Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh." Genesis 24:1-2

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 Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour



In the entire Old Testament, great value is placed on faithful servants.

Amazingly, in the New Testament, God, Himself, comes to earth in the form of a Servant. Having seen the example of the Redeemer who gave Himself for our salvation, servanthood is seen not just as acceptable, but as the God-given calling of all believers.

Of course, there are standards by which a servant is judged. You will not be surprised if I say the opinion which matters most is that of the master. The opinion of anyone else is simply not of consequence.

So it is when we, by the power of the Holy Spirit, become servants of God. From the moment faith is placed within our hearts, we need no longer care about satisfying anybody else. The only nod of approval we need comes from our Master, the Lord.

If you wish to consider this role of servanthood, may I hold out for your consideration Abraham's own servant. We know he is a good example because Abraham thought the man to be exceptional and put him in charge of all his belongings.

In Exodus 24 Abraham's servant is asked to go and get a wife for Isaac, Abraham's son. If you read the chapter, you will see a number of ways the servant proved himself faithful.

1. He understood his orders. So often we catch a glimpse of a divine mission and dash off without knowing the limits of our assignment. But the experienced servant of Abraham, before setting out on his journey, made sure he understood what he was to do.

2. He knew how to wait. Having placed in God's hands the choice of a wife for his master's son, he held his peace, "... to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful" (Genesis 24:21b). Only after the sign from God was given, did he draw from his saddlebags an enormous ring and two golden bracelets.

3. He put his master's interest first. After the long trek, Abraham's servant was surely tired and hungry. Rebekah's family invited him to stay and enjoy their hospitality. Abraham's servant said, "... 'Do not detain me, now that the Lord has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way so I may go to my master'" (Genesis 24:56b). Abraham's servant considered what he was doing more than a job; it was something that came ahead of everything else.

Servanthood. In a world where every man considers himself the equal of all, servanthood is a hard concept to grasp. Still it is what we do to glorify the Savior who lived, suffered, died and rose, so we might be freed from the slavery of sin, death and devil.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, Jesus gave Himself for my salvation. Now may my life be thankfully and gladly spent in His service. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Biography of Author: Today's international devotion was written by a dear friend and co-worker of Lutheran Hour Ministries in Uganda: Charles I. Bameka. He has served for years as the director of LHM's effort in Uganda. From its ministry center in Kampala, volunteers and staff reach out helping people in need through Equipping the Saints (ETS), Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC), choir, dramatic presentations and the television program, This is the Life. Ministering to those living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda (there are more than 500,000 afflicted with this condition) is a critical aspect of LHM's mission there.


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: Exodus 9-11    Matthew 25:31-46

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