LHM Daily Devotion - October 25, 2017 "Crying Wolf"

We can all remember the childhood story of the boy who wrongly cried...

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

By Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour

"Crying Wolf"

October 25, 2017

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

~ 1 John 2:2 (ESV)

We can all remember the childhood story of the boy who wrongly cried, "Wolf!" He got great pleasure out of watching his friends respond to his false alarms. Unfortunately, the lad did this so many times his fellow villagers stopped believing him. The last time he called for help, the people no longer were inclined to listen, and the lad ended up being supper for the wolf pack. That's a sad story.

Yes, we all know that story, but has anyone ever heard the counterpart, the opposite of that story? Has anyone ever heard about the boy who, when a wolf was present, didn't sound the alarm?

Actually, most of us have.

According to the timeline reported by ABC World News Tonight, the staff at the Las Vegas Mandalay Bay Hotel didn't let the police know anything was wrong until after Stephen Paddock started shooting at the 20,000 concert-goers. No, they didn't cry "Wolf!" and they didn't cry "Shooter!"

• They didn't call out "Shooter!" when security guard Jesus Campos informed the hotel authorities he had been shot in the leg.

• Nor did they cry "Shooter!" when a maintenance engineer Stephen Schuck reported someone had taken a shot at him. Schuck said, "Call the police! Someone is firing a gun up here. Someone is firing a rifle on the 32nd floor down the hallway."

Those shots in the hotel took place a full six minutes before Paddock opened up on the concert. Although nobody can say what might have happened if the police had been given those six extra minutes, I'm willing to suggest things couldn't have gotten much worse.

Sadly, the same sort of thing is happening in the religious world. More and more pulpits are choosing to silence themselves and refusing to call wolf and warn people about the dangers of sin. In short, even though sin can kill eternally, these churches are not shouting any warnings.

High up on these pastors' reasons for not preaching about the dangers of sin is they say "Jesus accepted everybody just the way they were. And since Jesus told us not to judge, we would be overstepping our boundaries by pointing out people's flaws and failings."

In reply, pastors who are loyal to the Word, say, "It's true, Jesus did accept everyone the way they were, but He didn't leave them that way." More than once the Savior told people to go and "sin no more" (see John 8:11). If Jesus didn't believe in pointing out sin and calling people to repentance, why did He do so Himself? Matthew 4:17 says, "From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'"

The truth is Jesus was born to save us from our sins, not let us sit and stew in them. John said it better than I when he wrote, "He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world."

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks that Your grace sent Your Son into this world to carry my sins and save my soul. Grant that pulpits may proclaim the wonders of Your love and the greatness of Jesus' sacrifice to save us from sin. In His Name. Amen.

Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin!  Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).

CPTLN Devocional de 25 de Octubre de 2017 - Hacer el bien

Alimento Diario

Hacer el bien

25 de Octubre 2017

No nos cansemos, pues, de hacer el bien; porque a su tiempo cosecharemos, si no nos desanimamos.

~ Gálatas 6:9 (RVC)

En 1952, después de sufrir un accidente automovilístico, John Hetrick inventó un mecanismo de protección que luego se convertiría en la primera "bolsa de aire". Lamentablemente, dado que la patente de su invento expiró antes que los fabricantes de autos la utilizaran, nunca recibió ni un centavo por su brillante idea.

Sin embargo, Hetrick no está para nada amargado. Al contrario, él dice: "El sólo hecho de poder salvar la vida de miles de personas, hace que valga la pena". Sin lugar a dudas, Hetrick es un buen ejemplo de sufrida paciencia.

Paciencia es una cualidad que la mayoría de nosotros no poseemos. La mayoría de nosotros no somos como Hetrick, y mucho menos como Jesús, quien mostró una increíble paciencia con sus seguidores.

La mayoría de nosotros nos disgustamos cuando somos ignorados u olvidados. Y con seguridad nos molestamos cuando alguien no nos da el reconocimiento que creemos merecer. Ahí es cuando empezamos a pensar: "¿De qué sirve tratar de mejorar en obrar, planear, o cuidar? ¿De qué sirve, si igual a nadie le importa?"

Cuán agradecidos debemos estar que Jesús nunca adoptó una actitud semejante. La indiferencia y oposición de otros podrían haber desviado a cualquier otra persona. Pero Jesús no fue como cualquier otro... él fue el Hijo de Dios, nuestro Salvador, quien se rehusó a rendirse ante la tentación de desertar.

Su compromiso es digno de imitar. Hacemos lo que hacemos, porque así le damos gloria a él y beneficiamos a nuestro prójimo. Vivir la vida en forma cristiana porque es correcto y complace a Dios, debería ser suficiente para continuar.

ORACIÓN: Señor Jesús, te doy gracias por tu fidelidad y tu sacrificio. Ayúdame a realizar tu obra y tu propósito sin desmayo. Amén.

De una devoción escrita originalmente para "By the Way"

© Copyright 2017 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. ¡Utilice estas devociones en sus boletines! Usado con permiso. Todos los derechos reservados por la Int'l LLL.

The Daily Readings for TUESDAY, October 24, 2017

Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

Daily Readings for
TUESDAY, October 24, 2017

Lamentations 1:1-12

How lonely sits the city that once was full of people! How like a widow she has become, she that was great among the nations! She that was a princess among the provinces has become a vassal. She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has no one to comfort her; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they have become her enemies. Judah has gone into exile with suffering and hard servitude; she lives now among the nations, and finds no resting place; her pursuers have all overtaken her in the midst of her distress. The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to the festivals; all her gates are desolate, her priests groan; her young girls grieve, and her lot is bitter. Her foes have become the masters, her enemies prosper, because the LORD has made her suffer for the multitude of her transgressions; her children have gone away, captives before the foe. From daughter Zion has departed all her majesty. Her princes have become like stags that find no pasture; they fled without strength before the pursuer. Jerusalem remembers, in the days of her affliction and wandering, all the precious things that were hers in days of old. When her people fell into the hand of the foe, and there was no one to help her, the foe looked on mocking over her downfall. Jerusalem sinned grievously, so she has become a mockery; all who honored her despise her, for they have seen her nakedness; she herself groans, and turns her face away. Her uncleanness was in her skirts; she took no thought of her future; her downfall was appalling, with none to comfort her. "O LORD, look at my affliction, for the enemy has triumphed!" Enemies have stretched out their hands over all her precious things; she has even seen the nations invade her sanctuary, those whom you forbade to enter your congregation. All her people groan as they search for bread; they trade their treasures for food to revive their strength. Look, O LORD, and see how worthless I have become. Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which was brought upon me, which the LORD inflicted on the day of his fierce anger.

1 Corinthians 15:41-50

There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; indeed, star differs from star in glory. So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living being" the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the physical, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven. What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

Matthew 11:25-30

At that time Jesus said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Morning Psalms

Psalm 26 Judica me, Domine
1   Give judgment for me, O LORD, for I have lived with integrity; I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered.
2   Test me, O LORD, and try me; examine my heart and my mind.
3   For your love is before my eyes; I have walked faithfully with you.
4   I have not sat with the worthless, nor do I consort with the deceitful.
5   I have hated the company of evildoers; I will not sit down with the wicked.
6   I will wash my hands in innocence, O LORD, that I may go in procession round your altar,
7   Singing aloud a song of thanksgiving and recounting all your wonderful deeds.
8   LORD, I love the house in which you dwell and the place where your glory abides.
9   Do not sweep me away with sinners, nor my life with those who thirst for blood,
10   Whose hands are full of evil plots, and their right hand full of bribes.
11   As for me, I will live with integrity; redeem me, O LORD, and have pity on me.
12   My foot stands on level ground; in the full assembly I will bless the LORD.

Psalm 28 Ad te, Domine
1   O LORD, I call to you; my Rock, do not be deaf to my cry; lest, if you do not hear me, I become like those who go down to the Pit.
2   Hear the voice of my prayer when I cry out to you, when I lift up my hands to your holy of holies.
3   Do not snatch me away with the wicked or with the evildoers, who speak peaceably with their neighbors, while strife is in their hearts.
4   Repay them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their actions.
5   According to the work of their hands repay them, and give them their just deserts.
6   They have no understanding of the LORD'S doings, nor of the works of his hands; therefore he will break them down and not build them up.
7   Blessed is the LORD! for he has heard the voice of my prayer.
8   The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I have been helped;
9   Therefore my heart dances for joy, and in my song will I praise him.
10   The LORD is the strength of his people, a safe refuge for his anointed.
11   Save your people and bless your inheritance; shepherd them and carry them for ever.

Evening Psalms

Psalm 36 Dixit injustus
1   There is a voice of rebellion deep in the heart of the wicked; there is no fear of God before his eyes.
2   He flatters himself in his own eyes that his hateful sin will not be found out.
3   The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has left off acting wisely and doing good.
4   He thinks up wickedness upon his bed and has set himself in no good way; he does not abhor that which is evil.
5   Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, and your faithfulness to the clouds.
6   Your righteousness is like the strong mountains, your justice like the great deep; you save both man and beast, O LORD.
7   How priceless is your love, O God! your people take refuge under the shadow of your wings.
8   They feast upon the abundance of your house; you give them drink from the river of your delights.
9   For with you is the well of life, and in your light we see light.
10   Continue your loving-kindness to those who know you, and your favor to those who are true of heart.
11   Let not the foot of the proud come near me, nor the hand of the wicked push me aside.
12   See how they are fallen, those who work wickedness! they are cast down and shall not be able to rise.

Psalm 39 Dixi, Custodiam
1   I said, "I will keep watch upon my ways, so that I do not offend with my tongue.
2   I will put a muzzle on my mouth while the wicked are in my presence."
3   So I held my tongue and said nothing; I refrained from rash words; but my pain became unbearable.
4   My heart was hot within me; while I pondered, the fire burst into flame; I spoke out with my tongue:
5   LORD, let me know my end and the number of my days, so that I may know how short my life is.
6   You have given me a mere handful of days, and my lifetime is as nothing in your sight; truly, even those who stand erect are but a puff of wind.
7   We walk about like a shadow, and in vain we are in turmoil; we heap up riches and cannot tell who will gather them.
8   And now, what is my hope? O Lord, my hope is in you.
9   Deliver me from all my transgressions and do not make me the taunt of the fool.
10   I fell silent and did not open my mouth, for surely it was you that did it.
11   Take your affliction from me; I am worn down by the blows of your hand.
12   With rebukes for sin you punish us; like a moth you eat away all that is dear to us; truly, everyone is but a puff of wind.
13   Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears.
14   For I am but a sojourner with you, a wayfarer, as all my forebears were.
15   Turn your gaze from me, that I may be glad again, before I go my way and am no more.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The New Revised Standard Version Bible may be quoted and/or reprinted up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible or account for fifty percent (50%) of the total work in which they are quoted.

Prayer of the Day for TUESDAY, October 24, 2017

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next.

Amen.

Verse of the Day for TUESDAY, October 24, 2017

Proverbs 9:10 (NIV) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Read all of Proverbs 9

Listen to Proverbs 9

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Morning Devotions with Cap'n Kenny - From Your Story to His Story

From Your Story to His Story

By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

~ Hebrews 11:5 (NKJV)

Enoch was one of two men named in the Bible who never saw death. The Bible tells us that Enoch walked with God (see Genesis 5:22, 24). But it also tells us that he was a witness for God (see Hebrews 11:5).

Enoch had a testimony. And every Christian has a testimony, a reputation. It may be a good one. It may be a bad one. It may be a mediocre one. But we all have a testimony. And before we can effectively witness for God, we must first walk with God.

I think if your life is filled with Jesus Christ, then sharing the gospel will come pretty easily. It is not something you will have to psych yourself into doing. Rather, it is something you will simply find yourself doing because the Lord is so good to you.

When you are walking with the Lord as you ought to be, you will find that permeating your life and influencing you in the way you live, in the decisions you make, in the friends you choose, and in the things you say. And people will pay you the ultimate compliment when they say, “I have been watching you. There’s something different about you. What makes you tick? Why are you the way that you are?”

Then you can say, “Let me tell you about my relationship with Jesus Christ.” Instead of preaching at people, tell them your story. And as you tell them what happened to you, you can build a bridge from your story to His story. You can start by sharing what happened to you. Then tell them about the greatest story ever told: Jesus was born, lived the perfect life, died on the cross, and rose again from the dead.

You have a story to tell.

In Jesus,
Cap'n Kenny


Seeking God?
Click HERE to find out more about how to have a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV® Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Devotion by Greg Laurie © 2017 Harvest Christian Fellowship; all rights reserved.
Before we can effectively witness for God, we must first walk with God.

Un Dia a la Vez - Jesús y la ley

Jesús y la ley

Les aseguro que mientras existan el cielo y la tierra, ni una letra ni una tilde de la ley desaparecerán hasta que todo se haya cumplido.

~ Mateo 5:18 (NVI)

Me gusta mucho que fuera el mismo Dios el que estableciera la ley y que dijera que la hizo para que no se quebrantara. Algo que Dios rechaza es la forma en que algunos fariseos, como se narra en la Biblia, cumplían la ley, pues lo hacían con fingimientos o la desobedecían en su interior. Dios dice que su Palabra se cumplirá en su totalidad. También dice que debemos cumplir la ley y enseñarla, para que de ese modo nos consideren grandes «en el reino de los cielos» (Mateo 5:19). Por eso, no tratemos de hacer una nueva ley para nuestra conveniencia.

Es lamentable que hoy en día haya muchas personas que cambien la Palabra de Dios a su manera y vivan en total desorden y desobediencia. Los cristianos debemos ser diferentes porque Dios estableció la ley de este mundo para que se obedezca:

• La manutención de los hijos: Es la ley de Dios y del hombre.
• No se toma mientras se maneja: Es la ley de Dios y del hombre.
• Se multa a quien no use el cinturón de seguridad: Es la ley de Dios y del hombre.

Todas estas cosas son algunas de las leyes establecidas que no cumple un gran por ciento de la humanidad.

La ecuación es sencilla: Obediencia=Bendición.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón

Standing Strong Through the Storm - A DISCIPLE’S LOVE

A DISCIPLE’S LOVE

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.”

~ Luke 14:26 (NIV)

A Christian medical doctor in China shares his experience when he refused to bow down or "kowtow" to an image of Mao because of his love for Jesus. After severe beatings did not succeed in influencing him, the authorities resorted to a more subtle strategy by getting his whole family to stand around him and weep. Here is the story in his own words:

I had seven children as well as my wife all surrounding me and weeping. Crying bitterly, my wife said to me, “If you don't kowtow you will surely die and then what will we do?” For three days they stood around me weeping until my wife’s eyes were dreadfully swollen. “After you have died, what will happen to these children? Please, for the sake of your family, just kowtow.” They cried and cried. I really did not know what to do. I felt that I had no more strength so I prayed, “Lord I have no strength left, what must I do?”

On the third day, the Lord’s word [Luke 14:26] came, Hallelujah! There is no word of the Lord that is without power. The Lord through His Word filled me with the life and power of God. I said to my wife, “Stop crying. It’s no use your crying. I am the Lord’s disciple. For the Lord’s sake I am ready to die!”

Then the day came when the authorities called me and said, “You had better consider your situation carefully. If you want to live, you must kowtow otherwise it will mean certain death for you. Tonight we will make you eat the “steel bean” (bullet). You will be executed! This is your very last opportunity!” And so he sent me back to think it over.

There was, however, no need for me to think it over. I was ready for the bullet. But the night passed without my being called. Next day I saw that outside folk were running hither and thither and I wondered whatever had happened to cause such alarm. Later I was to learn that immediately after I had left the office, black swellings appeared on the prison warden’s legs and it was frightfully painful. Because he was the chief, all the doctors in the hospital were rushed to his side to give him aid. But within twenty-four hours he was dead.

The doctor was later released from prison and returned to his family and medical practice.

RESPONSE: I recommit myself to the Lord. My love for Him will be even more than my love for family.

PRAYER: Lord, help to prove my love for You above all others regardless of the circumstances.

Girlfriends in God - It’s Not About Me

It’s Not About Me

Sharon Jaynes

Today’s Truth

“Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens”

~ Psalm 148:13 (NIV)

Friend to Friend

Some of my Girlfriends in God are not going to like this devotion. I’m not even sure I do. But I’m going to put it out there anyhow. During the month of February, I write devotions on marriage. It is the month of love, and marriages certainly are in shambles all around the world. Each February, I am flooded with e-mails: some are appreciative for the reminders on how to love their husbands; some are filled with hurt because they are in their own struggling marriage, and some are broken-hearted because of shattered dreams. These women are so thankful for the balm of God’s truth in a very tender area of their lives.

But I also receive e-mails from women who are not married, who do not like the attention to marriage at all. They are flat out angry and frustrated because the devotions do not pertain to them. “Don’t you know that all of your readers are not married?”

“Oh honey child,” as my grandmother would say.

I’ve seen the same attitude in church. “I didn’t like that sermon.” “I didn’t like the singing today.” “I couldn’t relate to that teaching.” And on and on we go.

You know what I’ve discovered…it’s not about me. It is all about God. If the pastor is preaching on a topic that is not my struggle, I pray that God will open my eyes to new truths that I’ve never seen. If he is talking about losing a loved one, I pray for those who have lost a loved one recently…even though that might not be my struggle at that particular time. Is the teaching on raising young children? I have a grown son, so I pray for those who are raising the next generation.

One Sunday, I was singing in church. Barely singing, I might add. It was a dry old hymn and I just wasn’t into it. Then I looked at an older woman a few seats down and she had tears trickling down her wrinkled cheeks. She was moved to tears by that old hymn and was taken to the throne room of grace.

“Oh Father,” I prayed. “Please forgive me. This is not about me. It’s not about what I like or don’t like. It is all about You. Truth is truth. Worship is worship. Help my focus be on You and You alone. It’s not about me.

Here’s a truth I want you to underline, memorize and ponderize (I know that is not a real word, but it should be.) Say it out loud: As long as I think the world is all about me, the angrier  and tired-er I will be. The more I realize it is all about God, the happier and freer I will be. (I know tireder is not a word either. I’m just feeling feisty today :)).

Listen to how David focused on God during worship:
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.
Psalm 62:5-8

So let’s commit to remember together…it’s not about me. It’s all about God.

Let’s Pray

Dear Lord, please forgive me when I make everything all about me. It’s all about You! I praise You! I thank You! I worship You!
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

Here is a fun exercise. Go back and pick out one of your favorite chapters in the Bible. Now, focus on the verses that you DID NOT underline.

Here is a wonderful Psalm to use for your extended prayer time today. Open your Bible to Psalm 136 and pray that prayer of praise with David. Don’t skip over the repeated refrains…His love endures forever! He repeats it for a reason. David meant it. God wants you to get it!

More from the Girlfriends

Did you know that God went to great lengths to set women free! When Jesus came to earth, women were hidden in the shadows of society and treated as property rather than people. But Jesus came to change all that! I invite you to take a look at a video about my book, How Jesus Broke the Rules to Set Your Free and discover some news truths you may not have ever considered before! Women’s Bible study groups all around the country are delving into this study this fall. When it comes to what Jesus did for you on the cross, it IS all about you!

Seeking God?

Click HERE to find out more about how to have a personal

relationship with Jesus Christ.

Girlfriends in God

www.girlfriendsingod.com