Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment. Ecclesiastes 11:9

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



The teenager was driving a motorcycle.

Casually, he turned down a one-way road. Suddenly, he realized he was driving the wrong way! He thought to himself, no problem. I'll just turn at the next street.

He drove on, but suddenly a policeman appeared in front of him. He tried to persuade the policeman he had not intended to violate the law; he just hadn't seen the one-way sign, but the policeman didn't accept his excuse and wrote him a ticket.

People have the freedom to do what they want whether it's right or wrong, but they must be responsible for what they do.

The story of Adam and Eve is good illustration of this too.

God put them in the Garden of Eden to take care of it. He gave them the freedom to eat every fruit from any tree in the garden, but they must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He said, "... 'For when you eat of it you will surely die'" (Genesis 2:17b).

Adam and Eve had the freedom to do what they wanted; they chose to do something they shouldn't. As a result, God banished them from the Garden of Eden.

We all have ambitions and dreams, and we have freedom to reach out and make them real. While doing so, there are things God forbids. He does not limit our freedom but helps us avoid sins and prepares us for eternal life with Him in His Kingdom.

THE PRAYER: Dear Father God, thank You for reminding us of Your love. Please help us to be watchful against temptations. We pray in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

Biography of Author: Today's international devotion was written by Nguyen Huu Dung. He is a volunteer preacher working at the Trang Bang congregation about 70 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. He is a member of our Advocacy Board. Working in a country where atheism is the semiofficial religion and religious work cannot be done off church grounds, creativeness is Lutheran Hour Ministries-Vietnam's ministry center's strong suit. Puppet shows, music evangelism, Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC), and Equipping The Saints (ETS) have all proven successful in outreach and education. Please remember this ministry center in your prayers as they work with local congregations in reaching a nation where Jesus is officially rejected.


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: Joshua 1-3    Luke 9:1-17

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