Daily Devotion for November 30, 2006 from Lutheran Church Charities

Daily Devotion Lutheran Church Charities November 30, 2006 Opening Note: Starting Next Monday, December 4th I will be starting a Devotion Series titled: The Kingdom of God Breaks Forth” that will take us to Christmas. Please join me on this journey to Bethlehem and beyond. Your Family Resemblance? Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:10 Who do you look like in your family? Whose eyes do you have? Whose ears? Who is responsible for your head of hair or in my case, lack of it? We are born with certain characteristics -- they come from our parents, sometimes from our grandparents. That's called heredity. What is the resemblance in God's family? How can people have a family resemblance when they come from all over the world? We are to resemble Jesus Christ – to take on his attributes. We are to take on what Scripture describes as the “Fruit of the Spirit”. Notice – it says Fruit, singular! We are to grow each day in having more of these characteristics in our life. Ask yourself this morning – how can I be more: (highlighted words) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25 The Bible says: Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2) So what we are to look like is not heredity, it’s Christianity. Prayer Gracious God: This is yet another day to grow up, to become something more than we are. Help us to see the goal, that we all will grow into the full measure of Christ and that at our end, we will see the great family from which we have come and into which we grow, to the endless praise of God. Amen. The above devotions are written by Tim Hetzner, President of Lutheran Church Charities and author of Word Among Us Bible Studies. For permission to use these devotions please email Tim at his address below. Did someone send you this Devotion? Would you like to receive future ones directly? Then sign up using the "Join Our Mailing List" form in the right side bar . . .or Click Here Tim Hetzner - President Lutheran Church Charities 333 W. Lake Street Addison, Illinois 60101 (866) 455-6466 At the end of the day. . . Making A Difference In People's Lives and In God's Kingdom Quick Links... Update Your Profile/Email Address Devotion Archive This Week's "Making A Difference" Newsletter More About Us and What We Do Word Among Us Want to learn more about the Bible? Take one of our internet or local Bible Studies exploring the Mind, Method, Manner and Ministry of Jesus. Taught by Tim Hetzner. Class sites are across the USA. Click Here for more information. Join our mailing list! Update Profile/Email Address Tim Hetzner devotion@lutheranchurchcharities.org Office Phone: 866-455-6466 (Toll Free) Website: http://LCC.LutheranChurchCharities.org

Daily Devotion for November 29, 2006 from Lutheran Church Charities

Daily Devotion Lutheran Church Charities November 29, 2006 The Myth of Tomorrow Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. James 4:14 None of the 295,000-plus victims of the tragic tsunami in Southern Asia woke up on December 26th believing that day would be their last. For that matter – neither did any of the people in the Gulf States when Katrina hit. They never once thought that the glance, hug or words they shared with a loved one that day would be the final ones of their lives here on earth. What can we learn? Perhaps for me the biggest reality check in these disasters are the stark reminders of the unpredictability of life. We wake each morning assuming we'll always have more time. Yet each of us one day will have our own Dec. 26th - the day we give a last glance, a last hug and speak our last words. The day that God will say our time on this earth is done. Very, very few of us will recognize it when it comes. The question we must ask ourselves is, "What if this was my last day? What would you say? Whom would you say it to? And, before you enter eternity, whom would you like to bring with you? It was perhaps possible to issue a warning to those 295,000-plus souls in Southern Asia. But without minimizing that devastation, between the time I write this and you receive it we will have lost 240,000 people to hunger-related causes throughout the world – that’s each day. And what about those right around you – in your town, your neighborhood, your own family. Did you know that the child poverty rate in the U.S. is among the highest in the developing world? In our world, 1.2 billion people live on less than $1 a day, and 2.8 billion people live on less than $2 a day. In the light of these global disasters, we have an opportunity as the Church, and as individuals, to be a "tidal wave” of compassion – living out the healing, redeeming love of Christ to our wounded world. We can’t anticipate a tsunami, a hurricane, disease or even a careless driver. No, we don’t have a guarantee of tomorrow. But we can make today count. We can Make A Difference. Prayer Heavenly Father – help me to live my life today as if it was my last here – or someone else’s last day. Help me to touch those who are hurting with the Compassion that you have given me. In your holy, precious name. Amen The above devotions are written by Tim Hetzner, President of Lutheran Church Charities and author of Word Among Us Bible Studies. For permission to use these devotions please email Tim at his address below. Did someone send you this Devotion? Would you like to receive future ones directly? Then sign up using the "Join Our Mailing List" form in the right side bar . . .or Click Here Tim Hetzner - President Lutheran Church Charities 333 W. Lake Street Addison, Illinois 60101 (866) 455-6466 At the end of the day. . . Making A Difference In People's Lives and In God's Kingdom Quick Links... Update Your Profile/Email Address Devotion Archive This Week's "Making A Difference" Newsletter More About Us and What We Do Word Among Us Want to learn more about the Bible? Take one of our internet or local Bible Studies exploring the Mind, Method, Manner and Ministry of Jesus. Taught by Tim Hetzner. Class sites are across the USA. Click Here for more information. Join our mailing list! Tim Hetzner devotion@lutheranchurchcharities.org Office Phone: 866-455-6466 (Toll Free) Website: http://LCC.LutheranChurchCharities.org