Friday, November 10, 2017

LHM Daily Devotion - November 11, 2017 "Just What I Always Needed"

Well, it's not yet Thanksgiving and this is the second of our...
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

By Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour



"Just What I Always Needed"

November 11, 2017

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.
~ 1 Peter 3:18 (ESV)

Well, it's not yet Thanksgiving and this is the second of our pre-Christmas devotions. Now, I know some of you may think I'm jumping the gun, but I've noticed the department stores have their holy-day displays up, and my mailbox is packed with Christmas catalogues.

Unfortunately, the one Christmas book I have not yet received is from a local Texas company. Of course, I'm referring to the 91st Neiman Marcus Christmas Book. But not to worry, one of my friends has let me borrow his catalogue, and I want to spent some serious time looking at what Neiman Marcus believes is the stuff you and I should want.

Now, to be truthful, I didn't know I wanted most of these things. That's mostly because I didn't know most of these things existed until I saw this catalogue. Now lest you accuse me of speaking ambiguously, I am ready to tell you about some of the gifts which I'm pretty sure you don't have.

Gift number one that I should want: his and hers 12-cylinder Rolls Royce cars. One is grey with a black interior, the other orange with a white interior. I'm pretty sure your family dog can fit in the back seat of either vehicle. Price: $885,375

Gift number two that I should want: an opportunity to explore the gem fields of Zambia with jeweler Stephen Webster. After your trip, which takes in the Victoria Falls, you will go to London to design a piece of jewelry which has a 7.2-carat emerald as the centerpiece. Price: $300,000

Gift number three that I should want: if I was a golfer, which I'm not, I'd want the gift which lets me go to the 2018 Ryder Cup with team Captain Jim Furyk. It is understood that VIP tickets to everything are included. Price: $250,000

Gift number four that we should want: Actually, this last gift is for us. It includes a private New Year's Eve party, 150 hotel rooms for two nights, drinks, dinner, a DJ, and a great view of the ball-drop in Times Square. Price: $1.6 million.

So there, my friends, you have it, some of the things the well-paid buyers at Neiman Marcus think I should want this Christmas. Now, my memory is not what it used to be, so I had to go back to Matthew and Luke to see just how many of these things appear in the Nativity story.

Can you believe it? Not one of these was listed!

We shouldn't be surprised. You see, the Lord didn't take a look at sinful, lost humankind and say, "What would you like from Me?" He had a pretty good idea we would come up with something like a his-and-her four-horse chariots or VIP tickets to Rome's gladiatorial games. No, the Lord didn't concern Himself with what we wanted.

He gave us what we needed. And what we needed most of all was a Savior.

We needed Someone who could do all the things we could not, Someone who could fulfill the Law, carry our sins, resist temptation, and do all this knowing He would die on a Roman cross. We needed God's Son. And for those who have been given this gift, they know He is the best gift of all.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, for giving us Your Son, accept our praise. For not giving us what we wanted, please receive our gratitude. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin!  Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).

The Daily Readings for FRIDAY, November 10, 2017

Feeding the Five Thousand - Matthew 14:13-21
Daily Readings

Ezra 7:27-28, 8:21-36
Blessed be the LORD, the God of our ancestors, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king to glorify the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, and who extended to me steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king's mighty officers. I took courage, for the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me. Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might deny ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our possessions. For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and cavalry to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king that the hand of our God is gracious to all who seek him, but his power and his wrath are against all who forsake him. So we fasted and petitioned our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty. Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests: Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their kin with them. And I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and the vessels, the offering for the house of our God that the king, his counselors, his lords, and all Israel there present had offered; I weighed out into their hand six hundred fifty talents of silver, and one hundred silver vessels worth... talents, and one hundred talents of gold, twenty gold bowls worth a thousand darics, and two vessels of fine polished bronze as precious as gold. And I said to them, "You are holy to the LORD, and the vessels are holy; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the LORD, the God of your ancestors. Guard them and keep them until you weigh them before the chief priests and the Levites and the heads of families in Israel at Jerusalem, within the chambers of the house of the LORD." So the priests and the Levites took over the silver, the gold, and the vessels as they were weighed out, to bring them to Jerusalem, to the house of our God. Then we left the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem; the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes along the way. We came to Jerusalem and remained there three days. On the fourth day, within the house of our God, the silver, the gold, and the vessels were weighed into the hands of the priest Meremoth son of Uriah, and with him was Eleazar son of Phinehas, and with them were the Levites, Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui. The total was counted and weighed, and the weight of everything was recorded. At that time those who had come from captivity, the returned exiles, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel, twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and as a sin offering twelve male goats; all this was a burnt offering to the LORD. They also delivered the king's commissions to the king's satraps and to the governors of the province Beyond the River; and they supported the people and the house of God.

Revelation 15:1-8
Then I saw another portent in heaven, great and amazing: seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is ended. And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb: "Great and amazing are your deeds, Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, King of the nations! Lord, who will not fear and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your judgments have been revealed." After this I looked, and the temple of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, and out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues, robed in pure bright linen, with golden sashes across their chests. Then one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever; and the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were ended.

Matthew 14:13-21
Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves." Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." They replied, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish." And he said, "Bring them here to me." Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The New Revised Standard Version Bible may be quoted and/or reprinted up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible or account for fifty percent (50%) of the total work in which they are quoted.

Prayer of the Day for FRIDAY, November 10, 2017


O God, the Father of all, whose Son commanded us to love our enemies: Lead them and us from prejudice to truth: deliver them and us from hatred, cruelty, and revenge; and in your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before you, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

Verse of the Day for FRIDAY, November 10, 2017


Job 37:5-6 (NIV) God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’

Read all of Job 37

Listen to Job 37

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Morning Devotions with Cap'n Kenny - WORDS


WORDS

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
~ John 1:1 (ESV)

I see the paper, the markings; the ink lines connected to make words. I run my finger across the lines but can only feel the impression left by a pen. I can’t see the instrument, nor even the ink in the well, only the ink left on the page. I can’t see the hand, yet I know there was a hand, and a mind that formulated the words which hold meaning. Only words! That’s all that remains. So, I read the words, looking at how the lines were made and know that someone I loved left that ink on that paper. It’s mine. I hold it fast. It’s not much, but it’s all I have. Only words of someone’s mind that knew me. Someone’s hand that held my hand. Someone’s words that said, “I love you.” Furthermore, I believe it.

The Word was in the beginning and was God. That is what scripture tells us. The Bible also tells us that creation started with the Word. “Let there be light,” and it was so. We are also told that the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. Jesus, the son of God who was in the beginning with God, became that flesh. At least, this is what the Word says.

The Bible; God’s Word, symbols written down over, and over again, changing languages through the ages. We can’t see John, or Paul sitting in a prison cell giving the words. We can’t see Timothy, or Peter possibly having someone else transcribe their stories. We can’t see Moses parting the sea, or Isaiah predicting the coming of the Messiah. We can't see David writing poetry, or his son Solomon giving words of wisdom. But, we do have the words.

We know that the words have been directed by the mind that formulate the story. The story is beautifully instrumented by God, the author and creator from the beginning to the end. The pinnacle is Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, born, preaching, performing miracles, crucified, dead, and buried, the Messiah, risen, victorious over death, bringing us new life.

We know from the Word, that Jesus knelt down and wrote in the dirt. This is when the accusers came to him with a woman caught in adultery. What were the words He wrote? We will never know, but in the end the accusers were all gone, and He, Himself did not accuse her. Maybe the words he wrote was, “Forgiven, or I love you.”

The words are all we have. We can’t see Jesus walking the streets, performing miracles, or bending down to write in the sand, but we do have the story in the Word. It’s ours. We can hold it fast to our hearts or we can turn our back to it. The words are read with our eyes, deciphered with our mind, and if we allow, pierces straight to our heart. It is then we comprehend, and the Word sinks into our very existence. The Word is God: the hope of God, the help of God, the instructions of God, the love of God, and the gift of God. The Word is timeless. The Word is unchanging, yet changes us forever. The message of the Word is, “I love you.” Furthermore, I choose to believe it!
Dear God of Love, Thank you for your Word. With that word you spoke everything into existence. Amen

In Jesus,
Cap'n Kenny


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Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Devotion shared by Jenny Calvert.
The Word is unchanging, yet changes us forever.

Un Dia a la Vez - Jamás los conocí


Jamás los conocí

«No todo el que me dice: “Señor, Señor”, entrará en el reino de los cielos, sino solo el que hace la voluntad de mi Padre».
~ Mateo 7:21 (NVI)

Vamos llegando al final de nuestros veintiún días de aprendizaje, o solo de repaso, a fin de poder tener muy presente las cosas que nos alejan de Dios. De seguro que ahora todos estamos con el mismo deseo: Hacer su voluntad.

Cuando analizo las siguientes palabras del Señor: «Jamás los conocí» (Mateo 7:23), solo digo: ¡Qué terrible!! A veces nos creemos muy sabios, muy espirituales, y que tenemos el cielo ganado. Incluso, hay quienes dicen tener a Jesús, pero nunca le han entregado su vida, a pesar de que hacen y dicen cosas en su nombre, pero es en vano.

Por eso la lectura de estas palabras del Señor nos pone a pensar y a reflexionar en lo que hacemos o dejamos de hacer en nuestra vida cristiana. Aunque muchos digan «Señor, Señor», o por más cosas que hagan en la tierra en su nombre, no todos estarán en su presencia. Y aquí quiero que prestes mayor atención. La salvación, o sea, la vida eterna, es un regalo inmerecido que recibimos por la gracia de Dios. Así que mi llamado es a que seamos honestos, transparentes y sinceros delante de Dios, ya que a Él no lo podemos engañar. Él conoce nuestro corazón.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón

Standing Strong Through the Storm - AM I WORTHY?


AM I WORTHY?

Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
~ Matthew 10:38 (NIV)

Helen Roseveare was an elderly missionary to Congo, Africa when I was still very young. I remember her holding the audience of ten thousand university students spell-bound and then in tears at Urbana ’76. Her life story is a testimony to the grace of God portrayed in the 1989 movie, Mama Luka Comes Home.

She is often asked by young people what she suffered for Jesus. Her simple answer is, “During the Simba uprising in the Congo, I was raped twice. Government soldiers came to my bungalow, ransacked it, and then grabbed me. I was beaten and savagely kicked, losing my back teeth through the boot of a rebel soldier. They broke my glasses, so I could not see to protect myself from the next blow.

“Then one at a time, two army officers took me to my own bedroom and raped me. They dragged me out into a clearing, tied me to a tree, and stood around laughing. And while I was there, beaten and humiliated and violated, someone brought out the only existing hand-written manuscript of a book I had been writing about God’s work in the Congo over an eleven-year period. They put it on the ground in front of me and burned it.

“I asked myself, Was it worth it? Eleven years of my life poured out in selfless service for the African people and now this? The minute I expressed that, God’s Holy Spirit settled over that terrible scene and He began to speak to me.”

‘“My daughter, the question is not “Is it worth it?” The question is, “Am I worthy?” Am I, the Lord Jesus who gave His life for you, worthy for you to make this kind of sacrifice for Me.’ And God broke my heart,” Helen continues. “I looked up and I said, ‘Oh Lord Jesus, yes, it is worth it, for You are worthy!’” She concludes, “When you ask the right question, you’ll always know that He is absolutely worthy of anything you can give Him or do for Him!”

Phil Callaway of SERVANT magazine once asked her, “Did you ever struggle to forgive those men?”

“No,” she replied. “There was no sense of bitterness or even anger. I was overwhelmed by the sense that God was graciously using me in His purpose. All He asked of me was the loan of my body. The consequences were His. A year later when I returned to Congo and met the man who had humiliated me, I realized that I did carry some resentment and I wasn’t sure I had forgiven him. But God led me to accept from Him the forgiveness that only God can give, and He gave me His peace again.”[1]

Helen returned to Congo after all the above and continued her life of service for Jesus among the African people.

RESPONSE: Today I will ask the right question, “Is Jesus worthy of the sacrifices He asks me to make?” Then I will answer affirmatively and take up my cross and follow Him!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for the wonderful trophies of grace, like Helen Rosevere, who encourage us in our walk with You who are truly worthy.

1. Phil Callaway, “Is it worth it?” Servant (Issue 85, 2010), p.11.

Men of the Bible - The Man by the Pool


The Man by the Pool 

His work: Since the man by the pool was an invalid, he may have made his living by begging.
His character: His role in the story seems almost entirely passive, perhaps in keeping with his character. He showed evidence neither of faith nor gratitude after the miracle of his healing and even went so far as to give evidence against Jesus to men who were hostile toward Jesus. Sin appears to have played a role in his condition.
His sorrow: To have been paralyzed for nearly forty years.
His triumph: To have been instantly healed.
Key Scriptures: John 5

A Look at the Man

"Do you want to be healed?"

It was an outrageous question to ask a man who had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years, a man forced to beg for a living.

But there was a reason for the question. Perhaps, in fact, the paralyzed man wasn't happy about the prospect of being healed. Maybe his disability offered a certain kind of security, enabling him at least to make a living as a beggar. His sudden cure would have undermined his many dependencies, his familiar routine, his ingrained view of himself. He would have had to start life all over again.

Or maybe he was offended by Jesus' warning against sin. Perhaps he thought it would do Jesus good to receive his comeuppance at the hands of the religious leaders.

The story of the man by the pool reminds us that displays of God's power are not enough to create faith in a person's heart. Though the man had suffered for many years, he showed no evidence of gratitude and no evidence of belief. We expect him to fall on his knees when he is miraculously healed. But he doesn't. We expect him to show some kind of curiosity about the person who healed him. But he doesn't even ask Jesus his name until their second encounter. We expect him to protect Jesus against his detractors, to be scandalized by their blindness and self-righteousness. Instead, he reports Jesus to men he knew to be hostile toward Jesus.

In Matthew's gospel, Jesus denounces the cities that had witnessed most of his miracles, because the vast majority of people there had failed to repent (Matthew 11:20). His words remind us that, even though miracles are evidence of God's power and compassion, without faith we are still free to reject them, still free to conclude that his offer of mercy is irrelevant or unnecessary.

Though none of us know what went on in the heart of the man who was healed, we are troubled by the way he responded and the way he failed to respond to the miracle he experienced. We may even wonder if by his own choice he finally succeeded in placing himself beyond the reach of God's mercy. Only God knows.

Reflect On: Psalm 86:1–8
Praise God: For his grace, mercy, and the faith to believe.
Offer Thanks: For the blessings of healing and wholeness.
Confess: Any tendency you may have to blame others rather than to admit your own sinfulness and receive Christ’s pardon.
Ask God: To give you courage to stand, face those crippling hurts, and live with freedom and hope.

Today's reading is a brief excerpt from Men of the Bible: A One-Year Devotional Study of Men in Scripture by Ann Spangler and Robert Wolgemuth (Zondervan). © 2010 by Ann Spangler. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Enjoy the complete book by purchasing your own copy at the Bible Gateway Store. The book's title must be included when sharing the above content on social media.

Girlfriends in God - Seeing the Face of God Through the Pinholes of Obedience


Seeing the Face of God Through the Pinholes of Obedience

Today’s Truth

“He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back”.
~ Isaiah 50:4-5 (NIV)

Friend to Friend

One of my favorite devotion books is My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. On October 10th, he wrote, “All God’s revelations are sealed until they are opened to us by obedience. You will never get them open through philosophy or thinking. But once you obey, a flash of light comes immediately…Obey God in the thing He shows you, and instantly the next thing is opened up…God will never reveal more truth about himself until you have obeyed what you already know.”

We must never fall into the trap of thinking that God will always give us only “big” things to do.  Jesus took a towel and began to wash the disciples’ feet (John 13:3-5). Through His act of servant leadership, He demonstrated the obedience we should have on a daily basis in the mundane activities of everyday life. Yes, He raised the dead, but He also washed the feet.

One evening Steve and I were on our way to dinner. Just before we arrived, I saw three teenage girls walking into another restaurant in the same area where we were going to eat. One of the girls had been in a small group I had led for two years. I felt God nudging me to go into the restaurant and pay for their dinners.

“Steve, there’s Christine,” I said. “I believe God wants me to pay for those girls’ dinners.”

Steve, being a man who listens to God, whipped the car around and headed toward the door.

“Hi girls,” I said as I walked up to them in line.

“Hi Mrs. Jaynes. What are you doing here?”

“May I take your order?” the cashier interrupted.

“Go ahead girls,” I urged. “You go first.”

Each girl ordered and then the cashier turned to me. “And you ma’am.

“Oh, I’m not having anything. I just came in to pay for these girls’ dinners.”

The threesome was very surprised and very appreciative. I ran back out to our car, feeling a warm sense of listening and obeying.

The next day, Christine called. “Mrs. Jaynes,” she said “thank you so much for paying for our dinners last night. My friends were so touched. No one has ever done anything like that for any of us before. See, last night, they wanted to go out to dinner, but I told them I couldn’t afford it.  So they were going to pay for mine. Then you came in and well…thanks.”

Obeying God only cost me $19.95, but the lesson to Christine, and her two friends was invaluable. Jesus said, “Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38).

Obeying God begins with heeding the simple nudges. Don’t be afraid! Many people are afraid to obey those nudges because they aren’t absolutely sure it is God’s voice. I’ve decided that if the inner prompting lines up with Scripture and is consistent with God’s character and ways, then I’d rather err on the side of obedience than the side of caution.

“We all have those times when there are no flashes of light and no apparent thrill to life, where we experience nothing but the daily routine with its common everyday tasks…Don’t always expect God to give you His thrilling moments, but learn to live in those common times of the drudgery of life by the power of God…I must realize that my obedience even in the smallest detail of life has all the omnipotent power of the grace of God behind it” (O. Chambers, June 15).

“If I obey Jesus Christ in the seemingly random circumstances of life, they become pinholes through which I see the face of God” (O. Chambers November 2).

My prayer is that I will be able to say like the prophet Isaiah, “He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back” (Isaiah 50:4-5).

Let’s Pray

Dear Lord, I’m listening. Speak to me. Nudge me. I will not be rebellious. I will not draw back.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

Today, I encourage you to pay attention to God’s nudges.

What is one time that you obeyed God’s nudge, even if you were nervous to do so? Then join me on my blog page, look for this devotion’s entry, and tell me what happened. I can hardly wait. Don’t feel uncomfortable telling me. Don’t feel like you’re tooting your own horn. I just want to toot my party horn in celebration of your obedience!

More from the Girlfriends

Have you been asking God, “What do you want from me?” If so, you’re asking the wrong question. It’s not what God wants from you, but for you! He wants you to experience His presence on a daily basis…right in the middle of your busy, messy day. Open your eyes to see God’s fingerprints and hear His voice as you learn about God’s lavish response to your ache for something more. A Sudden Glory is all about how to experience an intimate relationship and sacred romance with Jesus as never before. (Includes a Bible study guide.)

Seeking God?
Click HERE to find out more about how to have a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ.

Girlfriends in God