For the Word of God is living and active. ... Hebrews 4:12a

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



Before each of my English classes I write a short Bible verse at the top of the white board.

Because it's in the direct line of sight of the students, it's natural for them to read it. Even those students who aren't interested in hearing about Christianity can't help but read the verse. Experience has shown some students read it more than once during class.

In the middle of one of my classes, I was teaching about the past tense of a verb. After a few examples and some practice, I asked if anyone had any questions.

Pornsak raised his hand. Referring to the Bible verse, he asked, "I'm wondering about the meaning of what you wrote at the top of the white board," he said. "Could you please explain it to me?"

On that particular day the Bible verse had been "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (see 1 Timothy 1:15).

To explain the verse I had to talk about how all people are sinners, how we are unable to save ourselves from the punishment we deserve for our sins. The lesson continued as I shared Jesus was the Son of God, and that God loves us so much He sent Jesus to die on the cross to suffer the judgment we all deserve.

In the midst of teaching verbs, the Holy Spirit gave me an opportunity to do a full Gospel presentation before the entire class.

The Word of God written at the top of the white board had been both living and powerful. The Holy Spirit used it to touch the mind of one student. It stimulated his curiosity and prompted him to ask about the meaning. As a result, every student in the class heard the story of salvation.

In the book of Isaiah God reminds us, "So is My Word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:11).

We dare not forget God's Word is powerful. God sends out His Word to do His work and it succeeds. When we speak God's Word, it goes out with the power to do God's will.

And that's just as true where you live, as it is in Thailand.

THE PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for giving us Your Word. Teach us how to use Your powerful Word, as we reach out to the unbelievers around us. This we ask in the Savior's Name. Amen.

Biography of Author: Today's international devotion was written by Dennis Denow. He is a missionary with the Lutheran Church -- Missouri Synod World Mission and the husband of Lutheran Hour Ministries' Thailand Director, Monta Ekwanit Denow. Dennis volunteered to help LHM-Thailand, by teaching weekly English classes for the LHM-Thailand staff and occasionally assisting with other LHM-Thailand projects. LHM Thailand focuses on sharing the Gospel and making contacts with local people through various community radio programs, Equipping the Saints (ETS) evangelism training, Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC), print, Internet and Gospel text-messaging. The staff also conducts special children's activities and does presentations in many government schools.


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: Deuteronomy 17-19    Luke 5:17-39

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