Author: Kerry

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Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
2 Corinthians 9:15

An Indescribable Gift

In this chapter of the Bible, the apostle Paul addresses the important matter of Christian giving. He teaches that God-pleasing offerings flow out of a willing heart in response to God’s rich blessings and unfailing providence.

In grand conclusion to his instruction and encouragement about offerings, the apostle proclaims, “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” God gave to us first, and he gave us the best. In his great love for us, he sent Jesus to be the sacrifice for our sins. Through Jesus, God gives us the peace of free and full forgiveness. By the sacrificial death and victorious resurrection of his Son, death is defeated, and the way to heaven is open. A blessed life with God now and forever is ours by faith in Jesus. Jesus is everything for us. Praise God!

This is the essential reason for all that we do, including giving generous offerings, that God be praised. Yes, we give offerings for expenses at church and to help in the mission efforts of the church at large. We often hear about the needs and the opportunities. But the fundamental reason we give our offerings is not to balance the church budget or start a mission congregation or send a missionary. We give to praise God and thank him for all that he gives us. We must guard against only viewing offerings for what they will provide and buy. Our offerings, first and foremost, are a tangible way for us to honor God who has blessed us with the indescribable gift of his Son. With our eyes and hearts focused on the cross of Jesus and the gift of salvation, it is a joy to give offerings to our great God.

Prayer:

Lord, fill me with the joy of salvation that I may joyfully respond with generous offerings to honor you. Amen.

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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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You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.
2 Corinthians 9:11-12

Contagious Generosity

You didn’t do anything special, you certainly didn’t deserve it, but someone generously gave of their time or gave a gift far greater than you could have imagined. The giver of the gift had no intention of receiving anything in return. It was pure generosity. That kind of generosity can be contagious. If you’ve been the recipient of such a generous gift and truly appreciate it, you can’t help but mimic that generosity.

Consider God’s generosity. Even if one does not recognize it, all that a person has is from God’s hand. God may even bless you with more than what you truly need. Even if one does not realize that Jesus gave up the riches of his heavenly throne and became poor for you to become rich in God’s mercy. However, when we do realize this and, in faith, receive this incredible gift of God’s grace, we can’t help but let it overflow to others. That kind of generosity is contagious.

A Christian church in the ancient city of Corinth, in response to God’s generous gift of salvation, was collecting a monetary gift for others in need hundreds of miles away. When they heard of other congregations also giving a gift of support, they too wanted to join in. In doing so, not only did they meet a real need, but their generosity spilled over into praise and thanks to God. It inspired others to be generous. The kind of generosity that ultimately comes from God is contagious.

First, receive God’s generosity as the gift it truly is. Be blown away by the over-the-top gift that God has given through Jesus and let it spread. Let it overflow. If you have possessions to share with others in need, if you have time to give to someone who needs a listening ear, if you have skills to share, whatever you have, it’s from the Lord. Share it to his glory!

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for every gracious gift you’ve given. Let that generosity overflow in my life in thanksgiving to 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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Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
Luke 17:17-19

Eternal Gift, Eternal Thanks

What Jesus did for the ten men by healing their leprosy didn’t last forever. Over time, their bodies got old, they got weaker, then they died, and their bodies decomposed. So, while their physical healing was a great gift, it didn’t last forever.

But, one leper saw in Jesus more than a physical healer. He saw him for whom he really was—the saver of souls. He fell at his feet to thank and worship him as the true God. He believed that Jesus could do even more than cleanse him of his leprosy. So, Jesus said, “Rise and go, your faith has made you well.” He wasn’t just talking about the man’s leprosy. Luke used the word “cleanse” to describe what happened to all ten. They were outwardly cleansed from leprosy. But when Jesus said to the one “your faith has made you well,” the word he used is literally “save.” That man had faith in Jesus as Savior, and he was saved.

What Jesus did for his body was great. What he did for his soul was even greater. He saved his body from pain and discomfort for a time; he saved his soul from death for eternity. He took away his leprosy so he could be accepted by society again, for a time; Jesus took away his sin, and he was accepted by God, for eternity.

You can be sure that God has done the very same for you, because he has done this for the world. By Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, he took away the sins of the world, including yours. Through faith, he makes that forgiveness your forgiveness. He may bless you physically on this earth for a time. But he has, without a doubt, saved your soul for eternity. He may bless you with the good company of friends and family, for a time. Without a doubt, he has taken away your sin so that you have a right relationship with God, for eternity. We are eternally thankful for this eternal gift!

Prayer:

Lord, may I forever praise you in this life and the next. 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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One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?”
Luke 17:15-17

Don’t Forget to Say Thank You

It’s one of the earliest lessons we learn in life: “Don’t forget to say thank you!” Where were the manners of the nine men who had been healed by Jesus but did not return to thank him? Didn’t their mothers ever teach them to say thank you?

What was missing from those nine men? It was more than just words of thanks missing from their lips. Faith was missing from their hearts. They saw Jesus as someone special and powerful; otherwise, they wouldn’t have called out to him in desperation. But comfort and healing for their skin was all they wanted.

We are very thankful for physical blessings that come from God. We may pray for God to heal us from illness, and we thank him profusely when he does. However, when we limit our requests to things only for the body and thank him only when we receive what is tangible and temporary, something’s missing. If the only reason we can sleep in peace at night is because we’re materially blessed, then we’re missing something. If the only reason I am thankful is because I have my basic needs and good health, then I’m missing something.

Thank God, with a sincere heart, that Jesus gives us all that was ever missing. He so generously gives comfort that lasts eternally because he has healed us of sin’s curse and condemnation. He makes us clean so we, covered by his grace, can be at peace with God. This moves us not just to say, “thank you,” but to live a life of thanks for all our Savior has done.

Prayer:

Thank you, Lord, for healing me of sin and death and giving me blessings beyond this 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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As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.
Luke 17:12-15

Jesus, Help!

Have you ever cried out for help? Sometimes, we simply ask for help. But when the need is great, we cry out for help. For example, if you’ve fallen, broken a bone, and you’re all alone, you likely had to cry out for help.

Have you ever cried out to God for help? One day, ten men with leprosy, a horrible skin disease, saw Jesus, and they called out to him. “Jesus, help!” And he did! He healed them all by the power of his promise. Their leprosy was cured! Jesus helped and healed. However, one of them returned to praise and thank God in a loud voice. He realized that his problem was not only skin-deep. He realized that the blemish of sin was something Jesus could heal, too.

We may not have a horrible skin disease, but we all need what only Jesus can do—cleanse us from sin. You can be grateful for all the prayers that Jesus hears and answers. No problem is too small to pray about. Nothing you need help with is too heavy a burden for Jesus to lift. We express our gratitude when we return to Jesus in prayer and thank and trust in him for every need, big or small.

If you haven’t ever cried out to Jesus for help, or if it’s been a while, try it. Trust that he is your help and salvation. Know that he hears you and cares. Know that his care and concern for you is not merely skin-deep. He cares for the whole person, body and soul. He cleanses you of sin and every stain.

Prayer:

Lord, have mercy on me. Help me in my time of need. Move me to thank and praise you, for you are my help and my salvation! 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 Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”
Genesis 8:20-22

Providence Produces Praise

You can walk into a grocery store in season and out of season and find fresh produce at your disposal. God never ceases to provide. As much trouble as there is in this world, as hard as some days are, as long as some sleepless nights seem, the world keeps turning and the sun rises each morning. God’s gracious providence never ceases. God’s providence means he provides for and sustains his creation. Through his providence, God keeps the world turning, sends rain upon the earth, and makes things grow.

In the days of Noah, God sent rain upon the earth, so much rain that it flooded the entire world, and everything was wiped away. Noah and his family may have wondered what they were going to eat after this devastating flood. But God spoke to that need. First, he spoke to a spiritual need and promised never again would he curse the ground and flood it. One day, he would provide a Savior from sin, and as Noah and his family waited for the Savior, God would provide every other need as well.

Here we are many thousands of years later, and God’s providence for body and soul hasn’t ceased. He kept his promise not to flood the world again. He sent his Son, Jesus, to save the world and give eternal life.

How did Noah respond to God’s promise? He praised the Lord. How can we respond? God’s providence for body and soul produces in a believer a life of praise. For the food that sustains our bodies, and even more for the Savior that fulfills all God’s promises and grants eternal life, we forever praise God whose love never ceases!

Prayer:

Lord, I praise you for showering me with every blessing for my body and soul. 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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By the first day of the first month of Noah’s six hundred and first year, the water had dried up from the earth. Noah then removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry. By the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth was completely dry. Then God said to Noah, “Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it.”
Genesis 8:13-17

Saved by God

Noah and his family were in the ark for a year and ten days. All this time did not make Noah perfect. In fact, Noah wasn’t saved from the flood because he was perfect at all. He was saved because of God’s grace, mercy, and love. The same is true of you and me. We are only saved because God has shown mercy to us, not because of anything we say or do.

Are we still sinful? Are we still prone to mistakes? Do we still set up other gods, misuse God’s name, fail to worship him, dishonor our parents, hurt, lust, steal, slander, cheat, and covet? Certainly, we do. We are even born sinful. But God has rescued us. He has saved us from the rising flood of our sinfulness with his death on a cross.

Therefore, we strive to obey God’s holy commandments, not because we have to, but because we want to, in thanks for rescuing us from our sins and preserving our lives.

Prayer:

My dear God, though I am a sinner, you have been merciful and rescued me through Jesus. Forgive me when I fail to live according to your holy will. Strengthen me to act and speak in ways that demonstrate that I am very thankful for your love. 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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Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
2 Thessalonians 1:1-4

Take Comfort in God’s Love

In Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians, the apostle is responding to troubles among the Christians there. The trouble they faced came in at least three ways: They were being persecuted for their faith in Jesus. At the very beginning of his letter, Paul addresses this problem and offers encouragement to those persecuted Christians. Then there was the growing problem of the Man of Lawlessness, whom the apostle John calls the antichrist. Paul lays out several ways to identify him and tells the Thessalonians about the troubles he will bring. Finally, Paul turns to a problem inside the congregation—people who had stopped working to idly wait for the Lord’s return. He instructs them to live productive lives until Jesus’ coming on the Last Day.

Through the power of the gospel, God keeps us in the faith and helps us grow in our love for him. He leads us to a deeper understanding of his will and moves us to live according to his Word. Our love for one another grows as we follow Jesus. Amidst the troubles and opposition that we endure, we have peace with God, for we are forgiven sinners. No matter how challenging things get, nothing can separate us from the love and life we have with God through our Savior, Jesus.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, whatever situations I face or troubles I contend with, keep me focused on your love in Jesus and fill me with 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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“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”
1 Chronicles 29:14

The Gift of Giving

King David of Israel wanted to build a temple for the Lord, but God decided that David would not be the one to build it. Instead, his son Solomon would. If David was disappointed, he didn’t let it show. While he wouldn’t build it, that didn’t mean he couldn’t help assemble the materials and donate from his own personal wealth toward it.

And so that’s what David did. He gave generously, and so did his royal officials. This temple would be the most magnificent building in all of Jerusalem and Israel. It took over 175,000 workers seven years to build it. Massive amounts of stone, cedar, gold, and silver were used in its construction. It’s impossible to put a modern-day price tag on the cost of the construction, but the amount of gold and silver used alone would be close to $300 billion.

King David gave generously, and after he made his donation, he prayed to the Lord. He didn’t pray seeking recognition from God for his generosity. He prayed out of thanksgiving because David rightly recognized that all he had given already belonged to the Lord. All the blessings David had received in life came from God. Giving back to God was a privilege.

The temple would bring glory to God’s holy name for generations. King David and the people of Israel were making an investment that would have returns echoing for eternity.

We don’t have a temple to build, but we do have endless opportunities to give back to the Lord. We do that not just with our money, but with our time, talents, and love. Every act of generosity is an investment in God’s Kingdom that can echo into eternity. Our gifts testify to the greatness of God as we remember that all we have comes from him in the first place.

Prayer:

Gracious Lord, all that I have comes from your generous hand. Thank you for the blessings of life, but above all, thank you for the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Teach me to give joyfully and with thanks that I may use my gifts to bring glory to your name. 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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We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
2 Thessalonians 1:3-4

Strength for Your Struggle

Sometimes a simple compliment can make your entire day. You might even remember a special compliment years later. Words of affirmation and compliments remind us that we’re on the right track. They build confidence and diligence.

Paul gave the believers in Thessalonica one of the most beautiful compliments of all: “Your faith is growing. Your love for one another is increasing.” In fact, Paul was so impressed that he bragged about them in other churches!

But how did Paul know their faith and love were increasing? Not because their lives were getting easier. Quite the opposite. Evidence was found in how they endured suffering. They were insulted, opposed, and persecuted for following Jesus. And yet their faith did not wither; it deepened. Their love for one another did not shrink. Instead, it grew stronger.

That’s not usually how we look for affirmation. We often expect God to show us we’re on the right path by removing obstacles, by giving us smoother roads and brighter days. But Paul points us in a different direction. God affirms and strengthens our faith not by taking trials away, but by using them to root us deeper in his promises.

When life is hard, it doesn’t mean God has abandoned you. It may be the very way he is growing you. Just as muscles are strengthened through weight training, faith is strengthened during trials. And as we lean on God’s promises together, love for one another increases, too. So, take heart: trials don’t mean your faith is failing; they may be the way that God is growing your faith in him.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, when trials come, help me not to doubt your love but to lean on your promises. Use hardships to deepen my trust in you and to grow my love for others. Strengthen me to endure with perseverance and hope. 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.