... We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:20b-21

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



To many supposedly sophisticated people in our modern world, sin appears to be a primitive concept. We Christians know differently. Sin remains a very serious and contemporary spiritual worry. It's far too dangerous a thing to consider in a superficial way.

Perhaps we should remember what the old Evangelist Billy Sunday once said, "One of the reasons why sin blossoms is that it is treated as a cream pie and not as a rattlesnake."

In his writings E. Stanley Jones often talked about the "seven capital sins which are policies without principles, wealth without work, pleasure without awareness, knowledge without character, business without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice."

Still, people like to think they're all right the way they are.

This makes "repentance" a very unpopular word. Even so, Scripture regularly reminds us that it is a very important concept for our spiritual health and relationship with the Lord.

To that end we should stay away from anything which is offensive to God. Indeed, we should turn to Him in penitence and humbleness. That's repentance and it's an action which implies an internal change of attitude. It means we ask for forgiveness from God without offering excuses.

We must acknowledge sin for what it is: an offense to God.

For us who have heard the Savior's call to repentance, the best policy is for us to be honest with God and have a heart of repentance which acknowledges our transgression and gives thanks for His forgiveness. It's the best policy and it's a continuous and daily lifestyle.

It is my hope you realize how God is eager to forgive us when we admit our faults. Forgiveness is a wonderful blood-bought present He gives us through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ.

Jesus is God's great eraser. He came to earth to destroy sin and its power in the world. When Christ died on the cross, He took upon Himself all the punishment for our sins. He rose from the dead to show us that He has power over everything that could try to separate us from the Father.

For all He has done, and the time when Christ comes back in glory, let us keep Him in our hearts and minds and show others His love through our actions.

Let us give thanks for a God who is eager to erase the sin from our lives.

THE PRAYER: Dear God, please make me more like You and less like me. In Your grace and for Jesus' sake forgive me my sins. I ask it for the Savior's sake. 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.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: Genesis 27-28    Matthew 18:21-35

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