Author: Kerry

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
1 Timothy 6:17-19

Life That is Truly Life

Daily Devotion – August 11, 2020

Devotion based on 1 Timothy 6:17-19

See series: Devotions

What makes you rich? The money you earn? The things you have? A good job? Plenty of friends and family? A full stock portfolio? That is what the world calls rich.

But what happens when a virus comes and pops those balloons one by one?

You learn in whom to really put your hope. If you think wealth in this present world makes you truly rich, give it time, it will disappoint you. Why? Because it is what the Bible calls uncertain—it cannot be depended on. Just look at how a few months of disease and isolation have evaporated so much. A life built on the uncertain will ultimately fail you.

So life that is truly life has to be built on something other than earthly riches. It has to be built on the God who provides you with everything.

You are so important to God that he richly provided his perfect Son to pour out his precious blood to free you from sin. Then God raised him to life again to leave no doubt in your mind that you will live forever with him in the coming age. Because of Jesus, you have “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade…kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4). That’s certain!

That certainty frees you to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous and willing to share. In other words, you get to be a shining light of God’s goodness in this world. And you do it with the certainty that your eternal riches are completely secure. What a life!

Prayer:
God, thank you for richly providing everything I need. Amen.

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

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

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

“Now, LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
1 Kings 3:7-9

The Wisdom of Service

Daily Devotion – August 10, 2020

Devotion based on 1 Kings 3:7-9

See series: Devotions

When Solomon became king of Israel, he had some big shoes to fill. His father, King David, was the most successful ruler in the history of God’s people. David defeated their enemies, expanded their borders, and gave them the security they had only dreamed of. During David’s reign, God was keeping one promise after another that he had made to their ancestors. As a result, Israel had become a prosperous and plentiful nation.

Understandably Solomon was nervous. How could he possibly live up to his father’s example or govern such a great people? But God wanted Solomon to be successful. So the Lord appeared to him and said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you” (1 Kings 3:5).

Solomon asked for wisdom to govern his people. How amazing is that? God offered Solomon whatever he wanted, and he did not use it to serve himself. He used it to serve others.

Would you do the same? Or would the temptation to selfishly use God’s gifts be too great? Sadly, we have to admit that we are often more selfish than selfless.

But, thankfully, Jesus used all his greatness to serve. He even said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Matthew 20:28). So he blessed children, washed feet, taught thousands, and died to forgive the selfishness of all people.

So, your selfish sins are forgiven. And you can look forward, this day, to selflessly serving those whom God chooses to bring into your life.

Prayer:
Lord God, please give me the wisdom to serve the people you have placed in my 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] “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”
Matthew 13:45-46

Our Greatest Possession

Daily Devotion – August 9, 2020

Devotion based on Matthew 13:45-46

See series: Devotions

How do you determine the value of something? Well, you could have it appraised. For a fee, a jeweler will tell you what your wedding ring is worth, for example. Then there are those things that you can appraise without the help of any experts. Hold your child in your arms and as his breath gently brushes your neck, you know immediately how valuable he is.

Jesus wants us to understand how valuable it is to be a member of his kingdom—to be his disciple. So, he told a story to help us understand. He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” Jesus is saying that being a member of his kingdom is such a treasure that it is worth giving up everything we have to keep it.

Unfortunately, too often we don’t treasure the kingdom of heaven. We treat it more like cubic zirconium than a fine pearl. We do this when we forget its true value. And when we forget its true value, we are in danger of losing it altogether.

But this won’t happen when we remember that Jesus’ life and death keep us from the fires of hell, when we remember that Jesus’ resurrection is our way to eternal life. Remember what the kingdom of heaven is and what the kingdom of heaven gives, and it will always be your most treasured possession.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, being a member of your kingdom is my most treasured possession. Keep me from ever being convinced otherwise. 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] told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
Matthew 13:33-35

The Word Works Silently in Hearts

Daily Devotion – August 8, 2020

Devotion based on Matthew 13:33-35

See series: Devotions

Years ago, I used to watch my mother make bread. She kneaded a big ball of dough and then placed it in a large bowl. She mixed the contents of a small package in warm water and then poured the mixture onto the dough and worked it in. Finally, she covered the bowl with a white cloth and set it in the south window of the kitchen where the sun warmed the dough. It seemed miraculous to me that after a short time the dough started to expand. It pushed up the cloth and sometimes it stretched over the sides of the bowl. Of course, it wasn’t a miracle. It was just the yeast that mom had activated with the water that did its work throughout the bread dough. The yeast worked invisibly and silently, but the results were obvious.

In this parable, Jesus uses the working of yeast in dough to describe the power of God working in people’s hearts through his Word. The Word works silently in hearts, but it is powerfully effective. God uses it to turn our hearts from unbelief to faith in Jesus, to free us from our sins, and to rescue us from eternal death and give us the free gift of everlasting life.

The yeast of God’s Word continues to work in our hearts to help us live more consistently according to God’s holy will. As God’s power works invisibly and silently in our hearts through his Word, the result in our lives will show in what we speak with our lips, how we act with our hands, where we walk with our feet, even what we allow ourselves to look at with our eyes and listen to with our ears. God’s love for us in Jesus that he communicates to us in his Word moves us to gladly live to the glory of God!

Prayer: (from Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal, 469)
Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee.
Take my voice and let me sing always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from thee.

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] “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”
Matthew 13:43

The Wheat Will Shine Like the Sun

Daily Devotion – August 7, 2020

Devotion based on Matthew 13:43

See series: Devotions

Some animals can shine. This special capability is called bioluminescence. You’ve probably seen it in fireflies on a warm summer night. You may even have seen it in some sea creatures, such as lanternfish, anglerfish, and jellyfish.

No true plants (as far as we know) have natural bioluminescence. That’s why the end of Jesus’ parable about the wheat and the weeds may seem a little strange. All along, he’s been talking in terms of plants: wheat and weeds. He explained that both the wheat represents those who believe in him, and the weeds represent those who do not. Those who do not will be separated from God forever when this world ends. Those who believe, Jesus says, “will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”

Where does this “shining” come from? This picture of God’s people shining is one that God has used before. In the book of Daniel, God says, “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 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 12:2,3).

In both this passage from Daniel and in Jesus’ parable, God is describing what those who believe in him have to look forward to. On the Last Day, after God has removed “everything that causes sin and all who do evil” from his presence, he will take his people home to heaven. There, set free from all their sins and covered with Jesus’s perfection, they will shine like the sun. This won’t be bioluminescence that they produce. Rather it will be “Christ-luminescence,” since it is through Jesus’ perfect life and innocent death on their behalf that they are now shining.

Wheat normally does not shine. But in heaven, God’s wheat will. By God’s grace, all who believe in Jesus will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father forever.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, grant that I always trust in you so that by your grace, I may shine with you forever. 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.

“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 13:40-42

God Will Burn the Weeds in Fire

Daily Devotion – August 6, 2020

Devotion based on Matthew 13:40-42

See series: Devotions

When you pull weeds out of your garden, what do you do with them? Do you arrange them in a vase and set them in your living room? Do you extract their seeds so that you can plant them next year? Of course not. Weeds, by definition, are plants that you didn’t want in your garden, and you have no use for them. So, when you pull them from your garden, you throw them away on your brush pile or in your garbage can.

In Jesus’ story, when harvest time came, the farmer sent his harvesters into his field. Their first task was to gather all the weeds, bind them in bundles, and burn them.

A time of harvest is coming for this world as well. On the last day of this world’s existence, Jesus will return, accompanied by all his angels. He will send his angels to separate those who refused to believe in him from those who do believe, just as the harvesters in Jesus’ parable separated the weeds from the wheat. Then, he will cast those who refused to believe in him into the eternal fires of hell, where they will experience eternal separation from God and all of his blessings.

This is not the way God wants things to work out for people. God “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). That’s why he sent his Son to live, die, and rise again for all people. Unfortunately, people reject the gifts of salvation and eternal life that God offers them in Christ.

But for those who by God’s grace do believe in Jesus as their Savior, a different, more glorious future awaits. They will shine like the sun forever in the glories of heaven.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, keep me always close to Jesus, my Savior, that I may never lose the blessings that he has won 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.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull [the weeds] up?’ “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”
Matthew 13:28-30

Grow as Wheat Alongside the Weeds

Daily Devotion – August 5, 2020

Devotion based on Matthew 13:28-30

See series: Devotions

The farmer’s enemy was exceptionally devious. The weeds that he planted in the farmer’s field were a species that looks remarkably similar to wheat while it is growing. In fact, it is only when both plants are mature that you can infallibly tell them apart.

When the farmer’s servants saw the weeds growing in the field, they asked the farmer if he wanted them to go through the field and pull up the weeds. The farmer replied, “No, because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.” Since the weeds and the wheat at first looked very similar, it was quite likely that the servants, in their zeal to eradicate the weeds, would unwittingly uproot wheat plants also. That would be counterproductive. Much better just to let both the weeds and the wheat grow together until the harvest. Then the harvesters would be able to tell them apart and separate them accurately.

As you look at all the other people who are growing around you in this world, can you tell which of them believe in Jesus and which of them do not? You may be able to judge by a person’s words and actions whether they believe in Jesus. But you cannot know for sure unless you look into their heart. That is something only God can do. Only God knows infallibly who believes in him and who does not.

Thankfully, God has not given us the task of trying to separate believers from unbelievers. That is a job he has reserved for himself, and he will carry it out unerringly on the last day of this world’s existence. In the meantime, our task remains to grow as wheat alongside the weeds in whatever part of the world where God has planted us, confident that God, who alone can read the heart, unfailingly knows those who are his.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, enable me to live my faith in this world, confident that you know those who belong 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.

“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.”
Matthew 13:27,28

Weeds in This World

Daily Devotion – August 4, 2020

Devotion based on Matthew 13:27,28

See series: Devotions

When weeds grow in your garden, whose fault is it? On one level, it’s not really anyone’s fault, since weeds simply are a part of life in this sin-cursed world. But at the same time, if you either negligently or purposely allow the weeds to continue to grow, you have no one but yourself to blame when the weeds take over.

“Whose fault is it that there are weeds in the field?” the farmer’s servants, in essence, asked the farmer in Jesus’ story. “We know you planted good wheat seed in the field. So, where did all these weeds come from?” The farmer’s answer was clear and unequivocal. “An enemy did this,” he replied. It was not the farmer’s fault that weeds were growing in his field. He had not planted them there. Rather an enemy who was determined to ruin the farmer’s field had planted those weeds there.

Whose fault is it that there are weeds in this world? In other words, whose fault is it that there is evil in this world? If God is the almighty Lord of all as he says he is, why does evil exist at all? If God truly is truly in control of all things, wouldn’t he make sure that no evil ever entered his world? Isn’t God to blame for the weeds that have invaded his field?

God’s answer to those questions is clear and unequivocal: “An enemy did this.” The Devil, not God, is the one who brought evil into this world. Satan tempted Adam and Eve, our first parents, to sin. And when they sinned, evil entered our world.

God, however, immediately promised to send a Savior to overcome sin, Satan, and all evil. He fulfilled that promise for us in Jesus. “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work,” the apostle John tells us (1 John 3:8). And by his perfect life and innocent suffering and death on our behalf, Jesus did just that.

So, when you see weeds in the world, don’t blame God. Instead, blame the enemy. And give thanks to God that he sent his Son into the world to destroy the devil’s work for us.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, whenever I encounter evil, help me to remember that you are not its source. Rather you are the one who sent your Son so that he might overcome all evil 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.

Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.”
Matthew 13:24-26

Live as Wheat Among the Weeds

Daily Devotion – August 3, 2020

Devotion based on Matthew 13:24-26

See series: Devotions

Gardening is hard enough without someone trying to sabotage your efforts. It already requires a lot of vigilant work to keep the pests from chewing up your plants and the weeds from invading your garden. You don’t need one of your neighbors purposely planting weeds in your garden.

That, however, is precisely the situation in which the farmer in Jesus’ parable found himself. He worked hard to plant his field with good wheat seed. But one night, while the farmer was sleeping, one of his enemies came and planted weed seeds in the same field. When the wheat sprouted and started to grow, so did the weeds. And so, the farmer’s field was filled with both wheat and weeds.

Jesus later explained that this story was not ultimately about a farmer with weeds in his wheat field. It was actually about the world in which we live. In this story, Jesus is the farmer. The field is the world. The good wheat seed is all those who believe in Jesus as their Savior. And the weeds are those who do not believe in him.

Just as there were weeds and wheat growing together in the farmer’s field, those who believe in Jesus and who do not are living side-by-side in this world. This is unavoidable because we are sinners who still are living in a world cursed by sin. Those who believe in Jesus long for the day when they are finally freed from the curse of sin and live in the total perfection of heaven. But they are not there yet.

And so, believers in Jesus continue to live as wheat among the weeds. Even when it seems as if there are far more weeds in this field than there is wheat, they can remember that this field still belongs to God. Under his care and protection, they continue to grow in the place where he has planted them. And they remain confident that their God who planted them here will never allow the weeds to overwhelm them or choke them out.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help me to live as your wheat among the weeds, confident that you remain in control and will always care for and protect 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.

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalm 18:2

Resting On the Rock

Daily Devotion – August 2, 2020

Devotion based on Psalm 18:2

See series: Devotions

Storms can come up quickly upon the 1,695 square mile lake on the Minnesota/Canada border known as Lake of the Woods. At times, fishermen are too far from camp to make it back before the life-threatening weather hits. How do they survive in these situations? They often run their boats up on one of many rock islands and wait out the storm, anchored on the rock.

Have you ever been caught in a storm of life? Not just a weather storm, but a time when adversity comes upon you suddenly, like a black thundercloud rising on the horizon? When worries seem to be flooding you? When the trials of life flash before you like lightning and send you searching for shelter? How do you survive a storm like this?

Our Bible reading for today from Psalm 18 provides a solution: “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.” You see, in waves of worry, you have a solid rock to anchor on: A God who promises to be with you ALWAYS, to the very end of the age. In a flood of anxiety, you have his unchanging promise: In ALL THINGS he works for the good of those who love him. In the howling winds of pain and suffering, you have his unchanging guarantee: There is NOTHING that can separate you from his love! After all, he sent Jesus to prove it by giving up his life to save you from your sins and give you eternal life!

And because of those promises, you will be able to stand in every storm of life. Why? Because you can rest on your rock—your unchanging God.

Prayer:
Lord, when I face storms in my life, remind me to take refuge 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.