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
Fanatical supporters of any sport usually like to scream to express their emotions.
In many cities, neighbors strive to prove they are the most enthusiastic fans. Sadly, the way in which they do so is not always polite or comfortable to those around. You know how it works: at every touchdown, dunk, nice move, or home run, screams reverberate through the stadium in a tuneless symphony.
At that moment, the pitch and harmony doesn’t matter. What does matter to these folks is that they show enthusiastic passion and exuberant love for their team.
The Psalmist also invites us to shout. In Psalm 66, verses one and two it says, “Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of His Name; give to Him glorious praise!”
We are invited to shout for joy!
Why? Because God is wonderful God, the Lord of the whole universe, cares about us. And what have we done to deserve God’s attention? Nothing! Absolutely nothing. Instead of shouting God’s praises, many folks try to advance their own gods. Included in this list could be power, money, looks, and even idols.
These rebels fight and resist God’s perfect love. O prevent such a thing, the Psalmist advises, “Let not the rebellious exalt themselves” (see Psalm 66:7).
Indeed, how can we push and promote ourselves? It is impossible after we have seen God’s Son, Jesus Christ, calling out in a loud voice: “Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit!’ and breathed His last (see Luke 23:46).
How can we not sing His praises after we have seen the empty tomb and His resurrection? How can we not proclaim Him after He has taken from our lives the cries of despair and bitterness?
Scripture invites, “Come and see what God has done: He is awesome in His deeds toward the children of man” (Psalm 66:5). Truly, recognize what He has done and all the Lord offers. At no cost to us He extends to us freedom, forgiveness and peace. He hears our cries for help and turns them into shouts of joy.
Shout for joy! God never removed his steadfast love from us (see Psalm 66:20).
THE PRAYER: Jesus Christ, my Savior, may my shout for joy to God reach my neighbors and so Your love for every person be known. In Your Name. Amen.
Biography of Author: Today’s international devotion was written by Fernando Henrique Huf. Pastor Huf graduated in 1997 from Concordia Institute in São Paulo. He served as a pastor in Recife for seven years and in São Paulo for eight. Since March of 2012, he has been the pastor of The Lutheran Hour of Brazil. In that position he writes short daily messages, answers questions of respondents, receives prayer requests, and presents online Bible study every Wednesday. He travels with the Evangelism Training for Saints program and represents The Lutheran Hour at those events. He is married to Magda and they have two daughters: Tábata and Muriel. In this South American country of 200 million people, Lutheran Hour Ministries-Brazil operates as Hora Luterana. Outreach programs include “Five Minutes with Jesus,” a radio program; “Messages of Hope,” a voicemail response service delivering more than 10,000 Gospel replies each month; and Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC).
To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhmint.org.