For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
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
At the end of July 2000, a Vietnamese newspaper carried the following article:
"A young prisoner had been assigned a position in a tower to watch the fields surrounding the prison. Early in the morning, he noticed water rising up and beginning to flood the area. From the tower he could see a small cottage outside the borders of the prison. Eleven people were gathered on the roof as the water crept up the sides of the home. The young man jumped out of the tower and swam toward the cottage. After struggling with the flood for quite a while, he managed to bring all eleven people safely to the tower."
The article reported the rulers of Vietnam decided to release the young prisoner as a reward for his good deed.
We have been released from a prison, too, the prison of Satan. Not by our own good works but by God's grace. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to pay the penalty for sin. We cannot do anything to save ourselves from the slavery of sin. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast," today's Scripture says.
If God had required us to do good works for our salvation, we would surely be lost. Oh, what a wonderful gift He has given us!
The rulers of Vietnam forgave the prisoner because of his good work. But the King of kings forgives us unconditionally. He requires nothing, for it is His gift!
THE PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us the gift which is Your only Son, Jesus Christ, who saved us from the flood of sin by His precious blood. There is nothing in all the earth equal to the value of Your gift and love. Please remind us of all the people who are still sinking in the flood of sin and motivate us to bring Jesus Christ, Your special gift, to the nations. We pray in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhmint.org.
Today's Bible Readings: Ezekiel 30-32 1 Peter 4
To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"