Category: Daily Devotions

We know that we live in [God] and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
1 John 4:13-18

The Love God Has for Us

Daily Devotion – November 5, 2022

Devotion based on 1 John 4:13-18

See series: Devotions

The Bible assures us that God loves us. But it is so easy to doubt this, especially when we think about how often we have disobeyed him and done the very things he tells us not to do. How can we be sure God loves us when our own hearts are filled with doubt?

The apostle John answers, “because he has given us of his Spirit.” Instead of looking inside at our own feelings, John shows us God’s action. God gave us of his Spirit’s power, wisdom, gifts, and fruit. That Spirit keeps on testifying that we are the children of God.

By the Spirit we have seen God’s love! “The Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world…we know and rely on the love God has for us.” The Son washes away all our sins. That love gives us boldness for judgment day. Since God is love on judgment day, we will experience nothing but the fullness of his love.

Experience the end of terror about standing before God. Know what it means that God sent his Son. Believe that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him (you and I included) will not perish but have eternal life.”

Enjoy the love God has for you!

Prayer:
Gracious, loving Father, by your Spirit drive out the doubt in my heart. Through your Son drive out the fear in my heart. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
Jeremiah 31:34

Forgive and Forget

Daily Devotion – November 4, 2022

Devotion based on Jeremiah 31:34

See series: Devotions

The Bible makes it extremely clear that God knows everything. For example: “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13). This means that nothing has ever happened or ever will happen without his knowledge.

Do you understand that? God knows your every thought, word, and action. He knows everything in your past, he knows all about your present, and he even knows your future. He knows everything there is to know about everything.

That kind of knowledge is terrifying. Imagine how uncomfortable you would be if you had to interact with someone who knew all your secrets. Remember, on judgment day, you will have to stand in front of the all-knowing God. You can’t hide anything from him—he knows all your wickedness and your sins.

That is why this verse from Jeremiah chapter 31 is one of the most comforting passages in the entire Bible. You have a God who doesn’t just forgive; he forgets. He promises that the wicked things you are ashamed of and the secret sins that weigh you down have been so forgiven that he doesn’t even remember them anymore.

Yet how can the all-knowing God not only forgive your sins; but also forget them? It is not because he is forgetful, but because he remembered them all on his Son instead of you. When Jesus was on the cross, he endured all of God’s wrath for all of the sins of all of humanity.

So now the all-knowing God who knows all of your sins chooses to not remember them. What should God be angry about when he looks at your life? He doesn’t remember. Because Christ died for sin, that promise is kept.

And since God has forgotten your sin, you can too. Jesus has freed you from the burden of a guilty conscience. God buried your sins in the one place he never will look for them—in Jesus’ empty tomb.

Prayer:
God the Father, thank you for forgetting my sins. God the Son, thank you for dying for them. God the Spirit, give me faith to remember that I am free from guilt. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
Jeremiah 31:33

Proper Motivation

Daily Devotion – November 3, 2022

Devotion based on Jeremiah 31:33

See series: Devotions

The language of the covenant God made with the Old Testament people of Israel was full of “you”: You shall have no other gods. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. You shall not covet. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

The problem with all those “you shall” and “you shall not” was that God’s people proved they could not keep up their end of the bargain. By the time the prophet Jeremiah wrote today’s verse breaking the covenant had become habitual.

The people had shown that the law’s commands could not properly motivate them to be obedient. They needed a new covenant. This new covenant would be different from the old covenant.

It would not be a list of obligations chiseled by God’s finger into stone tablets. It would not be full of “you shall” and “you shall not.” Instead this covenant would be written by God’s Spirit onto human hearts, and it would be full of I’s: “I will make … I will put … I will write … I will be their God.”

The old covenant told people what to do, but the new covenant would be all about what God did to save everyone from their sins and make a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. God made that covenant when he sent his Son into the world to do the work of salvation.

Jesus’ perfect life, innocent death, and glorious resurrection are all we need. There are no “you shall” and “you shall not” required to get into heaven. The new covenant puts God’s law in our minds for us to follow—not so that God will make us his, but because he already has.

In other words, Christians do not serve God because they have to. Christians serve God because they want to!

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for being my God. Help me to live for you. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant.”
Jeremiah 31:31,32

A New Covenant

Daily Devotion – November 2, 2022

Devotion based on Jeremiah 31:31,32

See series: Devotions

God did an amazing thing almost fifteen hundred years before Jesus was born. He freed his people from slavery in Egypt and brought them to their new homeland. Along the way, he had them stop at a mountain called Sinai so that he could make a covenant with them. At that time a covenant was like what a contract is today.

The covenant that God made with his people was two-sided—both he and the people contributed to it. God told them, “If you obey my law, then I will protect you and bless you in your new home.” The people replied, “We will do everything you say.”

Unlike modern contracts—which are sealed with signatures—this ancient covenant was sealed with blood from animal sacrifices. But just like modern contracts, a covenant is only good as the people who agree to it. Over the centuries, God kept his covenant promise perfectly, and the people made breaking the covenant their way of life.

Can you relate to that? Think of the promises that you have made to God and to other people, and then remember all the things you have done to break those promises. You know yourself.

But God knows you too. That is why God promised to make a new covenant. This covenant is not just for God’s Old Testament people but all people of all time—including you.

It tells you to do nothing. Instead, it is all about what God has done to forgive you. Unlike the old covenant, this new covenant is one-sided. It does not depend on your obedience but entirely on God’s saving love.

And this covenant was also sealed in blood. Almost fifteen hundred years after the old covenant was ratified, the Son of God was crucified on a mountain called Calvary. The blood he shed on the cross sealed the new covenant and freed you from slavery to sin.

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for the new covenant of forgiveness sealed in Jesus’ blood. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Jesus replied “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. . . So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
John 8:34,36

The Son Has Set You Free

Daily Devotion – November 1, 2022

Devotion based on John 8:34,36

See series: Devotions

Jesus always told the truth. So, when he introduces a statement by saying, “Very truly I tell you,” he is emphasizing how truly important his next words are. And make no mistake, the truth here is very important.

It is awful because it reveals the harsh reality of the human condition: “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” We all enter this world with a sinful nature that convinces us that freedom means doing whatever we want.

But freedom to follow your sinful nature does not make you free. You are a slave to your sins: fear, despair, envy, anger, lust. Sinners suppose they have found freedom, but all they have found is more slavery.

The thing about slavery is that you cannot free yourself from it. Someone else has to take action and free you. Thank God that the awful truth of our sinfulness is answered by the important truth of God’s forgiveness: “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

How did he do it? Jesus said to the God the Father, “What they deserve, give to me. What I deserve, give to them.” And that’s what happened. Jesus embraced the awful truth of our sinful condition. He became sin for us. He was punished for our fear, despair, envy, anger, and lust. He was damned with our damnation, receiving in his own body what we deserve.

Our freedom was not free and wasn’t even cheap. Our freedom cost Christ everything. The Son willingly gave his life on a cross to free you. And the One who was dead now lives again forever! The resurrection is God’s promise to you: “You are free!” You don’t belong to sin. You belong to the Son, and when the Son sets you free, you are free indeed.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, protect and comfort me in all temptations with the truth that you have set me free. Thank you. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.”
John 8:31

Hold to Jesus’ Teaching

Daily Devotion – October 31, 2022

Devotion based on John 8:31

See series: Devotions

A little over 500 years ago, on October 31, 1517, a monk named Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. This document contained statements questioning the church’s teachings about how God forgives sinners.

Its intention was to encourage scholarly discussion, but it grew into something much more important. In fact, only four years later, Martin Luther stood trial before the most powerful men in Europe because his questioning of the church was becoming a reformation of the church.

The issue, in this case, was not how we are forgiven but who was in charge of Christianity. Luther believed that Jesus’ teaching in the Bible was the one source of authority for Christians. But at that time, almost everyone believed the church’s leaders in Rome were in charge.

So, at his trial they asked him a simple question: “Will you recant?” He knew what they meant: “Will you admit that you were wrong and take back everything you taught?” They wanted him to say yes, but that would mean letting go of Jesus’ teaching. But Luther was Jesus’ disciple and had learned to hold to Christ’s teaching at all costs.

What about you? Do you want to be Jesus’ disciple too? You are Jesus’ disciple if you hold to his teaching. That means hearing, reading, learning, and taking it to heart.

And when the Word is heard, things happen. Jesus’ Word opens deaf ears, unlooses mute tongues, expels demons, illuminates blind eyes, and raises the dead. Jesus is the Word made flesh that dies and returns to life. His Word promises that sinners are forgiven through faith in him. Luther knew that Christians had to hold on to that teaching at all costs, because it frees us from listening to those who contradict God’s Word.

That is why he refused to recant and gave them a simple answer: “Unless I am convinced by Holy Scriptures and plain reason my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither safe nor right. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me! Amen.”

Prayer:
Lord, keep me steadfast in your Word. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.”
John 8:31

Stick to the Playbook

Daily Devotion – October 30, 2022

Devotion based on John 8:31

See series: Devotions

Are you a fan of American football? Even if you aren’t, you can understand that in football, as in any team sport, the coach has a playbook. The playbook guides players to take the right number of steps, make the right cuts, throw the right passes, attack the right angles, all to defeat their opponent and win the game. Training camps and practice after practice drill those plays into the athletes, so they become second nature during the game. Imagine the disappointment of the coach when his players don’t follow the playbook!

Imagine the disappointment of God when his people don’t follow his Word! Indeed, the Bible is so much more than a playbook. God hasn’t given his Word to drill the right steps to take and tell you the decisions you need to make, but the Bible does present a message of victory for you.

Jesus teaches you of the victory you have in him. Even though you have taken the wrong steps, attacked the wrong angles in your life, and disappointed God, Jesus teaches you that you are forgiven. Jesus teaches you that he is your Savior. He stepped onto the gridiron of this world and faced the fiercest opponent. Jesus faced death itself for you, and he won. He gave up his life on the cross for your forgiveness but then rose again in victory over the grave.

That’s why his teaching is so important. It’s why he tells you, and all who follow him, to hold on to it with such a grip that no opponent can ever force a fumble out of your hands.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, teach and strengthen me to hold firmly to your Word of Truth. Help me to boldly live my life as your disciple. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
1 John 4:7-12

This is Love

Daily Devotion – October 29, 2022

Devotion based on 1 John 4:7-12

See series: Devotions

Hand in hand, they walked down the hall. It was a slow walk because their legs of eighty-plus years just didn’t quite move the way they used to. When they talked, it was a little bit loud because their hearing wasn’t that great either.

It was a beautiful sight for a young married couple to behold. I remember smiling along with my wife and saying, “Thid is awesome love! That’s the kind of love I want us to have 60 years from now.”

As Christians, we are not only to love our husband or wife, our parent, and children; we are to love everyone. Where do we look to find out what this love is to be like?

The apostle John tells us, “God is love.” In other words, if you want to know what true love is, look no farther than God himself and what he has done.

God sent his one and only Son into the world, knowing everything that would happen to him here. He sent him to be the sacrifice that would pay the price for every one of our sins. He sent him to die so that you and I might live.

The love that God has for you and me is selfless and sacrificial. His biggest concern was not his feelings. His biggest concern was you and making sure that you would be able to pass through the gates of heaven without any of the sins that would keep you out.

That is love! Since God so loved you, love one another with a love that is selfless and willing to make sacrifices to provide for what others need.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, you have provided me with the greatest example of love—the sacrifice of your one and only Son. Forgive me for the times love has been all about me and how I feel. Help me to be willing to sacrifice for the needs of others as you sacrificed your Son for me. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.
Deuteronomy 10:17,18

The God Who Helps

Daily Devotion – October 28, 2022

Devotion based on Deuteronomy 10:17,18

See series: Devotions

When I was in grade school, and teams were being picked for kickball, basketball, or baseball during recess, I regularly witnessed what I think is the typical playground experience when choosing teams: the captains always chose the strongest first and made their way down to the weakest. They chose the individuals whose talent or skill could provide the most help to the team.

God doesn’t do the same thing. Time and again in the Bible, when God chooses the individuals, he will associate with, he regularly chooses the individuals who need the most help or feel the most invisible. “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow,” Moses reminded Israel.

There are people who have had to walk through life without father, whether that father left by their own choice or was taken from them by death. There are many people who walk through life as a widow, living each day without the comfort of companionship they formerly enjoyed. There are many people who aren’t fatherless or widowed yet walk through each day feeling rejected, unlovable, or invisible.

But we are never invisible to God. This is the God who chose Israel—the smallest nation—to bring the Savior into the world. This is the God who chose Moses—not the greatest speaker or bravest man—to deliver Israel from slavery. This is the God who chose David—an afterthought even in the minds of his own family—to defeat a giant and lead as a king. This is the God who chose to save all of us, though he is very familiar with all of our sins, by forgiving those sins entirely through the perfect life and sacrificial death of the one truly “good” person—Jesus Christ.

God doesn’t choose the people who are better than most. He chooses people who need him the most.

Prayer:
Gracious God, thank you for helping me so completely and perfectly through my Savior, Jesus. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. Yet the LORD set his affection on your ancestors and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations—as it is today.
Deuteronomy 10:14,15

The Choice

Daily Devotion – October 27, 2022

Devotion based on Deuteronomy 10:14,15

See series: Devotions

Eleven millionaires were on the Titanic, the famous luxury cruise ship that sank in 1912. One of those millionaires was Major A. H. Peuchen who brought along with him onto the Titanic over $300,000 in cash, jewelry, and securities. When the ship was going down, however, he didn’t grab any of those things on his way to the lifeboats. Instead, he grabbed three oranges. He thought the oranges would be more valuable to him at the time.

God can always have whatever he wants. “To the Lord belongs the heavens … the earth and everything in it,” Moses reminds the nation of Israel. If he wants a beautiful sunrise, it’s his. If he wants an oceanfront view, it’s done. If he wants a jaw-dropping view of the Rockies, no problem. But when he saw that this world was going down on account of our sin, he didn’t choose to reach for any of those things. “He chose you,” Moses said. And that truth doesn’t apply just to the nation of Israel. It applies to all who benefit from the work of the Savior who was born from that nation—the Savior who took the whip to save you, felt the nails to redeem you, dropped his blood to cleanse you, broke out of his grave to prove that your grave will one day release you, and sits up on high preparing the most wonderful place in all eternity just for you.

When you are reminded that we live in a world that is dying—remember God’s gracious choice of sending a Savior to save us from it.

Prayer:
Gracious God, keep me firmly rooted in your choice to send Jesus to be my Savior. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.