And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12
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
This is a story of a woman who has been saved through faith in Christ: a woman who is now a member of the Dabala Junction Lutheran Preaching Station. She tells her story this way.
"I was introduced to three different types of idols by one of my uncles when I was young.
Back then I was made to understand that these idols were the ones who were ruling the heavens, the earth, and everything in it. To me it was entirely natural that I revered these idols. For me, any other religion or philosophy was unacceptable if these idols were not incorporated in that belief.
There is, however, something I noticed about these idols. They were very unforgiving. Anytime I offended one of their numerous instructions, they punished me severely and asked that I offer a lot of sacrifices including goats, sheep, chicken or dogs.
Sometimes, my farm produce would not yield properly. What was most serious for me is that my children would sometimes fall sick. Then, on a terrible day, my youngest child died. I was told this happened because I had offended one of these idols.
All that changed when David, an evangelist from the Dabala Junction Preaching Station, visited me at my house and shared the message of salvation with me. He told me that 'God loves us so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die for us.'
I was surprised. All I had ever been told was one of my children had died to atone for the wrong I had done to the idols.
David's statement really kept me pondering and wondering. I then asked if I was also included among the ones God's Son had come to die for. Without hesitation David replied, 'Yes you are. Renounce your idols and believe on God's Son, Jesus Christ and you will be saved.'
After restless nights of pondering over the message, I invited David to come along with his pastor to lead me to Christ as my Savior.
Since then, I have felt an unexplainable sense of freedom and peace in my life. I later was baptized and I am now a member of the Dabala Junction Lutheran Preaching Station. The only Savior I know now is Jesus Christ. By following Him I have been given peace and salvation.
"It is my prayer that you also can say the same thing. I pray it for I know that you are also one of God's redeemed children."
THE PRAYER: Dear God, thank You very much for sending Your Son Jesus to die for us. I thank You for making me part of the many who have been saved by His death. I ask that You help me to also love my neighbors and share the good news to all so that many would come to faith in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Biography of Author: Today's International Devotion was written by Reverend Daniel Kofi Arkoh who is LHM's Regional Coordinator for the Volta Region in Ghana. In this capacity he does personal evangelism and visitation; he distributes our free Bible Course. Most importantly he connects others to the mission and ministry of the church. Known locally as Lutheran Media Ministry, it has its headquarters in Accra and was established in 1993. Using Equipping the Saints (ETS), LHM-Ghana conducts performing arts dramas, engages in children's ministries and reaches out to prisoners by supplying them food, Christian literature and clothing.
To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhmint.org.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible Readings: Exodus 34-35 Mark 3:20-35
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