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Devotion
(The following devotion was originally published by Lutheran Hour Ministries on January 21, 2016. Find it online at https://www.lhm.org/dailydevotions/20160121/)
John 15:5: (Jesus said) “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
Pruning may be good for roses and vines and fruit trees, but most people I know don’t like to be pruned. Not so very long ago, I was told about a woman who was in legal trouble. She had run up some gambling debts and then borrowed from the place where she worked. “Borrowed” — that’s what she called it. The company caught her, and although it didn’t take her to court, it fired her and escorted her to her car. She found some refuge in the bottle. In fact, she found a lot of refuge in the bottle. Drinking and driving had compounded her difficulties as she had been twice arrested for driving under the influence. Most recently, she had been arrested for a hit-and-run, during which a child had been seriously injured. She was worrying herself sick until she heard about a defense attorney who was a cross between Matlock and Perry Mason. From jail she called him and he agreed to meet with her. The visit with the lawyer went well — very well, in fact. He nodded during her story. He asked questions when they needed to be asked. Then he said, “You have the right to an attorney. But, in truth, the best attorney can only do so much. You will probably end up with some jail time. Then, during and after jail, the judge will say you will need to enroll in recovery programs like Gamblers Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous. In outrage, the woman shot back, “I need a lawyer, not a lecture.” The woman is an example that people don’t like to be pruned. People don’t like to be directed, corrected, amended or adjusted. People want to be let alone to do what they want, how they want, when they want, the way they want. People don’t want anybody, God included, to tell them what’s wrong with them or how they can be made right. It’s that way today. It will be that way tomorrow. And it was that way at the beginning of time. Way back when, at the beginning of human history, “God looked at everything He had created and made and pronounced it very good. …” (Genesis 1:31a). Our first ancestors were given a unique and harmonious relationship with that Maker. But Adam and Eve didn’t like being pruned. They didn’t like the one law the Lord had given them. God’s order seemed too confining, too arbitrary, too illogical, and when you got down to it, just downright wrong for them. They decided they wanted to be free of what they considered to be God’s most unreasonable request. They rejected God, and embraced evil. At that moment, our ancestors became dead wood. They were good for nothing, other than to be thrown into the fire. That is, of course, exactly what God said would happen (see Genesis 2:17). Indeed, that would have happened, if the Lord hadn’t intervened. The Lord promised to send His Son who would be the way humans — through faith in Jesus as their Substitute — could be grafted back into a loving relationship with their Maker. To explain God’s plan in a way people could understand, Jesus talked about how He was the vine and His people — the ones who believed in Him as Savior — would be the branches. It was that simple: Jesus is the vine who provides life. Believers are the branches that live because they are connected to Him.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks for Jesus. Because of Him I have life and am able to produce fruit. Do the pruning which is necessary so the fruit of my life glorifies my Savior. In His Name I pray. Amen.
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Devotion
(The following devotion was published on June 2, 2003 at Lutheran Hour Ministries. Find it online at https://www.lhm.org/dailydevotions/20030602/)
Psalm 119:11: I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. When life gets tough, we need something more solid to cling to than feelings and emotions.
“In time of trial we should rest not on our feelings but on the Word of God” (Martin Luther). God’s Word is like the rock of Gibraltar. In it there is help for every need. The best we can do is to cling to the promises of God. God will always meet us there — and effectively so. When it comes to power, nothing can match the power of God’s Word. It replaces negative attitudes. It gives attitudes that have altitude. Here are some words to take with you wherever you go. Hold them and they will hold you. “By this I will know that God is for me” (Psalm 56:9). “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Corinthians 12:9). “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you ” (1 Peter 5:7). “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). The Word is powerful, eternal, imperishable. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away” (Luke 21:33). Nothing on earth can do more for you than the Word that testifies of Christ, our Savior.
PRAYER: Lord, I want to love Your Word more and more. It holds, it helps, it builds me up. Amen. (
Taken from “Words of Promise,” copyright 1996, Concordia Publishing House (out of print). For information on other devotional materials, call 1-800-325-3040.)
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Devotion
(The following devotion was originally published by Lutheran Hour Ministries on October 11, 2013. Find it online at https://www.lhm.org/dailydevotions/20131011/)
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1 Corinthians 15:58: Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: The salvation story of Jesus Christ reaches around the world. So that the readers of our Daily Devotion may see the power of the Savior on a global scale, we have asked the volunteers of our International Ministry Centers to write our Friday devotions. We pray that the Spirit may touch your day through their words. In Christ, I remain, His servant and yours, Kenneth R. Klaus Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour Our daily work in Uruguay takes place at the Lutheran mission and the office of Christ for All Nations. This is a small and cozy location situated in the heart of the capital city, Montevideo. Our unique site allows us to look out upon the many folks who pass by. You should know many of those folks seem to be hopeless, tired, depressed and lonely. There is little doubt they are looking for meaning to their lives, which will take them above a pointless routine. Past experience tells us our contact with these people will be short term. In the brief time we are allowed to minister to them we will be fighting against illegal drugs, a system set against them, and appalling living conditions. Common sense tells us we should not be able to make a lasting, a tangible difference in their lives. Such a skeptical attitude must be put aside in favor of God’s promise and past experience, which has taught us that a smile, a handshake, a friendly word, a reassuring gesture, and the wonderful story of the Savior and the grace of God can touch souls in a profound way, a way beyond our imagining. The best way I can explain our work is by saying this: when you are laboring for the Lord, it is possible, even easy to get bogged down with difficulties and problems. Sometimes we can lose perspective on that which the Lord would have us do. At times we can become frustrated. Since the clock and calendar dictate we must move on quickly, we seldom know if our specific prayers for specific individuals have been answered. Most certainly we don’t get to see the miracles that have been accomplished by our great God, as He works in the hearts and lives of people. All of this explains why we must rely on the Word of God. We build all we do on passages like that which serve as the basis for this devotion: “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” Knowing the Lord Jesus is beside us, we hold fast to the power of God. The Lord is guiding us, supporting us, and giving us the confidence to keep on going. May I tell you it is a wonderful blessing to know we are not alone in this work, which shares the love of God with those who have not yet experienced the joy of Jesus, the gladness which comes from His forgiveness, and the hope of heaven which He offers. And now, as this devotion closes, I invite you to once again read our Bible passage and pray for us. Do so knowing we are praying for your witness also. May all our work be done gratefully and with a wonderful dedication to our crucified and ever-living Redeemer.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, send Your Holy Spirit to refocus, readjust and rejuvenate me. Make me steadfast, immovable, always doing that which pleases You and points the lost to the Christ. And, if it is Your will, may I be given a glimpse of the changes which says our labor has not been in vain. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
song
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Devotion
(The following devotion was originally published by Lutheran Hour Ministries on January 21, 2016. Find it online at https://www.lhm.org/dailydevotions/20160121/)
John 15:5: (Jesus said) “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
Pruning may be good for roses and vines and fruit trees, but most people I know don’t like to be pruned. Not so very long ago, I was told about a woman who was in legal trouble. She had run up some gambling debts and then borrowed from the place where she worked. “Borrowed” — that’s what she called it. The company caught her, and although it didn’t take her to court, it f ired her and escorted her to her car. She found some refuge in the bottle. In fact, she found a lot of refuge in the bottle. Drinking and driving had compounded her difficulties as she had been twice arrested for driving under the influence. Most recently, she had been arrested for a hit-and-run, during which a child had been seriously injured. She was worrying herself sick until she heard about a defense attorney who was a cross between Matlock and Perry Mason. From jail she called him and he agreed to meet with her. The visit with the lawyer went well — very well, in fact. He nodded during her story. He asked questions when they needed to be asked. Then he said, “You have the right to an attorney. But, in truth, the best attorney can only do so much. You will probably end up with some jail time. Then, during and after jail, the judge will say you will need to enroll in recovery programs like Gamblers Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous. In outrage, the woman shot back, “I need a lawyer, not a lecture.” The woman is an example that people don’t like to be pruned. People don’t like to be directed, corrected, amended or adjusted. People want to be let alone to do what they want, how they want, when they want, the way they want. People don’t want anybody, God included, to tell them what’s wrong with them or how they can be made right. It’s that way today. It will be that way tomorrow. And it was that way at the beginning of time. Way back when, at the beginning of human history, “God looked at everything He had created and made and pronounced it very good. …” (Genesis 1:31a). Our first ancestors were given a unique and harmonious relationship with that Maker. But Adam and Eve didn’t like being pruned. They didn’t like the one law the Lord had given them. God’s order seemed too confining, too arbitrary, too illogical, and when you got down to it, just downright wrong for them. They decided they wanted to be free of what they considered to be God’s most unreasonable request. They rejected God, and embraced evil. At that moment, our ancestors became dead wood. They were good for nothing, other than to be thrown into the fire. That is, of course, exactly what God said would happen (see Genesis 2:17). Indeed, that would have happened, if the Lord hadn’t intervened. The Lord promised to send His Son who would be the way humans — through faith in Jesus as their Substitute — could be grafted back into a loving relationship with their Maker. To explain God’s plan in a way people could understand, Jesus talked about how He was the vine and His people — the ones who believed in Him as Savior — would be the branches. It was that simple: Jesus is the vine who provides life. Believers are the branches that live because they are connected to Him.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks for Jesus. Because of Him I have life and am able to produce fruit. Do the pruning which is necessary so the fruit of my life glorifies my Savior. In His Name I pray. Amen.