But grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to Him be the glory both now and forever. 2 Peter 3:18

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 apostle Peter told us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ so that we can give Him the glory both now and forever more.

In saying this, the apostle meant the Holy Spirit must not be stopped, as He builds us up in a relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ. This also means we must long for a closer walk with our Savior Jesus Christ in life.

To do this, we must try to avoid anything that would stop us from being brought closer to the Lord. It is by the Holy Spirit, who is dwelling in our hearts, that we grow in grace and love. That means we must know and believe the Holy Spirit is the highest authority and guide for us in our lives.

Second, what we need to remember is that we must curb our sinful will and desires. We must surrender to God and allow Him to bring us into alignment with His holy purposes. If we fail to do so, we will end up going nowhere. Indeed, we will find ourselves making spiritual circles. That is what happened to Israel, as they wandered in circles in the wilderness for 40 years.

This they did even though there were times when they were only 11 miles away from the Promised Land. Brothers and sisters, let us not do this sort of thing; let not such a thing happen to us.

The third thing we should recall is the victory we receive is through the blood of Jesus. The Bible says that faith is the victory that comes in Jesus our Savior. It assures us that whatever is born of God, overcomes the world.

Such promises tell us we should keep on listening to and obeying the teachings of God's Holy Spirit. Because our Savior Jesus Christ is our best Friend in life, when the tempest in life is raging, God will take care of us every day.

Remember God never let His children down, and we should strive not to let our Comforter down. It is in such a relationship that we find those who are grounded in Jesus are secure. They know they are safe even though the tempests of life are raging all around.

To be built up in our relationship with the Lord our Savior Jesus Christ is our goal. To walk closer with God's Holy Spirit, our faithful Guide is our desire. To be assured that in Jesus Christ we are never alone is our peace.

These things are given to us because our faith is founded on the solid rock of Jesus Christ.

THE PRAYER: Thank you Lord for the Bible -- Your Word to us to help us learn of the Savior and respond to the love we have received from You. May we appreciate Your grace and be given guidance for our lives by the Holy Spirit's power. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.

Biography of Author: Today's international devotion was written by Daw Hla Yee, who is a retired high school headmistress. Today she serves as a volunteer with Word of Hope, the name of the Lutheran Hour Ministries' office in Myanmar. She is also an administrative board member for the YWCA in her country. In this Southeast Asian nation of more than 60 million people, LHM uses Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC) and a successful radio ministry, "Hope for Youth," which is a 15-minute program, appealing to youth and young adults. Additionally, Equipping the Saints (ETS) evangelism workshops help train Christians in Myanmar to share their faith with friends, neighbors and family members.


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: Ezekiel 37-39    2 Peter 2

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