Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. . . . " John 10:32a
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
During Jesus' ministry on earth, He performed many jaw-dropping miracles, which declared His power over nature and manifested His divinity. One would think seeing people healed of debilitating diseases, or moving freely on limbs once crippled, or suddenly blemish free of leprosy would be sufficient evidence to accept the fact that Jesus was extraordinary -- that He was, quite simply, the Son of God.
One would think these signs would be convincing. But the depravity of man's sin-soaked heart is an unbelieving place indeed.
Verses prior to today's text refer to the miracles Jesus did and how they plainly spoke of Him being the Christ. The Jews who witnessed them, however, wanted something more. They wanted to hear it in no uncertain terms. "Jesus answered, 'I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in My Father's Name speak for Me, but you do not believe because you are not My sheep'" (John 10:25-26).
And why did they not believe? They were blinded by sin. In this age, of course, it's no different. People are as dense and deluded today to the knowledge of Christ as the Savior of the world as they were 2,000 years ago.
As Christians we recognize the wretched state mankind finds itself in apart from God. Without His Holy Spirit working faith in a person's heart, the inner darkness will continue, the non-stop excuses will only get more ridiculous, and the broad, well-traveled road that leads to ultimate tragedy will claim yet another life.
As Christians, however, we also realize that God works through us to share Jesus as the Savior, mankind's only true hope. It is through His life-changing Word -- spoken by our voices and expressed through our lives -- that God works in the hearts of those who don't know Him.
THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help us to see Your love for us and share that love with others. Enable us through the power of Your Holy Spirit to address people's unbelief and freely share the Good News Your Son has so richly provided for us. We ask all this in Jesus' Name. Amen.
Biography of Author: This devotion was written by a member of the Lutheran Hour Ministries-Paraguay ministry team. Established in Asuncion in 2000, LHM-Paraguay operates as Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones and is active in door-to-door ministry, radio programming, Project JOEL, Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC), and Equipping the Saints (ETS) training.
To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhmint.org.
Today's Bible Readings: Exodus 29-30 Mark 2
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