HIS GIFT
There is a story that comes from the Middle Ages. It tells about an angel who wanted to give the gift the Lord would value the most. The angel traveled to Earth and began his search. It took many years, a few hundred years and the angel would occasionally find some things which had possibilities. He came upon a cross, which had been used by a great preacher; there were the shoes of a missionary who had shared the Gospel in a heathen land and he was delighted by the laughter of a child who was loved by Christian parents.
“These are all wonderful gifts,” the angel said to himself, “but they are not the gift which God values most.”
Once again the angel continued his search on Earth. There he saw two men sitting by a fountain. One of the men bent down to drink and in the water saw his sin-ravaged face. Overcome by all he had done wrong, and wo he had become, the man wept. The angel, ever so quietly, moved up and collected a tear of repentance. But the angel did not return immediately to heaven. The angel listened as the second man spoke of the Savior and the hope that comes from sins forgiven. The first man cried again, but this time he cried with joy at the good news of the Gospel. He had been given the faith of his Savior. His sins were gone, he was forgiven. He had eternal life.
The angel captured one of those tears as well. The angel brought the tear of repentance and the tear of faith to heaven. Those two tears, missed together, were presented to God, and God smiled. According to the story, that was the gift God valued the most. Tears of repentance and tears of Gospel joy. They are what we need the most.
We rejoice that you made the decision in the past year to partner with the Lutheran Hour Ministries. Your support allows us to share the Good News with more than 71 million people each week in more than 50 nations around the world. The need to boldly proclaim the love of Christ is greater than ever. Your gifts, prayers, and volunteer involvement allow hurting people to find answers and relief in the Gospel.
The Lutheran Hour can be heard every Sunday on radio stations
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KDUZ (1260 AM) at 12:30pm KDHL (920 AM) at 6:00pm
Stay connected to The Lutheran Hour Ministries
Learn more…visit www.lhm.org
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