Author: Kerry

One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
Mark 2:23-24

Fatal Flaw

Daily Devotion – June 4, 2018

Devotion based on Mark 2:23-24

See series: Devotions

The Pharisees had a fatal flaw. They were always intent on finding fault with others. Their main target was Jesus. On this occasion, however, they directed their attention to Jesus’ disciples. It seemed the disciples provided their accusers with a golden opportunity. As they walked through a field, they picked some heads of grain to eat. According to the Pharisees this was work, harvesting on the Sabbath.

Their assault on the disciples might have worked if Jesus didn’t call attention to their fatal flaw. While he didn’t defend his disciples’ actions, he did reveal the Pharisees abuse of the other commandments. In their fervor to keep the Sabbath Day, they rejected the other commandments, especially the ones which required them to love others. This was their fatal flaw.

Jesus’ exposure of their sin is what I need on a daily basis. It is easy for me to compare myself with others. I especially like comparing myself with those whose decisions, choices and lives are what I consider worse than mine. I can easily point out their misdeeds, and quickly feel better about myself because I am not like them. When I embark upon this self-righteous comparison, I am no different than the Pharisees. My fatal flaw is theirs.

This is why I need Jesus to uncover my sin of arrogance and self-centeredness. I also need to hear his call to repent. As I acknowledge and sincerely confess my guilt, he leads me to the forgiveness he provides. He directs me to his sinless life—every commandment perfectly kept. He leads me to his cross—every act of disobedience completely washed away. He even opens my eyes to his undeserved love—every reason I need to serve him and others in love.

Here is the only way I can address my fatal flaw: In Jesus I receive forgiveness. In Jesus I receive new strength and hope. In Jesus I receive the love that leads me to be loving.

Prayer:
O dearest Savior, remove my self-righteous pride. Replace it with your undeserved and unselfish love, and lead me to live in love with others. 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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Matthew 7:21-23

Going to Heaven

Daily Devotion – June 3, 2018

Devotion based on Matthew 7:21-23

See series: Devotions

Many people think being a Christian is all about treating people fairly, doing to others what you want them to do to you, always doing the right thing in your life. While those are all good things, none of them makes a person a Christian.

Jesus said there would be people who do miracles and preach in his name and still not go to heaven. Only those who do the will of God are going to heaven. If I keep the Ten Commandments then, does that make me a Christian?

No, because I can’t keep the Ten Commandments. For God requires that not only my actions be perfectly conformed to his holy will, he also commands the same for my words and even my thoughts! Don’t murder includes not yelling in anger at the crazy driver who cut me off in traffic. Don’t steal includes not complaining about the lack of things in my life that I see others having in theirs. Don’t commit adultery includes not doing anything that hurts my marriage—ignoring or criticizing my spouse.

Despite my many failures to obey God’s commands, I know I am going to heaven. I’m absolutely certain! How can I be sure?

Jesus gave his life for me. He kept all the Ten Commandments in my place. He offered his life as payment for all the sins I’ve done—the complaining and hurting and yelling and thousands of other sinful actions, words, and thoughts.

I’m going to heaven because of Jesus. Nothing I do. Nothing I can do. Jesus has done it all for me. Not because I founded an orphanage, or gave blood numerous times to the Red Cross, or did other “Christian works.” Jesus will welcome me home because he fulfilled God’s will perfectly as my substitute. Heaven is his gift to me.

Even better, heaven is Jesus’ gift to you also. Being a Christian is not about what you do. Being a Christian is trusting Jesus who has done everything for you. He has forgiven you at the cost of his own life.

Prayer:
Jesus, forgive me for taking false pride in the Christian things I do. Thanks for your unearned love and forgiveness, and the gift of heaven which you give to me by faith alone. Help me do the right things and treat people fairly as a simple way of thanking you for your gift of heaven. Amen.

This devotion was selected from the Daily Devotion archive.

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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. 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. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. … Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.
Romans 3:21-25a, 27-28

A Different Way

Daily Devotion – June 2, 2018

Devotion based on Romans 3:21-25a, 27-28

See series: Devotions

A two-year-old boy stubbornly seeks to gain his independence. As he searches, he develops a favorite phrase that quickly becomes a refrain in his life: “Me do it! Me do it by myself!” He wants to tie his own shoes: “Me do it by myself!” He wants to buckle himself in his car seat: “Me do it by myself!” He wants to pour his own glass of milk: “Me do it by myself!” Independence is a wonderful thing for a child to seek, unless, of course, he has not yet developed the ability to complete such tasks by himself. If he can’t yet tie his own shoes or buckle his own car seat or pour his own milk, the end result will only be frustration and failure and puddles of milk on the floor.

We human beings, by our natures, want to operate exactly that same way when it comes to our relationship with God. Our grammar may be a little better, but the message remains the same: “I want to get right with God by myself!” And, by our very natures, we stubbornly think that we can.

We think God will be happy with us if we observe most of his laws most of the time or, at least, if we observe most of his laws better than most others do. But here’s the problem: Our holy God demands perfection from us. And not just most of the time. All of the time. Because none of us can claim that sort of perfection on our own, what the Bible says is true of all of us: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We have failed to meet our holy God’s holy standards. That failure to observe all of God’s laws absolutely perfectly leads to a much worse result than puddles of milk on the floor. Our sin should result in eternal death in hell.

This is why God planned a different way for us to be saved from hell. Because he knew we could not obtain righteousness (perfection) on our own, he planned to give it to us as a gift. He sent his Son Jesus into the world in order to live the righteous life we could not and to pay the price we owed for our sins through his death. Christ did all of that work in our place, as our substitute. And now, God offers Jesus’ perfectly righteous life to us as a free gift—a free gift that he gives to us through faith. God’s Word clearly says, “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”

“I want to get right with God by myself!” Faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior leads us to strike that stubborn phrase from our vocabulary—that stubborn attitude from our lives—forever! Faith in Jesus Christ leads us to cling instead to Christ and his righteousness as the only way to get right with God and as the only way to heaven.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, grant me a heart that despairs of myself and my own failed attempts to gain righteousness before God. In its place, grant me a heart that trusts only in you and the righteousness you won for me through your life. Amen.

This devotion was selected from the Daily Devotion archive.

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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?
1 Corinthians 3:16

My Body is a Temple

Daily Devotion – June 1, 2018

Devotion based on 1 Corinthians 3:16

See series: Devotions

“My body is a temple.” Those could either be the prideful words of a fitness fanatic who is in shape and knows it… or a Christian. For some people, eating right, working out, and living a “healthy lifestyle” is a religion. They themselves become the idol. Their body is the temple. Their pride is their motivation.

Christians can say, “my body is a temple,” because they believe in the one true God. God’s temple used to be in a traveling tent in the desert wilderness. God’s temple used to be a magnificent stone edifice in Jerusalem. But since Jesus died, rose again, and ascended into heaven, and sent the Holy Spirit to his church on earth; God’s temple is in human hearts. The Holy Spirit takes up residence in the hearts of people.

What kind of people does he choose to dwell in? Good people? People who chose to let him in? People who don’t resist him as badly? We might be tempted to think that there was at least something different, better, or “easier” about us that made the Holy Spirit want to live in us. But it isn’t true.

The Holy Spirit comes to hard-hearted, unwilling souls lost in unbelief and dead in sin—hearts that don’t deserve him and would never ask for him on their own. And yet the Holy Spirit never forces anyone. He gently, powerfully turns those unwilling hearts into willing hearts by his gracious gospel of forgiveness, then dwells in those willing hearts. Yours. Mine. Ours.

When you look at the members of the congregation you attend, give thanks for them. Pray for them. Practice love toward them. Forgive them as Christ forgave you. Live at peace with them. Serve in unity with them, as God’s temple, together.

When Christians say, “my body is a temple,” it’s the very opposite of pride and self-centeredness. They say it together: “WE are God’s temple. The Holy Spirit lives in me and in you… in US, through faith in Christ.”

Prayer:
Dear Holy Spirit, thank you for coming to this dark, dead soul and giving me life through the gospel of Christ. Thank you for graciously living in me and joining me to my fellow Christians. Let us serve together as your temple. 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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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For [God] has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to men by raising him from the dead.
Acts 17:31
“From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.” (from The Apostles’ Creed)

Are you ready to be judged?

Daily Devotion – May 31, 2018

Devotion based on Acts 17:31

See series: Devotions

I recently attended a children’s art fair. Hundreds of pieces representing countless hours of work hung on the walls. The art was judged. White, red, blue, and “judges’ choice” ribbons were attached to some of the pieces. A majority of the art, though, did not receive a ribbon. I would not want my artwork to be judged.

Most people don’t like to be judged. They don’t look forward to job reviews, physical checkups, and relationship quizzes. What will their boss, doctor, or people close to them say? How will they be judged?

One day we will all be judged. In his Word, God says that he has set a day when Jesus will judge the world—every single one of us. Our Judge demands that we be perfect. Our sinful hearts, lying, cursing, hatred, and all of our sins testify against us. We are far from perfect.

Why does God tell us this? God does not want us to falsely hope in ourselves. He tells us this “so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.” On our own, we are without excuse or defense. We cannot “try” our way out from under his judgment. “No one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by observing the law” (Romans 3).

Is all hope lost? If it were up to us, yes. But, thank God. In grace, God intervened on our behalf and provides what we could not. God gives us his righteousness. For us, Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead. In Christ, God declares us not guilty. Sinners like you and me are forgiven. Jesus has bought our freedom. God smiles on us. By faith in Jesus, he gives us heaven as our eternal home.

Through Jesus, you are ready to be judged. Jesus stands at your side. He points to his perfect life, his death in your place, and his resurrection. Then he points ahead as he leads you to your heavenly home with him.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, one day I will be judged. In humble repentance and confident joy, let me look forward to that great day. Sustain and increase my trust in you and all that you’ve done for my salvation. Until that day, let everything I say and do loudly shout that I love and trust 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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” … “your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Isaiah 6:3,7,8

One with the Holy One

Daily Devotion – May 30, 2018

Devotion based on Isaiah 6:3,7,8

See series: Devotions

Relationships are rewarding. No relationship is more meaningful and important than the one I have with the Lord. My present and eternal life depend on that relationship.

Yet how can I be certain that such a relationship exists? And if it exists, how can I be sure it will endure? I can’t help but recognize the vast gulf between my nature and his. He is absolute perfection while my life reveals countless imperfections.

Before him the heavenly angels shield their faces and feet with their wings. They cry out in reverent awe, “Holy, holy, holy.” The holy Lord demands and deserves such holiness from me. Like Isaiah I humbly confess my own brokenness and inability to secure and sustain a relationship with the high and holy Lord.

Yet the Lord of matchless majesty is also the Lord of matchless mercy. He bridges the divide between his holiness and my sinfulness. The bridge he provides is Jesus. He takes my sins and bears them all upon the cross. My guilt is completely taken away, and in its place, he freely gives me his grace. Before the holy God I am holy, for Jesus’ holiness is mine.

The bond of the Savior’s love also spans the great gap between the holy God and an unholy world. The whole earth is full of his glory for Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Through unbelief and rejection of God’s promise this gift is lost. However, through faith worked by the Holy Spirit, this gift is secure. We have peace with God and the promise of an everlasting relationship with him.

In the freedom of God’s forgiveness, Isaiah confidently received God’s invitation to be his prophet. He boldly answered God’s call, “Here am I. Send me!” The Lord still sends out messengers to fearlessly confess his saving name with faith-driven courage. Our holy and gracious God draws even more people into a relationship with him as his saving word is proclaimed.

Prayer:
O heavenly Father, you are truly loving and holy. Through your holy Son you have provided healing and forgiveness to an unholy world. Send the Holy Spirit to create faith in you through your Holy 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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Romans 8:14-17

Fight Temptation

Daily Devotion – May 29, 2018

Devotion based on Romans 8:14-17

See series: Devotions

Do you ever feel the temptation to do something that you know is wrong? How do you fight it?

One way to fight temptation is to remember who you are. By baptism, you are a member of God’s family. He has put the family name on you, “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” the name of the only true God. When you pray the Lord’s Prayer, you call God your Father in heaven, and that is exactly right. You are not a slave to your passions and fears. You have been brought out of slavery into being a member of the family.

Another way to fight temptation is to listen to the Holy Spirit speaking to you in the Word of God. You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Honor God with your body. The Spirit prompts you to repentance and faith, encouraging you with the promises of God when you fall. He renews your faith as you go through daily struggles.

Your baptism has connected you to the sufferings of Christ. He suffered for you, taking the punishment for your sins. God wants you to know that he has compassion on you because he sacrificed his one and only Son. He wants you to gain confidence in your everyday life from knowing and believing what he has done for you.

You are not alone. Your fellow Christian family members also struggle with temptation. They can be very helpful to you when you are struggling.

Your Savior, Jesus, was tempted in every way, just as you are, and yet was without sin. You can always approach him with confidence and ask for help. Because the perfect life of Jesus counts for you, you don’t have to worry that God the Father will give up on you. You will share in his glory.

Prayer:
Jesus, my sins alarm me, and my conscience grieves me. Let your cross disarm my fear and give me peace. 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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
John 3:14-17

Back to Basics

Daily Devotion – May 28, 2018

Devotion based on John 3:14-17

See series: Devotions

The candlelight flickered with the slight night breeze. A man named Nicodemus had come to speak with Jesus privately to learn more about him. Nicodemus had been raised in the school of work-righteousness—the belief that people earn favor and blessing from God by what they do. We can relate to that. Like Nicodemus, each of us has a voice inside of us which insists that if we are going to be right with God, we ourselves need to make that happen. To our natural selves, it only makes sense. So like Nicodemus, we need Jesus to take us back to the basics.

Jesus used a story Nicodemus knew. There was a time in the Old Testament when the Israelites rebelled against God. Because of that rebellion, the Israelites faced death at the fangs of venomous snakes God had sent. The wages of their sin was death. Yet God also instructed Moses to make a snake of bronze and put it up on a pole with the promise that all who looked to it would not die. God’s people sinned. They deserved death. He gave them life. With faith kindled by God’s promise, they trusted and lived.

Jesus said, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” We all have the venom of sin coursing through us, and it kills both body and soul. The wages of our sin is death. Yet God has given us all the antidote: not a bronze snake lifted up on a pole, but his Son lifted up on a cross to pay for the sins of the world. The good news Jesus gave to Nicodemus is the same news given to us in likely the most famous passage of the Bible: John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Jesus takes us back to the basics. We are sinful. We face death. Jesus paid for our sins. Through faith in him, we have life. So, when you are weighed down by your guilt or start to think that you have to earn your way into God’s good graces, listen to the lesson Jesus gave Nicodemus. Go back to the basics. In Jesus, you have life now and forever.

Prayer: (Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal – 304:5)
I, a sinner, come to you with a penitent confession. Savior, show me mercy, too; grant for all my sins remission. Let these words my soul relieve—Jesus sinners does receive. 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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
2 Corinthians 13:14

Our Triune God Blesses Us

Daily Devotion – May 27, 2018

Devotion based on 2 Corinthians 13:14

See series: Devotions

As remarkable as the description of our Triune God is (he is three persons—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—and yet one undivided God), the blessings that we receive through our Triune God are perhaps even more remarkable. We see these blessings summarized so simply in this final verse of the apostle Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians. Our Triune God blesses us with: His grace. His love. His fellowship.

First, his grace. God’s grace, by its very definition, is a gift—something that he gives us even though we do not deserve it. What is that gift of God’s grace? It is himself! God himself took on flesh and came into our world to live the perfect life that we could not and then died the innocent death that we deserved to die because of our sins. Both Jesus’ perfect life and innocent death were done in our place in order to win for us the forgiveness of sins and eternal life in heaven. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is what saves us. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is the reason those who believe in him will rejoice in heaven one day rather than suffer in hell.

Next, his love. God’s love is what drove him, what motivated him, what moved him to give us such a gift of his grace. If God did not love us, he would have left us to suffer for what our sins deserved. “Every man for himself!” would have been the cry from a God who did not love. But God did love, because God is love. His love moved him to send his Son to save us from eternal death in hell and give us life with him forever.

Finally, his fellowship. Fellowship with God is what we now have because of his grace and love. People who have fellowship are united. They share all good things with each other. No barriers separate them. How amazing it is to think that unholy sinners like we are could ever have fellowship with a holy God! But we do! And now we enjoy all the blessings of his fellowship: a new life in Christ, answered prayers, unity with fellow believers, the comfort of sins forgiven and life that will never end. We have fellowship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, both now and forever. We have fellowship with God because of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, which was driven by the love of God.

The grace, the love, the fellowship. This is who our God is. This is how our God blesses us. This is why we are saved. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Prayer:
O Triune God, we praise you for the remarkable blessings you have given to us—your grace, your love, your fellowship. Keep us in them always. Amen.

This devotion was selected from the Daily Devotion archive.

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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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