Month: October 2019

Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: . . . “Whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”
Luke 14:25,27

The Cost of Following Christ

Daily Devotion – October 4, 2019

Devotion based on Luke 14:25,27

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My first experience with a different culture happened when I was three years old. I was unprepared for the shock of being one of the few white children in a crowd of dark-skinned nationals. My pale skin, maize-colored hair, and bright blue eyes alarmed other toddlers. They would cower and cry in their mothers’ arms because they thought they had seen a ghost. Whenever I explored the areas near my home, I would hear my African peers call after me, “Mzungu!” (white-skinned wanderer).

As shocked as I first was, I grew to cherish that culture. In fact, when I left the warm heart of Africa for the cold tundra of Wisconsin, I felt like I had abandoned the culture of my childhood.

Jesus loves you so much. He doesn’t want you to be unprepared for the shock of belonging to his culture or unaware of the eternal shock of being apart from it.

Do you understand what it means to belong to the culture of Christ? Jesus wants you to know. The cross is central to who Jesus is. It is the heart of what it means to follow him. His cross reveals our sinfulness, but it also reveals his love. There he took full responsibility for our sin and purchased our salvation from the shocking consequence of hell. And his cross points us to the home in heaven that he has won for us.

Following Jesus means that we stick out among mainstream culture. Following his Word makes us wanderers in the world. We don’t settle for the good life because we long for eternal life in heaven. We sacrifice sinful pleasures because we cherish every spiritual blessing we have in Christ. We put aside personal agendas because we love the peace we have with God.

Jesus’ words are startling. But those who are wise in Christ rejoice to trust and follow him. For the benefits of carrying our cross far outweigh the shock of being different.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, make me strong to carry my cross and wise to follow you through this world on the way that leads to eternal life. 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.

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more . . . But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ.
Philippians 3:4,7-10

Cling to the Credentials of Christ

Daily Devotion – October 3, 2019

Devotion based on Philippians 3:4,7-10

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Five years ago, a former mayor of New York City made a bold claim. He pointed to all his accomplishments and said, “I am telling you if there is a God, when I get to heaven, I’m not stopping to be interviewed. I am heading straight in. I have earned my place in heaven.”

The apostle Paul once made the same bold claim. He was an elite Jew from the tribe of Benjamin. At eight days old, he was circumcised according to Jewish law. He grew up in the strict Orthodox Jewish tradition. As a Pharisee, Paul followed their laws faultlessly. If anyone could earn his way into heaven, it was Paul.

But then Paul met Jesus. Jesus showed him that he is the only way to get into heaven. Jesus’ credentials are flawless. His life conformed perfectly to God’s will. His death on the cross paid fully for all the world’s sin. He earned our salvation completely. Paul’s credentials couldn’t compare. So, he tore them up, tossed them out, and clung in faith to Christ’s life-giving work.

Like the former mayor of New York City, we can lean heavily on our accomplishments. We may be good at living by the standards we set for heaven. But no matter how impressive our Christian credentials, they cannot get us into heaven. It’s all garbage compared to trusting Christ our Savior.

Like Paul, those who are wise in Christ cling to him by faith. Christ by his life, death, and resurrection brings us God’s forgiving love. He is the only way to get to heaven. Keep your eye on him, and don’t look back.

Prayer:
Your works, not mine, O Christ, speak gladness to this heart. To whom but you, who can alone for sin atone, Lord, shall I flee? 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.

Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker. . . I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. . . . I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. . . . no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord. So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. . . . Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.
Philemon 1:1-21 (selected verses)

Wisdom Welcomes the Estranged

Daily Devotion – October 2, 2019

Devotion based on Philemon 1:1-21 (selected verses)

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“I don’t have anything to say to you,” he responded as he closed the door. I wanted to reconcile with my brother, but he was unwilling to reconcile with me.

Like me, Onesimus wanted to reconcile with his brother. Onesimus was the slave of a Christian named Philemon. For unknown reasons, Onesimus ran away from his master and went to Rome.

In Rome, Onesimus met the apostle Paul who introduced him to his Savior. Onesimus learned that God had reconciled the world to himself through the cross. Jesus had paid for his sin! Onesimus believed the good news and became a changed man. So, Paul sent Onesimus back to his master with a letter.

Paul knew that Philemon treasured God’s reconciliation in Christ. So, in his letter, Paul called for Christian wisdom: Reconcile with Onesimus and receive him, not as a slave but a freeman and brother in Christ. This act of mercy would glorify Christ.

The good news of Jesus changes us too. As those who are wise in Christ, God equips and empowers us to glorify Christ by reconciling with one another. If we have run away from responsibility, we will make amends. If a brother or sister in Christ sins against us, we will show them their fault. And we will forgive and receive them back as if they had done us no harm whenever they repent.

For, we were slaves once too, slaves to sin. God should punish us, but Jesus intervened for us. He surrendered his rights as God and suffered our punishment. Because he satisfied our debt, God welcomes us back. No longer as slaves, but his children.

Prayer:
Lord, help me to glorify you by repenting of my sin, rejoicing in forgiveness, and reconciling with others. 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 LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. . . . So Abram went, as the LORD had told him. . . . Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. . . . The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” . . . From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.
Genesis 12:1-8 (selected verses)

Wisdom Worships God

Daily Devotion – October 1, 2019

Devotion based on Genesis 12:1-8 (selected verses)

See series: Devotions

We left home and family when I was a small boy. The Lord called my father from the mountains of America to serve as a missionary in the plains of Central Africa. When we arrived, we learned that our possessions had been lost in route, from furniture to family photos. I was too young to remember my reaction.

What will you do if the Lord uproots your life and leads you to unfamiliar places? You may lose your health, livelihood, a friendship, or loved one. You may change schools, jobs, or enter the workforce. You may face the end of your earthly life.

We know how Abram responded when God called him to leave his familiar life. He knew the Lord’s promise to bless him. He knew the Lord would be with him along the way and was already at his destination. So, when Abram arrived, he “called on the name of the LORD,” that is, he worshipped God for loving him.

When life takes an unfamiliar or uncomfortable direction, remember Abram’s wise response. Call on the name of the LORD. Worship him for loving you. Exhale your worry and fear. Inhale the life-giving breath of God’s Word. In all things God works for the good of those who love him, whom he has called for his purpose. Since he gave us his Son that we might have a home in heaven, he will undoubtedly give us all we need to reach that destination. Know that he is with you along the way and already there to greet you.

Wherever God leads, call on his name and worship him there.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, give me the wisdom to worship you wherever you lead 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.