But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

Well, it appears that Israel and Hamas are at it again.

That's a Daily Devotion sentence which might be written just about any day of any week of any month of any year. Of course, this time we do need to note that the current conflict has brought about some changes.

The first change is that it appears Hamas has managed to get itself a pretty sizable arsenal of short-range rockets. On a pretty regular basis, they are lobbing those missiles into Israel's heartland.

The second change we have seen in these hostilities is a notable one. It appears the State of Israel has put into place a brand new missile defense system. In the few minutes from when a missile is launched until it reaches its target, Israeli defenders launch a counterstrike with the hopes their missile will intercept the incoming rocket of Hamas.

The Israeli defense system is called "Iron Dome."

As of this writing, Iron Dome has stopped 53 missiles that were headed toward Israel. That's not a bad number, especially if one of those missiles was going to land in your backyard. On the other hand, even though people are generally pleased with the protection of Iron Dome, more than 200 of the Hamas' missiles have managed to make it through.

And this is where, when it comes to salvation, Christians need to rejoice that the Lord does a far better job, and has a far higher success rate, than Israel's Iron Dome. Consider this:

* The Lord would have ALL men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (see 1 Timothy 2:3-6).

* When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the price for ALL sins that have ever been committed.

* Now salvation, through faith in the risen Redeemer, is offered to ALL.

As John says in our text above, "The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from ALL sin." Because of the Savior's life, suffering, death and resurrection, none of our sins, that's NONE, ever manages to make it through to make a mess of our lives.

These are the facts which ought to offer complete comfort to believers. We know there is no sin, no transgression, indeed, nothing in all creation, which can separate us from the love of God which is ours in Christ Jesus (see Romans 8:38-39).

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks that because of my Savior, I am completely forgiven of my sins, and Satan can no longer successfully accuse me. May I always remember this protection and salvation was won at the cost of Your innocent Son's life. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

Lutheran Hour Ministries has always stood for bringing Christ to the Nations, but we also want to share the Savior with those who are close by. If you would like to know more about how you can be prepared to bear witness to the Savior, we are having an outreach conference called SENT, in Detroit, from July 24-July 27. You can learn more at www.lhm.org/conference.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: Psalms 33, 43, 66    Philippians 1

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