(Jesus said) ... "Come out of him!" Mark 1:25b

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



Maybe you are like me: absolutely amazed at the fact that Jesus had long, quiet times of prayer with His Father and very, very short prayers when it came to healing or delivering people from Satan's grip.

Consider some examples:

• "Come out of him!" (Mark 1:25b), Jesus said to the possessed man.

• "Young man, I say to you, get up" (Luke 7:14b), and the dead man sat up and began to talk.

• He took Jairus' daughter's hand and said, "My child, get up" (Luke 8:54b).

• After the gravestone was taken away, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" (John 11:43b).

On and on, miracle after miracle, we see Jesus restoring, healing and reviving all the people who needed Him.

What was His secret? Or was there any secret?

Scripture is clear: it wasn't His physical ability or His outward appearance or even His eloquence of speech.

Jesus' success is based on the fact that He, as God's innocent Son, had a will which was fully compliant and in harmony with that of His Father. Committed to the cause of winning our forgiveness by the sacrifice of Himself, we can see it was His faithful, true, pure and compassionate heart that made the difference.

It was a difference and a faith which knew the Father is not swayed by long speeches. On the contrary, He looks for those who worship Him in spirit and in truth. With that kind of heart our faith is put into action and we are transformed.

We are renewed and recycled; we are given compassionate hearts which, in the likeness of the Son, enables us to share the Savior's story of salvation with all we meet. In the likeness of His Son we do what we can, so the Holy Spirit might touch them, bless them, and heal them.

THE PRAYER: Father, change me to reflect the light of the Savior who alone can miraculously shut down life's storms, shake up hell, raise the dead, and forgive a sinner's heart. This I ask in the Savior's Name. Amen.

Biography of Author: Today's international devotion was written by our co-workers at the Lutheran Hour Ministries office in Lebanon. Beginning in 1950 LHM-Lebanon has used a variety of media tools to bring the Gospel to the Middle East. Bible courses printed in Arabic are shared with people as far as Iraq, Iran and Syria, who have expressed a longing to learn about Christ. Locally produced radio programs deliver Bible studies, meditations with hymns, Bible readings, commentaries and plays to share the Savior's salvation story.


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: Psalms 143-145    John 18:1-18

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