Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

Listen, for I have worthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right. Proverbs 8:6

It's Saturday and I don't have a lot to say.

There's not much going on today.

There is nothing of a national holiday to talk about. But still I've got to come up with something for the Daily Devotion. Of course, I do have a file named, "IN CASE OF EMERGENCY BREAK GLASS." That file is made up of interesting facts that have been filed away for such a day.

For example, those who have nothing better to do, tell me The Lord's Prayer contains 56 words while Lincoln's Gettysburg Address has 266. The Ten Commandments has only 297 words and the Declaration of Independence reads a little longer at 300.

In spite of the shortness of these great writings of history, a recent U.S. government order that set the price of cabbage came in at a verbose 26,911 words.

Now, I think there's a lesson to be learned from this.

It's not how many words we use that make things important. It's the topic we're talking about that elevates thoughts to the sublime. Nobody, as you have already seen from our statistics, is better than the Lord when it comes to concise and clear thought.

When God loves us, it doesn't take an encyclopedia to pass the word along. When God loves us, He says so. Listen to the entire story of salvation: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

There you have it: 25 words. I know any commentary I make won't improve on what God has said.

Today, we'll let it go at that.


From a devotion originally written for "By the Way"



THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, help me keep my life simple and focused on the important things. Let me remember that You love me and because of the Savior's sacrifice, have prepared a place for me in Your Kingdom. In His Name. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: 2 Samuel 13-14    John 4:1-26

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