And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

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



Yesterday I remembered a time in my life when I was drowning in problems, which had brought me to a great void.

Without any master plan or design, I happened to tune into a radio station from my country, Venezuela. On that station I heard the announcer promoting a booklet called A Moment with God.

I took note of the address and, later that day, ended up going to the address that had been supplied. The person who talked to me at that office invited me to take a look at a series of Bible studies that he offered me.

The first booklet centered on the story of Samson and Delilah. This story, which I had learned and seen many times on television, came alive for me when I studied it now in God's Word. In another booklet I was directed to read and think about John's verse where it talks about the Word becoming flesh.

I contemplated how powerful God's Holy Word is.

When it gets into your heart, it can transform you. For me, I realized that the Bible is not just words, but it is the power of God. As the apostle Paul tells us in Romans 1:16: "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes."

Thanks to that Word. The events I have shared with you are from long ago in my life. Today I have 20 years in the ministry. That's 20 years where I have been able to share with others God's call to repentance and the blood-bought Gospel of redemption and reconciliation in Jesus.

Now this is my story. What is yours? If this day Jesus is not your Savior, then I encourage you ... pick up God's Holy Word and see the wonderful plan of forgiveness and eternal life the Lord is holding out to you.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, just as the centurion said (see Luke 7:1-10), only one word from You would heal his servant, so I ask that You will heal many lives with Your Holy Word. This I ask in the Savior's Name. Amen.

Biography of Author: Today's international devotion comes to us from our office in Venezuela. The author is 48-year-old Ivan Vasquez. He was born in Valencia, Venezuela, and is married to Iris. His lay work is done in Danaven, and he shares this about himself: "I arrived at "Christ for All Nations" (that's the name of Lutheran Hour Ministries' ministry center in that country) through a radio station. Having taken numerous theological classes, I rejoice that I have been able to assist in the Christ for All Nations ministry through various speeches and presentations made at schools." Finally, Vasquez reports he is a member of the Lutheran Church of Valencia - Estado Carabobo.

Known in Venezuela as Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones ("Christ for All Nations"), LHM-Venezuela uses Equipping the Saints (ETS) and Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC) to reach out to South Americans with the Gospel, in this country of more than 33 million people. This ministry center also produces radio messages such as "A Moment with God" and "Perspectives" to help listeners deal with life's everyday issues. On its website, which is accessed by many, visitors can opt to receive Christian devotional messages, as well as inspirational e-mails or text messages.

You can learn more about what goes on at LHM-Venezuela by clicking here to visit its blog.


To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhm.org/international.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: Jeremiah 41-42    Hebrews 11:1-19

To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"