Author: Kerry

Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge?”
Job 38:1,2

Everything for Your Good

Daily Devotion – June 28, 2021

Devotion based on Job 38:1,2

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The event was sold out. The featured speaker was a prominent British writer of television dramas and children’s literature. When a woman by the name of Malorie Blackman tried to get in, the ticket-takers at the door stopped her cold. “Do you have a ticket?” they demanded, with a nasty edge in their voices. “No, I’m afraid I don’t.” “Then you’ll have to leave. It’s sold out. You can’t come in.”

Malorie thought for a moment about this. Then she replied, “Well, if I leave, then so will everyone else. You see, they’ve all paid to hear me speak.” Immediately, according to Malorie, every ticket-taker there was wearing a red face of embarrassment. They simply had no idea to whom they were speaking.

The Old Testament book of Job is the moving account of what happened when a believer in the true God had to endure a titanic amount of severe suffering. Eventually, Job began to question God’s wisdom.

God’s reply? “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge?” God made it very clear to Job that Job was out of his depth when it came to challenging God and his wisdom. Job was beginning to lose sight of who his Savior-God really is.

How about you? Is this a period in your life when you’re beginning to forget who your Savior-God really is? Do you perceive him as distant, small, uncaring—perhaps even a bit irrelevant to the frantic urgencies of your life?

Stop. Listen. Listen to the Word of the Lord. Listen as the profound voice of your Savior-God calls you to repentance. As he does, listen further. Listen as he goes on to embrace you, all over again, in the forgiveness purchased by his Son on Calvary’s cross. That is the God who loves you. That is the God who guides everything—everything—for your good.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, forgive my words without knowledge. Forgive me for the sake of your Son. Refresh me in the greatness of who you truly are. 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.

If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; the old has gone, the new here!
2 Corinthians 5:17

Out With the Old

Daily Devotion – June 27, 2021

Devotion based on 2 Corinthians 5:17

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It had become kind of embarrassing. The shoes had served me well, but the scuff marks were getting pretty bad. No matter what I did to clean and polish them they still looked dirty. I had to walk carefully around puddles because a hole had formed in the sole of the left shoe. It didn’t matter how nicely I dressed, with those shoes on my feet I just felt a little grubby.

Finally, after putting it off longer than I should have, I bought a new pair. Ah… they were comfortable, and I didn’t have to worry about my socks getting soaked every time it rained. Now I was confident that I looked decent when I needed to dress up. I actually found myself walking with more of a spring in my step, confident in my brand-new shoes.

If new shoes or new clothes can have that kind of an impact, what would it be like to be a completely new person? Those who know Jesus and trust in him as their only Savior from sin and death don’t have to wonder. The Bible tells us, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; the old has gone, the new here!”

Jesus died to remove your sin forever. Every impure thought, every hurtful action, every regret-producing decision, and shame-inducing failure—all have been washed away by the blood of Jesus. Everything that would make you look dirty and dingy in the eyes of your perfect Creator has been done away with. The old has gone!

Those who are in Christ—who believe that his blood washed away sin—have been made new. You can walk around confident that you look good to God. He sees you as his holy and perfect child, washed in the blood of his Son and made new.

Through faith in Jesus, you are a new creation!

Prayer:
Jesus, my Savior, thank you for removing the old and making me new. Help me to live as the new creation you have made me. In your name I ask it. 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.

“‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain…Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches . . . I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.’”
Ezekiel 17:22-24

God Will Never Give Up on You

Daily Devotion – June 26, 2021

Devotion based on Ezekiel 17:22-24

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It’s not a great feeling when people give up on us. Maybe it was the coach who decided you were never going to get it, and so he banished you to the bench. Maybe it was the employer who decided you weren’t fast enough to keep up with the job and fired you after only a few weeks of work. Or perhaps it was the spouse who was no longer willing to be patient with you to make some necessary changes and decided it was time to move on without you.

The believers in Ezekiel’s day had the mistaken impression that God had given up on them. They were languishing in captivity in the far-off land of Babylon, far away from home and country, far away from their house of worship. Yes, they had sinned. And now it seemed to them that God had given up on them and moved on.

Through the prophet Ezekiel, God gave his people a wonderful and much-needed reminder that he would never give up on them. He had promised to save them many times and through many generations, and he intended to keep that promise. In beautiful words, Ezekiel records God’s determination to keep his promise to his people. He let them know that a Savior was coming—one who would take away everyone’s sins and provide refuge for all who seek him.

God will never give up on you either, no matter how unlikely that may seem. God has proven that already by keeping his promise in sending Jesus. The cross of Calvary is God’s guarantee that he will never give up on you. He loves you, has saved you, and will always be with you. Wherever you are, whatever your circumstance, God says to you: “I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.”

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for giving yourself in my place and for giving me the gift of heaven. Lead me to trust you and to live as your child. 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.

When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.
Jonah 3:10

Full and Free Forgiveness

Daily Devotion – June 25, 2021

Devotion based on Jonah 3:10

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The ancient city of Nineveh was known for its violence. As the capital of the Assyrian empire, Nineveh dominated the region, and its influence was felt in many directions. Many other nations fell under its power, including the Kingdom of Israel. Assyrian armies laid waste to almost everything in their path, subjugating and enslaving many people and cruelly torturing those who dared to resist. As a result, they earned God’s anger, and he sent his prophet Jonah with the message: “In forty days, Nineveh will be destroyed.”

But when Jonah hesitated to heed God’s call, it wasn’t for the reason we might have expected. It wasn’t that he feared for his life or thought that he might be in danger. Once he finally arrived, Jonah seemed to go fearlessly about the city proclaiming God’s message of impending punishment. What Jonah was afraid of was exactly what happened: the people listened to the message and repented of their wicked ways. They understood from the forty-day warning that the holy God of Israel was willing to relent and show them mercy. And that is what happened.

Jonah selfishly disapproved of God’s grace toward these enemies of God’s people. He would rather see them destroyed and punished without warning as their sins deserved. But God’s kingdom comes by grace in this world. In fact, there is no other way to enter it. The Ninevites could not lay claim to God’s kingdom by force, but neither could the Israelites claim it by merit.

Grace is God’s unmerited love for those who deserve his anger instead. Grace is found only in Jesus Christ, who took our many offenses against God upon himself and accepted the punishment that we all deserved. We enter into God’s kingdom, under his almighty protection and inside of his eternal love, only by recognizing that we shouldn’t be there at all. Repenting of our sins and renouncing our selfishness, we find that we have full and free forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I know that I have angered you and deserve your punishment. But ask for your mercy, and I cling to your gracious promises of forgiveness in Jesus. 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.

For we live by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7

Live by Faith

Daily Devotion – June 24, 2021

Devotion based on 2 Corinthians 5:7

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Was it any wonder that Pontius Pilate found it hard to believe that Jesus was truly a king? That was the “crime” that Jesus was being accused of by his enemies—a rebel and an upstart who was trying to set up his own kingdom. But who could believe that to look at him? Isaiah described him this way: “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2). What few disciples Jesus had had all fled, abandoning their rabbi when he was arrested. Now he stood alone before the Roman governor, “despised and rejected by men.” You can hear the incredulity in Pilate’s voice as he asks, “Are you a king?”

We may have the same doubts about those who are followers of this king. Christians around the world are often harassed and persecuted for their faith in the Nazarene Jesus, who was crucified as a criminal. Their lives are full of the same suffering and pain as those around them, despite their allegiance to the God who they believe created the universe. They say that God is their Father and that he loves them, but Christians also get sick and die, just like everyone else.

But Christ’s kingdom is not of this world. And his followers live by faith, not by sight. They know God’s promises are true because they know that he is truthful. They put their faith in him because he is faithful. God kept his promise to send his Son as Savior of mankind, so he will also keep his promise to love us as his dear children for the sake of Jesus. And finally, God will keep his last promises when he comes to take us to live with him forever in heaven. These bodies we live in may be fragile, and the world we live in full of peril, but we live by faith, not by sight. Our king, the Lord Jesus Christ, will never disappoint us.

Prayer:
Lord God, I pray that you would increase my faith to trust your word even when my eyes tell me there is reason to doubt. Keep my faith focused on Jesus, who rose from the dead and who will give me eternal life by his side. 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 same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.
Colossians 1:6

Growth Through the Gospel

Daily Devotion – June 23, 2021

Devotion based on Colossians 1:6

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Many missionaries were unable to travel during the worldwide pandemic. Sometimes that meant staying in the mission field for longer than they had planned, putting off trips to visit family back stateside for another year. Others were stuck outside of their field of labor for months at a time while borders were closed to international travel. All of them were grateful for modern technology that allowed them to communicate with people on the other side of the world almost instantaneously. It was only last century that missionaries usually had to wait weeks or even months for correspondence to be delivered either way.

Of course, even today, there are places where Christian missionaries do not always have Internet access. But those sent overseas in the name of Christ know they do not depend primarily on modern communication technology. Their confidence lies not in the speed of the Internet but the power of the gospel. Whether the good news of Jesus is preached over a loudspeaker, hand-written in a letter, shared quietly around a village campfire, or sent as bytes and bits through cyberspace, it has the same power of God to transform human hearts.

This message is for all people everywhere. The Bible tells us, “There is no difference … for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:22-24). And all around the world, this gospel message has been bearing fruit and growing, as people of all nations come to know and believe that Jesus Christ has died for the sins of the whole world.

And you are no different. The gospel is also for you and your family. You can read it in a book (or an emailed devotion!), listen to it live at church or a streamed broadcast, or hear it from a friend or a friendly missionary. But no matter the method, the message of forgiveness through Christ is powerful to save.

Prayer:
Lord God, thank you for sending your gospel into the world. May it also remain with 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.

[Jesus] said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
Mark 4:26-29

Thy Kingdom Come

Daily Devotion – June 22, 2021

Devotion based on Mark 4:26-29

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In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Your kingdom come.” But what is God’s kingdom? And how does it come? In his Small Catechism, Martin Luther explained it this way: “God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives his Holy Spirit so that by his grace we believe his holy Word and lead a godly life now on earth and forever in heaven.”

Has God answered your prayer? Has his kingdom come to you and others, as you’ve requested every time you’ve prayed the Lord’s Prayer? Perhaps it doesn’t seem so. I know I don’t always live in a way that shows that God is the king of my heart. And while I do believe that Jesus died for me and that my sins are forgiven because of him, I don’t know that I would compare my struggling faith in him to a “kingdom.” In fact, all too often, I’ve become frustrated with not seeing enough evidence of spiritual growth—either in my life or the lives of other Christians.

But Jesus helps us to understand the way that God answers our prayer for his kingdom to come. Just as a seed grows after it has been planted, so God’s kingdom comes slowly but surely, almost imperceptibly at times. Just as God works through the laws of nature that he established to give life and maturity to a growing plant, so the Holy Spirit works faith in us through the gospel of Jesus so that over time we produce its fruits in the form of love and good deeds.

So have patience with yourself and have confidence in the power of God’s word. Even at this moment, it is quietly at work within you.

Prayer:
Dear Father, your kingdom comes even without my asking. But I pray that it comes to me and my loved ones also. 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.

Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”
Mark 4:30-32

Kingdom Aspirations

Daily Devotion – June 21, 2021

Devotion based on Mark 4:30-32

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“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Adults sometimes chuckle when they hear the four-year-old claim that he wants to be a ninja firefighter or even when the second-grader asserts that she will be the first person to walk on Mars. The children’s heart-felt aspirations can seem far-fetched to the practically-minded—and all the more so when the “future astronaut” stands before you, currently missing her two front teeth!

Might the disciples have been tempted to chuckle at Jesus’ suggestion that his kingdom, his church, would grow to the point of including followers from “all nations”? How could a dozen insignificant men following a homeless and harassed prophet ever dream that their movement would one day number in the billions of souls? How could these Aramaic-speaking apostles begin to understand that the letters and gospels they would write in Greek would eventually be translated into thousands of different languages? How could their humble teacher, once crucified and publicly shamed as a criminal, one day be glorified and worshipped by believers on every continent?

How? Only by Jesus’ power and blessing. By his power and blessing, he established a kingdom of grace, earned by his death on a cross and established by his resurrection from the dead. The purpose of this kingdom is to rescue sinners from their otherwise inevitable destruction in hell, and its goal is to bring people of every nation, tribe, and language out of darkness and into the light of his forgiving love.

As Jesus went to the cross, his hope for the future was for you to join him in paradise. His aspiration was to be your Savior. No matter how large his church grows, Jesus’ eye is always on every individual soul, and his ear is tuned in to their every prayer.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I am grateful that there is room in your kingdom 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.

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
2 Corinthians 5:1

An Eternal House

Daily Devotion – June 20, 2021

Devotion based on 2 Corinthians 5:1

See series: Devotions

My father would sometimes take me camping while I was growing up. We went often enough that I don’t remember every camping trip. But there is one I will likely never forget.

We borrowed a tent from a friend. When we arrived at the campsite and began to set up, we realized that some of the tent poles were missing. So my father grabbed some rope from the trunk of the car and used it to tie parts of the tent to tree branches to hold it up. We finished setting up the tent just in time for dinner, which is when we were attacked by hungry seagulls dive-bombing at our hotdogs. Evening finally came, which is when a thunderstorm rolled in and revealed two things: we hadn’t tied down the tent as securely as we had thought, and the tent wasn’t as waterproof as the packaging had promised. By midnight that evening, our camping trip was done, and we were back home resting comfortably in our own beds.

In today’s Bible verse, the apostle Paul compares our human bodies to a tent. Like the tent on our camping trip, they’re not entirely immune to destruction. We get sick, suffer injuries, get attacked by cancer, or some other debilitating diseases that dive-bomb into our lives. As healthy as we might eat, as often as we might exercise, we get to a point where our bodies don’t operate as quickly and pain-free as they did when we were young. And then, of course, every funeral is another reminder that one day death will roll in like a powerful thunderstorm and completely overwhelm our fragile bodies.

But Paul also tells us that our bodies are simply tents. As long as we’re in them, we’re never really at home. But one day, we will be. Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, our heavenly Father forgave our sin and gave us the right to look forward to our eventual arrival at an eternal house in heaven, where we will finally rest comfortably.

Prayer:
Dear Father in heaven, when I am reminded of how fragile my body really is, keep my faith focused on the eternal and perfect home you have prepared for me through Jesus Christ. 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 will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.
Genesis 3:15

A Joy Story

Daily Devotion – June 19, 2021

Devotion based on Genesis 3:15

See series: Devotions

When Satan tempted Adam and Eve to sin against God, they deliberately disobeyed God and justly deserved the divine sentence of eternal death on themselves and the whole human race. But God demonstrated his great love not only for Adam and Eve but also for all their descendants. He made a promise! He would send a Savior to suffer the punishment for the sins of all people!

God explained his eternal plan for the salvation of sinners. One born of the woman—that’s Jesus—would “crush [Satan’s] head.” Yes, Satan would “strike his heel”—Jesus would suffer and die—but by his death and resurrection, Jesus would rescue all humanity from the power of the devil and free them from the curse of sin.

This promise of God revealed God’s eternal plan of salvation. It was a promise that, like a flower not yet seen on the plant from which it will grow, is nevertheless coming into bud. It would be fulfilled! The promise would one day flower and flourish. This was the hope of the people in the Old Testament.

Finally, God fulfilled his promise, and in his love for all people, sent Jesus into the world to save us. Our gracious God took the sad story of man’s fall and changed the outcome into good news for us. The devil’s horrifying deed was overcome by the power of God’s sweet promise. Now that’s a true story that fills our life with real joy!

Prayer:
Lord God, thank you for your great love that moved you to promise and send your Son to rescue me from the power of Satan. Fill my heart with the joy of knowing Jesus as my Savior from sin and death. 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.