He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; He seats them with princes, with the princes of their people. Psalm 113:7-8
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
Once upon a time, a skillful craftsman was walking down the street when he came upon a chair that had been thrown away. Its owner apparently considered it unworthy of serving the purpose for which it had been made and rejected it.
This man saw the chair with the eyes of an artist and became very interested in it. He removed it from the pile of trash and carried it to his workshop. He took the necessary time to clean and repair it. His interest in it was so great that he registered each step of the process with his camera. His original idea was to transform it into a beautiful chair that would be worthy of possession by an important executive. It was wonderful for him to picture the finished piece beyond its present condition.
The Lord wants to do the same with each one of us. "He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap," the Psalmist writes. God washes our souls with His mercy as it has been poured out upon us through the atoning work of His Son Jesus Christ. By His grace, He pulls us from the dumpster and makes something beautiful out of us-something worthwhile according to His divine purpose.
Even when we forget our mission in this world, we must always remember that, when the Lord raises us out of the dust, it is to seat us "with princes, with the princes of (our) people."
THE PRAYER: Lord remind us of the work You are doing in us each and every day. You are shaping us into a people useful for Your purposes. Amen.
Biography of Author:
Today's devotion was written by Wendy Pérez, who does public relations work with LHM-Panama, known in country as Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones (Christ for all Nations or CPTLN). Established in 1986 in Panama City, programs such as Equipping the Saints (ETS), Project JOEL, Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC), and print and electronic media vehicles are used to spread the Gospel in this country of more than 3 million people.
To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhmint.org.
Today's Bible Readings: Isaiah 37-38 Romans 5
To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"