| Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries By Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
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| "Jesus, the Best Friend"
August 27, 2017 Psalm 144:2 - He is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and He in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
The salvation story of Jesus Christ reaches around the world. So that the readers of our Daily Devotion may see the power of the Savior on a global scale, we have asked the volunteers of our international ministry centers to write our Sunday devotions. We pray that the Spirit may touch your day through their words.
In Christ, I remain, His servant and yours,
Kenneth R. Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Humans were created to be social creatures.
That means most of us feel more comfortable when we have family, friends, and acquaintances conveniently handy. Because we are social, friendship becomes an important part of a full and fulfilled life. Although it is not always the case, the vast majority of us who have close friends and family are happier and better adjusted than those who do not.
Having counted some of the benefits of having close friends and family, we also have to confess there are times when, they can cause us pain.
Some months ago I met a very successful young man who was smart enough to have finished high school early. Not only was he intelligent and well educated, he was also a son who was respectful to his parents.
Since he was too young for college, he took a sabbatical year. It was his intention to enter college with others of his own age.
Sadly, that year out of school wasn't all that positive an experience. This young man, along with his friends, became regulars at parties where the liquor would flow freely. True, they always chose a designated driver whose responsibility was to stay sober and deliver them home at the end of the evening.
Unfortunately, the inevitable happened.
A driver, far under the influence of alcohol, crashed into the young people's vehicle. It was a great accident, which totaled the car. The young man of our story took the brunt of the car's force and ended up in the hospital.
Fearing concussion, the doctors kept their young patient for a few days. They observed him as he drifted out of consciousness. Eventually, his alertness and intelligence came back. One of the first things he realized was this: his friends weren't there. Questioning the nurses he found they had never bothered to stop by.
That's when he realized it was Jesus who was his most faithful and necessary Friend.
From that time on, our young man kept being turned to the Savior. There were opportunities when he visited with others who were suffering. Because of what he had learned, he was able to comfort them at the most difficult times of their lives.
Today our young man is allowing me to share his story with you. He wants you to know, to understand, that God gave us His Son to win forgiveness of sins and make it possible for us to be adopted into the family of faith. Here we will receive the ongoing blessings bestowed by the Holy Spirit: the Holy Spirit who is always with us.
THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I thank You for offering Your Son, Jesus Christ, as my Savior, protector and shield to the problems of life. Thanks be given for my best Friend, in whose Name I pray. Amen.
Biography of Author: Today's international devotion was written by Marcela Padilla. She recently joined our Nicaragua ministry center as a volunteer. She met us during a Christian drug prevention talk we gave at the school where she studies. Immediately afterward, she stopped in to find out more about our ministry. Soon after that she became part of our team. Today she is actively spreading the message of Christ among the youth of her district and other places which we visit.
Lutheran Hour Ministries-Nicaragua is known in-country as "Christ for All Nations" or Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones in Spanish. Launching its Gospel efforts in Chinandega in 1999, LHM-Nicaragua offers Project JOEL, an educational program helping children and young people make healthy lifestyle choices. High school and university students benefit from this program as well. Offering Equipping the Saints (ETS) evangelism workshops to facilitate Gospel conversations and Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC) to build up and edify students of Scripture, inroads are being made into people's lives with the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ. Based today in León, this ministry center produces a weekly radio broadcast and 30-second on-air spots. These are augmented with "Radio Cristo Nica," an internet and radio program dedicated to sharing the Gospel and helping others in this Central American country of six million people.
Be sure to check out LHM's International Ministries' blog page. You can find it by clicking here.
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In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
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Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
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