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TITLE: Bogeyman
DATE: January 18, 2020 Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. TEXT: Proverbs 3:5-8 - ESV - Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Every culture, I imagine, has a bogeyman. Nobody knows exactly what the bogeyman looks like, since his appearance changes. If you go to some places in the Mid-east, you might be surprised to find that the bogeyman looks a lot like Uncle Sam, or a United States president. If you live in Japan, the bogeyman is Chinese. If you live in China, the bogeyman is Japanese. Throughout the world, the bogeyman takes on the appearances of the culture which is hated the most. Yet, as different as the bogeyman looks, in skin color and size, in height and in weight, his duties are always the same - to frighten people into doing what is right. Now, whether people care to admit it or not, often they think of God as being a heavenly bogeyman. They think God is lurking and watching from the dark shadows, waiting, maybe even hoping for us to do something wrong. Then, unexpectedly, He slowly slips out of heaven and pounces on us, unleashing, from His bag of malevolent tricks some kind of terrible penalty or retribution. It may be family problems or an unexpected illness. Too many believe that every catastrophe that comes to us is God's punishment for our doing something wrong. Too many people believe that God, their heavenly Bogeyman is waiting for us to do something, so that He can punish us. I have made many a hospital call upon someone who has a distressing illness. You know what crops into their minds? God, the heavenly Bogeyman is punishing them for some past sin. They wonder if God has deserted them or turned against them. They say, out loud, "Pastor, is the Lord after me?" Ask them what they've done that's so bad that God would come after them this way, and they reply, "I've been thinking a lot lately about it, and I'm just not sure." You see, they're not sure. If that is so, take comfort. Be sure. God is not a Bogeyman. How do I know that? Once, long ago, a group of people asked Jesus about the heavenly bogeyman. They thought if you commit sin A, you get punishment B. To this kind of thinking, Jesus says, "No!" Absolutely, unequivocally, "NO." No, God doesn't generally work that way. How could He! Jesus reminds the people that He came into this world to help us, not to hurt us. It would make no sense for God who wants all people to be saved; Who wants everyone to be forgiven; Who is willing to sacrifice His son, to be unpredictable in His working with us. God sent His Son from heaven to be born in a stable; to fulfill all the small points of the law, so that we might have salvation. God watched as His Son was tried and beaten, spit upon and nailed to a rough hewn cross so that we might be saved. Why would God save you in baptism, promise to listen to your prayers, allow the Word to come down to you, give you the Sacrament of His Son's body and blood and the next minute turn around and devastate you with a strange and particularly nasty punishment? It would be sure and certain madness. God loves you. THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, let me see You clearly and never doubt Your intentions and love. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html
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TITLE: Mr. Lonely
DATE: January 17, 2020 Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. TEXT: 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 - ESV - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. The 'father of lies' has taken the crucifixion and cleaned it up, sanitized it, beautified it and in other assorted ways made death on the cross not so bad. It was not so. The Romans found that opening your veins in a hot bath was a comfortable way to die. Today, people may use sleeping pills. But, the father of lies, has convinced people to believe that crucifixion was almost the same way. It was not so. It was public execution with all the sights and smells of humanity at its worst. It was death from which there was no reprieve, no opportunity for escape, no last minute phone call from the governor. It didn't matter whether thousands were crucified together as sometimes happened in the ancient world, no matter how many crosses there were, this was a lonely death staring you in the face. Death, painful death, slow death, public death. Man, with his inventiveness, may have developed more painful ways to die, but none were more devastating to body and mind than crucifixion. Scripture is right when it says, "Cursed is every man who hangs upon the tree." Jesus, our Savior was cursed with crucifixion. He was not alone. Many others had been crucified before Him. Many, before and after had felt the pain of Roman nails, many gasped for breath, many were laughed at, many were abused, many were separated from their loved ones. In this, Jesus was like many other crucified people. But no one in the history of the world has ever felt the pain our Savior felt as He was separated from His heavenly Father Loneliness is a terrible thing. Many of you have been lonely. The elderly may feel forgotten, the young can be homesick The wife may feel unloved and the husband misunderstood, teen-agers think they are neglected. This Jesus knew well. The 'father of lies' had had Jesus driven out by His own hometown. Jesus' family had thought He was crazy. One by one, the father of lies separates Jesus from His friends, His church, His government. Then, by Divine Choice, He is deserted by His heavenly Father. On cold Calvary, in the dark, He hung upon the cross alone. This is loneliness on a cosmic scale that you cannot begin to understand. And why? So when your day comes. When your last day arrives, when you are breathing your last, you will not be alone. He, your loving, victorious, risen Savior will be there. You, a forgiven sinner will be at peace. Jesus is there, you are not alone. THE PRAYER: Lord, in many ways the Lord Jesus went where I could not; endured what I could not. For experiencing the ultimate loneliness so I will never be alone I am most thankful. In His Name I pray. Amen. NOTA BENE: As some of my Daily Devotioners didn’t get my first announcement, I am repeating it here. TOMORROW WILL BE THE LAST DAY FOR OUR DAILY DEVOTIONS. This decision is being made for a number of reasons: I didn’t have the time to develop the other segments of THE SAVIOR’S STORY website; I didn’t enjoy the web maintenance. Finally, subscriptions had plateaued. For those of you who did get the notice and responded with words of appreciation and encouragement, let me say, “Thank you for your thoughts. They are appreciated. For those who asked if I could do these Devotions for another Lutheran entity, let me respond by saying, “None have asked, so I have no answer.” Finally, if I get bored with retirement, as Pam says I will, you will be the first to know. In Him, I remain His servant and yours, Pastor Ken Klaus. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: Getting Political
DATE: January 16, 2020 Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. TEXT: 1 Timothy 2:1-4 – ESV - First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Over the centuries, prayers of penance have helped America. Three years after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth a severe drought burned the grass and threatened to destroy the crops. Food was exhausted and no longer could the colonists depend on supplies from England. In that dark hour, when all expected to die of hunger, the Pilgrim Fathers took refuge in God. For almost 9 hours, on a day of prayer, they pleaded with the Almighty and the Lord heard them Before evening rain began to fall; the refreshing showers continued long enough so that the parched vegetation was revived and the harvest spared. The Plymouth Colony was saved by prayer. A century later, in 1746, when the French in Nova Scotia equipped 40 warships to destroy New England, the churches set aside a day of prayer where they sought divine help. While the colonists were at prayer a wind arose. Under continued entreaty that God would use this wind to save the country, the storm became a hurricane. The French fleet was wrecked. The commander and the second officer committed suicide, hundreds drowned and others died of disease and exposure. Prayer had brought deliverance. Again in the winter of 1777 prayer prevailed. The American struggle for independence seemed lost. At Valley Forge the Continentals, hungry, ill-clothed, ill-shod, unpaid, and disorganized, stained the Pennsylvania shows with their life's-blood. Not far away, in Philadelphia and New York, the supporters of England enjoyed a smart social season and the atheist Tom Paine wrote vicious attacks against George Washington. In those gloomy hours, Washington, according to an eye-witness. knelt down as thousands knelt in their churches during that crisis and pleaded with God to sustain the American cause. Light and hope dawned and from that time on, the prospects for victory brightened. Likewise, prayer helped save our country in 1863 when the Confederate troops had not only defeated the Union army in the South but even advanced far into northern territory. In that time of testing, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a day of prayer and penance, requesting the nation to ask of God "pardon for our national sins and restoration of our suffering country. That plea, too was answered, for within two months the battle of Gettysburg had won and the Union was saved. It is right today that we once again join with others in a day of prayer. I say that because I’m really tired of people criticizing our President. Now you may think I am getting political. Nope. I got tired of people criticizing his predecessor. I’m sure I will get tired of the criticism directed against whomever succeeds him. I remember all governments are put into place by God. We may not agree with our leaders, but we need to respect them. THE PRAYER: Lord, You have appointed leaders to govern us. Grant that they be good leaders and we be faithful followers. Most of all let us try to walk in Your will and way,. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: The Plan
DATE: January 15, 2020 Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. TEXT: Colossians 4:3-4 (ESV) 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. The world is filled with mysteries. Forget about the Loch Ness Monster, Sasquatch and the Bermuda Triangle. Forget about whether there were three or four shots fired at JFK. I’m talking about real mysteries.
Why is it, at church, the shorter the agenda, the longer the meeting?.They are mysteries. On a completely different, and far higher plain, is the great mystery of the Savior I'm not talking about the little (but important) mysteries like: why the Son of God was born in a stable, rather than a palace. Or the little mystery of why God picked the town of Bethlehem rather than selecting the great cities of the ancient world. I'm talking about the great mystery of a Savior at all: Why did God send His Son into this sinful world to give His life as a ransom for many? This is as great a mystery as we will ever see. The omnipotence of God moves through a Man’s hands; the great wisdom of God is cradled in a human mind; the love of God beats in a human heart, and the Divine grace of God is seen in a human eye. What kind of God will try to save a world that has rejected Him, turned its back on Him, and will try to kill Him? This is the mystery of God. Jesus is born. It was a perfect plan. Complete and sufficient. This plan of God said: Believe on Jesus and you will be forgiven. Believe on Jesus as your Savior and you will not perish but have everlasting life. Any rational person might think: "This plan is so perfect nobody will try to change it. But it didn't work that way. When Jesus began His ministry, His friends in Nazareth tried to change the plan. The Pharisees, tried to improve God's plan by substituting their laws for God's grace. Jesus' disciples tried to change the plan by talking Him out of dying. His church tried to stop the plan. The Romans didn’t understand the plan. Wherever He went, whatever He said, Jesus ran into people who wanted to fold, spindle and mutilate God's perfect plan. It's a mystery! When Jesus rose from the dead, Jewish leaders tried to deny God's plan. When they failed, they tried to stomp out the plan by persecuting the followers of Jesus. By the time Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, false prophets from within the ranks of the church were trying to change God's plan. We have their descendants today who say: "The Bible is filled with errors. All religions are alike. It doesn't matter what you believe, as long as you believe something." To all of these people, God says, "BEWARE! DON'T LET ANYONE CHANGE MY PLAN." THE PRAYER: Lord, grant that *I may always clearly see and believe in Jesus Christ, Y our Son, our Savior who has rescued us. In His holy Name I pray it. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: Then and Now
DATE: January 14, 2020 Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. TEXT: John 17:17 - ESV - 17 Sanctify them[a] in the truth; your word is truth. Years ago, a Lutheran pastor entered a tavern, (it wasn't a place where he went very often), where a man, wishing to embarrass him, rose and suddenly shouted, "Es gibt keinen Gott." For those whose German is rusty, that means, "There is no God." The pastor, rather than getting really ticked off, calmly went over to the man, laid a hand on his shoulder and said, "My friend, what you just said isn't new. The Bible said, "There is no God" over 2,000 years ago." The drunk, taken aback, said, "Uh, uh, I didn't know the Bible said there was no God!" "Absolutely," continued the pastor, "Psalm 14, verse 1., 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.' But there is a great difference between that fool and yourself. The fool the Bible talks about was modest. He said, 'there is no God' only in his heart; he didn't go around yelling it in a tavern." Iris our modern misfortune, our time's tragedy, that it isn’t just drunks in taverns who say, 'There is no God.". An Arlington, Virginia minister said, "We have closed our minds to such trivial things as the resurrection of Christ. If you want to believe that nonsense, we have no objections, but we have more important things to preach than an empty tomb that is 20 centuries old." It would be great if that minister were an exception, but he is not so unusual. A survey taken of 521 clergy and laity who attended a National Council of Churches General Assembly in Miami Beach, showed that only about 1/2 believed Jesus was Divine; only 1/4 thought the miracles of the Bible really happened; 1/3 said the Devil "Definitely does not exist"; and less than 2/3 were completely certain of any kind of life after death. That is the way it is in many places, in many churches, with many congregations and a high percentage of individuals who call themselves Christians. Sin is not poison. It is an indiscretion. The result is that much of the church has become cold and lifeless. Even with fine schools and wondrous buildings and lofty-sounding liturgies, souls are being left desolate, uncomforted and unsaved. But there was a time, in the early history of the church when Christianity spread dramatically. It was no false boast when a 2nd century Christian writer said, "We Christians are everywhere. We are in your towns and in your cities; we are in your army and navy; we are in your palaces; we are in the senate, we are more numerous than anyone." But times have changed, and not for the good. What has made the difference? The early Christians believed, goodness, THEY KNEW they were dealing with truth. Not just opinion, not just feeling, but the truth. They had received the truth of God that saves, the truth of God that says God sent His Son into this world to take our place, to live under the law, to die on a cross and on the third day rise again so that all who believe on Him might have salvation. That is truth! The early Christians shared the wonders of God's love, long foretold by ancient writers, by prophet and king alike. They shared God's entire truth, from beginning to end: that Jesus Christ who had been crucified by the will of sinful men had been raised to life again by the power of God. They shared God's entire truth, from beginning to end. In short, they declared the truth of God. THE PRAYER: Lord, in a world of doubt and denial, may we boldly proclaim Your truth which alone can save. In Your holy Name I pray it. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: A Bad Place Transformed
DATE: January 13, 2020 Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. TEXT: 1 Peter 1:18-19 - ESV - Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. John J. Harrington, past national president of the Fraternal Order of Police, and a 27 year veteran of the Philadelphia police force has said, "There is hatred today in this country that is growing." No revelation there, right? In Memphis, Tennessee, confessed murderer Willie Lee Davidson, 21 apologized in court for beating and then running over a woman with a car. He said, "We aren't criminals. If we had gotten away with it, it would never have happened again." In California an earthquake officially killed 48 people, but within six months the state received 400 requests for the $6,000 burial grants from federal disaster funds. 400 people who claimed their dead relatives died because of the quake. Zion Illinois, Brenda L. Hunter shot her brother because she didn't like the kind of cheese he was putting on their chili dinner. All I can say is the world is messed up. It's not just our country. After hearing these incidents, not uncommon incidents, of our modern world, we see once again how much Jesus is needed. Jesus, the One Who makes us equal. Jesus, the one that dispels prejudice. Jesus, the One Who saves us from our sins. Prejudice, you see, is nothing new to our world. The age into which Jesus was born was filled with the stuff. The Jews felt that anyone not of Abraham's seed was a gentile and they prayed frequently in their synagogues that all the Gentiles would be punished. The Gentiles felt much the same. If you weren't a Greek, you were a barbarian. The Germans were prejudiced against the Italians for their effeminate ways. Adults were prejudiced against children, and the ancient records are filled with examples of people in debt, who paid their way out of penury by selling their children or who put unwanted children outside the city walls to be killed by exposure or wild beasts. Prejudice extended to court and streets against women who were necessary in the bearing and raising of children, but considered pretty much mindless otherwise. Slaves were hardly thought of as human. Bought and sold at prices below that of a middle aged mule, they were branded to show their status and their lives could be terminated immediately and painfully at an owner's whim, even for something as small as missing dust on a table top. The Bible is filled with examples of prejudice. And it is filled with the story of release from prejudice. Each and every one of us, man, woman and child are equal in the Lord's eyes, for we have all sinned and fallen short of His wishes, commands, glory and perfection. We are equal, because we are all damned. Yes, it is Jesus that brings equality. But there’s more. Our equality extends still further than being united in sin. We are equal in the fact that we cannot do anything to save ourselves. Luther said it, "I cannot by my reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord or come to Him." In our helplessness we are all equal. And in our redemption through the Savior’s blood we are equal, too. THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, to a world which is bad You have sent Your Son. Through His sacrifice all is changed and we can be saved., For this accept our thanks and praise. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: The Shepherd
DATE: January 12, 2020 Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. TEXT: Psalm 23:1 - ESV - The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. East Africa, 1956, a band of Mau Maus came to the village of Lauri and killed everybody... 300 people in all. 3 miles away was the Rift Valley Academy, a boarding school where children were educated while their missionary parents worked elsewhere. After leaving Lauri, the Mau Maus came with spears, clubs, and torches to the school. You can imagine the fear of the children. Word had already reached them about the destruction of Lauri. In the night, lighted torches were seen coming toward the school. Soon there was a ring of terrorists around the school. Shouting and curses could be heard coming from the Mau Maus. Then they began to tighten the circle, shouting louder, coming closer. Suddenly, when they were close enough to throw a spear, they began to retreat, and soon they were running into the jungle. The army eventually captured the entire band of Mau Maus. At their trial, the Mau Mau leader was asked, "Did you kill the inhabitants of Lauri?" "Yes." "Was it your intent to do the same at the Academy?" "Yes." "Why didn't you attack the school?" The leader, who had never read the Bible and never heard about Jesus, said, "We were on our way to attack and destroy all the people at the school. But as we came closer, all of a sudden between us and the school there were many huge men, dressed in white with flaming swords. We became afraid and we ran to hide!" An impressive story. A true story. An almost unbelievable story...the idea of God sending angels to watch over some children.
Years ago, Jesus fed thousands of people with five loaves and two small fish. The people were impressed at this wonderful miracle which could multiply food so their stomachs could be full. But, how many times had they been fed by God in a more traditional way? How many times had God stopped the hail storms from wiping out their wheat fields...had sent the rains to fill the lakes where the fish lived? When Jesus fed them in a miraculous way they wished to make Him king, but all too often, they never bothered to thank God for the many times that He had faithfully, and quietly, fed them. We might wish that God would miraculously feed us the way Jesus fed those thousands. But, as I think back, I am forced to admit that I have never been hungry. There have been times when my stomach growled during the middle of a sermon and people all around me looked and I was embarrassed. But I have never been hungry. Do you understand? God watches over us in miraculous and regular ways. Wherever we find ourselves, God looking like the Shepherd He is, shows He cares. THE PRAYER: Lord help me realize that nothing can separate me from the love of the Good Shepherd. Especially in times of danger and fear, let me trust Your presence. In Your holy Name I pray it. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: Jesus Alone
DATE: January 11, 2020 Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. TEXT: John 14:6 – ESV - 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. In the 1800’s, Queen Victoria was crossing the English Channel on her royal yacht. Her eye spied a tiny bird with fluttering wings following the ship. It had been attracted by the brightness of the silk flag that floated at the masthead. The queen turned to her daughter and pointed to the bird. It was weak and weary, darting down to the waves, then climbing back up, trying to find some place to rest. But it was a feeble creature of the woods and field. With a faint cry it rose from the waves, soared up to the masthead and tried to rest upon the flag which had drawn it from the land - away from safety, shelter and home. The heart of the queen was full of pity, and she commanded her sailors to save the weary bird. They sprang to do her bidding and used every art and device to capture the little thing in vain. All their efforts to rescue the bird only terrified it more. At last it fell upon the deck at the feet of the queen - dead! Her majesty stooped and picked it up and held it tenderly in her hands. Victoria, queen and empress, had washed to spare the life of the bird, but she had not been able. The lesson? In this life there are those who love you, who would willingly save you if they could; they are willing, but they are simply not able. Nobody can save you other than Jesus. Sometimes the wisdom of the world comes marching boldly up to you, looks you in the face and says, "I can save you." But, the best advice and the wisdom of the world can't do the job. If you doubt it, look: we have hundreds of books on how people can save their marriage, but well over 1/3 of our marriages end in divorce. We have hundreds of books telling us how to be happy, yet millions remain miserable. These authors are filled with the best of intentions, they would save you if they could, but they simply are not able. Nobody can save you other than Jesus. Sometimes government says, "I can save you." Now, understand, I do not regard our government in a bad light. We are blessed to have the system that we do. It is far better than anything else I have seen on this planet. Most of our elected officials sincerely try to do what is right. They try and save the people. That is why government is willing to spend billions of dollars for low income housing, but we have more homeless this morning than we had twenty years ago. Government has declared war on drugs, but we have more users than we had ten years ago. Equality between all people has been a mainstay of our nation's laws for almost 200 years, but there is still prejudice, inequity in the job market, discrimination, bigotry and hatred. Government, seeing the pain of the people, has developed social programs to take care of the less fortunate. Honesty compels us to say they have done some great things. But the bottom line is, no matter how good their intentions are in taking care of the less fortunate, the country has been reduced to red-ink poverty, and we have perpetuated the very class of poor people that we were trying to help eliminate. That is why our children's' portion of the national debt is becoming an amount they will never be able to pay. Yes, government would save you if it could, but it isn't able. All these groups are well intentioned, but authors, government, social leaders just aren't able to save you. Nobody can save you other than Jesus. And He has. From birth to death and through resurrection He has done all which was necessary to bridge the sin-created gulf between God and man. He did it all and we can say, “Jesus saves.” PRAYER: Lord, the world may have style and flash. It may try to steal us away from our Savior. Help us remember Jesus saves. In His holy Name I pray it. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: Banners DATE: January 10, 2020 Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. TEXT: Psalm 60:4-6 – ESV - You have set up a banner for those who fear you, that they may flee to it from the bow. Selah That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer us! In 312, at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, Constantine said Jesus had appeared to Him and said he should fight under the symbol of the cross. Constantine went into that battle under a new banner, the cross of the Savior. Winning that battle he became the first Christian emperor of Rome. He ordered the citizens to be converted. To his dying day, Constantine believed that the banner carrying the cross gave him the empire that day. The banner of the cross said his empire belonged to the King. Carrying standards and flags did not end with the emperor Constantine. In the Civil War most regiments had a ten-man honor guard which carried the flags of country and unit into battle. Carrying something as conspicuous as these colors made you an obvious target for the enemy. One carrier of the flag, after another, could be shot. The colors would wobble, and the next member of the guard would grab it and continue on. It was an honor to carry those flags, if even for a very short time. On occasion, all of the color guard would be killed or wounded, but records tell us no call had to go out for volunteers. It was an honor to carry the flag. Go to the bloodied battlefield of Gettysburg and see, placed in display cases of honor, the colors of these regiments, ripped and torn by shot and shell, baptized by the blood of those who carried them. The flag said you were serving your country. The passage above, taken from the book of Psalms, describes the Lord’s banner as being set up in a place where His people can rally. It’s a beautiful picture... one that points out the Lord’s ongoing care, protection and direction which leads us forward to proclaim the Christ Who gave His life so that all who believe on Him will not perish but have everlasting life. That’s the message some of our most familiar hymns want to convey in poetry and melody. Onward, Christian soldiers, Marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus Going on before. Christ, the royal Master, Leads against the Foe; Forward into battle See His banners go! Onward, Christian soldiers, Marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus Going on before. And then there is.... Stand up!--stand up for Jesus, Ye soldiers of the Cross! Lift high His royal banner, It must not suffer loss. From vict'ry unto vict'ry His army shall He lead Till ev'ry foe is vanquished And Christ is Lord indeed. And if you’re thinking, ‘”I’ve never seen one of the Lord’s banners”, please allow me to disagree. Every baptismal cloth used, every Purificator wiping a communion chalice, every funeral pall that covers a Christian casket; is a reminder and symbol of what the Lord has done and is doing. THE PRAYER: Lord, although I always wish to be close to you, during times of fear and weakness, keep me specially close to Your banner of salvation. In Your holy Name I pray it. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: Changing
DATE: January 9, 2020 Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. TEXT: 1 Corinthians 6:20 - ESV - 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. Did you ever take out a camera and, unexpectedly, point it at a crowd of people?
lf you want to see an even stranger event, show your pictures to the same people who are in these photos. None of them will like what they see. They will think themselves too fat, too skinny, too short, too tall, their complexion is bad, their eyes don't match, their hair is too thick, too thin. Noses are too large or small, has a hook or is recessed. Their chins are weak or too strong. I may not have hit their every weakness, but that weakness is there. Actually they have many weaknesses... and those weaknesses they are not all on the outside. The really bad weakness’ come from our hearts, our minds and tongues. We are sinners. What is absolutely amazing to me is that God has always been able to take such ridiculous, foolish, feeble, sinful people and use them for His purpose. In the Old Testament the Lord speaks to the young boy Samuel. He calls Samuel from the humdrum life as a servant and transforms him into a mighty prophet. God does that in spite of the fact that Samuel was a sinner. Elsewhere in Scripture you will find the same action repeated. Abraham is transformed from a shepherd to the father of nations. He took stuttering Moses and makes him into the leader of the Exodus. He took woman-crazy Samson and makes him into a tool for vengeance upon His enemies. David no longer is just a player of a harp who fights big guys, but he becomes a prophet of repentance. Maligned Matthew is made more than a money counter, but is the recorder of the Savior's life. Someone who can be transformed and shaped. Nor is this power of God confined just to the covers of the Scriptures. God could take a German monk and make him a mighty reformer of His church. God does the same for you. Please don’t exclude yourself from that list. Do not hide behind false modesty For the Spirit of God has power. God sees in men and women things that they never could have imagined, no, not in their wildest of dreams. God sees things that are wonderful, magnificent, monumental. God sees these gifts of the Spirit, because He is the one who put them there in the first place. How does Saint Paul say it: "You are not their own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with their body." THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, because of Jesus’ cleansing blood I am not what I was. Because of the Holy Spirit’s power, I am not what I will be. Keep me and make me into a person for Your glory. In Jesus ‘Name , I pray. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes their devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: Do Overs
DATE: January 8, 2020 Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. TEXT: 1 John 1:7-9 - ESV - 7 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. Any pastor who has been involved with counseling is used to hearing two words: "If only....." Then the counselee fills in the blank. "If only I had known how hard life was, I would have gone to college, I would have studied harder in high school."
As Peter neared the end of his life, as he reflected back on his years with Jesus, I imagine he found a great many of those "if only" times.
If only. I do hope that Peter remembered those good times. Those times when he did the right thing. I hope he thought of those times and was comforted. I hope you are, too. You see, all of us have times when we would like to have a “do over.” That’s normal. We would love to straighten out our mistakes and sins. Sadly replaying our mistakes is not a possibility. And that’s where Satan gets involved. There is nothing he enjoys more than accusing a Christian of a sin. He gets our consciences revved up.... and he gets our finger pointing to all our flaws, faults and failures. Which is a great shame. He makes us feel guilty when there should be no guilt. After all, what does that passage quoted above say... 1 John 1:7-9 - 7 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. Remember Jesus’ blood takes away ALL SIN and ALL GUILT. THE PRAYER: Lord, do not let the devil succeed in accusing me when Jesus has already forgiven me. In Your holy Name I pray it. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: Doubtings
DATE: January 7, 2020 Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. TEXT: John 20:27 - ESV - 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” People are peculiar in the extreme. For example, if you tell a man that, as of January 1, 2020 there were 581 billion, 678 million, 934 thousand, 341 discovered galaxies in the universe, he will believe you. That same individual, if he walks through a hall and sees a sign which reads "FRESH PAINT" will.... well you know what he has to do. He has to make a personal investigation. He has to touch it. That's humankind for you. When it comes to matters of belief everything seems so unbelievable. It's human nature to doubt, to be a skeptic. When it comes to accepting things, we all from Missouri. We have to see for ourselves. And often times, that's not so bad. We have been lied to so many times. We have heard every aspirin company say that they relieve headache the best, every toilet paper claims to be the softest, every cigarette manufacturer claiming to be the mildest, every cold remedy relieves the most symptoms the mildest, we have to check the paint. But doubting can have some very dire results. In 1970 the Liberian tanker ARROW ran aground off Nova Scotia, broke into two parts and sunk. The oil it was carrying floated to shore and polluted 125 miles of shoreline. Its Greek captain admitted that he did see an echo on his radar that said there were rocks ahead of him. But he had dismissed those blips as being false. "It was my mistake," he confessed. But the damage was done. Now, having 125 miles of shoreline befouled with oil is tragic. But it's far more tragic to doubt the Lord. It's far more silly to check the Lord's WET PAINT signs. Nevertheless, that is exactly what people do. Adam and Eve checked out the paint when the ate from the tree of good and evil. God had hung a wet paint sign on that tree and what did they do? They had to touch it, try it and see if God meant what He said. God did mean it. And the world was thrown into a state of disarray until the end of time. The children of Israel in the wilderness had seen ten plagues, all of them powerful, but with Pharaoh's chariots careening down on them they doubted the ongoing protection of the Lord. Countless times in their wilderness wanderings they checked to see if God's love was still there. Countless times they put their hand on the wet paint. Even after God had given them the promised land, people didn't believe any better. Gideon needed signs that he was being picked by God. Samson checked the paint when he met Delilah. And Samson found that God meant what He said. Samson ended up losing his hair, his eyesight, his dignity and his life. Herod the Great knew the prophecy of a king Who was to be born in Bethlehem. But he had to test the paint and see if it was wet. He had to see if God really was indestructible. So his soldiers were sent to defeat the Lord of hosts. Herod died. The new King survived so that He might give His life upon the cross and save humankind from sin. And now it’s our turn... to believe or check the paint.... to trust the Lord or doubt Him. With the records of humankind’s failures and the success of the Lord’s Son, I know what I’m going to try and do. It seems a whole lot safer, smarter and more secure. THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. In Your holy Name I pray it. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html  My son, Pastor Kurt Klaus, has called it a reboot, that is Ken Klaus 2.0.
My wife, Pam, has referred to it as a REAL retirement (That is in contrast to a pretend retirement where I continued to do many of the things, and be governed by many of the deadlines, I had followed throughout my ministry.) Me, I’ve thought of it as a time to explore the possibility of writing a book, or helping a pastorless parish, or categorizing my ½ million sermon illustrations, or going to see the few places Pam and I haven’t yet checked off our bucket list. Quite frankly we are looking forward to whatever the Lord has in store for us. I do know, at least for the near future, I won’t be writing Daily Devotions. I loved doing the writing but posting and maintaining the website was not for me. With close to 5,000 Daily Devos under my belt, it is a strange feeling not having that ever-present deadline. January 19th will be the last published or emailed devo. Similarly, my 2020 Oberammergau trip is the last major outing that Pam and I will be hosting. There is still the possibility of a small, one bus trip to Israel, but that all depends on interest. Before we sign off, we need to say two things:
In Christ, I remain, His servant and yours, Kenneth R. Klaus Ephesians 3: 7-9 TITLE: HAVE SOME FRUIT
DATE: January 6, 2020 Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. TEXT: James 1:22 - ESV -But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Imagine a man owes you $100. Which would please you the most? For that man to say, "One of these days, real, real soon, I'm going to pay you the money I owe", or for the man to slip you a bright, crisp, 100 dollar-bill. The answer is obvious. Talk is cheap. Cash speaks volumes. When Jesus was here on earth, He had very little patience with those people who tried to substitute words for actions.
No, Jesus expects His disciples not just to talk a good game. He wants them to live a good game. He wants them not just to talk the talk of Christianity. He wants them to walk the walk. That's why, this Epiphany I put before you a command of Jesus. It is just command of two, very simple words: "Follow me." This Epiphany, I ask: "Will you follow Jesus?" Will you, like the wise men follow Jesus to Bethlehem? Don't assume that it's an easy question. Look around. Hundreds of others did not do so. Herod the Great would not follow Jesus. The scribes who had been given and knew the entire list of Old Testament prophecies did not follow Jesus to Bethlehem. The people of Jerusalem , terrorized by the questions of the wise men decided not to make the six-mile trip. Only the magi, the sages from the east went to the town which was the place of the manger, the place of humility, the place where God became flesh and dwelt among us for the redemption of sinful souls. Only the Wise Men went to the house where Jesus was staying. Only they could be bothered to see this human child, the Son of God, born of a peasant woman. Only they were motivated to present their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. It was nice of them to do so. But they had already given the Christ Child the best gift of all. They had given themselves. Just as you are. In comparison, the finest of gold is cheap. The purest of myrrh is dust. I give thanks that you have come to with the Wise Men to Bethlehem. You have joined with the Wise Men and bowed down to worship Him. On this Epiphany, I ask you, will you follow Jesus? Will you follow Jesus to Galilee where He preached out His Gospel. Will you walk with the disciples along the dusty and rocky roads? Will you watch and see how the Son of God is touched by the cries of a widow who mourns her son....or a leper who has been banned from the presence of his family? Will you watch as Jesus feeds the physical hunger of thousands, even as His words touch the spiritual hunger of those are lost and trapped in their sins. Will you come to Galilee and slowly realize that Jesus never turned away from any person who actually needed His help. Come and see that He was never too busy or too tired to meet the needs of suffering people all around Him. If we are His disciples, we must never be too busy to hear the cries of a needy world and do what we can to alleviate the suffering and heartache. We must never be so busy that we cannot take the time to speak to someone about his soul's salvation. That is what it means to follow Jesus to Galilee. THE PRAYER: Lord let me be a doer of the word and not just a hearer. Make my life a gift of thanks. Jesus’ Name. Amen The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: Compromise
DATE: January 5, 2020 Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. TEXT: James 4:8 – ESV - Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Sometimes the world wants you to compromise. You know, take some of its wisdom, and, some of God's. Sounds good on principle, but.... I remember a joke in which begins with a hunter raising his rifle to shoot a large bear. Before he could pull the trigger, the bear spoke in a soft, soothing voice, "Isn't it better to talk than to shoot. What is it you want? Let us negotiate the matter." Lowering his rifle, the hunter replied, "I am looking for a fur coat." "Good," said the bear, 'that is a negotiable issue. On my part, I want a full stomach. Let us negotiate a compromise." The hunter and the bear sat down to negotiate and after a time the bear walked away...... alone. The negotiations had been successful. The bear had his full stomach, and the hunter was wrapped by a fur coat. That same thing happens when the wisdom of the world meets the Word of the Lord. The world says, "Come, let us negotiate. This will save you. That will help" But there are some things that can't be negotiated. Fumes from gasoline and the flame of a match can't negotiate. Good and evil can't negotiate. We cannot compromise and try to find a happy meeting place between the wisdom of the world and Christianity. If we do, we get eaten alive. Negotiations and compromises can't save us. The wisdom of the world can never bridge the gap between us and the Lord. The world wants you to compromise; it would have you believe that it has the solution to your problems, your future, your salvation. The world would have you compromise and buy into its pale, shallow imitation of peace. But only Jesus can save. Now if the world, with all its money and resources can't save you or make you happy, is there any possibility you can save yourself? Once a man had a bad toothache. It lasted two days. In desperation, he got out a small drill and fixed it himself. It worked very well, and he didn't have a bit of pain, until the following day. Then it hurt worse than it had before. So that day he drilled that tooth out some more and filled it with some plastic goop that he bought at the hardware store. It didn't hurt anymore. It didn't hurt anymore for a whole three hours, but then the pain became excruciating. He couldn't protect himself from a little toothache. He couldn't save himself. Not any more than we can save ourselves from our bad habits, from our addictions, from our sins or our shortcomings. Only Jesus can save. You may not see Him, but He has done that which is impossible for us. Once, when I was much younger, I saw a strange event. It was started with a strange tapping noise. When I looked I saw a butterfly in my parent's living room. It was flying around between the storm window and the inside glass. It was flying with great fright and outside a sparrow was pecking, that's the noise I heard, and trying to get at that butterfly. The butterfly did not see the glass and expected every minute to be caught and the sparrow did not see the glass. He expected every minute to get the butterfly. Yet, all the while that butterfly was as safe as if it had been millions of miles away. The glass between it and the sparrow kept it safe. So it is with a Christian. We may not see Jesus. But He is there. He is saving us. He has saved us. Satan cannot touch the soul that has the Lord Jesus Christ between itself and him. Ponder a moment upon your sins. Jesus, the Man of sorrows, did not just understand, He did not just sympathize. He made your sins His own. No government, no wisdom of the world can do that. No amount of compromising can do that. Because of Jesus, you are saved. In eternity, most certainly. But right now as well. Jesus has become the glass to keep you safe. Nothing can harm you. You may not see Him. But He is there, as surely as the glass kept the butterfly safe, Jesus, Your friend, Your Savior, is keeping you safe as well. God grant it be so. God grant we accept this truth. Amen. THE PRAYER: Lord there are days when I think I have done some pretty good stuff. Help me always remember and be grateful that Jesus has done that which we could not. In His holy Name I pray it. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: Kick Away
DATE: January 4, 2020 Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. TEXT: Romans 8:38 m- ESV - 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. It is 2020. Every year since man's fall into sin, grief has come to humanity. 2020 will be no different. Grief has come to the mother walking daily to a nearby cemetery where she stands quietly alone a few minutes before going about the tasks of the day, knowing that part of her is in the grave. Grief is the silent, knife-like terror and sadness that comes a hundred times a day to the widower, when he starts to speak to someone who is no longer there. Grief is the emptiness that comes when you eat alone after having eaten with another for many years. Grief is teaching yourself to go to bed without saying good night to the spouse who has gone on ahead. Grief is the helpless wishing that things were different when you know they are not and never will be again. Grief is a whole cluster of adjustments, apprehensions and uncertainties that strike at us as we move into time. And it will come in 2020. That is why, as we stand only a few days since the New Year’s beginning, it is right that we hear St. Paul say nothing can separate us from the love of God which is ours in Christ Jesus. Jesus Christ, Whose birth we have just celebrated, is God's guarantee that no matter what is thrown at us in 2020, we shall remain in the hands of the loving Lord. Growing up on the gulf coast of Texas, the little boy spent long hours on the beach, building intricate sand castles. Whole cities would appear beneath his hands. One day, some new kids showed up. One of them held the builder, while the others stomped his sandcastles. After the second or third day, nobody paid much attention to the builder, but they continued to receive considerable pleasure in kicking apart his work. All that changed, however, on the day he did something different. Silently he worked, placing cinder blocks and chunks of concrete underneath the base of his castles. Sand on top of concrete. When the local toughs appeared, the builder quickly disappeared watching from a hidden vantage point. The boys kicked, but their toes had met their match against the concrete. Similarly, Jesus Christ is our concrete block that saves the Christian's life and work from being kicked apart. In this first week of 2020, with unknown and numerous problems before us, we are able to give thanks. In Jesus, the great bullies of sin, death and Satan, those that have been accustomed to holding us down and destroying anything that we have tried to accomplish have met their match. As Christians, the Holy Spirit has enabled us to build our lives upon the concrete foundation of Jesus Christ. These three, sin, death and Satan may kick and try to destroy us, but we are safe. We are confident that they are helpless to destroy any life that is built on the Lord Jesus. Martin Luther, the great reformer, the man who had been rejected by his church and had to slip into hiding to save his life, was able to write in a Mighty Fortress: "The old evil foe now means deadly woe.... Take they our lives, goods, fame, child and wife, let these all be gone, they yet have nothing won, the kingdom ours remaineth." Luther was not just writing words. He experienced the death of a beloved daughter; he who had stood alone so many times knew nothing could separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Saint Paul said it better than Luther, "I am convinced that nothing, (and then he lists all the difficulties he can think of) nothing can separate us from the love that is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord." THE PRAYER: Lord, this New Year we have enemies poised to hurt uses. Help us remember that the damage they can do temporary and superficial .Because of Jesus we have been given the ultimate victory. In His holy Name I give thanks. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: Our Fortress In the New Year.
Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. TEXT: Ps 46: 1- - ESV God is our refuge and strength, a very present[b] help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling A Mighty Fortress is our God. The night before he was to appear before an imperial council, Luther repeated those words so that the sad spirits of his fellow reformers might be revived. So strengthened were they by the power of God as their mighty Fortress that they stood firmly before that council and protested against the many errors of the church in their day. A century later, when Protestantism lay bleeding on the battlefields of religious warfare ,Gustavus Adolphus, king of the Swedes came down to protect the cause of Christ. He led his troops into battle at Breitenfeld singing "A Mighty Fortress is our God. A year later, at Lutzen, when a heavy fog prevented his forces from attacking, the king ordered his musicians to play that song. When the sun broke through the lifting fog, Adolphus knelt to pray, saying, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, help me today to do battle for the glory of Thy Name!" For several hours the outcome was doubtful. Before noon the young king was mortally wounded. Instead of losing heart, his soldiers found help in God, their mighty Fortress. At the end of the day, the victory was theirs. As we begin another year, we hope that you, too, reviewing the past and surveying the future, may take refuge in heaven's strength. We are only a few hours into the New Year, When it is over the 12 months which seemed to stretch out forever will close. We will be 52 weeks closer to the grave; 365 years closer to judgment. What, assurance do we need for the sorrows of yesterday. On what can we depend other than God, our Fortress. That is why, I ask you to start the new with this confidence, from the book of Nahum: The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him , For their size, the prophecies of Nahum say more about war and grim destruction than do any of the other 65 books of Scripture. But as the prophet speaks of the fall of Nineveh, and envisions international tumult, long-drawn bloodshed, and wide-spread sorrow, he comforts those who put their trust in God with this sustaining hope: The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him. Nahum wants us to know that when you are outnumbered by your enemies, hard-pressed by the terror of conflict, you can find refuge, rest, protection and power behind the walls of faith in God. Heaven's truth has never made a mistake and Biblical promise had never miscarried. Examine the book of Nahum with its score of predictions depicting Nineveh's fall long before that city's end, and remember with what startling detail these prophecies were fulfilled. Can any Psychic Hotline come close? It has always seemed to me that such evidence of God's ability to execute His threats and keep His promises should convince even the most doubtful that The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, THE PRAYER: Lord, there are many causes and leaders who want my loyalty. Help me remember that You have always been there as my Fortress where I am safe and secure. This I ask in my Savior’s Name. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: A Hard Gift to Give
DATE: January 2, 2020 Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. TEXT: Eph. 2:18-20 –ESV --For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. As it is still the Christmas season I can be forgiven for telling a Santa story. (I hope.) This one begins with the young boy being taken to a busy shopping center to see Santa. After waiting in line for what seemed like an eternity, it was his turn to sit on the fat man's knee. After the usual "ho ho ho's" and "what is your name" questions, the boy was finally asked what it was that he wanted for Christmas.
The little boy had obviously prepared himself for this question, because he answered without hesitation, "So I can share." SMART LAD. It takes most of us a lot longer in life to figure out that it’s easy to share when you have two of everything. And how difficult is it to share if you have only have one of something? Ask the Lord that question, He can answer it. That’s because God sent us His only Son as our Savior.
That's the lesson a woman missionary in the South Pacific Islands was explaining to a group of children. She began by trying to explain how our custom of giving gifts at Christmas is a pale reflection of the gift the Lord made in the Person of His Son. . "Giving gifts," she said, "expresses love and reminds us of the perfect gift of love we received from God: Jesus." Then she explained how all of Jesus’ life was part of that great Gift. As is the case with all such interactions, she spent the next few days debating if she could have done a better job. She got her answer when a young native boy came to the missionary's side and said, "I love you and want you to have this." He pulled from a straw basket the most beautiful shell the missionary had ever seen. As she admired its beauty, she recognized it as a special shell only found on the far side of the island, a half day's walk from the village. When confronted by this, the boy smiled and said, "Long walk part of gift!" He got it. Every day of Jesus life; every miracle, every teaching, every prophecy fulfilled was part of the gift. THE PRAYER: Lord Every aspect of Jesus’ living, suffering dying And rising was part of Your gift. Grant that I may offer praise and appreciation for what You have done for me through Him. In Your holy Name I pray it. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html TITLE: New Year Substitutions
DATE: January 1, 2020 Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. TEXT: Deuteronomy 31:6 -ESV - 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” A forest fire once burned over some acreage near a farm in western Canada. Many of the farm’s outbuildings were destroyed. When the embers had cooled, the farmer walked around looking over the ruins. Noticing one burned lump on the ground, the farmer prodded it with a stick. It was a hen which had been burned to death. The farmer turned the hen over, and to his surprise, out ran three baby chicks, terrified, but still chirping. The hen had died in the flames, but somehow had saved her tiny brood. What an example of God's love and the promise that He will protect us in 2020 and every year Jesus has saved us at the cost of His life, but the fire of death and Satan have passed over and we are alive. There is only one thing that can ever hurt us, and that is our own hardness of heart - our own lack of faith. Jesus has used exactly that illustration when He said: "How often would I have gathered you together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings. And you would not. God's love, working within our hearts, will be the one constant in this New Year. You know, collecting antique weather vanes has become quite a hobby with many people today. One of the most unusual ever made was one that had the motto cast into it, "God is love." One man, seeing the casting facetiously asked, "Does that mean God's love is as changeable as the wind?" The seller of the old vane replied, "No, indeed, it means that God is love whichever way the wind blows. And so it is. You can believe it. God can conquer evil with good. Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is ours in Jesus Christ. How sad that so many don't believe that. Not even really good church attendees believe it all the time. They sell out. They act as if Jesus has little importance in the big picture. They act as if their big brudder won't really help them out when the bullies arrive. We who know Jesus will give us eternal life when we die, dare not act as if Jesus is not really active as we enter a New Year. How eagerly we should hold onto the words of God: "Nothing will separate us from the love of God which is ours in Christ Jesus." In this New Year let us give our whole heart to the Lord. Let’s banish pessimism in this New Year. We who have God’s hope, should allow the Holy Spirit to make some substitutions. . Instead of despair, doom and destruction we can have confidence, peace and joy. God will enable us to conquer the world's evil, our own evil and the destruction of death with faith in the Lamb of God Who has promised never to leave us or forsake us. What a great year it will be if, at the end of it, all of us proudly say, “Nothing has been able to separate me from the love of God which is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord." THE PRAYER: Lord, ;looking at the New Year I see a lot of days filled with unknowns. Help me know that You and Your love will shape, and bring meaning to those days. This I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen. The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html |
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