So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. Romans 10:17
It's not too long before we have to deal with the nightmare of figuring out our taxes.
For me, the hardest part of tax preparation is understanding the weird language the government uses. Of course, convoluted language is not confined to the IRS.
A number of years ago, the city of Boston had this rule for all-night parking. See if you can make sense of it. This is what it said, and I quote: "On even-numbered dates, park on the odd-number side of the street. On odd-number dates park on the even-numbered side. If you park after midnight, the rule is reversed. Where parking is allowed only on one side, park on the side opposite the 'No Parking Anytime' sign."
I read that to my staff and we did fine with the first two lines.
After that, we agreed the words seemed like tangled fishing line. We got confused.
When the Lord talks to us, He doesn't use language like that. He talks in ways we can understand. When He says He loves us, wants to save us, be with us, help us, you don't have to be a genius to figure out His intent.
The reason God speaks so simply to His children is He wants the message to be understandable. He doesn't want anybody to miss out on Jesus’ blood-won gift of forgiveness and heaven.
So what's the point for today? Simple. I may not be able to figure out how to park in Boston, but God has told me the way to eternal life. The way comes through a clear-speaking Father, the sacrifice of the Son, and the heaven-sent Holy Spirit.
May He bless you throughout this day, no matter where you park.
From a devotion originally written for "By the Way"
THE PRAYER: Father, Your Word is unmistakable. You want all people to know You and be saved. To make this so, You sent Your Son to be One of us and to sacrifice Himself to save us. Now, may the Word of Christ go forth to all nations, empowered by the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible Readings: Numbers 12-14 Mark 14:27-53
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