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
One day, a group of unbelievers, asked a Christian scientist this question: “As a person rooted in science, how can you believe that God will raise the dead from the dust?”
Working quickly, the scientist mixed a few handfuls of sand with the smallest of iron shavings. Then he challenged the unbelievers, saying, “Before I answer your question, let me ask one of my own: Which of you can take this pile and separate the particles into two groups?”
Taken off guard, the unbelievers didn’t really think their answer through.
You know what the Christian scientist did. He took a high-powered magnet and held it over the mixed pile. In a second the filings “jumped” from the desktop onto the magnet.
Turning to the unbelievers he then challenged them with this thought: “If the Creator establishes the laws which give such powers to a magnet, how can you believe He does not have greater powers Himself? I believe if the unseen power of the magnet can pull iron shavings out of the dirt; my God can use His almighty power to call forth bodies which have turned to dust.”
That was the end of the discussion.
In a similar way, we in Vietnam try to challenge the thinking of those who are convinced the idea of God is meaningless. We consider it an honor to share how God is the powerful Creator. The Bible says that God formed man from the dust of the ground. He created the body of man as perfect machinery with complete functions to subdue the world God had given.
Sadly, that world was lost with the coming of sin.
But our inability to deal with our lostness doesn’t change how much God loves us. That’s why Jesus entered this world as a human being. Jesus died to redeem us from the penalty of our sins, and His dead body was buried in the tomb.
Thankfully, after three days, He was raised from the dead. Afterward, He appeared to His disciples and many other people. Because Jesus has risen, the apostle Paul confidently affirmed that on Judgment Day the dead in Jesus Christ will rise and be given eternal life.
Tragically, the Bible also points out the place for those who are not reconciled with God through Christ. They will receive everlasting fire, and nobody wants to live in everlasting fire. Isn’t this true?
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for preparing a place for me in heaven with You. I know I do not deserve Your grace. Please forgive all my sins and help me overcome the temptations and evils in my life as I look forward to being with You on the last day and forever. I pray in Your Name. Amen.
Biography of Author: This devotion was written by a member of LHM’s team in Vietnam. Working in a country where atheism is the semiofficial religion and religious work cannot be done off of church grounds, creativeness is this office’s stock-in-trade. Puppet shows, music evangelism, Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC), and Equipping The Saints (ETS) have all proven to be most successful. Please remember them in your prayers as they work with local congregations in reaching a nation where Jesus is officially rejected.
To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhmint.org.