Daily Devotions
There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with His disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” John 2:1-3
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
When I think of all the weddings I’ve attended, I am reminded of all the festivities that took place there. I’m sure it is the same for you. That’s because people go to a wedding to celebrate and have a good time.
Of course, in Jesus’ day, when someone went to a wedding, they went to a wedding. The festivities lasted an entire week. Imagine, a full week of feasting and celebrating. John tells us in the passage of Scripture above that Jesus, His mother, and His disciples were in attendance at such a wedding in the town of Cana.
Unfortunately, the festivities at this wedding were going to run down because “the wine ran out.” Things were looking desperate when Mary went to Jesus. At His time the Lord Jesus provided some first-class wine. Embarrassment was avoided, and the party went on.
Dear friends, there are times when the wine runs out in our own lives, when there is no pleasure in anything, when we wish to avoid others and if we can’t avoid them, we pick fights with them. We’ve all seen how
* when the wine of love runs out of a marriage, a couple no longer sees the point of continuing;
* when the wine of peace runs out of our lives, we find ourselves in constant conflict;
* when the wine of excitement runs out of our jobs or chosen careers, we quit;
* when the wine of fellowship runs out in a church, people break away.
Many different things can happen when the wine runs out. And our reaction is often like the writer of Ecclesiastes who commented, “All is vanity” (see Ecclesiastes 1:2).
The question, dear friends, is what do Christians do when the wine runs out?
At the wedding, Mary went to Jesus. In the book of Psalms, when the wine ran out, David turned to God (see Psalm 42:11). Then, having seen what God was doing David wrote, “My cup runneth over” (see Psalm 23).
Perhaps as you read this, the wine is running out in some area of your life. Let me urge you to do as Mary and David did, turn to the Lord. The Savior assures us we will find refreshment when we turn to Him (see Matthew 11:28).
With Him we find the wine of forgiveness; we find the wine of life; we find the wine of salvation.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks that You lead me beside still waters, that You make me to lie down in green pastures, that You restore my soul. This You do for Jesus’ sake in whose Name this prayer has been offered. In my risen Redeemer’s Name. Amen.
Biography of Author: Today’s international devotion was written by Tshepo Kutumela. Tsheppo works for Lutheran Hour Ministries-South Africa. He studied at the Lutheran Theological Institute at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg. He is responsible for the switchboard and Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC). He is a member and lay preacher at the Daveyton Parish of the Lutheran Church in South Africa. Established in Johannesburg in 1961 and known locally as The Lutheran Hour, this ministry center employs emerging technologies in its innovative social media and text-message ministries. It also uses LHM’s Equipping the Saints (ETS), dramatic presentations, regularly visits inmates at Johannesburg’s prisons, and places ads in local newspapers, inviting people to call in for counseling, prayer or to receive one of LHM’s topical Project Connect booklets.
To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhmint.org.