Author: Kerry

“Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears?
Malachi 3:1,2

Endure His Coming

Daily Devotion – December 6, 2021

Devotion based on Malachi 3:1,2

See series: Devotions

Nine-year-old Emma was pleased with herself. She was the first in her class to finish the assignment, and now the teacher was walking around the room checking everyone’s work. Just one more row of desks and the teacher would look down on Emma’s paper with a smile and hand her a big sticker. But wait! Emma suddenly realized she had missed an important part of the instructions. No wonder she finished before everyone else! With the teacher now only two desks away, Emma had a terrible sinking feeling in her stomach.

God’s people had been waiting and praying for the Lord to send the promised Messiah for hundreds of years. They longed for his arrival and were confident that his coming would bring many blessings. Then God sent the prophet Malachi with this message: “Yes, the one you are hoping for is coming soon. But are you ready?” The prophet pointed out many ways in which God’s people and their leaders had been disobedient. And it wasn’t just that they had heard God’s instructions wrong—they had willfully chosen to follow their own sinful desires. They were not as ready as they thought for the coming of God’s holy Son.

Does the Christmas season bring a knot to your stomach? Perhaps you become stressed at the thought of all the work that needs to be done before the holidays. Maybe you are anxious about upcoming family gatherings for any number of reasons. But what about the fact that the holy God himself has come to earth and will return one day in judgment! This fact need not fill you with terror. Although we have been just as disobedient as those before us, Jesus Christ, the righteous Son of God, came to make us right before God. He calls us to repent and believe the good news that in him, all our sins have been forgiven. We can stand before God’s throne confident that our Savior Jesus has come to make us clean.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, make me ready to welcome you with a humble but joyful heart. 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.
Philippians 1:3

Making a Good Memory

Daily Devotion – December 5, 2021

Devotion based on Philippians 1:3

See series: Devotions

In the movie screen of your mind, picture this: You see a pair of sandaled feet walking inside of a house. The walking that you see is a restless pacing. The feet stand at one window. They cross the floor to another window and sigh. Then the feet cross the floor again. These feet belong to the apostle Paul. He’s in Rome and living in a rented house. But here’s the problem: He can’t leave. There’s a Roman guard in the room there with him. Paul is under house arrest, awaiting trial to face accusations from people who do not like what he’s preaching. And he’s not simply stuck there for a week or two. He’s there for years.

But the Lord sustains him. One of the ways the Lord sustains him is through the happy memories Paul has of his fellow believers. Paul cherishes these memories so much that he even tells the Christian congregation in Philippi, “I thank my God every time I remember you.”

Based on what Jesus Christ has done on your behalf at the cross, God has purged from his mind every memory of your sin. Instead, there are only happy memories of your fruits of faith; fruits of faith that are big or small, carefully planned or impulsive, long or short, complex or simple.

One of those fruits of faith can be this: Making a good memory for someone else.

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, give some thought to doing that. Maybe you could pick up the phone and thank someone for the kindness that really made an impression on you. Maybe you could tell a fellow Christian with chronic pain how their patient example inspires you. Or perhaps you’re just the person to give someone a hearty, much-needed laugh.

Whatever you do, do it to God’s glory. And don’t underestimate the power of a good memory. Look what it did for Paul.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for washing me clean in Jesus’ blood and remembering only my fruits of faith. Help me to touch others with good memories of Christian love. 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 days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. “‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The LORD Our Righteous Savior.’
Jeremiah 33:14-16

A Promise Wrapped in a Name

Daily Devotion – December 4, 2021

Devotion based on Jeremiah 33:14-16

See series: Devotions

Most parents spend a lot of time choosing a name for their child. One reason for their careful consideration is that a name says something about a person. For many people, certain characteristics come to mind when they hear various names. For example, people may be inclined to trust someone with the name “Lincoln,” and when they hear the name “Tiffany,” they might think of someone wealthy.

When God promised the coming of his Savior, he wanted to make sure that his people would have a clear picture of what he would be like, so he gave him a name that described him well. He announced through the prophet Jeremiah that the Savior would be called “the LORD Our Righteousness.”

His name is the LORD. This is the name God gave himself. And it describes him well. He is the God of free and faithful grace, who always keeps his promises and saves his people. His name is also “Our Righteousness.” Instead of demanding a righteousness that we don’t have and can’t offer, he would be our righteousness so that we would have the peace and favor of God.

God’s Old Testament people looked forward to the coming of the Savior, but we have seen the LORD Our Righteousness in the person of Jesus Christ. As we look forward to celebrating Christmas, let’s rejoice that the baby born in the manger was wrapped up in a name that tells us so much about him. He is our LORD, and he has brought us righteousness. There is no greater reason to celebrate.

Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, thank you for telling me so much about your Son and our Savior. Help me to stay focused on what is most important this Christmas season. Give me a faith that continually looks to the baby born in the manger, who is the LORD Our Righteousness. 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.

“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.”
Luke 17:26-29

Jesus Humbles Himself to Save Us from Destruction

Daily Devotion – December 3, 2021

Devotion based on Luke 17:26-29

See series: Devotions

Eating. Drinking. Buying. Selling.

Those are four activities people do countless times every day in places all over the world. They were happening long ago as well, Jesus points out, on the day “fire and sulfur rained down from heaven” when God destroyed the cities of Gomorrah and Sodom on account of their sin.

In many ways, the lives of those who died that day were no different than ours. Their average day involved eating and drinking, buying and selling—normal activities that require multiple daily decisions and consume so much of our thinking. But suddenly, they received a reminder that those daily decisions weren’t the most important thing.

That’s not to say they aren’t important at all. What you buy, where you work, how you manage your money, what kind of food you provide for your family, and what home you live in consumes a great deal of our thinking. The lives of people we love are often affected by those decisions and impact the quality of our living.

Just not as much as God can. The many people who died that day in that destruction didn’t believe that.

But Lot did. On the day Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, Lot took his family and fled from where he had been doing all his eating and drinking, buying and selling. Not because he wanted to destroy the quality of their lives, but because he believed there was only one thing they needed.

They needed the God who had promised a Savior that would one day not flee from the cross where God’s anger rained down on him as the willing sacrifice for our sins. They needed the Savior who would provide for them something even more satisfying than the very best deals or meals you can find on earth. They needed the Savior who could satisfy our souls forever with the gracious gift of eternal life in everlasting perfection. They needed the same Savior we have been given.

Prayer:
Father in heaven, thank you for the gift of Jesus our Savior, who alone graciously saves me from eternal destruction. 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.

“At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Luke 21:27,28

Jesus Humbles Himself to Redeem

Daily Devotion – December 2, 2021

Devotion based on Luke 21:27,28

See series: Devotions

Khaleesi is a one-and-a-half-year-old miniature long-haired dachshund dog. She recently ran after a rabbit and kept running when the rabbit ran into a drain tube roughly 6 inches in diameter. The rabbit got all the way through. But Khaleesi didn’t—she got stuck in the vertical position about four feet down. The dog’s owner called the fire department for help. But when they got to the scene later that evening, they concluded that because it was dark, the terrain was rough, and the retaining wall the pipe was in was already in danger of collapsing that they wouldn’t be able to safely do anything until the next morning. The owner didn’t sleep that night. The next morning, everyone returned to the scene. The firefighters used the jaws of life to carefully cut away sections of the pipe without hurting Khaleesi. Everyone could hear Khaleesi crying and whimpering the entire time. But finally, 20 hours after she got stuck in the pipe, Khaleesi was set free. She jumped into the arms of her owner, with her tail wagging excitingly.

Like Khaleesi in that drain tube, we long for relief too. We are eager to find relief from stress, anxiety, guilt, and worry. We’re eager to be relieved of broken hearts, loneliness, regrets, and shattered dreams—which can all affect us for much longer than 20 hours.

Thankfully, the Bible tells us that Jesus has done everything necessary to bring us relief from all of these things. And one day, when Jesus returns “with power and great glory,” we will experience that relief in full. Until then, do not let the pain of this sinful world overwhelm your faith in the Savior who humbled himself to redeem us all from pain, death, and sin.

Prayer:
Gracious Redeemer, have mercy on me and keep my eyes of faith always fixed on you, and my heart always eager for my redemption. 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.

Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as [Jesus] had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They replied, “The Lord needs it.”
Luke 19:32-34

Jesus Humbles Himself to Meet Our Needs

Daily Devotion – December 1, 2021

Devotion based on Luke 19:32-34

See series: Devotions

Why did the owner of the colt let Jesus’ disciples take it? He didn’t complain. He didn’t ask why. He didn’t ask for a security deposit or down payment. He didn’t tell them to have it home by midnight. He just let them go, apparently, because he believed that if the Lord needs something from you, then it’s something you should just do.

Jesus applied the same attitude toward the will of his Father in heaven. Why did he ride into Jerusalem knowing that, at the end of the week, his perfect obedience was going to be rewarded by the shedding of his own blood? Why would he mount a donkey, parade into the city, listening to the cheers of men, women, and children knowing that by the end of the week nails and thorns would be pounded into him?

It’s because his Father expressed a need too. That need was for you to be forgiven of every sin. It was for you to be safe forever, right next to him. This is why Jesus came. This is why he humbled himself, stumbling under the weight of a cross and willingly walking through the darkest valleys of the shadow of death. He was only and always thinking about our need to be forgiven and giving you something to look forward to when Jesus comes again—an eternal existence with our heavenly Father where every tear will be wiped away, and you will never need anything more than what you’ve already been given.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for the humility with which you graciously meet our every need. 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.

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” As [Jesus] approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it.
Luke 19:39-41

Jesus Humbles Himself to Tears

Daily Devotion – November 30, 2021

Devotion based on Luke 19:39-41

See series: Devotions

Throughout his ministry on earth, Jesus showed his power to control things: the wind, the waves, sickness, disease, evil spirits, and even Satan. He showed that power again on Palm Sunday when he was able to ride a colt that no one had ever ridden. A colt like that typically needs to be broken in. The first time a colt feels the uncomfortable weight of a human on its back, it typically reacts very aggressively, trying to throw that person off. But that’s not what happened. Jesus rode the colt into Jerusalem, and the colt cooperated. Jesus, again, on Palm Sunday, showed himself to be someone who has complete control over absolutely anything.

Remarkably, this all-powerful person was also sympathetic. Today’s Bible reading tells us that he wept when he saw the city of Jerusalem. Why? Because Jesus was well-aware that most of the people in that city would not sing his praises and worship him as their Lord and Savior. They refused to believe he was who he claimed to be. And they would, therefore, spend eternity without him and all the blessings he promises his followers in the life to come.

Jesus’ tears tell us how very much he cares about each and every soul he came to save. That includes you. He loved you enough to ride into Jerusalem, where he would die to pay the price for your sins so you can enjoy his blessings forever in the life to come. What a reason to rejoice! Spend this day celebrating what he has done for you and singing his praises.

Prayer:
Gracious Savior, hear my heartfelt cries for mercy and satisfy the deepest longings of my soul with your perfect love. 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.

They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Luke 19:35-38

Jesus Humbles Himself to Serve

Daily Devotion – November 29, 2021

Devotion based on Luke 19:35-38

See series: Devotions

Bojana is the name of a woman who lives in Serbia, and her TV is upside down. So is her computer screen. And her computer keyboard. When she reads a newspaper, she holds it upside down. When people try to correct her, she doesn’t listen to them. When someone hands her a piece of paper to write on, she turns it upside down, starts writing from the right lower corner, and finishes in the upper left. As far as doctors know, there is no one else in the world who is like Bojana. They say she has a rare brain condition called “spatial orientation phenomenon,” which means that her eyes see things the right way, but for some reason, her brain changes them and turns things upside down. What she sees doesn’t exactly show her reality.

Something similar took place on Palm Sunday. God himself was coming into Jerusalem. But it didn’t look the way you might expect. God didn’t look majestic and glorious. He looked like just another human being. He wasn’t surrounded by armies of angels but instead by his very normal-looking disciples. He didn’t ride into town on an impressive stallion or in an expensive chariot. He was riding on a borrowed donkey. What the crowd saw that day with their eyes didn’t exactly show them the full reality of the God who was approaching them.

But what they saw certainly revealed the true nature of our God’s heart. Jesus came in humility. He came to serve. He came to give. He came to save us and forgive us by lowering himself under the full weight of the whole world’s sins. On Palm Sunday, we see our Savior who humbled himself to serve us.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you humbled yourself to serve us as our Savior. May I forever worship you with humility and thanks that properly honors your saving 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.

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.
1 Thessalonians 3:12

Loved by God

Daily Devotion – November 28, 2021

Devotion based on 1 Thessalonians 3:12

See series: Devotions

Early in this letter, the apostle Paul addressed the believers in Thessalonica as those who were “loved by God.” The message Paul preached centered on the love of God. As sinners, all people only deserved to be separated from God and condemned. But God had mercy on the people of this world and sent his only Son, Jesus, to rescue them from the curse of sin and the hold of eternal death. Jesus has taken away the guilt of sin and brought peace between God and people.

When the Holy Spirit uses this good news to work and strengthen faith in Jesus, and the love of God fills our hearts, it has an effect on the way we treat other people. Filled and thrilled with that love of God, Paul prays for the increase of God’s love in the hearts of people. The more our hearts hear the saving truths of God’s Word, the more they are conformed to live according to the love of God. In fact, Paul prays for God’s love to “overflow for each other.” Like a container that is filled to overflowing, so the love that God pours into our hearts is so measureless that it fills us with its goodness and overflows from us into the lives of others.

Filled with God’s kind of love, we are moved to love others the way he loves us: completely, unconditionally, selflessly. We love not only “each other”—those who share our faith and joy in Jesus, but also “everyone else”—even those who may make our life difficult. The love of God we show toward them can make such an impression that they might ask why we treat them so well. Then that’s an opportunity to tell them about the love of God in Jesus!

Prayer:
My God, increase my faith and fill me with your love in Jesus. Give me the ability to let your love generously overflow from my heart into the lives of people all around me. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.
Hebrews 4:15

He Knows What It is Like

Daily Devotion – November 27, 2021

Devotion based on Hebrews 4:15

See series: Devotions

The classic TV series M*A*S*H tells the story of an army field hospital located mere miles from the front lines during the Korean War. In one episode, the army chaplain, Father Mulcahy, cannot comfort a wounded soldier because he’s admitted that he’s never experienced what it’s like to be in battle. After some introspection, the chaplain makes a decision. He secretly stows himself away in a truck headed for the front. Upon his arrival he finds himself in the middle of a full-fledged firefight. When it’s finally over, he returns to the hospital where word of what he’s done has already spread through the ranks. The final scene of that episode is Father Mulcahy sitting down once again with the same soldier. The chaplain looks him in the eye and says, “Now, let’s talk.”

When you talk to your Savior in prayer, you are not talking to someone who’s sitting back on his distant throne in detached serenity. Rather, you are talking to someone who has been exactly where you are. Jesus did not merely get a small taste of what the battles of the world are like. Instead, Jesus fully felt the very worst that this world can launch against us.

But remember, Jesus did this not only so he could feel what we feel. He did it to be our perfect substitute. He willingly took the punishment for our failures and paid for them completely at the cross.

Every day through his Word, Jesus sits down with you. Every day Jesus says, “Let’s talk.” When he does, think about where he’s been. Think about what he’s done for you. He knows what the battle is like. He’s the one to carry you through.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you know exactly what it’s like to do battle in this fallen world. Thank you for coming here to be my perfect substitute. When you sit down with me every day and speak to me through your Word, empower me to open up my heart to you in prayer. 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.