Daily Devotions
In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. Ephesians 3:12
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 Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
In October of 2012, the former king of Cambodia, King Norodom Sihanouk, died.
Our office wrote a letter to the royal family expressing our condolences. We then received an invitation from the royal government to attend the funeral.
Ten of us, including our staff and friends, went to the funeral. When we arrived at the gate of the royal palace, the palace’s guards checked our paper to ensure we were invited to attend the funeral. After we were cleared, the guards led us to a waiting room. After 30 minutes of waiting, we were led to another room through a metal detector door. We waited there for another 30 minutes before we were called to line up with our flower bouquet to be presented to the king’s coffin. When it was our turn to present the flower bouquet and pay our respect to the king, the royal announcer announced us at the entrance door as guests from an organization, and then we walked into the room where the king’s coffin was. As we approached and faced the coffin, we bowed our heads, knelt, and silently said a prayer for the royal family.
Getting permission to attend King Sihanouk’s funeral was not easy — and yet how much more difficult it will be to approach the holy and living God. By our own effort, we will never be allowed to get our foot in the door of the heavenly kingdom.
But, thanks be to God that through His mercy, His Son Jesus Christ has made all things possible for us to approach Him. We don’t have to write letters to ask for permission to see Him. We don’t have to wait for hours to approach Him. Because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross on Calvary, we can approach our Living God at any time: “In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”
When we approach God, we are not approaching Him as guests, but as sons and daughters. In our baptisms we are born of God and heirs of the heavenly kingdom. So, go ahead and approach Your Heavenly Father. Visit Him in His Word. Talk to Him in your prayers. We have a royal invitation to do so; and He has promised to listen to us.
THE PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for making us Your children and heirs of Your kingdom in our baptisms. Because we are Your loving children, You invite us to approach You with freedom and confidence. Help us, Father, to be faithful to You and trust You above all things. In Jesus’ Name we pray it. Amen!
Biography of Author: Today’s international devotion was written by Rev. Fungchatou Lo. Dr. Lo graduated from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, in 2007 and is an ordained pastor in the Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod (LCMS). He served as a pastor for a Hmong Ministry in the U.S. for three years and was a missionary to Indonesia for two years. Currently, Dr. Lo and his family are serving the Lord in Cambodia, where he is the country representative for the LCMS. His wife, Kalia, is the branch manager for LCMS’ human care organization out of Hong Kong. Dr. Lo and Kalia have two children: a 14-year-old daughter named Faith, and a three-year-old son named Mercy. In Cambodia, Lutheran Hour Ministries-Cambodia is known locally as Cambodia Christian Media Center. It was established in 2000 in Phnom Penh City. Using both Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC) and Equipping the Saints (ETS), this ministry center is active in evangelism training and educating this county’s citizens in Christian teachings. Also, through music events, films, and the Internet, young people are learning about their Savior and the importance of healthy lifestyle choices.
To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhmint.org.