Daily Devotions
Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment. Ecclesiastes 11:9
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
A teenager was driving a motorcycle, and he turned down a one-way road. Suddenly, he realized he was driving the wrong way! He thought to himself, no problem. I’ll just turn at the next street. So he drove on, but suddenly a policeman appeared in front of him and pulled him over. He tried to persuade the officer that breaking the law wasn’t his intention; he just didn’t see the one-way sign. True as this may be, the policeman didn’t accept his excuse and wrote him a ticket anyway.
People have the freedom to do what they want whether it’s right or wrong, but in the end they are still responsible for what they do.
The story of Adam and Eve is a good illustration of this. God put them in the Garden of Eden to tend it and take care it. He gave them the freedom to eat every fruit from any tree in the garden, but they must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. About that tree God said, “for when you eat of it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:17b).
Adam and Eve had the freedom to do what they wanted; they chose to do something they shouldn’t. As a result, God banished them from the Garden of Eden. Without the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, we would suffer permanent expulsion from God. Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift!
THE PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for not leaving us to die in our sins. Rather, through Your Son’s sacrifice You have bridged the chasm that separated us from You. Please remind us of His sacrifice-Your sacrifice-to reconcile us to You both now and for eternity. In Jesus’ Name we pray this. Amen.
Biography of Author:
Nguyen Huu Dung is a volunteer preacher working at the Trang Bang congregation about 70 km from Ho Chi Minh City. He is a member of our Advocacy Board.
To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhmint.org.