I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death. Philippians 3:10

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



Shalom! My name is Lili Karyani. I came from a Sudanese tribe, and was born on 11 April, 1987. I am married with one daughter, three years old.

I used to be a devout follower of Islam. My parents always brought the values of Islam into all aspects of our family life. When I was young, I really hated to see Christians.

As I say, that was when I was young. As an adult, I fell in love with a Christian young man named Sutrisno. He is also Sudanese and had recently become a Christian. Not surprisingly, neither set of parents blessed our marriage. Still we were wed and stayed married in spite of the differences. After all, we loved each other.

After we got married, my husband never told me about Jesus or took me to church. That was out of respect for our religious differences. Still, I always was curious about Christianity. I started reading the Bible and compared that with my beliefs in Islam. I soon became curious and wanted to know more about Jesus and why He was willing to die on the cross for mankind.

My reading in the Bible was complemented by other sources. Although no one tried to convert me, I occasionally attended church and read simple books that explained Jesus. Many of those books were put out by the Lutheran Hour Ministries office in Indonesia.

Knowing Jesus more deeply eventually lead me to that place where I began to follow Him. I truly believed and confessed that Jesus is the God who loves sinners. He was willingly crucified to atone for man's sins. I was baptized in June 2012.

When I became a follower of Jesus, I was challenged by my family, especially my parents. They abused me and banished me from the family. They think of me as an apostate and profane, and I will not be able to touch their bodies when they die. Although both of my parents rejected me, my faith in following Jesus will remain strong. As the Bible says in Psalm 27:10, "Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me."

Now I am more active in following the activities in the evangelist post of the church, especially teaching and attending the Bible studies close to my home.

I have begun to actively serve the children of the Sunday school and am very happy living my days with Jesus. Today, I am still reading and studying the booklet from LHM-Indonesia.

True, I miss both parents and brothers and sisters, but I hope they will someday know Jesus like me. I'm praying that God would help and save them. I sincerely hope my testimony would be able to strengthen our faith. Be blessed.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, bless and be with those who count it a joy to follow You, even when their faith costs them much. Strengthen them and answer their prayers so that others might also be brought to know Jesus as their Savior. In His Name. Amen.

Biography of Author: Today's international devotion was written by Lutheran Hour Ministries' follower and co-worker Mrs. Lili Karyani in Bogor, West Java. The ministry center of Lutheran Hour Ministries-Indonesia, known locally as Anchor of Life, utilizes radio broadcasting, print resources, and trained volunteers to reach out to Indonesian communities. Headquartered in Jakarta, it also uses Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC) and Equipping the Saints (ETS) materials to share the Good News of God's grace and love, as found in Jesus Christ, with the people who live in this vast archipelago of islands.


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: Jeremiah 31-32    Hebrews 8

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