Author: Kerry

[Jesus said] “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.”
Mark 9:43

Be Willing to Sacrifice

Daily Devotion – October 7, 2021

Devotion based on Mark 9:43

See series: Devotions

What would you be willing to do in order to avoid sin?

Let’s say that your hand has a mind of its own. It keeps grabbing merchandise that you haven’t paid for and carries it out of the store. It regularly balls itself into a fist and punches people in the face for no reason whatsoever. It even expresses itself to others using obscene gestures. Would you be willing to chop off your hand if that meant your hand would no longer be able to lead you into sin?

What about if your eye kept looking at pornography on the internet? Would you be willing to gouge out your eye so that it would no longer be able to lead you into sin?

These are the kinds of situations that Jesus confronts us with in our Bible passage for today. And he tells us that even though it would definitely be hard to live without a hand or an eye, that is far better than spending eternity in hell.

Of course, Jesus isn’t advocating that we actually maim ourselves to avoid sin. He is, however, graphically portraying the lengths to which he wants us to be willing to go to avoid sin. Avoiding sin is not always going to be a painless endeavor. Sometimes, avoiding sin means that we must give up things that we enjoy. Sometimes, it requires us to do things that we might not otherwise want to do. Sometimes, avoiding sin can be painful. It requires sacrifice.

Jesus, however, assures us that the sacrifice is worth it. And he promises to give us the strength we need to make the sacrifices necessary to avoid sin. He already has sacrificed himself to remove from us the guilt of all our sins. He will not now abandon us as we strive to live our lives for him.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you sacrificed yourself for me. Strengthen me that I may be willing to sacrifice everything to follow 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.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
James 4:10

Let God Promote You

Daily Devotion – October 6, 2021

Devotion based on James 4:10

See series: Devotions

With the birth of social media came the birth of a new occupation, that of the social media influencer. Social media influencers are people who have thousands, even millions of followers on social media who use their wide audiences to promote products. Companies will pay these influencers large sums of money to mention their products in their social media posts. And these influencers put a lot of effort into promoting not only these products but also themselves. After all, you can’t become a social media influencer with millions of followers if you don’t work hard at promoting yourself in every way you can.

Self-promotion is essential if you want to be a social media influencer. It is the opposite of what you want to do, however, in your relationship with God. In fact, as the apostle James tells us today, the best way to be “promoted” in our relationship with God is to completely “demote” ourselves before him.

James tells us, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” Yes, if we want to be “promoted” before God, the first thing we need to do is humble ourselves. This means recognizing before God that on our own we have absolutely nothing to offer him. It means confessing before God our utter sinfulness from the moment of our conception. It means laying out before him the guilt we have accumulated for ourselves through all our sinful thoughts, words, and actions. It means throwing ourselves on his mercy, knowing that apart from his mercy we are doomed to be punished forever for our sins.

When we humble ourselves like that before God, he lifts us up. He assures us that for Jesus’ sake he has forgiven us all our sins. Through faith in Jesus, he adopts us into his family as his dearly loved sons and daughters. He makes us heirs of eternal life with him in heaven. He elevates us from the depths of sorrow to the heights of joy.

Self-promotion will never get you anywhere with God. Rather humble yourself and let God in his grace promote you.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I praise you that in your grace you have lifted me up. Help me always to find my reason for rejoicing in 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.

Come near to God and he will come near to you.
James 4:8

God Welcomes All Who Come to Him

Daily Devotion – October 5, 2021

Devotion based on James 4:8

See series: Devotions

Jesus once told a story about a young man who demanded his inheritance while his father was still alive. The young man then went to a distant land where he squandered all his money. Eventually, he had to take a job feeding pigs and was so hungry that he wished he could eat the food he was feeding to the pigs. Finally, the young man decided to go back home. He knew that he had deeply hurt his father. But he hoped that his father would receive him back, if not as a son, then as a servant.

When the young man came within sight of his hometown, his father, who had been waiting and watching for him, saw him. In his joy, the father ran to his son, embraced him, kissed him, and welcomed him home.

This story beautifully illustrates what the apostle James teaches us in today’s Bible passage. “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” All of us have been like the son in Jesus’ story. In our stubborn sinfulness, we have run away from God and done our own thing—all to our own detriment. Eventually, our rebellion against God landed us in a hole so deep that we could never get ourselves out of it. Then, God graciously led us to realize how foolish we were to run away from him. He worked in us sorrow over our sins and a desire to return to him. He drew us to himself and moved us to ask for his forgiveness.

Then just like the father in the story, before we could draw ourselves to God, God already was running to welcome us. Because of what Jesus did in sacrificing himself on the cross to pay for all our sins, God forgave us, embraced us, and received us as his dearly loved children, whom he never stopped looking out for. What a blessing to know we have a God who receives us and celebrates our return—almost as if we had never left.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, when I stray from you, draw me back to you and hold me close, so that I never stray from you again. 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.

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7

Stand up to the Bully

Daily Devotion – October 4, 2021

Devotion based on James 4:7

See series: Devotions

Brandon dreaded going to school. Jake was at school, and Jake was a bully. Jake sought Brandon out, intimidated him, insulted him, and pushed him around. Everything Jake did made Brandon feel weak and powerless.

One day, Brandon finally had had enough. As Jake was coming after him, Brandon stood up as tall as he could, looked Jake straight in the eyes, and said, “Enough! I’m not going to let you bully me anymore! You can’t have any power over me that I don’t let you have. So, from now on, this bullying stops!”

Jake was stunned. No one had ever stood up to him like that before. He stopped in his tracks, looked around, and saw that his power over Brandon—and everyone else—was gone. So, he ducked his head, turned around, and walked away.

Sometimes, the only way to stop a bully is to stand up to him.

It’s hard to think of a bigger bully than the devil. Like any other bully, the devil loves to use intimidation, insults, and accusations to exercise his power over us. And his power is considerable. In fact, no mere human being has the power to stand up to him on their own.

One person, however, does have the power to stand up to the devil on his own. That person is Jesus. Throughout his life, Jesus resisted and overcame the devil in every confrontation he had with him. Even when it seemed as if the devil was about to defeat Jesus as Jesus was hanging on the cross, Jesus emerged as the victor. By his death and resurrection, Jesus decisively defeated the devil and destroyed his power.

All those who trust in Jesus as their Savior share in Jesus’ victory over the devil. His power to stand up to the devil now is their power as they trust in him. When the devil tries to bully us with his accusations and intimidation, we can, with Jesus’ power, stand up to him and stop him. For, when we with Jesus resist the devil, the devil will flee from us.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, by your power enable me to resist the devil so that he will flee from me, even as he must always flee from 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.

[Jesus said] “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.”
Matthew 18:15

Do Not Be a Turtle

Daily Devotion – October 3, 2021

Devotion based on Matthew 18:15

See series: Devotions

The other morning I was walking my dog. We came across a large snapping turtle. Even though it could have inflicted much pain on my dog, this snapping turtle wanted nothing to do with my pet. It withdrew its limbs and head into its shell. When we had continued our walk down the road a ways, the turtle finally came out from its shell.

When we see someone struggling with a sin, our first reaction might be to play turtle and withdraw into a shell. It is so much easier to look the other way. After all, we are to live and let live, right? Wrong! Sin affects a person’s relationship with God. It separates the sinner from God. If never repented of, sin can lead to hell forever.

When people are caught in a sin, we are to go to them in humility and love. We are to gently show them their sin and lead them to confess it. But then we are to share the good news! “Jesus died for you. His death has paid for all of your sins. You are forgiven.” As people believe our message, we will have won them over. The angels in heaven will sing for joy!

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for taking all my sins away by your Son’s death on the cross. When others are caught in sin’s sticky web, give me the courage and love so I can be your tool to lead them back to 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.

Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Isaiah 35:4,5

A Bad Week

Daily Devotion – October 2, 2021

Devotion based on Isaiah 35:4,5

See series: Devotions

Have you ever had one of those weeks when everything in life just seems to go wrong? Monday morning starts with a flat tire, and you are late for work. On Wednesday, you find out that the company you work for is preparing to downsize. Then your 7-year-old wakes you up in the middle of the night with the flu. The week is just the pits.

God’s people were having a very bad week. Their lives were imperiled by a powerful army that threatened their city. The situation seemed hopeless. But God sent a message to his people through the prophet Isaiah, “Say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.’” God fulfilled his promised to come to the aid of his people. The angel of the Lord went out and put to death 185,000 of the enemy soldiers. The army was so decimated that the commander had no choice but to withdraw and return home. God saved his people.

Satan is a powerful enemy who threatened us with cruel captivity and dreadful death. We were powerless to help ourselves. But our almighty God came to be our Savior. He demonstrated his divine power by giving sight to the blind, healing the paralyzed, opening the ears of the deaf and freeing a stammering tongue. But the most important way that he used his power was to face our enemy for us. Oh, it was a bad week for him that ended in his death. But victory was declared when he rose from the dead! He saved us from our enemy!

As we go through life, we know that there are going to be bad weeks. But in Jesus, we have the good news of life and salvation. That helps us cope and gives us hope.

Prayer:
Jesus, I praise you for rescuing me from threat of Satan. Assure me every day that you are with me and that your power will help me overcome all the difficulties that I face. 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.

He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”
Mark 9:36,37

Important Work

Daily Devotion – October 1, 2021

Devotion based on Mark 9:36,37

See series: Devotions

Can you think of other times when Jesus used visual aids to make a lasting impression on his disciples? He had Thomas take a long look at the nail-marked hands and side, throwing in an invitation to touch those wounds as well. A shriveled-up fig tree attested to the power of faith in an unforgettable way. He used a coin with the emperor’s image, a coin plucked from a fish’s mouth, and a coin plunked into the temple’s money box as visual support for the words he was speaking.

Jesus wasn’t afraid to use a visual aid when he thought it would drive home his point. So what was his point in bringing the little child into the disciples’ line of vision? It was more than “be nice to kids.” (Important as that is!)

Jesus was trying to teach the disciples about the works that God considers great and honorable. And how those works are often quite the opposite of what we’d expect. The world around us makes sure to put its best foot forward when interacting with those viewed as most important, powerful, or influential.

But Jesus reminds us that our hearts are most like his heart when we’re interacting with those the rest of the world might overlook. The most important work is serving those who need us. That might be the little ones who look to us to put food on their table. It might be the lonely person at church who needs someone to talk to. It might be the aging parent who can’t do some things on their own anymore. That work may not win you any headlines or earn you any promotions. It might be inconvenient and messy. But it’s how God takes care of people in this world. And it’s humble service, first modeled for us by Jesus in his humble service to us. And that makes it really, really important.

Prayer:
Gracious God, help me to see the opportunities for your important work all around me. Give me the humility to embrace them and the strength to carry them to completion. 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 came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
Mark 9:33-35

The Path to Greatness

Daily Devotion – September 30, 2021

Devotion based on Mark 9:33-35

See series: Devotions

See if you can guess who said the following: “It’s my job. It’s what I do. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.” Or this? “I’m so mean I make medicine sick.” Or how about? “I’m not the greatest; I’m the double greatest. Not only do I knock ’em out, I pick the round.”

Those quotes are all from former heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali. During his heyday, he was one of the most controversial and talented athletes on the face of the earth. He was as quick-witted as he was quick-fisted. He was a fantastic showman, and he wanted everyone to hear that he was the greatest.

In our Bible passage today, Jesus’ disciples are doing their best Muhammad Ali impersonations, arguing about which of them was the greatest as they traveled on the road.

Jesus took that opportunity to show his disciples the way to true greatness. “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last and the servant of all.” And he wasn’t just saying it. He was doing it! He was the master of the angel armies who willingly came here to serve us in our greatest need. On Good Friday, Jesus gave no thought to his own well-being. He laid down his life so that we might live. That’s the definition of a hero. That is the epitome of greatness.

Prayer:
You are the greatest Lord Jesus and most worthy of all my praise. Help me always to remember and treasure your becoming a servant for 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.

[God said] “Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” The anger of the LORD burned against them, and he left them. When the cloud lifted from above the tent, Miriam’s skin was leprous—it became as white as snow. . . . So Moses cried out to the LORD, “Please, God, heal her!”
Numbers 12:8-10,13

The Lord Comes Down

Daily Devotion – September 29, 2021

Devotion based on Numbers 12:8-10,13

See series: Devotions

God was rightfully angry at Miriam. She had spoken against his chosen leader–Moses. He demonstrated his anger by allowing her to suffer a skin disease. He wanted her to realize how serious her sin was.

What’s remarkable is the way Moses reacted. He didn’t shake his head and say, “See, Miriam, see—this is what you get.” He couldn’t possibly have forgotten the verbal knives that were used to stab him in the back, the axes that were used to chop down his reputation and good name. His wounds were still as open and festering as Miriam’s. But when he saw his sister in pain and panicking, he wasted no time. “O God, please heal her.”

That is selfless ambition, Moses standing up for his sister, pleading for his sister, forgiving his sister not when he decided he was good and ready, but when she needed him.

And that reminds us of another time when the Lord came down—not in a pillar of cloud, but in barn rags in a manger in Bethlehem. There God came down once again, not in anger to reproach, but in love to save. God came down once again, not to accuse of sin and condemn of sin, but to take away the sin of the world. In his bitter dying, in his glorious rising, Jesus cried out, “O God, please heal them!” And so we hold this gem in our hands and hearts, and we marvel with wide-eyed wonder when the writer to the Hebrews says, “Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters” (Hebrews 2:11).

Prayer:
I give you my endless praise, Lord Jesus, for coming to heal me. May my praise and thanksgiving be evident in all that I do. 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.

“Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?”
Numbers 12:2

Better Than We Deserve

Daily Devotion – September 28, 2021

Devotion based on Numbers 12:2

See series: Devotions

It’s hard for us to see someone else have something that we want for ourselves, and we don’t always handle it very well. Maybe we try to convince ourselves and the people around us of how unworthy that person is to have what they’ve been given—like Aaron and Miriam undermining Moses’ position as leader because of his Cushite wife.

Have you ever heard things like, “She doesn’t deserve him.” “They don’t deserve that house.” “He doesn’t deserve that job.” Have you ever said them yourself? Of course, when we speak in those terms, what we’re trying to say is that “I do. I do deserve a spouse like that. A house like that. A job like that. God, just give me what I deserve!”

When we’re spending so much time dissecting and criticizing what others have received, we’re not giving our attention to what we’ve been given—to our vocations, responsibilities, callings. Young people, when we argue with our parents and dismiss their advice and complain about their rules, are we perhaps forgetting who made them the parent and who made us the children? Fellow employees, when we’re snarky and impudent about our bosses, are we perhaps forgetting how they got to be our bosses? When we stick it to our government leaders or our teachers or our pastors, are we forgetting that God has given them a job to do, and he’s given us a job to do as well?

The fact is none of us really deserves any of those callings in life. Our sinful self-centeredness means that all we really deserve is an angry God and a hellish future. Faced with that prospect, our prayer quickly changes to “God, please DON’T give me what I deserve.”

And in mercy, he doesn’t. Our gracious God gave to Jesus the punishment we deserve, and he gave us the love that Jesus deserves.

And he doesn’t stop there! In addition, he gives us all kinds of other things that we haven’t earned or deserved. Like the privilege of being called mommy or daddy, the opportunity to work so that our needs can be provided for, the honor of being a friend, citizen, church member, and volunteer.

Prayer:
Gracious Father, in love you do not give me what I deserve. Thank you. Continue to look in mercy upon me, give me contentment and joy in my calling as I seek to serve you and my neighbor. 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.