Daily Devotions
Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. John 2:6
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
I don’t know how it is in your country, but many Christian weddings in India use the story of the wedding at Cana as the text. That’s wonderful, and it is appropriate.
But the story should not be confined to weddings because there are three messages in this passage that apply to us daily.
You remember how the story goes: Jesus had been informed by His mother that the wine for the wedding was all gone. In response, He ordered the servants to fill the water jars kept at the entrance.
These jars were for the guests to wash their hands and legs before entering the home. Now in our homes, we would never use the same vessels in the restroom that were meant for the kitchen. So, too, the jars located at the doors were unworthy to be brought into the wedding hall.
It is interesting to note that our Lord performed His first miracle by using those unworthy vessels. The first thought I would share is this: have you ever recognized yourself as being unworthy in the sight of the perfect Lord? We are, but the Lord uses us. When the Lord fills us unworthy vessels, we became useful for many things.
The story continues: Jesus ordered the servants to fill the jars with ordinary water. They obeyed His order and filled them to the brim. I wonder what would your response have been? Would you have been put off because Jesus didn’t order water rather than wine?
These servants obeyed Jesus’ order. In so doing, they set an example for us. We are also expected to obey God’s call or order. Whether we are teachers, clerks, doctors or whatever we may be, we have different responsibilities. God calls us to fill those responsibilities to the brim.
The second thought I have to share is this: we need to be faithful in our responsibilities for doing our work devotedly and completely.
After the water jugs were full the servants took the wine to the steward of the banquet. Only the servants knew where it had come from. After tasting it, the steward exclaimed the best had been saved for last.
The third point worth noting is that we Christians are also the Lord’s stewards. It is our duty to receive and then share the love of God with others.
As Lutheran Hour Ministries says, “We bring Christ to the Nations and the Nations to the Church.”
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, make us into pots which You fill to overflowing with Your grace. Make us faithful servants who do the best we can with the gifts You bestow. Make us real stewards who take the Good News to many people around us. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.
Biography of Author: Today’s devotion comes from the Lutheran Hour Ministries office in India. In this country of more than 1 billion people LHM has a weekly program broadcast in two major languages: Tamil and Hindi. Additionally, devotional songs, short dramas and dialogues are performed by youth groups in big cities and small villages. Cassette ministry, printed literature and Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC) are utilized for outreach as well.
To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhmint.org.