Most people think that I write a devotion and then, the next day, they...
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
By Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
"The One and Only"
June 13, 2017
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
~ 1 Timothy 2:5 (ESV)
Most people think that I write a devotion and then, the next day, they read that devotion.
They would be surprised to find there are numerous individuals between the writing and the reading. There are the folks who translate the devotion and those who prepare it for its appearance on the web and in your e-mail. There are those who make large-print editions and put it into Braille.
And then, of course, we have two folks who are mediators between you and me. One is the doctrinal reviewer who makes sure I'm not sharing any heresies, and the other is a fellow who proofs and fact checks every devotion.
A little over a week ago, this second mediator e-mailed me about a concern he had with the devotion that addressed the bombing in Manchester, England. My devotion said,
"Manchester citizens flocked to blood donation centers to help attack victims."That's a very strange sentence. If you read it with a wrong emphasis on the word "attack," it can be confusing and downright wrong.
My editor suggested this might be a better and a less-confusing way to say the same thing. He suggested,
"Manchester citizens flocked to blood donation centers to help the attack victims."The mediator's addition of that three-letter word fixed everything. No longer would anybody believe the people of Manchester were tracking down and abusing those poor unfortunates who had already survived one cataclysmic event.
In other words, the mediator did what he was supposed to do: he fixed a bad situation.
Two-thousand years ago, Jesus of Nazareth, the Mediator between God and man, did the same thing: He fixed a disastrous -- a damning situation. By taking our place under the Law, Jesus lived a perfect life and resisted every temptation, which was thrown at Him.
Then when His work on earth was drawing to a close, He carried our sins to the cross and, when He died our death, He also destroyed sin's curse for all who would be brought to faith in Him as their Savior and Lord.
His third-day resurrection from the dead is proof positive of Jesus' success. He has done what no other individual could do: He fixed an impossible situation and rescued us.
Which is why St. Paul could confidently write to Timothy, "There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
Thank the Lord for that One.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, all too often we act like little children who have taken apart grandpa's watch. We think we can put it back together, but any such restoration is totally beyond us. This is why we give thanks for Jesus. In His life, suffering, death, and resurrection, He has fixed an impossible situation and rescued us. In His Name we offer up this prayer. Amen
Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
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