Author: Kerry

“Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”
Revelation 1:7

He is Coming

Daily Devotion – November 26, 2021

Devotion based on Revelation 1:7

See series: Devotions

Our younger children love to stand by the window when they know someone is coming and to announce it when they arrive. They are so excited to welcome the guests to our home.

God wants us to be eager and ready for an even more important arrival—the coming of Jesus on the Last Day of the world. Centuries ago, Jesus was taken alive into heaven after he had risen from the dead to rule all things for our good.

One day Jesus will return. And “every eye will see him.” It won’t be a secret. No one is going to miss it. You will see him. I will see him.

Sadly, not everyone will be ready for him when he returns. Not everyone will welcome him. Our verse for today mentions “those who pierced him.” Jesus’ earthly enemies tried to get rid of him by nailing him to a cross. When Jesus comes again, they will see him alive with their own eyes. They will come face-to-face with the reality of their own sin and the judgment they deserve, and they will mourn. For them, that mourning will last forever; the tears of agony and regret and shame will stream down their faces eternally in hell.

In a way, we all pierced Jesus. It was because of our disobedience of God’s law that Jesus was crucified, died, and was buried. But we know that he died to forgive that disobedience. We believe the Bible when it tells us that God loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.

When Jesus returns, we will welcome our King, grateful that his grace has removed our guilt and scattered every shadow of shame forever. Set free from sorrow and sin, we will live with our Lord forever in perfect peace and unending joy. What a day that will be! I can’t wait until he arrives!

Prayer:
Jesus, you are coming soon to take me home with you. Lead me to turn from my sins and trust in your forgiveness, so that I am ready to welcome you when you arrive. 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 am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Revelation 1:8

Give Thanks for an Unchanging God

Daily Devotion – November 25, 2021

Devotion based on Revelation 1:8

See series: Devotions

Today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States. If you are reading or listening in the morning, what are your plans for the day? If it is near the end of the day, what has your day been like?

Does the pandemic still leave you feeling isolated and alone? Do you long for how things used to be? Maybe there are other factors that leave you lamenting the things that have changed. A loved one has died. You or someone you love is sick. New financial strains overshadow your celebration if you can even call it that.

Thanksgiving or not, our world is constantly changing. And that can make it hard to be thankful.

For everything that changes, one thing always stays the same. And that is our God. In our Bible verse for today, God says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega.” Alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In English, we might say, “I am the A and the Z.” What he means is that he is the same from beginning to end. God never changes. He always was, is now, and always will be the same God.

That means he doesn’t change his standard of right and wrong. The sins that offended him in the past still offend him today and always will.

But it also means that his mercy and love don’t change. When the first people sinned against him, God promised them a Savior to forgive that sin and free them from the curse of death. God kept that promise of mercy and love. And that promise of mercy hasn’t changed. All who cling to Jesus in faith receive the free gift of God’s forgiveness. God won’t change his plan. He won’t add strings or conditions. Through Jesus, God’s Son, he counts us as his children and pours out his love on us each day as our perfect, loving Father.

So we give thanks today for a God who doesn’t change, who always loves, always provides, always forgives. And we look forward to the day we will feast with him in an eternal celebration of thanksgiving!

Prayer:
Loving God, I give thanks today that you never change. 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.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
John 18:37

Listen to the King

Daily Devotion – November 24, 2021

Devotion based on John 18:37

See series: Devotions

What makes a good king? A powerful army? Royal blood? Political influence? Wise advisors? The approval of the people?

How about honesty, truthfulness? Although many might want leaders who always tell the truth, that isn’t always what we get; is it? Many make promises that they can’t keep and maybe never intended to keep. Many craft their words in a way that obscures what they really mean to gain support from those who wouldn’t stand behind the truth. What people want to hear often seems more important than the truth.

When Jesus came into this world as a king, he didn’t come with a powerful army. He came alone, and he even discouraged his allies from using their swords to fight for him. Jesus was a descendant of King David, but it had been centuries since anyone from David’s family had reigned. Jesus didn’t surround himself with the best and brightest. His closest followers were unschooled, ordinary men.

But Jesus rules with one powerful tool—the truth. Often, this isn’t what people want to hear. As the saying goes, “the truth hurts.” That’s especially the case when the truth reveals the darkest corners of our hearts, where selfish desires, envious and angry thoughts, and shameful lusts dwell. The truth of God’s law shines below the surface to reveal how often we fail to live up to God’s demands.

But the truth of Jesus reveals not just our hearts but the heart of God himself. God loves us unconditionally. In love, he punished his perfect Son, Jesus, for the evil in our lives so that he could pardon us fully and completely. In love, he continues to call us to leave behind our sinful thoughts and lives and to trust in his forgiveness and his promise of eternal life with him. That’s why he gives us his Word of Truth—the Bible. And through that message of truth, Jesus moves us to trust him in faith as he rules in our hearts as King.

Prayer:
King Jesus, the truth of your law hurts, but the truth of your love heals. Rule in my heart by your truth. 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.

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.”
John 18:36

Not of This World

Daily Devotion – November 23, 2021

Devotion based on John 18:36

See series: Devotions

Every four years, American citizens get to elect a President who will lead the country for the next four years. Many issues in those elections come down to wealth and health. Which candidate is going to promote policies that improve or preserve health and safety and put more money in my pocket?

People looked at Jesus and thought he would make the perfect political leader. He saw people in need and sought to help—often in powerful and miraculous ways. He fed the hungry, healed the sick, and even raised the dead! If Jesus were king, maybe their troubles would all go away. Money problems, relationship problems, and health problems would all be solved—if not for everyone, at least for his most loyal supporters!

But the reality is that Jesus doesn’t always bring outward success. He doesn’t build a following through the things that our selfish hearts crave. And that leads many to turn away from him.

Jesus was once put on trial before the political authorities of his day. One of the charges was that he claimed to be a king. But Pontius Pilate, who presided over the trial, didn’t think that Jesus looked or acted much like a king.

Jesus explained, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Jesus, the Son of God, didn’t come to selfishly seek worldly wealth, political power, or personal gain. He came to give of himself and to serve the world. He came to conquer the devil and overcome sin and its curse. He came to fight for our souls. And he won that fight by overcoming temptation, enduring death and hell, and rising from the dead.

Because Jesus fought as our king, we have something far better than worldly wealth or success. We have been set free from sin and rescued from death. We are citizens of Jesus’ heavenly kingdom, where we will live with him in perfect joy forever! Hail, King Jesus!

Prayer:
King Jesus, thank you for fighting to set me free. Keep me from turning away from you, so that I may enjoy the eternal riches of your heavenly kingdom. 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.

Jesus Christ . . . is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
Revelation 1:5

King Jesus Lives

Daily Devotion – November 22, 2021

Devotion based on Revelation 1:5

See series: Devotions

In ancient times, kings would often go into battle with their armies. And the king was one of the main targets for the opposing army. If they could kill the king, they could leave his army feeling demoralized and defeated.

Today’s Bible verse calls Jesus “the ruler of the kings of the earth.” To earn that title, you might assume that he never lost a single battle. Your assumption is correct. You might also assume that he never died in battle. But that is not true. Let me explain.

Jesus came to battle against the devil, who led the world into sin and disobedience. Jesus came to overcome death itself and strip it of its power. But to do that, he had to die. Death’s power is in its rightful claim on those who are guilty of sin. The Bible says that “the wages of sin is death.” The only way for death to lose its power was for someone to receive those wages. And that’s what Jesus came to do.

Jesus did battle with the devil by resisting every temptation the devil threw at him. He was perfect in every way. But then he willingly accepted the guilt for our failed battles against temptation. And he received the punishment of death and hell that we deserved for that guilt.

In the days before Jesus died, the devil was unleashing his entire arsenal. He thought that if he could turn Jesus’ friends and enemies against him and get them to kill him, Jesus would be defeated. But just the opposite happened. Jesus’ death was all part of God’s plan. By dying in our place, he destroyed death’s power over us. He proved that by being “the firstborn from the dead.” He rose from the dead to show that our sins were forgiven, and death had lost its power over us.

And so, Jesus not only rose from the dead himself, but he is “the firstborn from the dead.” When Jesus returns on the Last Day, all who have died trusting in Jesus’ victory over sin and death will be raised to live forever with him.

Prayer:
Jesus, my King, thank you for defeating death for me so that I will live forever 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.

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.
Hebrews 5:7

Prayers of Intensity

Daily Devotion – November 21, 2021

Devotion based on Hebrews 5:7

See series: Devotions

It’s said that early African converts to Christianity were fervent and intense when it came to their prayer life. Each would go to a private place in the thicket to pour out his heart to the Lord. Over time, each person’s path into the thicket became well-worn. It also was clear whenever someone’s prayer life began losing intensity. Whenever that happened, a fellow Christian would gently say, “Brother, the grass grows on your path.”

When it comes to the intensity of your prayer life, does the grass grow on your path? Think over the past seven days. Pinpoint specific moments when you talked to your Heavenly Father in prayer. Were many of them simply memorized mumbles at mealtimes and before bed? Were they automatic recitations in a worship service? Were they half-hearted daydreams while you listened to the traffic report on the way to work? Each of us must confess that all kinds of grass have grown on the intensity of our prayer life from time to time. And for that flippant act of neglect, each of us deserves to be ignored by God.

But consider Jesus. God’s Word in Hebrews chapter five gives us riveting visual footage. It pictures Jesus while he lived on this earth. It pictures him praying to his heavenly Father with such intensity that loud cries pour out of his mouth, and tears flow from his eyes. And because of Jesus’ perfect submission, God listened to the prayers of his Son.

And there’s the beauty: Jesus’ prayer life was one of perfect intensity and perfect submission on our behalf. And the blood he shed at Calvary’s cross has washed away our every sin of neglect.

Because of Jesus, the privilege of prayer is ours. Because of Jesus, we have a Lord who is ready to listen at any moment. And so beat a path to your prayer time with God. Make the grass on your path go away.

Prayer:
Thank you, Jesus, that because of your perfect prayer life in my place, I am forgiven for my imperfect life of prayer and now have the privilege of praying to my heavenly Father. 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.

[Jesus said] “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.”
John 5:28,29

Victory

Daily Devotion – November 20, 2021

Devotion based on John 5:28,29

See series: Devotions

It was a cold, Minnesota day. We stood in front of a casket that hovered over a newly dug grave. There was an ache in the pit of our stomachs, tears poised to flow from our eyes, and a sob was quick to leap into our voices. Our emotions felt as cold as that Minnesota wind, howling over the plain.

There was one message and one message alone that warmed us: death had been defeated! Jesus had gone into death’s bitter coldness and came out of his grave; he rose to life! By his death, he won forgiveness of sins for you, for me, for all. And most comfortingly for us, on that day in the cemetery, we were reminded that Jesus won forgiveness of sins for our loved one whose physical body was lying in that casket.

We may have felt like losers that day. The reality was we were huge winners. And the biggest winner of all was our loved one, a believer in Jesus, whose soul was even then in heaven, enjoying the full fruits of the victory which Jesus had won for him!

And someday, our loved one will hear the voice of Jesus say, “Come out!” And he WILL come out of the grave! He will rise from the dead with a glorious, glorified body to enjoy the fullness of the victory which Jesus won for him, and he’ll enjoy it for all eternity.

And with Jesus as your living Savior, you will, too!

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, remind me that someday you will stand by my grave and call me out of it, raising me back to life to live with you forever. Use that message to dry my tears, to fill me with peace, and to focus me on the life which is to come. 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 are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
Daniel 12:3

While You Wait

Daily Devotion – November 19, 2021

Devotion based on Daniel 12:3

See series: Devotions

The Bible promises that faith in Jesus as Savior is the only qualification for getting to heaven. Whoever believes in him will not perish but will have everlasting life.

But then the Bible says things like, “those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens.” Is wisdom also necessary for getting to heaven? And it says, “those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars.” So, is telling people certain things another secret qualification for eternal life? Or are both of those things something you do to shine a little brighter in heaven?

There are not any extra secret qualifications for getting into heaven. It’s just that believing in Jesus as Savior is the wisest possible thing you can do. You may be foolish in a lot of other areas, but if you are wise in just this one area, you are wise for eternity. Jesus is your wisdom.

And there are not certain things you can do to shine a little brighter when you are with God for eternity. Leading people to righteousness does not mean telling them what is right and wrong. It means that Jesus’ perfect life is credited to you through faith, and when you lead people to Jesus, you are leading them to the only righteousness that will save them. Jesus is your righteousness.

So, while you wait to go to heaven, you can live a wise life of faith in Jesus, confident in his righteousness for yourself and for others.

Prayer:
Lord God, thank you for sending Jesus to be my wisdom, my righteousness, and my Savior. 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.

Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.
Daniel 12:2

Awakening on Judgement Day

Daily Devotion – November 18, 2021

Devotion based on Daniel 12:2

See series: Devotions

At the moment of death, some souls go to heaven, and some souls go to hell. There is no intermediate state in the realm of the dead. The ones that go to heaven are the souls of people who believe in Jesus as their Savior. The ones that go to hell are the souls of people who do not believe in Jesus as their Savior. This is the Bible’s clear teaching.

On judgment day, the souls of believers will return to earth with Jesus, and God will reunite those souls with their bodies. It doesn’t matter how long those bodies were in the dust of the earth or whether they had become the dust of the earth. God will raise them as glorified bodies, unable to be separated from their souls again.

What will happen to the souls of unbelievers on judgment day? They will also return to earth, but their bodies will not be glorified. Instead, the souls of unbelievers will join with bodies that are shamed, condemned to everlasting contempt, separated from the presence of God.

It’s not a pretty picture. God sent his Son, Jesus, to rescue people from that fate. Jesus suffered hell in our place on the cross so that our sins do not condemn us to shame and everlasting contempt. Instead, trusting in Jesus, we look forward to awakening on judgment day to everlasting life.

Prayer:
Dear God, when I rise from the dead on judgment day, lead me to everlasting life through Jesus Christ my Lord. 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 people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
Mark 13:26,27

Jesus Return

Daily Devotion – November 17, 2021

Devotion based on Mark 13:26,27

See series: Devotions

One of the remarkable promises Jesus made about the day he returns to judge this world is that when he returns, every eye will see him. How is that even possible?

The Bible is very clear about how that is possible. It says that the angels will pick up all believers in Jesus on judgment day and take them to the very place that Jesus is returning. It doesn’t matter where in the world you live or precisely where Jesus chooses to return. God will use his angels to get you there.

It’s kind of cool to think about this extra duty for the angels. Already taking care of you in more ways than you know, angels are also always ready to take you to the point of Jesus’ return on judgment day. It may be a bit scary on that day since Jesus is returning with great power and glory, so it will be nice to have the presence of angels who know what they are doing.

The earth as we know it will be destroyed on judgment day. But Jesus and his angels will bring you safely through that time to eternity. In the meantime, give thanks that God has it all figured out.

Prayer:
Lord God, thank you for providing Jesus as my Savior. Thank you for providing angels to take care of me. Bring me safely to heaven through Jesus Christ my Lord. 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.