Author: Kerry

They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.
Mark 1:21,22

Amazed

Daily Devotion – January 28, 2024

Devotion based on Mark 1:21,22


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What does it take to amaze you? Are you often astounded? Or does that happen somewhat infrequently, only when there’s something really out of the ordinary?

Mark says that the people were amazed when Jesus taught in the synagogue. Why so? It was because of the content of Jesus’ teaching. The religious leaders simply demanded from the people: “Do this! Live this way! Act this way!” Jesus, on the other hand, spoke not merely of external things, but spoke to the heart. He spoke of God’s promises being fulfilled of the promised Savior—himself! He told them that in him was the salvation which God had promised to send to the world.

Think of it—God loved you and me enough to come to this earth himself. God loved you and me so much that he was willing to live our life and willing to die for us. We sinful humans had separated ourselves from God and had no way to get back to him, but God loved you too much to lose you, so he did what was necessary to reunite you to him. He lived, he died, he rose, all for you!

Amazing. And true! Because it comes from God!

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for teaching me about all you have done for me. May it always amaze me! Amen.

God made him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21

A Substitute

Daily Devotion – January 27, 2024

Devotion based on 2 Corinthians 5:21


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On June 2, 1925, Wally Pip, the starting first baseman for the New York Yankees, was hit in the head by a pitch in pre-game batting practice. The manager put a substitute in to play for Pip that day. Pip never started another game at first base for the Yankees because his substitute went on to play in 2,130 straight games—a record that stood for many years. What a substitution! You probably never heard of Wally Pip. Even if you aren’t a baseball fan, you probably heard of Pip’s substitute: Lou Gehrig. He’s in Baseball’s Hall of Fame!

The Bible tells us about a substitution that was even more spectacular. Over 2,000 years ago, God put a substitute on Calvary’s cross for all sinners. Our substitute’s name was Jesus Christ. Although this God-man was perfect, he willingly took our sins and imperfections upon himself and was punished in our place. He experienced the agony of hell and the righteous anger of a holy God for you and me! By his wounds we are healed. Our sins are paid for. We are righteous in God’s sight because of our substitute.

Because of a substitution, Lou Gehrig is in baseball’s Hall of Fame. Trusting in the substitute that God appointed for you—Jesus Christ, you will be in heaven’s Hall of Fame, forever!

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I confess that I often sin and deserve to be separated from you and all your blessings. But in love you sent your Son, Jesus Christ, who bore the guilt of my sin for me and died to set me free from the condemnation I deserve. Thanks and praise to you for Jesus, my substitute! Amen.

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:16,17

The New is Here!

Daily Devotion – January 26, 2024

Devotion based on 2 Corinthians 5:16,17


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At the beginning of a new year, we desperately want an answer to this question: Can people change? That is, given enough time and effort, can I change my old habits and habitual sins? And, in a world characterized by selfishness and tribalism, can I change the way that I view other people?

Well, consider the man behind today’s Bible passage. Twenty years before he wrote these words, the apostle Paul was “a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man” (1 Timothy 1:13). He hated Jesus and Jesus’ disciples, so he hunted them down and arrested them.

All that changed when Jesus blinded him with light, spoke to him from heaven, and sent a man named Ananias to preach the good news to him, to baptize him, and to shine the light of faith in his heart. That’s how Paul became “a herald and an apostle and a teacher of the true faith” (1 Timothy 2:7).

Paul is proof that people really do change. And God continues to change people to this very day. When you become a Christian, God changes you from dead in sin to alive in Christ. Because of Christ, when God the Father looks at you, he sees someone clothed in the perfection of his Son.

Because of Christ, when you look at other people, what do you see? That every single person—regardless of their age, their race, their economic status, or their politics—is someone for whom Christ died.

The Son of God does not see you as some hopeless, lost cause of a sinner. You are an heir of eternal life, and that changes the way you look at life. You don’t have to be selfish anymore. You don’t have to be angry anymore. You don’t have to lose control anymore. You have been changed. You have been forgiven. The new is here.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for making me a new creation. Please give me strength to live like it. Amen.

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. . . God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:14,15,21

A Life Lived for Jesus

Daily Devotion – January 25, 2024

Devotion based on 2 Corinthians 5:14,15,21


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You may have encountered the slogan “WWJD?” It is shorthand for “What Would Jesus Do?” The goal of that acronym is to get people to live like Jesus. Although its intent is noble, it has one major flaw: it gives an incomplete view of Jesus and his work.

The problem is that it presents Christ primarily as an example to follow. Today’s Bible passage, however, destroys the notion that Jesus is just an example for Christians to follow on their walk with God.

Have you ever heard better news than these three verses? Jesus died for all of our sins in our place as our substitute. And when Jesus died, it was as if everyone who has ever lived, is living, or will live had died. He died for all so that you will never know the horror of hell.

This means that when God saw his Son on the cross, he saw all of the sins and sinners, and Christ was punished for each sin of all sinners. More than that, Jesus gives sinners what he alone has—his perfection and righteousness. The love behind that great exchange is what compels Christians to live, not for themselves, but for the One who had died for them.

All this means that Christianity is not about what you should do. It’s about what someone else did for you. A better acronym would be “RWJD,” shorthand for “Remember What Jesus Did.” In other words, we don’t live like Jesus; we live for Jesus.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, let your life, death, and resurrection for me empower my life lived for you. Amen.

Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
Jonah 3:3-5

The Right Tool for the Job

Daily Devotion – January 24, 2024

Devotion based on Jonah 3:3-5


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Sometimes the right tool for the job is the last thing you would expect. For example, if you accidentally immerse your smartphone in water, you can salvage it by putting it into a bag of uncooked rice. That doesn’t seem like it should work, but in an emergency, the moisture-absorbing properties of the rice can save an expensive piece of technology.

What if you need to save a city full of thousands of people from the wrath of God? What’s the right tool for that job? Nineveh was one of the greatest cities of the ancient world. It was the capital of the Assyrian Empire and was renowned for its brutality and cruelty. It was filled with people who worshiped false gods. In short, the inhabitants of Nineveh were headed for hell.

So God sent Jonah to turn the Ninevites from their sin. That doesn’t seem like it should work. What could one man armed with the Word of God accomplish in a city with thousands of people? Turns out, quite a bit.

Jonah preached, and the people repented. They showed their sorrow over sin by not eating and wearing uncomfortable clothing. Of course, what made the difference was not Jonah but the Word of God that Jonah spoke.

God’s Word does what it says. In the beginning, God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Through his prophet, God said, “Repent,” and stony hearts were turned in repentance. The Word says “Believe,” and dead, unbelieving hearts come to life, trusting in the good news about Jesus.

Thank God that what at first seems inadequate is, in fact, the right tool for the job. Praise God for the power of his Word!

Prayer:
Lord God, give me confidence in the power of your Word. Amen.

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
Mark 1:16-18

A Lofty Charge

Daily Devotion – January 23, 2024

Devotion based on Mark 1:16-18


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The Bible makes it clear that there is a vital chain of events that leads to salvation for sinners. In order to call on the Lord and be saved, people must first believe in him. In order to believe in him, they must first hear about him. In order to hear about him, someone must preach to them. In order for someone to preach to them, that person must first be sent.

This brings us to today’s Bible passage, where Jesus calls Simon and Andrew to be links in the chain that connects sinners to Christ. But why does God use people—even simple fishermen!—to spread his Word? Why doesn’t God speak from heaven, or why doesn’t he send angels to do this important work?

Well, read the Bible and you will discover that when God spoke directly to the people, they begged him to stop. When angels delivered messages, the recipients were often terrified. Sinners cannot stand in the presence of God’s holy perfection.

So, God sends ordinary people like Simon and Andrew to spread his Word. God wants one sinner to tell another the greatest words ever spoken: “Jesus has done it all for you! Repent and believe the good news!”

Jesus has not called you to be an apostle; like these men. He may not have called you to be a pastor or teacher in his church. But every Christian gets to declare “the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).

What a lofty charge! What joy to know that the God in whose presence you cannot stand brings himself into your presence by his Word; that the God who called you, sought, and bought you forges you as a link in that vital chain of events that leads to salvation for sinners.

Prayer:
God of salvation, help me to speak your Word and fish for people. Amen.

After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Mark 1:14,15

A Different Kind of Kingdom

Daily Devotion – January 22, 2024

Devotion based on Mark 1:14,15


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Today’s Bible passage has an ominous start. John was the man sent by God to prepare people for the coming Savior. Why was he put in prison?

Because preparing people to meet Jesus meant confronting them with their sins, and not everyone appreciated that. When John called a king named Herod to repentance for his unlawful marriage, Herod put John in prison. The message was clear: in Herod’s kingdom, confronting sin could make you an enemy of the state.

Unknown to Herod, however, was the fact that the Savior had arrived. No sooner was John in prison than Jesus began preaching his own clear message: “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

His message is about a different kind of kingdom from Herod’s. It doesn’t have a set location because it is not a place; it is God’s saving activity among people. It is not characterized by ignoring sin or imprisoning its enemies. Instead, it is all about forgiving sin and turning its enemies into citizens.

Because of sin, all people enter this world hostile to God. Repentance changes that. When you repent, God changes how you think about sin. He makes you sorry for it and turns you away from it and toward himself. He is your King, who wore a crown of thorns and shed his blood on a cross to obliterate all your sins.

That good news characterizes this kingdom and is the reason why we need to be confronted with our sin so we will repent of it and believe the good news that we are forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Repentance is not a turning you do to yourself; it’s a turning Jesus’ Word does to you. Belief is not something you conjure up in yourself; it’s a gift that Jesus’ Word gives to you.

This King establishes his kingdom not by fighting, but by speaking. Remember, this is a different kind of kingdom. You are its citizen by the grace of God, by repentance and faith in the good news.

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for bringing me into your kingdom. Amen.

After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
Mark 1:14-20

Come, Follow Me

Daily Devotion – January 21, 2024

Devotion based on Mark 1:14-20


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Jesus is a king who has a kingdom, and he calls us to follow him as our leader. We are usually suspicious of people who claim to be great leaders, especially political leaders like kings. We wonder if they are gathering a following so they might use their power over us. So, we are cautious about following those who claim to be great leaders.

But that is not what happened in Galilee 2,000 years ago. Jesus came proclaiming that he was a king who had a kingdom and that all people should follow him. Remarkably, men like Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John did. They left everything to follow Jesus.

They were willing to follow Jesus because he was a different kind of king with a different kind of kingdom. Instead of taking from people, he gave great blessings to people. Instead of gathering a following to control, he gathered a following to set them free. He didn’t rule to take the lives of others. He came to give up his life to rescue people from sin and death. That is why the first disciples were willing to give up everything and follow Jesus.

Now what about you? Are you willing to follow this King? Jesus’ kingdom is one of freedom and forgiveness. It is a kingdom of good news—the good news of eternal salvation.

Repent and follow Jesus your King!

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you are my King. I repent of all my sins before you. I ask you to wash them all away. And now teach me to follow you in all my ways that I might bring glory to your name! Amen.

We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as first fruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:13,14

Hold Tight to God’s Promises

Daily Devotion – January 20, 2024

Devotion based on 2 Thessalonians 2:13,14


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Photos often capture that special moment in the hospital when parents hold their newborn child for the first time. Embodied in that first embrace is the selfless love parents strive to give their tiny, helpless child in the months and years that follow.

Photos could not capture the moment God first embraced us with his love. Long before God gave birth to the earth and all living things, through Jesus, he chose us to be his own. He knew us and loved us before time began.

How can we be sure that he chose us? We turn to the good news of the Bible. The Word comforts us with the message of the perfect life of Christ and the cross he willingly bore for us. His death and resurrection assure us that our sins are paid in full and that God’s eternal love for us endures!

God’s love is so great he even promises that we will share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ in heaven. No photo can capture the splendor and joy that await us in our eternal home at our Savior’s side. Since God embraces us with endless love through Jesus, we are moved to give him endless thanks with our lips and our lives.

Prayer: (Christian Worship – A Lutheran Hymnal – 610)
Now thank we all our God with hearts and hands and voices, who wondrous things has done, in whom his world rejoices, who from our mother’s arms has blessed us on our way with countless gifts of love and still is ours today. Amen.

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
2 Thessalonians 2:16,17

Eternal and Everyday Encouragement

Daily Devotion – January 19, 2024

Devotion based on 2 Thessalonians 2:16,17


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There are two kinds of encouragement the Lord gives us in our Bible verses today. One kind of encouragement is “eternal encouragement.” This is something God has already given us. Because we know Jesus is our Savior, we already have eternal encouragement. We are encouraged to know that God has a chair in heaven reserved for us with our name on it. This kind of encouragement is a done deal because Jesus has already died and risen from the dead for us. Our eternity is rock-solid and certain.

The other kind of encouragement God gives us is what we could call “everyday encouragement.” The apostle Paul prayed that the Lord would encourage the hearts of the Thessalonian believers. They had the eternal encouragement of heaven always in their hearts, but they also needed encouragement to face the trials of each and every day. They needed strength to carry out God’s will among their friends, neighbors, and even their enemies.

God gives you both eternal and everyday encouragement. You’ve got the big-picture hope of a life forever with Jesus. That kind of hopeful encouragement is always there. It is your safety net ready to catch you when big, bad things happen. But you’ve also got encouragement from God to live your everyday life according to his will. The Lord gives you his Word to be a lamp for your feet and a light for your path to make correct decisions. In his Word, God gives you countless stories of real people facing real situations so you can find something in common with one of them. You’ll also find favorite Bible passages that encourage you before a big test in life.

Whether you need big-time encouragement in the face of hardship or everyday encouragement for following God’s will for your life, God will have the kind of encouragement you need.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, you are the ultimate encourager for my soul. Keep me hopeful and encouraged for eternal life and everyday life. Amen.