have placed into my life. For a Savior who suffered, died, and rose to save me, for a . . . (name your blessing here _________ ), I am most thankful. Please help me to always see Your hand in the simplest of things. In Jesus' Name, Amen.


In Christ I remain His servant and yours,



Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries

"I Have Faith"

January 25, 2010



(Jesus said) "Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life." Revelation 2:10



What would I do?

Years ago I read the stories of pastors who had been asked to serve their congregations and communities during times of plague and continuous warfare. The books spoke of the courage they showed in the face of frustrating and almost hopeless circumstances. I wondered what would I do if I were ever placed into such a situation? The passing years have not changed the question. I still wonder.

What would I do?

Haiti's recent earthquake has shown what people will do. The severity of the quake and the inability of the world to provide the most basic of humanitarian aid and relief has shown what people will do when necessities aren't accessible. It shows what they will do when society and authority have lost control.

What will people do?

The daily television reports have shown us, in high-definition, what we would do. We have seen machete-wielding gangs take over the streets, but we have also seen spontaneous parades during which people praise the Lord for their deliverance.
And what have the pastors done?

They've done some amazing things. For years we preachers have picked up some pretty bad press. Sometimes it was deserved, sometimes not. But watching the reports coming from Haiti I have seen ministers pulling the Lord's people together with enthusiastic words of encouragement. One pastor calls out: "Think of our new village here as the house of Jesus Christ, not the scene of a disaster . . . ."

If their church building is no more, if the pastor is dead or missing, laypeople of faith are coming forward. As one encouraged, "As I still breathe, I have faith."
What would I do?

I pray the Holy Spirit would reach out and uphold me. I pray He would watch over my family, friends, and the faithful. I pray we all, as long as we could still breathe, continue to have faith in the Savior whose life was spent so we might be saved for a better life than here.

What will we do? It occurs to me if those things are worth praying for in times of a disaster, then they are also worth praying for when our lives have been blessed.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, in Haiti and here bring light to darkness, hope to ruined lives, and peace to troubled and worried hearts. In Haiti and here, teach us to look past this ruin so we might see the joy that comes from the peace You alone can give -- the peace which passes human understanding and can cover the most devastating of earthquakes. In Your Name. Amen.



In Christ I remain His servant and yours,



Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries

"Thou Shalt Not"

January 26, 2010



All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. (KJV) 1 Corinthians 6:12



Some years ago I saw a man-on-the-street interview.

One lady was asked, "How many commandments are there?" She knew the answer: "Ten." The next question was harder, "Can you give me one of those commandments?"

The lady hemmed and hawed; she stuttered and stammered, and then she said, "Thou shalt not . . . do anything." The audience laughed.

The questioner asked, "Are you sure?" She was positive she had it right. "Thou shalt not do anything."

There are a lot of unbelievers who think that's what the Lord has done to Christians. He has told us, "Thou shalt not do anything. Thou shalt not have fun. Thou shalt not smile. Thou shalt not . . . "

How wrong they are! The Savior's sacrifice and the shedding of His blood on Calvary were designed to free us from our sin and release us from Satan's clutches. Jesus' resurrection on the third day has even freed us from death itself.

Now it's true that the Son of God dying -- so we might have eternal life -- can be a sobering and powerful thought. Even so, that doesn't mean we Christians have to be sour and sad. God has not given the order: "Thou shalt not do anything."

Now the reason I bring this up is because recently, during a rare winter snow in London, some British policemen -- two bobbies -- were reprimanded (lightly reprimanded) because they had used their riot shields to go sledding.

The film, made by a passerby, shows one bobby shooting down the hill while another shouts, "Whatever happens, keep smiling!"

Apparently, the authorities found the thing objectionable.

I like the rule: "Whatever happens, keep smiling." That's it. "Keep smiling in the Savior." That sure sounds a lot better than, "Thou shalt not do anything."

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, for the grace of the Gospel that enables me to live in gratitude for all that has been done to forgive and save me, I am thankful. Now, please send Your Holy Spirit upon others so they may see Your love, and not just Your Laws. In Jesus' Name. Amen.


In Christ I remain His servant and yours,



Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries

"No Boasting"

January 27, 2010



For I the Lord do not change . . . . Malachi 3:6a



There are some things that just shouldn't change. When I order a Big Mac at McDonald's, I expect to taste two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun. I don't expect them to substitute sushi for the beef.

On the other hand, there are some things that should change. One of those things that should change is Oscar Goodman, Mayor of Las Vegas. Understand, I don't much mind if Goodman personally likes to cavort with showgirls, or if he likes to drink his gin, or if he bets on anything that moves.

On the other hand, I have a major problem -- as defined a very few years ago -- when Mayor Goodman visited an elementary school and told some fourth-graders if he was stranded on a desert island, he would take a showgirl and a bottle of Sapphire Bombay Gin.

I also have a problem with a man who says, "If I'm governor, I'll cavort with showgirls, and I'll keep drinking my gin and betting on anything that moves."

Goodman told the Philadelphia Inquirer, his hometown paper. "I won't change!"

I think he ought to.

While these devotions don't get involved in politics and we would never endorse a candidate, we do believe in Christian responsibility. We believe it is the responsibility of Christians to cast their votes for those who are upright morally and sound ethically.

This we do because we, unlike Mayor Goodman, have been changed. Because of the Savior's sacrifice, we have been washed of our sins and been brought to faith. We've been changed, and we want our leaders to be men and women who do their very best to leave sin behind and serve with integrity.

THE PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, for the changes Your Son has made in my life, I give thanks. I further rejoice that You can be counted on and will never change. Now I pray that You will grant us leaders who will be responsible and ethical. 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

Visit here to be refreshed through a meditation on God's Word. The devotions are updated daily, and you can also receive these devotions daily via e-mail. If you would like to read a devotion from a previous date, please visit our devotion archives.


En Espaņol

"Crying Can't Help"

January 28, 2010



He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. Revelation 21:4



Myrtha was at a friend's home in Port-au-Prince when the earthquake came. The home she was in shook; then, it collapsed. Myrtha was swept into a hole along with two of her friend's children. The children died, and Myrtha was trapped in that grave for three days.

Her family mourned. Her cousin in New York mourned. Friends who saw TV coverage that showed Myrtha's home assumed she had been killed. But Myrtha was not killed. She was rescued, hospitalized and, eventually, her picture was shown. Myrtha was among the living.

When Myrtha's family found out, they rejoiced and called Myrtha at a phone in her hospital. Their joy was turned to sorrow when they were told she had lost a leg in the accident.

That's when the family began to cry.

Hearing the weeping, Myrtha said, " . . . listen to me: Don't cry. Where I was, it was the worst thing ever."

Did you get that picture? Someone who had been in the **** of Haiti was telling people in America not to cry.

According to the apostle John, that's what the Lord is going to do for us in heaven.
Centuries ago, Jesus Christ was born one of us. As one of us, He resisted the devil's temptations; He fulfilled the Law; He suffered, died, and descended into ****. Three days after His murder, a living Christ -- a risen Christ -- showed the entire world that even death had been defeated.

Now, the ascended Savior welcomes into heaven all who acknowledge Him as Savior and Lord.

And if you're wondering what heaven will be like, it will be like this: Jesus will wipe away every tear from our eyes, "and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."

To all of us, to all of our hurting hearts, Jesus will say, as Myrtha did: "Don't cry."

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, as You look upon this sinful planet, You must grieve. You came to save us, to forgive us, to wipe away our tears. Even though You died and gave Your all, so many do not believe. Lord, be with them, call them to faith. Let them see Your heaven that awaits -- Your heaven where all tears will be wiped 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

"From Babel To Bangkok"

January 29, 2010



Who will not fear You, O Lord, and bring glory to Your Name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed. Revelation 15:4



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



Short-term volunteer teams to Asia often tell us a highlight of their mission experience is worshiping with local Christians. "It's enjoyable and uplifting to be worshiping with believers from another country and culture half a world away from our own," they say. This experience is a small glimpse into what John wrote about in Revelation: "All nations will come and worship before You. . . ."

Christians joining together to worship in spite of language differences is a stark contrast to the Tower of Babel narrative in Genesis 11. At that time the people's unity was disrupted when God confused their language. They could no longer understand each other, so they couldn't work together.

When a group of Lutheran pastors and their wives visited Bangkok to conduct a seminar for local Christians, communication was difficult. The visitors didn't speak Thai, and most of the Thai people spoke little to no English. At times their efforts to converse were comical. Lots of gestures, strange facial expressions, long pauses, and bemused smiles resulted from the attempts to bridge the language barrier. Work was accomplished, but there were some awkward and embarrassing moments in the process.

But when it came to worshipping together, an interesting thing happened.

When the visiting team attended local churches and worshiped with Thai Christians, they felt a bond. Though the words were different, the melody was the same. The natural dissonance of mixing the two languages actually created another kind of harmony as God's people raised their hearts and voices in praise to Him. At Babel, "the Lord scattered them (the people) from there over all the earth . . ." by confusing their language, according to Genesis 11:8a. In Bangkok, the Lord brought people together from opposites sides of the earth and gave them unity through the power of His Holy Spirit. In spite of the language and cultural dissimilarities, the mission team and the local Thai Christians were keenly aware of their oneness in Christ.

How great it will be when all nations come and worship before the throne of God in heaven! There will be no strangers there. Then, God's people the world over will raise their voices in a resounding chorus of praise to God for the wonderful salvation provided through His Son Jesus Christ.

THE PRAYER: Thank You, Father, that Your people throughout the world are one in Christ and that someday we will all worship together before Your throne of grace. Please send Your Holy Spirit to open the hearts and minds of those who do not yet know You, so they may come to know Jesus as their Savior and join in the heavenly worship. Amen.

Biography of Author: Dennis Denow is a missionary with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod World Mission and the husband of Monta Ekwanit Denow, director for Journey Into Light (JIL), the ministry center for Lutheran Hour Ministries in Bangkok, Thailand. Using Equipping the Saints (ETS), Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC), print, Internet and text messaging, booklets, tracts, and coloring books, JIL shares the Gospel in this country of 65 million.


To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhmint.org.




Pastor Klaus returns
again tomorrow.

"Getting Revenge"

January 30, 2010



Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. Romans 12:19



Today, as I drove in to work, I fellow cut into my lane of traffic. He didn't look, and I'm pretty sure he didn't know I was there.

I was mad and I was just about ready to lay on the horn when I remembered a story an old preacher told me when I first started in the ministry.

The pastor told me about a farmer in his congregation who had frequently been pestered by a carload of young folks -- young folks who delighted in sneaking over his orchard fence and playing havoc with his apples without asking permission.

Eventually, the farmer caught the youngsters red handed and full mouthed.

Quickly swallowing a chunk of golden delicious, one of the apple thieves sheepishly smiled and said, "We hope you don't mind we took a few of your apples."

"No, not at all," said the farmer, who was also smiling. He continued, "And I hope you don't mind I took some of the air out of your tires."

Honestly -- that story changed my life.

That farmer did more than take some air out of a few tires. He has taken some of the air out of me. Every time I'm ready to get back at somebody for a real or imagined hurt they've done to me, the face of that farmer shows up in my mind.

He shows up and I have to calm down. That's probably good. After all, revenge seldom helps the people I'm angry at, and it insults the memory, example, and wishes of my Savior.

You see, Jesus who gave Himself to save us never paid people back for the evil they did to Him. On the contrary He tried to bring them closer, call them to repentance, and offer them forgiveness.

And -- if I read today's Scripture correctly -- we're supposed to avoid revenge and leave the score settling to the Lord.


From a devotion originally written for "By the Way"



THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, how blessed we are to have a Savior who forgives our poor choices and our bad attitudes. Now, may I, one of Your forgiven children, share that forgiveness with others. In Jesus' Name. Amen.



In Christ I remain His servant and yours,



Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries

"Doing Something"

January 31, 2010



(Jesus said) "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



Sunday -- what a wonderful day to sleep in and do nothing.

Although I've never seen a scientific study on it, I believe doing nothing is one of the great pleasures of life.

Doing nothing is something Melody Schick is very good at. Not so very long ago, Schick dressed herself up as a rag doll and sat down on a revolving platform.

Only Schick's eyes moved. The rest of her just sat and sat and sat and, well, you get the idea.

Five hours and 43 boring minutes after Schick first sat down, she slowly stood up and tried to smile. She smiled because she had just become the proud holder of the world's record for sitting still. Amazingly, Schick's stunt took place at a shopping center while hundreds of shoppers watched her do -- nothing.

I don't know which is worse, doing nothing or watching someone else do nothing.

You know, there are an awful lot of people who have taken Melody lessons.

By that I mean they work very hard at doing nothing. Or they stand around and watch other people do nothing. It's fascinating and it's such a waste. Each of us has been given gifts from God -- gifts He wants us to use for a purpose.

Now, it's possible that doing nothing may be Schick's gift. But it's difficult for me to believe "doing nothing" is the kind of gift the Lord distributes in abundance to the masses.

What the Lord really wants from us is for His people to appreciate His Son. He wants them to thank the One who has saved them from sin, Satan, and death. God wants people who are willing to let their lights shine, to glorify the Savior, and to help those around them.

It may not be as exhausting as doing nothing, but it sure is easier for people to watch.


From a devotion originally written for "By the Way"



THE PRAYER: Dear Father, when I am tempted to do nothing, please help me refocus my energies into accomplishing something that will be a reflection of Your love to those around me. 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