Author: Kerry

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“‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you…’”
Luke 13:26,27

Familiarity

The scene is this: The Good News of what Jesus has done has gone out into the world. The Lord, through his people, has patiently proclaimed his message of full forgiveness and eternal life through faith in Christ alone. He proclaimed his message with persistence. He has proclaimed the message to all. But now the time is up. The end of the world has arrived. Every last moment for repentance is gone. The door to heaven is closed.

Outside the door, however, are people who have convinced themselves that there must be some misunderstanding. Why is the door closed? Why can’t they get in?

With the strength of desperation, they knock on the door; pound on it. As they do, they call out. They plead, “Sir, open the door for us.” But the reply comes back that simply says, “I don’t know you or where you come from.”

He doesn’t know them. Impossible, they think. After all, they’re familiar with him. They’ve heard about Jesus all their lives. They’ve bumped into Jesus and his words lots of times. He was part of their background, part of their culture. And so, they lawyer up and make their case that they are familiar with him. “We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets,” they say. But once again comes back the chilling, now final, reply: “I don’t know you.”

Their fatal mistake is now clear. Throughout their lives, they’ve presumed that familiarity with Jesus was the same as trust in Jesus. They presumed wrong.

Satan wants me to make the same mistake. He tempts me to presume that familiarity with Jesus, warm nostalgia for church and church culture—that it’s all good enough. But if I presume this, I will one day find myself standing outside of a closed door.

But Jesus knows the devil’s schemes too. That’s why our Savior is pursuing you and me right now, strengthening our bond with him through his Word and sacrament. All this so that it’s not familiarity, but trust: Trust in Jesus alone as our Savior from sin.

Prayer:

Lord, I am not just familiar with you. I trust you. Increase my faith. 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] “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.”
Luke 13:24

Narrow

Some have called the Valleys of Kashmir “Heaven on Earth.” The Valleys of Kashmir rest high in the Himalaya Mountains. In these valleys, one breathtaking scene after another awaits you. You see lush, flowing grass, evergreen trees, mountain streams, apple orchards, grazing sheep, waterfalls—all nestled in the surrounding beauty of the Himalayas.

If you are at a certain point to the east of this “Heaven on Earth,” however, the only way to reach the Valleys of Kashmir is to travel what is called “The Zojila Pass.” Many words could describe the Zojila Pass. But perhaps the best word is “narrow.” The Himalaya Mountains, you see, are treacherous. They are no place for multi-lane interstate highways. The Zojila Pass is a narrow road. Back and forth it winds. On one side is a sheer mountain wall. On the other is a sheer drop-off. To meet another vehicle on this road can be…tricky. Anyone driving the Zojila Pass must not be casual or careless. To stray from the Zojila Pass is to invite disaster.

Throughout his Word, our Savior makes it clear to us that he is the only way. He is not one with a wide variety of options by which we can find peace with God. Nor is he some vague, general concept that we are free to shape and use to our own liking. Our Savior is a specific person. His name is Jesus. And Jesus has done some concrete things to rescue us from the treacherous mountains of our sin; the mountains of sin that separate us from God.

In our place, he lived the life of perfect goodness that you and I have failed to live. On our behalf, he suffered and died on a cross to wash our sins away. Then, three days later, he rose from the dead.

Now he calls to us through his gospel. He calls us to trust him as the only way—the only way to full forgiveness; the only way to peace, joy, meaning, and purpose—the only way to heaven.

Prayer:

Lord, you alone are the one, narrow way. Keep me close 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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You have come to God, the Judge of all.
Hebrews 12:23

Judge of All

Throughout his life, it was easy for Francis Newport to put off the existence of God and the reality of God’s judgment. After all, he enjoyed wealth, he enjoyed creature comforts, he enjoyed success, he enjoyed political power and influence, he enjoyed prominence in his community. God? Some final judgment? Such things just seemed too fantastic, too far beyond his grasp or concern.

The day finally arrived, however, when it was clear that Newport’s life was coming to an end. As it did, God as Judge no longer seemed fantastic. It is said that, in his closing hours, this avowed atheist spoke the following words in fear: “You need not tell me there is no God. For I know there is one, and that I am in his presence.”

In my 21st-century lifestyle, I can surround myself with conveniences, I can make my life comfortable, I can fill my time with hobbies and YouTube and weekend plans and scrolling on my phone. As I do, it is very easy for my old, sinful nature to concoct an artificial world—a world that does not include the reality of God, the reality of God as the judge of all.

Such an artificial world, however, is fragile. And temporary. For when my years of pretending are done, when my years of denial, dismissiveness, unseriousness are all gone—there I will stand. And there God will be. God. The Judge of All. My judge too.

And that is why the Lord, in his Word, calls out to me. To you. To all of us. When he calls, there is urgency in his voice. “Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call on him while he is near.” “Listen, listen to me…hear me, so that your soul may live.” “Now is the time of God’s favor. Now is the day of salvation.”

It’s the reason God sent his Son. It’s the reason Jesus lived a perfect life as our substitute. It’s the reason Jesus suffered and died for our sins in our place. It’s the reason he lives. All so that, through faith in him, our day of judgment will be our first day of eternal life.

Prayer:

Lord, my last day is coming. Move me to find refuge in you alone. 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 the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,” declares the LORD, “so will your name and descendants endure.”
Isaiah 66:22

Your Name

Here’s a pop quiz. Can you rattle off the names of your great-great-grandparents? Can you describe their appearance? What did they do for fun? What made them laugh? How did they meet and fall in love? How did they handle days of stress? What were their hopes for the future? What were their darkest moments? What were their happiest memories? Unless you have a deep passion for genealogy, chances are that you might have trouble just coming up with their names. And unless you have some treasure trove of letters and journals where they poured out their hearts about everything, chances are that you know precious little about them.

And yet only three generations stand between you and your great-great-grandparents. Three. It’s a sobering thing, isn’t it. Their lives were just as vivid and real and three-dimensional as yours. But it took only a short passage of time for even their names to fade. And you and I are not exempt. In a few short generations, your descendants and mine will struggle to recall our names.

But that’s okay. It really is. Here’s why. About 2,700 years ago, the Lord himself gave you and me a timeless promise through the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. He said this. “As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,” declares the LORD, “so will your name…endure.”

Let that sink in for a moment. God has promised that your name and mine will endure as long as the new heavens and the new earth of eternal life will endure. In other words, the Lord will never forget your name. Never.

There’s a reason he will not forget. He has gone to great trouble to see to it that your name will never fade away. He became one of us. He walked among us in the person of Jesus Christ. On our behalf, he never forgot the will of his heavenly Father. With his blood, he cleansed the record of all our sins. And now he lives to remember your name. He will cherish you through and through, forever.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you will never forget my name. Thank 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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“Those who consecrate and purify themselves . . . they will meet their end together,” declares the LORD.
Isaiah 66:17

Sincerely Wrong

In December of 1903, Samuel Langley knew he was about to make history. He knew he was about to demonstrate the world’s first flying machine. For the past five years, he had overseen a dedicated team of experts and technicians. They had sought out the best materials. They had developed a powerful engine. They had perfected a proper launching system. Such efforts had not been cheap. Langley had spent $70,000 at a time when the average income in America was $300 per year.

Finally, everything was ready. The big moment was near Washington, DC. The press stood nearby. The pilot climbed aboard. The engine roared to life. The launching system launched. And Samuel Langley’s flying machine immediately sank to the bottom of the Potomac River.

His confidence in his flying machine and trust in his team had been sincere. His certainty that his invention would be the world’s first flying machine had been sincere. In the end, however, Samuel Langley was sincerely wrong.

In Isaiah chapter 66, the Lord spoke of individuals who sincerely believed they could purify themselves before God. They were certain the answer lay within them. They were confident that if they developed their own way to God and were sincere in what they were doing, they would have God’s favor in their back pocket. But in all this, they were sincerely wrong.

When it comes to my relationship with God, I can be sincere about all kinds of things. I can be sincere in presuming that God will accept me if I try my best, and that God will accept me because I think I’ve done more good than bad. I can sincerely presume that God will accept me because I think I’m a pretty decent person. And I would be sincerely wrong.

It’s not about the sincerity of my faith. It’s about the object of my faith. Jesus alone lived a perfect life in my place. Jesus alone suffered and died on my behalf. In Jesus alone, you and I can sincerely rest.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I look to you for rescue. Not to myself. Not to others. To you alone. 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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You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.” But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
Hebrews 12:18-24

A Mountaintop Experience

Go to church. If you figure out what’s going on there, it can be a mountaintop experience.

I’m not talking about the kind of church where they tell you how to be good enough to go to heaven. That kind of church is scary because deep down, you know you will never be that perfect, no matter how hard you try. When you go to that kind of church, it is like approaching Mount Sinai, where God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. That was terrifying.

I’m talking about the kind of church where you hear the good news that Jesus is your Savior, no matter how sinful you are. That kind of church is like the mountain in Jerusalem, where the temple was built by Solomon, where animals were sacrificed as a picture of the sacrifice that Jesus would be once and for all on the cross. At that kind of church, you worship with people who are declared perfectly righteous through faith in Jesus. At that kind of church, even if you worship with only a few people, you are also worshiping with the angels whose songs you will hear fully when you go to heaven.

And won’t that be a mountaintop experience? Until then, go to church and enjoy a little taste of it.

Prayer:

Lord, lead me to rejoice whenever I go to your house. 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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Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Hebrews 12:1-3

Run the Race

A very important matter for marathon runners is wearing the right gear. Wise runners make sure that no part of their gear will impede progress. Clothes are made to glide smoothly as they run, and shoes are double knotted to ensure that the runners won’t stumble along the way.

As we run through life, there are plenty of things that entangle us—our sinful desire for independence, insistence on having things done our way, selfish pride, and incessant gathering of earthly possessions. Our sinful nature, the pressures of an increasingly godless world, the crafty evil one—they all lead us astray. They entangle us and trip us up on our race. And for not running our race the way that God demands, we deserve to be disqualified from the race of life and to suffer eternal punishment in hell.

But we have one who has run the race in our place. Jesus ran the race of life perfectly. The times that sin entangles and trips us up, Jesus picks us up and sets us back on our feet.

As we run the race that our Savior maps out for us, we fix our eyes on him. He motivates us to run the race, and he runs alongside us as well. He enables us to throw off those entangling sins and to run the race marked out. We will run in his strength and path, as long as he wants us to run, until our race is done, and we inherit eternal rest at our Savior’s side in glory.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, be with me as I run through this life. Keep me on your path and forgive me for the times I run down the wrong paths. Continue to guide and sustain me and give me the endurance I need to run for you and serve you with 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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“Let the prophet who has a dream recount the dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the LORD. “Is not my word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?”
Jeremiah 23:28,29

God’s Fire and Hammer

Fire can warm or destroy. The same flame that purifies gold can reduce wood to ash. God says his Word is like fire—a force that both refines and consumes. It burns away lies and exposes the truth.

Jeremiah lived during a time when many false prophets claimed to speak for God. They said what people wanted to hear—promising peace, safety, and blessing without ever addressing sin or calling for repentance. They used religious language. They sounded convincing. But their words were lies—spiritual misdirection.

The Lord doesn’t leave us guessing which voice to trust. He says his Word is like fire—consuming deception and purifying hearts. It’s like a hammer—breaking the rock of human pride. God’s Word reveals what is real and right, cutting through delusion and self-deception. The standard for truth is not how something feels or how widely it’s accepted. The standard is what God himself has spoken.

True, what God has spoken may be painful to hear. God’s Word exposes the weight of our sin—but also the even greater depth of his love. It leads us to the cross, where every sin was nailed and every guilt laid on Jesus. There, justice and mercy met. The fire of God’s Word consumed our condemnation. The same Word that uncovers sin also saves us from the fire we deserve. And like a hammer, it shatters every accusation with three history-changing words: “It is finished” (John 19:30).

So, we listen carefully. We test every voice by what God has already said. We trust the Word that cuts because it also heals. God’s Word doesn’t flatter—it saves. Let the one who has God’s Word speak it faithfully. Let the one who hears it believe it fully.

Prayer:

Lord, burn away the lies I want to believe, smash my sin, and help me to trust your truth. 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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Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? . . . [Our human fathers] disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.
Hebrews 12:7,10

Trained by Love

I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but life is hard. You get sick. You take a financial hit. You lose someone you love. Any number of awful things can happen at any given moment. When hardship strikes, it’s natural to ask, “Why would a loving God let this happen to me?” Hebrews 12 gives a clear answer: because he does love you.

God doesn’t want you to see hardship as punishment for sin. That punishment has already been poured out on Jesus. The hardships you face are not wrath—they’re his love in action. It’s not payback. It’s training.

Just as earthly fathers discipline their children, so does our heavenly Father. But his discipline goes deeper. Earthly discipline shapes behavior. God’s discipline shapes hearts. His goal isn’t to harm but to grow your faith, refocus your priorities, and lead you to share in his holiness.

That training might stretch you in ways you never expected. To teach trust, God might allow illness to linger. To wean your heart from worldly wealth, he might loosen your grip on financial security. To build patience, he may delay answers to your prayer. Each hardship is a reminder: You belong to God. If he didn’t discipline you, you wouldn’t be his child.

Still, discipline hurts. But it’s the pain that builds spiritual strength—like an athlete straining in training for the joy of victory.

Through hardship, God is shaping you for the final goal: the peace, righteousness, and glory of eternal life. He sent his Son for that very purpose. Jesus suffered and triumphed for you. So fix your eyes on him. Don’t view hardship as punishment but as the loving discipline of your Father—who trains you for life with him.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, help me trust that you are training me for my good and give me strength to endure hardship. 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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Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1,2

Fix Your Eyes on Jesus

They were sawed in two. Flogged. Imprisoned. Mocked. Destitute. Wandering in deserts and mountains. And still, they kept going. The great cloud of witnesses, those who ran the race before you—testify to this important truth: Keep going.

You are running the same race. But you’re not alone in this race. The witnesses cheer you on. They remind you that suffering is not a sign of failure. It is the path of faith.

Consider Jesus. What must it have been like for him? He was slapped, spat on, mocked, and unjustly condemned—by the very people he came to save. He lived a perfect life, and yet he suffered the worst of deaths. Why? Because he couldn’t bear the thought of heaven without you.

You see, Jesus is not just a moral example. He is “the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” He authored your salvation and completed it. He didn’t just run the race; he finished it. He scorned the shame of the cross, endured it, and then sat down at the right hand of God. That’s not just a seat of honor. It’s a declaration: It is finished. Your salvation is complete.

So, keep going. Run with perseverance. Life as a Christian isn’t a quick sprint—it’s a grueling marathon. There will be agony: family that mocks, coworkers who snub, hearts that break, and sin that entangles. But don’t give up.

Fix your eyes on Jesus. When you face opposition, remember he faced worse for you. When you’re tempted to give up, remember the finish line. Jesus stands there, waiting. Not just cheering, but welcoming. You are the prize he endured for. He is the prize you press on for.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, save me from the sin that entangles me and fix my eyes on 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.