VERIFIED

Scripture:

Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though
He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you
by His poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9

Reflection:

The scrap metal dealer came across an interesting bauble at
a junk market. It was a three-inch high golden egg, an egg
with a watch inside.
With the hope of selling the diamond watch and the golden
egg at a profit he bought the trinket for about $14,000. Sadly,
the people to whom he tried to sell it said, "We aren't ready
to pay you that much. It's not worth it. You're stuck with the
thing."
And stuck he was.

Hoping to get proof the critical buyers were wrong, the man
searched the Internet for direction. After a while he began to
think the egg he had purchased was the one which had been
given by Tsar Alexander III to his wife as an Easter present
in 1887.
Of course, the odds against his egg being that egg were
astronomical. The egg had last been seen in Russia in 1922.
After that, it had disappeared from sight. Nobody would expect
such a treasure to end up in a junk pile. Still, what did he have
to lose by asking a few questions? Fueled by hope, the scrap
metal man took pictures of his egg to London for verification.

To his surprise, it was verified -- 100 percent-verified -- and
eventually sold for an undisclosed amount. (In 1997, a Faberge
egg, a non-imperial Faberge egg, was sold for $18.5 million.
This egg would have been sold for much, much more.)

And what does all this have to do with a Christian devotion?

Merely this: with the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
the world has been given a wonderful Easter present. Far more
precious than any Faberge egg, our gift is one which forgives us
all our sin and offers us eternal life. Sadly, as is the case for the
junkman's egg,

By the power of the Holy Spirit you have heard the story of
salvation, which God's Son has won for you at such a great cost.
Just as importantly, you recognize its importance, significance
and value. For you, the knowledge of being saved is far greater
than finding an art treasure in a junk pile.

For you the story of the Savior's sacrifice is everything.

THE PRAYER:

Dear Lord, because of Jesus I have been given riches beyond
anything this world can imagine. Grant that I may do all I can so
others might be just as rich in Jesus. In His Name. Amen.

Pastor Ken Klaus

TEMPERS!

Scripture:

He who did not spare His own Son but gave
Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously
give us all things? Romans 8:32

Reflection:

There are people who have tempers, and there are people
who have tempers!   

This devotion deals with a 16-year-old teenage boy who has
a temper. It begins with him having had an argument with his
parents. Now an argument between a teenage boy and his
parents is not the kind of stuff that makes the news. Indeed,
this argument would have gone unnoticed and unmentioned
if it were not for the fact that this boy has a temper.

After the fight the boy ran away, managed to make it to the
San Jose Airport where he hopped the security fence and
climbed into the wheel well of Hawaiian Airlines Flight 45,
which was scheduled to make a five and a half hour flight to
Maui, one of the Hawaiian Islands. No, that's not right. Maybe
I should say the jet was scheduled and made a five and a half
hour flight to Maui.

The plane cruised at 38,000 feet. The outside temperature got
down to 80 degrees below zero.

Experts say the lad probably passed out sometime after the
plane went above 10,000 feet. We have to rely on the opinions
of experts because the boy remembers very little of his escapade.
All he can recall is when the authorities picked him up as he was
wandering aimlessly around the Maui airport's tarmac.

The FBI says it is a miracle the boy with a temper is alive. The
airline, a bit more cautious in its evaluation, says he is "lucky to
have survived." Both are probably right. While there are documented
reports of wheel-well stowaways surviving, most don't.

Now, there is any number of morals one could draw from this story.
One would be if you want to get somewhere safely on a plane, buy
a ticket. Another might be don't rely on luck or miracles to get you
to your final destination. Still, the lesson which seems most fitting
is don't lose your temper.

You see, my friends, there are a lot of people who lose their temper
with God. They think He is unjust, uncaring, vindictive, and a whole
host of other uncomplimentary adjectives. These folks lose their
temper with God, and they run away from Him.

That is a dangerous thing to do. It is dangerous because, without
God and the salvation which Jesus has won, they are not going to
survive. There is no miracle, no amount of luck, which is going to
help them.

No, don't lose your temper with God. He, who has given and
sustains your life, has also sacrificed His Son. This He has done
out of His fatherly divine goodness, grace and mercy. He has done
everything necessary so you can be saved, which also means He
won't do anything that is not ultimately and finally for your own good.

When you come to believe that, you simply can't lose your temper
with your loving Lord.

THE PRAYER:

Dear Lord, forgive my pride, my temper, and any question I might
have concerning Your good intentions. Help me see that You, who
have given Your Son to win my salvation, will also do that which is
right and best for me. In Jesus' Name I pray it. Amen.

Pastor Klaus

(Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)

PLEASE REMEMBER

God will not judge us for how well others respond to our
faith, but for how faithful we have been. He always gives
us the strength to accomplish what he asks us to do. He
doesn't expect us to be perfect, but instead to be willing
and obedient servants, faithful to what we know is true
and right.

WHAT IS SECURITY?

Put on the whole armor, and take up your shield. Prepare
for battle, and come to my aid.
Psalm 35:2 NLT

Security is our nearness to God, not our distance from
danger.   Kenneth R. Hendre

In the gun sights

When Ira Sankey was at the height of his ministry, he was
traveling on a steamer in the Delaware River. Some passengers
had seen his picture in the newspaper and knew he was
associated with evangelist D. L. Moody. When they asked him
to sing one of his own compositions, Sankey said he preferred
a hymn by William Bradbury, "Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us."
One of the stanzas begins, "We are thine, do thou befriend us;
be the guardian of our way."

When he finished, a man stepped out and inquired, "Were you in
the army, Mr. Sankey?"

"Yes, I joined up in 1860."

"Did you ever do guard duty at night in Maryland, about 1862?"

"Yes, I did."
"Well, I was in the Confederate Army," said the stranger. "I saw
you one night at Sharpsburg. I had you in my gun sight as you
stood there in the light of the full moon. Just as I was about the pull
the trigger, you began to sing. It was the same hymn you sang
tonight," the man told an astonished Sankey. "I couldn't shoot you."
I. M. Anderson in Moody

Life is filled with near misses. We know only a fraction of the many
situations in which God preserves us from severe physical and
emotional injury.

Adapted from Men of Integrity Devotional Bible with devotions from
the editors of Men of Integrity, a publication of Christianity Today
International (Tyndale, 2002), entry for May 14.

SEEDS

ANY ONE CAN COUNT THE SEEDS IN AN
APPLE.  ONLY GOD CAN COUNT THE
APPLES IN THE SEED!

GOD IS COUNTING YOU!

DO NOT BE AFRAID

The Lord who created you says: "Do not be afraid, for I
have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you
are mine. When you go through deep waters and great
trouble, I will be with you."
Isaiah 43:1-2 NLT

Two Margarets

Margaret MacLachlan and Margaret Wilson, Covenanters
in Wigtown, Scotland, were tried for their faith on April 13,
1685, for refusing to take the Oath of Abjuration, which
stated that the Church of God is a department of the State.
Found guilty of rebellion, attending field meetings, and
worshiping in places other than a church, they were
ordered to receive their sentences on their knees. When
they refused to bow before anyone but God, they were
forced down to their knees and then were sentenced to
death by drowning.

On May 11, 1685, the two faithful Margarets were tied to
posts and staked in the sea as the tide was rising. The
older Margaret (MacLachlan) was farther out. They were
given many chances to recant their beliefs, but they stood
firm and resolute.

Margaret MacLachlan remained silent, her eyes closed
throughout the ordeal, communing with Christ until death.
As the tide rose eighteen-year-old Margaret Wilson began
to sing a Covenanter rendition of Psalm 25:7. Then, she
recited from Romans 8: "We are more than conquerors
through him that loves us.…"

After the waves washed over her head, the soldiers pulled
her out, pleading with her one last time to "pray for the king!"
She prayed, but her pray was, "Lord, give him repentance,
forgiveness, and salvation, if it be Thy holy will." The angry
soldiers threw her back into the water, and she joined
Margaret MacLachlan before the throne.

We may never face the rising tide of the sea, but the deep
waters of trouble and loss can be just as overwhelming.
How do you react when you feel you are about to drown in
the rising tide of your own troubles?

Adapted from The One Year® Book of Christian History by
E. Michael and Sharon Rusten (Tyndale, 2003), entry for
May 11.