Month: August 2025

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All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
Hebrews 11:13-16

No Turning Back

In 1519, the explorer Hernán Cortés arrived off the shore of modern-day Mexico. One of the first things he did was scuttle his ships. The message was clear. There was no going back. It ensured total commitment. The only path was forward.

That type of commitment is described in these verses. The people of faith lived as strangers and exiles on earth. They refused to settle or go back, trusting that God had something better. They looked forward to a promised city, a heavenly home. Letting go of earthly attachments, their hearts were anchored in the world to come.

What things do you need to scuttle in this world? It’s tempting to hold onto the idols of comfort, security, and pride. It’s easy to become attached to the pleasures and joys of this world. It’s hard to let go of sins that have become habits. You see these things right in front of you. You’re confronted with them every day, but the promises of God seem so far off.

But God promises a better country. The joys of God’s country far outweigh even the best this world has to offer. God calls you to trust something better: a perfect home, a forever kingdom, a place where sin, pain, and death are no more.

So don’t look back and don’t settle in. Trust in God’s promises and scuttle whatever it is that makes you attached to this world. The cross of Jesus has secured your citizenship in God’s heavenly kingdom. You can live with your eyes fixed on what’s ahead.

Prayer:

Lord, fix my eyes on the better country you’ve prepared. Help me let go of what holds me back and live each day by faith in your promises. Thank you for calling me your own. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.

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[Jesus said] “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Luke 12:32-34

Free to Be Generous

There’s a lot of uncertainty in the economy. The summer of 2025 has turned into the summer of tariff wars. And not just tariffs but geopolitical strife and warfare play a part in the uncertainty, too. Will prices increase even more on everyday essentials? How will you make it work with a budget that already feels stretched to the max?

In these times, our natural reaction is to take and to preserve. My food. My gas. My supplies. We grab more than we give. We want to hoard rather than be generous. We let our fear of the unknown economy justify our stinginess.

But Jesus tells us to have a different mindset. “Do not be afraid.” God gives his followers the riches of heaven. He gives them the kingdom. He is not stingy. God doesn’t hold anything back.

God’s generosity frees us to be generous to others. Since God takes care of us, we can use our possessions to care for others. Instead of hoarding, Jesus invites us to live with a generous mindset. Since God has already given us the riches of heaven, we don’t have to cling so tightly to temporary treasures.

When we are generous, we are displaying trust and faith in God. We declare that our true treasure is in heaven. We know we have something that inflation, wars, and tariffs cannot touch or destroy. Because of Jesus, our treasure is secure.

We have that certainty because God treasures us. He sent his Son, his heart, to rescue us from death and damnation.

In uncertain times, don’t be afraid. We have God’s love, his kingdom, and the promise of eternal life. The proof? That’s in the cross of Christ and the empty tomb. God gave everything for you. You are his treasure.

Prayer:

Father, thank you for calling me your treasure and giving everything to make me yours. Free my heart from fear and teach me to trust your care. Help me live generously, knowing my true treasure is in you. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.

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Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”
Luke 12:22-26

Do Not Worry

Love has a way of reordering how you think about things. Consider a recently married couple. Out of love, they think about each other’s wants and desires ahead of their own. Or how about welcoming a new child? The spare room is transformed into a carefully crafted nursery with a crib, diaper changing station, rocker, mobile, and video baby monitor. It is all designed out of love.

Jesus invites you to consider your place in God’s kingdom. Just as you would care for a spouse, an aging parent, a child, or a dear friend, God cares for you.

God created this world with you in mind. You don’t have to worry or be anxious. God knows your needs and will supply them. Jesus uses the example of a raven. They don’t have a storeroom for their food, and yet God feeds them. God oversees everything. He overlooks nothing.

God doesn’t just look after your physical needs but also your spiritual needs. He didn’t spare his only Son but gave Jesus for you. If God’s great love for you motivated him to send Jesus to rescue you from your sins, you can trust that God will take care of all your needs.

When worry starts to rise about money, health, the future, or the unknown, remember who is holding your life. If God feeds the ravens, how much more will he care for you, his beloved child? He has already provided for your greatest need in Jesus. You are not forgotten. Live each day with peace, knowing your Father in heaven sees you, knows you, and will provide.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to trust you, especially when worries weigh on my heart. Thank you for loving me enough to send Jesus. Teach me to rest in your peace. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.

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All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. . . Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
Hebrews 11:13,16

Do You Believe Promises?

“This year, we will win the Super Bowl.” “In the next five years, the economy will…” “Your weekend weather will look like this.”

Do you believe promises? It depends, doesn’t it? Who’s making the promise? An honest parent? An over-confident and under-talented athlete? A trusted friend? A classmate who lies frequently? And what are they promising? Does it seem possible?

Do you believe God’s promises? Your sinful nature doesn’t. God promises something—forgiveness, peace, eternal life. Your sinful nature nudges you and says that God would not forgive you (how could he if he knew all the bad stuff you’ve done!) Would God give you an eternal, peaceful, and joyful life with him in heaven (does that even seem possible?) We could go through a long list of God’s promises about prayer, his hand in our lives, and on and on. There are so many “logical” reasons why God must be wrong about his promises.

In today’s Bible reading, God tells us about people who believed, even though they had not yet received what they had been promised. By faith, they believed God would do just as he had promised. By faith, they knew their true and eternal home was heaven. Like them, you are “a stranger and alien on earth.” This life is important, but your eternal life is far more important. Your true and eternal home is heaven—just like God promises!

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, maintain and strengthen my faith in you and your promises. When doubts and fears come my way, send your Holy Spirit to drive them away with your powerful promises. Keep me living by faith until my death. Then, bring me to what you have promised me, a better country, a heavenly one. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.

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Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Colossians 3:1,2

Keep Your Eyes Focused

One of the things that I look forward to in spring is being able to get my bike out and ride when the weather is nice enough. I enjoy the fresh air that rushes by and the opportunity to take in the beautiful sights of God’s creation.

When riding a bicycle, your head plays an important role. For whatever reason, your bike tends to go the way your head is pointed. If you are looking at some beautiful scenery off to your right, you find yourself drifting that way, and if you’re not careful, you can quickly find yourself off the path. Safe riding requires keeping your eyes focused on where you are going.

As believers in Jesus, safely navigating our way through life requires much the same thing—keeping our eyes focused on what is ahead. There are plenty of distractions and countless things that draw our attention and pull our focus toward them.

The distractions are very real. Financial difficulties, health problems, and relationship crises demand our attention, with the threat of even larger problems if not dealt with immediately. The pleasures available to us create good and satisfying feelings, but only for a little while.

What will truly last is where our focus belongs. The eternal life that Jesus has won by his death on the cross and his resurrection from the grave is a good and satisfying joy that will last forever. As we travel the path through this life that leads to heaven, our focus belongs on the eternal life that has been won for us.

Nothing in this world that seeks to draw your attention will last. The eternal prize that Jesus has won for you will last forever, and nothing that happens here in this world can change that fact. Live your life focused on the gift of eternal life that is yours through Jesus.

Prayer:

Jesus, my Savior, forgive me for the times I have allowed things to crowd you out of my mind and heart. Help me to focus on what is truly important and will last: the eternal life you have given me by your death on the cross and resurrection from the grave. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.

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[Jesus said] “Do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”
Luke 12:29-31

Setting Priorities

Faith, family, and football. God, country, and fishing. Sports, traveling, and work. Partying, sleeping, and eating. What are your priorities? There are so many things in life that demand our time and attention, and it is a challenge to prioritize them. The things in our lives seem to compete. More time at work means less time with the kids. More time with hobbies means less time with our spouses. More time with family means less time spent somewhere else.

Priorities are hard. We mix them up all the time. It is a difficult balancing act as we try to spend time between work and family and God. Then, of course, we all have hobbies, vacations, and kids’ schedules and before we know it, we don’t have sufficient time for the important things in life. Selfishly, we tend to prioritize the things that matter most to us, often at the expense of other people in our lives.

Jesus challenges us to reorder our priorities. He says to put God first. Everything else comes second. He knows what he’s talking about. Throughout his time on earth, Jesus had but one priority, and that was to keep God first in his life. In so doing, Jesus perfectly carried out God’s plan of saving you and me from eternal death. Rather than put himself first, Jesus kept God as his number one priority. As a result, you and I are forgiven and saved, and Jesus was raised back to his rightful place in heaven.

The God who did all this for us now wants us to keep him as our first priority. He commands this for our own good. He knows that our lives will be blessed when we keep him first, and he wants nothing more than for us to join him in heaven someday.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank you for keeping your priorities straight in saving me from sin and death. Help me now to order my life around you and to keep God first in my life. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.

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[Jesus said] “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”
Luke 12:25,26

The Problem with Worrying

How much time do we spend worrying? How many sleepless nights do we endure because of those worries? How much stress does worry put on our bodies? How many hours are wasted at work and home because of worry? I shudder to think how many hours of my life have been lost to the black hole of worry.

It’s really a shame, isn’t it? So much is lost to worry, when worrying can have no actual impact on the things that we worry about. What does worry actually do for us? I mean, aside from damaging our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being and causing others in our lives to be nervous along with us, what can worry actually do for us? I am hard-pressed to come up with a single, solitary benefit that worrying brings into our lives. The Bible agrees. It points out that worrying cannot add a single hour to our lives.

There is a better way. Rather than be anxious about anything, we can put our trust in someone who can impact the things that cause us to worry. He is none other than our God and Lord who created this world and us and everything in it. He has the power to move mountains and calm storms. He also has the power over life and death. This same all-powerful God has seen fit to save us from sin, death, and hell. Rather than worry and wring his hands over our fate, God sent Jesus to take action. Jesus lived a perfect life and died an innocent death on the cross. His great love for us has saved us and given us the gift of heaven. His love continues and he promises that he is always with us.

So instead of spending so much time worrying, turn to God in prayer and trust that just as he saved us from sin, he will also help with whatever is causing us to worry.

Prayer:

Dear Father, thank you for your great love and care. Help me to overcome my worries through trusting in you. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.

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Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!”
Luke 12:24

You Are Valuable!

What do you know about Ravens? They are one of the most common birds in existence. There are an estimated sixteen million Ravens in the world, and they can be found almost everywhere. Ravens are not the most beautiful birds to look at. They are smart and dangerous predators and cause problems for humans and other birds alike. There are some who may not miss the Ravens if they were gone. Our world attaches very little value to such birds.

God wants us to know that we have much more value than Ravens. That may seem easy to say but difficult to believe. At this moment, you may not feel so valuable. You may feel like your contributions at work or home are not as valuable as others. You may feel like others don’t see any value in you. In fact, you may feel quite worthless at times. How can God say that we are much more valuable than even a common bird?

He can say that because he has attached tremendous value to you. If we all had price tags attached to us, the amount would be listed as: “priceless.” We have such value because God was willing to send his Son to die for us. Jesus came down to earth to suffer and be crucified. He came to take the punishment we deserved and to remove it from us by dying in our place. In doing this, he has saved us and made us God’s dear children through faith in him.

God says that since you have such value, you need not worry because he will take care of you. If a Raven feels no need to worry about his needs, so much less for you and me. God gave up the thing that he valued most to save us from an eternity of punishment. Now having saved us, he will most certainly continue to watch over us and care for us.

Prayer:

Dear Father in heaven, your love for me in Jesus attaches great value to me. Help me to trust you to provide for me as your dear child. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.

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“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:18-21

Ready to Go

I knew a man who was looking forward to retirement. He had plans to travel with his wife and to spend time with his family. He had saved well and was looking forward to a comfortable lifestyle in his retirement years. Finally, the day arrived. On the very first morning of his retirement, while drinking his coffee and reading the newspaper, the man died of a massive heart attack.

That serves as a reminder for us not to take anything for granted. We never know when it is our time to go. Many respond to this fact with a fatalistic approach to life. They make life all about the here and now. They live it up and chase pleasure. They pile up money and spend it just as quickly. All in an effort to live the ‘good life’ while they have the chance.

Jesus says this is a foolish approach to life because it gives no regard for the soul and its eternal destination. The man I knew did not approach life this way. Yes, he was looking forward to his retirement years, but he was looking far more forward to an eternity in heaven. He understood that ten or twenty years of the ‘good life’ on earth are nothing compared to an eternal life with Jesus. This man believed that Jesus had come into this world to live in our place and to die for us on the cross. Jesus earned something far more valuable than a cushy retirement. He earned the salvation that we could not provide on our own. He has provided us with the only path to heaven.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, when my time comes to leave this world, help me to be ready to go through faith in you. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.