And He (Jesus) answered them, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way?" Luke 13:2

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 Sunday 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

A listener of our radio program called and asked this question of our Speaker: "Sir, I have three sons; two sons got married and moved away. They have children and live good lives with their families. The other son lives with me, but he always is making problems by drinking, owing people money, and fighting with others.

"Many times my wife and I have tried to talk to him about his actions; many times we have told him not to do these things, but he never listens. What makes matters worse is my relatives have blamed me for not disciplining him properly. Please give me advice about this. My wife and I are really tired of dealing with the problems he is creating. I wonder, is he this way because of me or because of his friends or because of society or because he's just a kid who likes to get into trouble?"

That man's call tells us that we folks on earth are always facing trouble in life.

Sometimes someone else causes our troubles, and sometimes we create problems all on our own.

Sometimes the problems are so many and so large that we think we cannot bear it. In the story I just told you, the son was causing the difficulties.

Of course, this family is hardly alone. Others who live around us also are having problems. Some have sickness; some have financial issues; some married couples are unable to have children; some incredibly qualified people are begging to get a job.

No matter the nature of an individual's difficulty, these problems rob us of joy, and in its place give us sadness and hopelessness.

So there you have it: a sinful world filled with sinful people is going to create guilt, problems.

And that is where Scripture speaks clearly. First, it tells us, "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the Word of the Lord remains forever. And this Word is the Good News that was preached to you" (1 Peter 1:24-25).

Peter wants us to know that only God can make things right; only He can give us true joy in life. Because of the Savior's sacrifice, there is forgiveness for people of faith. There is hope for the living of each day and certainty that when the Savior returns He will destroy the power of Satan and make us perfect as our Heavenly Father had originally intended.

So God now is calling us to believe and trust in Him who alone can make things right.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord God, may our radio listeners hear Your voice and become Your children so that they can be given salvation and live in joy with You. This I ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.

Biography of Author: Today's international devotion was written by Reverend Phin Naro who is director of the Lutheran Hour Ministries office in Cambodia. Since its establishment in 2000, the ministry center staff and volunteers at LHM-Cambodia have used programs like Equipping the Saints (ETS) and Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC) to communicate the message of God's eternal love to the 14 million Cambodians. The center also cooperates with churches in reaching the lost through puppet shows, music events, and youth programs.

Since its establishment in 2000, the ministry center staff and volunteers at LHM-Cambodia have used programs like ETS and BCC to communicate the message of God's eternal love to the country's citizens. The center also cooperates with churches in reaching the lost through puppet shows, music events, and youth programs.

In-country, LHM-Cambodia is known as Cambodia Christian Media Center, with its headquarters in Phnom Penh City. This ministry center is active in evangelism training and educating this county's citizens in Christian teachings. Using a values-education program, young people are taught the benefit of making healthy lifestyle choices. The ministry center also provides clothing and other materials to school-age children.

Check out LHM-Cambodia's blog and read an entry from Sorn Khim. He speaks about his faith walk and how Equipping the Saints was very helpful to him in learning more about the faith he was taking to heart and sharing with others. You can find it 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: 2 Samuel 15    Psalms 3    Psalms 69    John 4:27-54

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