Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 (NIV)
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 man had gone to the market with his young daughter. They had several bags of groceries to carry home, and the little girl asked her father to let her carry one. He found the lightest one and said, "Are you sure you want to do this? We have quite a ways to go yet."
"Yes, Daddy," she replied, "I'm very strong!" He nestled the bag in her arms and on they went.
It wasn't long before she began to slow down. Looking up at her father she said, "Daddy, would you carry me? I'm getting tired."
He scooped up the little girl, still holding the bag, and continued on home. When they arrived, he set her on the ground and opened the door. She turned to him with a large smile and proudly stated, "I told you I could carry the bag all the way home!"
When we make it through a hard time, we often smile and think, "I made it!" Our loving, caring, heavenly Father also smiles, knowing who actually gave us the strength and power.
Carrying our daily burdens can be a very heavy task. Our strength seems to disappear, and we often ask for the Father's arms. Because of Christ, who carried all our sins and pains and ills to the cross, God always hears our cry and holds us in His arms.
THE PRAYER: Thank You, heavenly Father, for lifting the burden of our sins through the atoning work of Your perfect Son. We praise You, Jesus. Without Your sacrificial offering on our behalf, our sins would destroy us. Bless You, our Redeemer. Amen.
Biography of Author:
Pastor Lucas André Albrecht graduated from Concordia Seminary, São Leopoldo, Brazil, in 1998. He now serves as campus chaplain at Ulbra (Lutheran University of Brazil), where he is also a journalism student. He works with campus ministry, media resources, virtual chaplaincy, and as one of the pastors of the campus congregation.
To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhmint.org.
Today's Bible Readings: 2 Samuel 16-18 John 5:1-24
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