Author: Kerry

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7

The Guard

Daily Devotion – December 16, 2021

Devotion based on Philippians 4:7

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Just outside Washington, DC, a guard is marching back and forth in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. To serve as a guard demands superb focus, discipline, and devotion to duty. A soldier first receives special training that is long, exacting, and difficult. The first phase of the training has a 60 percent fail rate. The second phase has 90 percent.

In addition, no one should ever make the mistake of presuming the guard on duty is not serious about protecting the dignity of the tomb. YouTube has several examples of what happens when an immature tourist decides to challenge the guard in some way. Every time, the results for the tourist are not pleasant.

Twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, a guard is there. That elite sentinel is always watching, vigilant, and prepared to protect.

When the apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Philippi, he was writing to people who knew about military life. Many retired soldiers called Philippi home. Anyone who had served as a Roman soldier knew the profound seriousness of serving as a guard. Failure in such duty could mean your execution.

Paul, therefore, meant something when he promised the Philippian Christians that “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” This peace, of which Paul spoke, was not some sentimental wish. Rather, it was a specific peace that Christ Jesus had conquered for them on their behalf. He had conquered it for them through the sinless life he had lived in their place. He had conquered it for them through his suffering and death for their every sin. And now, because Jesus lived, the peace of God they possessed would guard their hearts and minds. Through the troubles and griefs of a broken world, the peace of God would be on duty, always watching, always vigilant, always prepared to protect.

In those moments in our lives when the storms are fierce, when the stress is great, when our weakness is clear, the peace of God is on duty. It’s right by our side, just as Jesus is.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, your peace stands guard over me always. 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.

“Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10

The Enemy of Grief

Daily Devotion – December 15, 2021

Devotion based on Nehemiah 8:10

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Not long ago, a journalist by the name of Amy Paturel was driving to see her father. He was dying and did not have long to live. She stopped to gas up her car. She then promptly got back into her car and drove off—only to discover, too late, she had left the nozzle in her tank.

A neurologist by the name of Lisa Schulman describes a similar experience. Several months after her husband’s death, Lisa was running a simple errand but somehow got lost. In that moment, she could not remember where she was or how she got there. She had to use the GPS on her phone to find her way home.

Such is the power of grief.

Researchers have discovered that grief can have the same impact on the brain as blunt force trauma. Signals between your left and right hemisphere take unexpected routes. Your body releases a cocktail of chemicals that affects how you process information. In addition, the journey of grief has no shortcuts. As someone has said, “Grief is a desert that must be crossed on foot.”

Profound grief is, perhaps, one of the strongest reminders we have that you and I live in a shattered world; a world shattered by sin—yours and mine.

When God the Son entered our time and space, he experienced our grief first-hand. “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows,” Isaiah chapter 53 proclaims. But his whole purpose for stepping into our grief-stricken world was to see to it that grief would not have the last word. In our place, he lived a life of perfect holiness. As our substitute, he marched to the cross and paid our debt of sin in full. Then, to demonstrate his victory, he rose from death.

Does this mean that you and I will never experience grief? No, it does not. However, it does mean that as bitter as our tears of grief may be, such tears are temporary. We will taste them in this life alone. But the tears of joy are eternal. Because Jesus lives, the tears of joy we will taste forever.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, remind me that my tears of grief are temporary, and my tears of joy are eternal. 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.

“Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save.”
Zephaniah 3:16,17

Body Language

Daily Devotion – December 14, 2021

Devotion based on Zephaniah 3:16,17

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One of the greatest speeches in all of Shakespeare is the “Band of Brothers” speech from Henry V. The play is based on actual events.

Here’s the scene. It is the night before the English must wage a great battle with the French. The English Army is exhausted, hungry, and sick. The French Army is healthy, well-rested, and well-fed. In addition, the French outnumber the English by four-to-one. The body language in the English forces is clear. Their heads are down. Their shoulders slouch. Their hands are limp in despair.

But then along comes their mighty warrior-king, Henry V. To his men, he delivers such a rousing speech that, by the end, their body language has changed. Their heads are up. And their hands are no longer limp in despair. Rather, they raise their hands high. They are ready to fight the good fight. The next day, victory is theirs.

In Zephaniah chapter 3, the Word of God is speaking to the Lord’s people to a moment when their hands are hanging limp in despair. Do you ever feel that way—so haunted by your regrets that your hands feel limp, so troubled by things you cannot take back that you are dazed and paralyzed about the future?

“Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp,” God’s Word says. Then he tells us why. “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save.” God has come. God the Son has arrived in the person of Jesus Christ. He has defeated the forces of evil on our behalf. He has lived a life of perfect goodness in our place. He has canceled the guilt of our sin through his suffering and death on the cross.

And now he lives. Through faith in him, you and I stand forgiven. We are his, and he is our King. He stands by our side. He is mighty to save. For this reason, we can move forward. We can fight the good fight of the faith. For in Jesus, the King, all is well.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you are my King. You are by my side. Move me to march forward with 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 LORD . . . has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm.
Zephaniah 3:15

Liberation

Daily Devotion – December 13, 2021

Devotion based on Zephaniah 3:15

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It is August 25, 1944. An AP correspondent by the name of Don Whitehead has been traveling with Allied forces as they slowly drive the Nazis out of France. Now the Allies are on the outskirts of Paris. For four terrible years, the residents of Paris have been under the boot of Hitler’s tyranny. Today, however, the tyranny is over. The enemy has fled. Paris is free.

Later that day, Whitehead reports what he saw. “[W]hen the last enemy resistance crumbled…[Paris] went mad—wildly, violently mad—with happiness. All the emotions suppressed by four years of [Nazi] domination surged through the people. The streets of the city, as we entered, were like a combined Mardi Gras, Fourth of July celebration, American Legion convention and New Year’s Eve in Times Square all packed into one.”

Another reporter, who is there later writes, “[We] drove into Paris with eyes that would not stay dry, and we were no more ashamed of it than were the people who wept as they embraced us.”

That day in Paris came to be known as Liberation Day. Throughout Paris that day, there was a titanic explosion of tears, laughter, relief, and joy. Those who were there would remember it for the rest of their lives.

By nature, you and I were under the boot of an enemy as well. It was the tyranny of our own sin. There we were trapped, enslaved, imprisoned, chained hand and foot to the curse of our own impulses and rebellious desires. Left to ourselves, we would have died alone, lost, forever separated from God.

But Jesus came. The Son of God became one of us. On our behalf, he lived a life of perfect goodness. In our place, he suffered and died for our every sin. Then he rose. Through his work in our place, Jesus has turned our enemy away. Instead of fear, there is now joy. Instead of anxiety, there is now thankfulness and relief. Instead of despair, there is now a sure and living hope.

But unlike Liberation Day in Paris, our joy does not fade. In Christ, the joy of our Liberation Day lasts forever.

Prayer:
Thank you, Lord Jesus. You have set me free. 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 your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17

Singing Over You

Daily Devotion – December 12, 2021

Devotion based on Zephaniah 3:17

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When my family brought home our Christmas tree this year, something spontaneous and special happened. As our three oldest children began to decorate, each child also began to sing their own Christmas song to themselves. One was humming, “Away in a manger, no crib for a bed…” Another was singing, “Red is the color of the blood that flowed down the face of someone who loved us…” The little one was making up her own tune about ornaments and Jesus and lights. Each precious heart was lost in its own little world, singing quietly, decorating joyfully. For once, there was actually no arguing or fighting!

And two smiling parents were drinking it all in.

Little Christians singing joyfully to themselves is a precious picture. Did you know that the Bible paints a similar picture of God’s thoughts towards you? The prophet Zephaniah records, “The LORD your God is with you; he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”

It’s true! The Lord has taken great delight in you. Don’t be mistaken—this Lord is no pushover. He is mighty, and he held every right to come to earth as a pulverizing conqueror. But instead, he came as a baby. He came not to conquer but to rescue! He came not to punish but for peace! He will quiet your conscience with his full and free forgiveness, even for the sins you’re ashamed to remember. He will rejoice over you with his singing. The Savior’s heart is lost in his deep concern for you, gazing at you, beaming inside, singing because of you.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for taking great delight in me, so much that you were willing to lay down your very own life for me. Quiet my soul as I drink in your promises and give me courage as I picture you singing over me and remember that you are with me always. 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.

Be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
Philippians 1:11

Filled With Fruit

Daily Devotion – December 11, 2021

Devotion based on Philippians 1:11

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When I was in college, one of my roommates liked to eat at an all-you-can-eat buffet. One night he took that all-you-can-eat part as a challenge. He loaded up on mashed potatoes and gravy to the point of being so uncomfortable that someone else had driven home.

God tells us to stuff ourselves, but not with food for our stomachs nor with all kinds of things to satisfy our heart’s desires. We are to be filled with the fruit of righteousness.

Righteousness is the reason for which Jesus, the Son of God, was born and lived here on earth. For us to live with God forever, we need to be absolutely perfect. God requires us to be righteous. But none of us, no matter how good we try to be, can live up to God’s perfect standard. That’s why the birth of Jesus that we celebrate at Christmas is so important. In love for you, Jesus took on our human nature and lived a perfect, sinless life. The peace that Christmas brings us is the assurance that our relationship with God is restored. By grace, God credits us with the perfection of Jesus! We are righteous in God’s eyes through Jesus.

God’s Word says, “Be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.” Fill your life with words and actions that demonstrate how thankful you are to Jesus for all he has done for you. Just like those thank-you notes that will soon be written for the Christmas gifts you receive, your life is a living thank-you to the Savior for the greatest gift you could ever receive. Demonstrate your love for Jesus with many acts of kindness and generosity towards people and with words overflowing with care and encouragement for others.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit so that this day I am filled with fruits of righteousness that bring glory to your name. 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.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
Philippians 1:9-11

In With the New

Daily Devotion – December 10, 2021

Devotion based on Philippians 1:9-11

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Some educators have said that the key to adult learning is “unlearning.” All too often, learning a new skill is made more difficult later in life because of one’s previous experience. Then it becomes necessary to first unlearn earlier habits and practices in order to make room for the new.

When the Lord calls us sinners to repentance, he demands that we turn away from the sinful attitudes and behaviors that had separated us from him. His law shows us the disastrous end of our disobedience and convinces us that the path we were on only leads to death. The Lord’s goal is not our eternal humiliation but that in humble faith, we might turn to him and live. He points us to Christ Jesus, his Son, whose sacrifice canceled our debt and whose righteousness is credited as our own.

Where once there was nothing but barren, unfertile ground, now a bountiful garden grows. Our hearts have been nourished by the love of God, in Christ. They have been watered by his promises of free forgiveness, and a new and holy life has begun in us as a result. The Holy Spirit continues to cultivate these new attitudes through the Word so that they might produce “the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”

Prayer:
Lord, you have come to me with your Word to bring me to repentance. Turn my heart away from sin and everything that would turn me away from you. Replace my selfish habits with new attitudes of selflessness, love, and compassion for others. Let Christ’s love for all inspire me to live for him and others, so that my whole life may bring glory to your name. 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.

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:3-6

Seeing It Through to the End

Daily Devotion – December 9, 2021

Devotion based on Philippians 1:3-6

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Pastor Ron was blessed to serve all 46 years of his ministry in one congregation. He had walked alongside at least two generations of believers during the various stages of their lives. For several members of the church, Pastor Ron was the only pastor they had had from their baptism to their burial. As sad as those funerals were, they also gave the pastor a source of joy. Another soul bought by the blood of Christ had been led safely to their heavenly home.

It doesn’t always happen that a Christian is served by the same pastor their entire lives. More often, the Lord provides a series of spiritual shepherds to accompany you through the ups and downs of your walk with Christ. The most important thing, of course, is to recognize that it is God himself who is guiding you through his messengers. He is the one who called you to repentance and worked the miracle of faith in your heart through baptism. He is the one who blew on the sputtering embers of your faith and caused it to grow as you learned about him in Sunday School and catechism classes. He is the one who continues to send people into your life to bring you back to him when you start to stray. And God is also the one who will give you the strength to remain in that humble yet confident faith until the end.

Prayer:
Lord God, I thank you for all the pastors, teachers, and others you have sent into my life to bring me to faith and to keep me close to you. Above all, I thank you for sending your Son, Jesus. He saw my salvation through to completion, coming to this world as a servant, dying on the cross as my substitute, and rising to life as my Savior. I trust that you will keep me close to him in faith until the day that I see him with my own eyes. 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.

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene—during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”
Luke 3:1-6

Preparing the Way

Daily Devotion – December 8, 2021

Devotion based on Luke 3:1-6

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Today’s Bible passage begins with a list of some powerful individuals: emperors, governors, kings, and high priests. The author wanted to pinpoint for us the time in history when the ministry of John the Baptist started. The incidents in the life of Jesus that Luke would go on to describe were verifiable historical events. But as influential as these rulers were in their day, someone far more important was about to arrive on the scene.

When VIPs travel, they want to ensure that everything is ready for their arrival in advance. Messengers and assistants are sent ahead to make necessary arrangements, looking to maximize the impact of the dignitary’s visit. If this is true in the case of mortal men, how much more appropriate this preparation was when the Son of God himself was due to arrive!

In truth, nothing we can do would ever be enough to prepare to meet this King of kings, Jesus Christ. We cannot successfully rid our hearts of hatred, greed, and the mountain of other sinful attitudes that are repugnant to the holy God. But God himself prepares us to receive him. He works the change of repentance in our hearts through the preaching of his law and gospel. Do you want to be ready to celebrate Christmas this year? Plant yourself at the feet of those who prepare his way through clear gospel preaching.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for sending messengers to prepare my heart for your coming. 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.

“So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the LORD Almighty. “I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty.
Malachi 3:5-7

Return to the Lord

Daily Devotion – December 7, 2021

Devotion based on Malachi 3:5-7

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Due to the forces of nature and the erosion of time, the face of the quickly evolving planet we live on is much different today than when God first created it. Human empires also rise to power only to fall back into the dust of history over time. As individuals, we are even more fickle and subject to change—sometimes, the entire course of our lives can turn on a dime with one rash decision. Unlike his creation, however, God is eternal and unchanging.

For one thing, this means that God’s perspective on right and wrong does not “evolve” over time—nor does it need to. He was already perfectly holy and immeasurably loving from all of eternity. The One who will judge all nations has revealed to us his divine law, which is his unchanging will for the lives for all people of all times. Meanwhile, our sinful and impulsive human hearts try to justify our faithless disobedience by claiming that times have changed. Some, for example, attempt to redefine adultery as not hurting anyone, an “old-fashioned” idea. Others don’t even offer an excuse as they trample others in their never-ending quest for self-satisfaction. But the LORD Almighty says, “I will come near to you for judgment.”

Fortunately, God’s changelessness means that his mercy and compassion are also eternal. His promises to forgive all who repent are as valid today as they were when he first spoke to them. For the sake of his Son Jesus Christ, God still offers grace to us today. “Return to me, and I will return to you,” he says. Today, as you hear his invitation, turn to God in repentance and trust in his unending love.

Prayer:
Lord God, turn my fickle heart away from sin and towards your Son. 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.