Author: Kerry

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!
1 John 3:1

What Great Love

Daily Devotion – April 29, 2021

Devotion based on 1 John 3:1

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How does a father show love to his children? One father spends his hard-earned money to buy the best of everything for his children–whether it’s toys, computers, clothes, or cars. Another father pursues the best opportunities for his children—the best education, the best sports teams, the best music, or the best dance lessons. Another father works less in order to spend more time with his children. I suppose all of these can be motivated by a father’s love for his children.

But the Bible doesn’t say, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that he always gives us whatever we want, that he makes life easy for his children, or that he always makes them feel happy and loved.” No, it says, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God.”

God the Father’s love for us is most clearly shown in his calling us children of God. When we were born into this world, we were descended from Adam and Eve, the first two people in the world. Because they disobeyed God, we inherit from them an inborn desire to live for ourselves, ignore God, and operate by our own rules. When we live that way, we can be called children of the devil.

The devil is worse than any deadbeat dad in this world. He doesn’t care for his children at all. He only wants to see them suffer because when they do, he thinks he is getting back at the God who kicked him out of heaven.

But God loved us so much that he couldn’t wait to rescue us from that abusive household and adopt us into his family. And so he sent his own Son to be the perfect child in our place, to be absolutely obedient, not to demand proof of God’s love, but to give proof of God’s love by his life. He did that so that we might be called children of God and brothers and sisters of Christ himself. As God’s children, we have a place in his family and a home with him forever. Now that’s love!

Prayer:
God, I delight to call you Father. Thank you for your lavish 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.

[Jesus said] “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.”
John 10:17,18

Authority Over Life and Death

Daily Devotion – April 28, 2021

Devotion based on John 10:17,18

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If you’ve ever stood beside the bed of a loved one who is dying, you know how helpless that can feel—for them and you. The body grows weaker, the pain increases. Every treatment has been exhausted. There’s nothing more that can be done. All you can do is wait. You don’t get to decide when they die. God gives life and takes it away. It’s his timing, not ours.

Jesus was in the prime of life when he spoke the words of our Bible reading for today. Cancer wasn’t consuming him. His organs weren’t failing. But he knew he was going to die, and he knew when and how. Jesus was not just a human being. He was also the Son of God. As God, no one could take his life from him.

But he willingly laid down his life for you. The angry hatred of his enemies didn’t put him on the cross. His amazing love for you and me did. His enemies taunted him from the foot of the cross and told him to come down to prove that he was God. He could have done just that. But he stayed there and gave up his life to forgive those who fought against him and rescue those who ridiculed him.

And, just as he had the authority to lay down his life on his terms, Jesus had the authority to take his life back up again. He came back to life on Easter Sunday. His rising from the dead proves that he has taken care of your greatest need by overcoming sin and death for you. You can be at peace because Jesus has defeated death for you. And by his power, he will one day raise to eternal life with him all who trust in him as their Savior.

Prayer:
Jesus, when I face death, lead me to trust in you and know that you died and rose to give me life. 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] “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
John 10:11

Your Good Shepherd

Daily Devotion – April 27, 2021

Devotion based on John 10:11

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The Bible often compares people to sheep. Maybe that sounds like a compliment. After all, sheep are soft and gentle. They don’t hurt anything and seem pretty innocent.

But sheep are also pretty helpless. And sheep aren’t very smart. If someone compares you to a sheep today, they probably mean that you don’t think much for yourself but follow others blindly. That’s what sheep do, even if they are following right into danger or death. They have little or no ability to defend themselves from predators. They get lost easily. They need a shepherd to provide for them and defend and lead them. The people in Bible times would have understood the comparison well.

As unflattering as it sounds, you and I are aptly described as sheep. We are spiritually vulnerable and helpless. On our own, we’re unable to defend ourselves against the attacks of the devil, who attacks us like a wolf attacks a flock of sheep. We are easy targets.

At the same time, we aren’t just helpless victims. Too often, we choose to wander and get hopelessly lost. The Bible says, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way.”

And Jesus, our Shepherd, knows how much you and I are like sheep. He sees those wandering thoughts of anger or lust that we may just ignore as normal. He knows about the selfish motives that taint some of our kindest actions. He knows when our hearts covet worldly things, even if we never act on those desires.

But Jesus, the Good Shepherd, doesn’t leave his wandering sheep. He shows us his tender mercy by caring for every need of our bodies and our souls. He picks us up and carries us through the dangers of life. And he doesn’t abandon us when things get dangerous. He sees the devil coming, and he defends us. He would rather die for us than see us die in our sins. And that’s exactly what he did!

Your Good Shepherd won’t run away when life is dark and difficult. He stays with you through it all. You can count on it!

Prayer:
Jesus, thank you for rescuing me when I go astray. Never leave my 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.

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.”
John 10:14

The Good Shepherd Knows His Sheep

Daily Devotion – April 26, 2021

Devotion based on John 10:14

See series: Devotions

Who knows you better than anyone else? That one person who knows you inside and out. They know where you’ve been in the past and where you want to be in the future. They know what brings a smile to your face or a tear to your eye. They know the things that make you angry and the things that you fear the most. They know how you think and how you make decisions. They know just what makes you…you.

But they don’t know you completely, do they? They only know what you let them see or know. Maybe no one knows you better than you. Well, almost no one.

Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep.” The sheep he is talking about aren’t literal sheep. The sheep are people—you and me.

Jesus knows you. This is not just knowing the facts about you. It’s a much more personal and intimate knowledge. It’s like how a parent knows his child or a husband knows his wife, but even deeper. Jesus knows your past, present, and future. He knows your joys and sorrows, your thoughts, and emotions. He knows you right down to the core of your soul.

That means he also knows all your sins—every selfish thought, every hurtful word, every loveless action. He knows how desperately you need a solution to your sin and rescue from the hell you deserve, even if you don’t fully grasp or acknowledge that desperate need.

He knows those sins because he paid for every one of them when he laid down his life for you. In undeserved, self-sacrificing love, he knew you were powerless to save yourself. And so he gave up his own life in your place. He took all your sins on himself and willingly gave up his innocent life in exchange for the guilt of your sins when he died on a cross.

Yes, Jesus, your Good Shepherd, knows you, and he loves you. His death proves it. What a blessing to know that the Shepherd who loves us that much knows us and our needs!

Prayer:
Jesus, my Good Shepherd, nothing in my life is hidden from you. Remind me of your undying love for me every day. 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.

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Acts 4:31

Easter Confidence

Daily Devotion – April 25, 2021

Devotion based on Acts 4:31

See series: Devotions

Are you a confident person? We hear a great deal today about the importance of self-confidence. “You have to believe in yourself!” we’re told. There’s an inherent danger in self-confidence, though. None of us is perfect. Every one of us will disappoint ourselves and others. When this happens, self-confidence quickly gives way to self-doubt and despair.

The early Christians in Jerusalem didn’t make this mistake. They were extremely confident but not self-confident. You might say they were Christ-confident. They knew that Jesus had risen from the grave on Easter morning. He promised to be with them always. He assured them that all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to him. These realities made them bold to proclaim the word of God even after two of their leaders had been jailed for doing this very thing.

What are you facing today? Whatever it is, face it boldly. Jesus is alive. He is with you. He has promised to make all things work out for your good. What could give you greater confidence?

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you know what I am facing this day. Give me confidence knowing that you are 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.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:8,9

The Answer Is Jesus

Daily Devotion – April 24, 2021

Devotion based on 1 John 1:8,9

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A while back, there was a piece in a news magazine about a woman who appeared stable and well-adjusted in every way. She held a responsible job. She was nicely dressed. She was gracious and cordial in her demeanor. She held a terrible secret, however. The secret was that she was keeping hundreds of cats in her home. Video footage from the city health department was shocking. The interior was in ruins. Officials reported that the stench was indescribable.

Most shocking of all, though, was the woman’s sense of absolute denial. She had no grasp of the sickening thing she had produced within her home. In fact, during an interview, she even described herself as “a clean freak.”

That woman’s self-deception is a lot like our attitude towards sin. You and I don’t mind admitting that we’re sinful in a generic kind of way. (“Nobody’s perfect.” “We’ve all done things we’re not proud of,”—you know the routine.) When it comes to confronting the real-life failures in our lives, however, you and I often plug our noses and ignore the terrible stench of our own sin.

But the answer is not self-deception. The answer is Jesus. Confess your sins—thoughts, words, and actions that oppose God’s perfect will and make you unclean in his sight. Trust God’s faithful word that through faith in your Savior, Jesus, you are freely forgiven and completely clean before God.

And from now on, no more self-deception.

Prayer:
O Lord, my God, I called to you for help, and you answered me. I thank you for the love you have shown me in Jesus Christ, my Savior. Through him, you have rescued me from the guilt of my sin and given me the peace of forgiveness. Help me fight against temptation, correct whatever wrongs I can, and serve you and those around me with love and good works. 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] “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
Luke 24:44

The Scriptures

Daily Devotion – April 23, 2021

Devotion based on Luke 24:44

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It is January of 2000, and a man by the name of Christian Hosoi has hit rock-bottom. He has fallen a long way. Throughout the 1980s and early 90s, Christian Hosoi reigned as royalty in the world of professional skateboarding with all the fame, money, and jet-setting that went along with it. Then he began dabbling in drugs. The dabbling morphed into an addiction. He stopped competing. Instead, from 1995 to 2000, he ingested crystal meth every day. Now he is under arrest for drug trafficking with intent to distribute. He’s facing ten years in prison.

He calls a friend. In Christian’s mind, what he needs is a good lawyer or at least money for bail. Instead, his friend tells him to find a Bible. He does. He pages around at first, not quite knowing what to read or where to start. Soon enough, however, he settles in. Once he begins, he does not stop.

It is the Sunday evening of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Jesus has already made several appearances that day. Now he appears among his disciples. At first, they are startled and frightened. To assure them he has truly risen, he shows them his hands and feet and eats some broiled fish.

Once he has established that he really is alive, Jesus turns the disciples’ attention to something else. He points to the words of the Bible. “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me,” he says. Then Jesus continues: “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name.”

Several weeks after first opening the Bible, Christian Hosoi is still reading. Even though the walls of a jail surround him, Christian is beginning to know a freedom he has never known before. The Scriptures declare that Jesus died on a cross for his sins. The Scriptures declare that Jesus has risen from the dead. The Scriptures declare that forgiveness is his through faith in Jesus the Christ.

Today, Christian Hosoi serves as a pastor in California.

Prayer:
Thank you, risen Christ, for your Holy Scriptures. Through your living Word, keep me close 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.

We are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.
2 Corinthians 2:15

Aroma

Daily Devotion – April 22, 2021

Devotion based on 2 Corinthians 2:15

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One person feels euphoria when she smells freshly fallen snow because it reminds her of snow days off from school when she was a little girl. Another person feels stress when he smells that same smell because it reminds him of a cold and terrible battle in a long-ago war. According to an article in Psychology Today, because we tend mainly to think about our sense of vision, we sometimes underestimate the power of smell. Studies, for instance, have shown that our olfactory nerve—the nerve that gives us our sense of smell—sits right next to the parts of our brain that handle things like emotion and memory. Aroma, therefore, makes a profound impact.

This is no new discovery, of course. People have known about the power of aroma for thousands of years. It’s one of the fascinating ways God has wired us. It should probably come as no surprise, then, that God’s Word pictures those who proclaim the message of Christ as “the aroma of Christ.” He pictures these proclaimers in this way, not because these proclaimers are powerful in and of themselves. Rather, the impact comes from the power of the message.

All of this serves to remind us how potent the message of Jesus truly is. When his proclamation of repentance and forgiveness of sins rings out, God the Holy Spirit is hard at work within that message. At those times when we have grown sleepy and apathetic in our relationship with the Lord, the message of Jesus might come to us as a harsh and abrasive smelling salt, waking us up. At those times when the guilty stench of our own sin is filling our nostrils and choking us in despair, the message of Jesus comes to us in the refreshing sweetness of the full forgiveness he purchased for us at Calvary’s cross.

This brings us to a question. Which aroma does your soul need right now—the smelling salt of repentance or the sweetness of forgiveness? The beauty is that the Lord brings just what you need through the power of his Word.

Prayer:
Holy Spirit, fill the nostrils of my soul with the aroma of Christ. Do this through the power of your Word. 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 we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:8,9

Soul Toupee

Daily Devotion – April 21, 2021

Devotion based on 1 John 1:8,9

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Tim Kreider is a cartoonist. He is a gifted writer. He is also the man who has coined the term “Soul Toupee.” He explains its origin. He and a friend used to frequent an oyster bar in Baltimore, MD. One day they noticed how one of the regulars there wore what Kreider calls “the worst toupee in the world, a comical little wig taped in place on the top of his head.” From that, Kreider and his friend developed the concept of what he calls “The Soul Toupee.”

Kreider’s definition for the Soul Toupee is as follows: The Soul Toupee is that thing about ourselves we are most deeply embarrassed by and like to think we have…concealed to the world, but which is, in fact, pitifully obvious. Then Kreider adds this: Contemplating one’s own Soul Toupee is not an exercise for the fainthearted.

The soul toupee is nothing new. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us, the apostle John wrote. A holy God sees through the soul toupees. Every single one.

What’s your soul toupee? What ugly, sinful rut have you been trying to cover up or camouflage for far, far too long? Is it laziness, lust, greed, pride, a sense of entitlement, ducking responsibility, blaming others? Or is it the absence of self-discipline or raw self-absorption?

Whatever it is, the same holy God who sees through all the toupees also gives us a beautiful promise. When we confess our sins, John says, [God] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. God makes this promise on the basis of his Son, Jesus Christ, who has lived a holy life in our place and suffered and died on the cross for our every sin. Christ alone saves us. Soul toupees be gone.

Prayer:
Lord God, move me to confess what I have been hiding the most. Forgive me. Give me peace 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.

Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”
Acts 12:13,14

Rhoda

Daily Devotion – April 20, 2021

Devotion based on Acts 12:13,14

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Her name is Rhoda. God’s Word has recorded Rhoda’s name and her delightful moment from the early days of the New Testament church.

Here’s the context. Jesus has risen from the dead and ascended into heaven. The Holy Spirit has empowered Jesus’ apostles to proclaim the good news of what Jesus has done. They face persecution, however. For example, King Herod has decided to arrest the apostle Peter and to put him in prison to await trial. After Herod does this, many Christians gather in a house in Jerusalem to pray for Peter.

Then, a miracle. God sends an angel. Peter’s chains fall off, and he follows the angel. He walks right past the guards and straight out of the prison. Peter is free. And so Peter proceeds to walk to the very house where those Christians are praying on his behalf.

This is where Rhoda enters the picture. She hears a knock and goes to answer. It’s Peter! In an instant, joy washes over Rhoda so completely that she runs back and announces that Peter is at the door. In her excitement, however, she’s left Peter outside, still standing, still knocking, still asking if he can come in.

They let him in, of course. But think about this. Think of all the times Rhoda must have smiled, laughed, and told the story of how she forgot to let Peter into the house because her sheer joy had gotten the best of her.

It was quite a moment for Rhoda. You and I get moments like that too. Perhaps the circumstances are not as dramatic, but God does the same for us. Just when we need it, he gives us a moment of joy, a moment to laugh and smile, a moment to savor and share with others. And this should not surprise us. After all, he is the kind of God who was willing to sacrifice his own Son to save us from our sins. And, as we travel this broken world, he gives us what we need to see us through.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for the moments of joy you give me. Please, keep them coming. Amen.

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

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

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