Author: Kerry

Listen to Devotion

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
Acts 2:37-39

Cut and Comforted

When the apostle Peter preached to the crowd in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, he did not soften his message. “You crucified him,” Peter said. The very Savior that God had promised, the one sent to rescue them, they had rejected. And the people felt it. Luke says they were “cut to the heart.”

That’s what God’s Word does. It doesn’t flatter us. It doesn’t tell us we’re basically fine. It tells us the truth. Our sin isn’t small. It isn’t someone else’s problem. Left alone, it separates us from God. When that truth sinks in, the question arises: “What shall we do?”

It’s the most natural question in the world. When you realize something is broken, you want to fix it. When you realize you’re guilty, you want to make it right. But Peter’s answer is not, “Try harder.” It’s not, “Do better next time.”

He says, “Repent and be baptized… for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Notice how active God is in that sentence. Forgiveness is given. The Spirit is given. The promise is given.

We bring the sin. God brings the rescue. That is how faith begins. God’s law cuts so that his gospel can heal. He shows us our desperate condition so that we will see how desperately we need Jesus.

And then he gives him to us. Through his Word, through baptism, through the message of the cross, God applies what Jesus has done. Not partly. Completely. Not because we earned it. Because Christ did. The same God who exposes our guilt also washes it away. The promise is for you.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, cut away my pride and self-reliance. Then comfort me with the full forgiveness won by Jesus. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.

Listen to Devotion

When [Jesus] was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
Luke 24:30-32

Strengthened by God’s Good Gifts

The two disciples with whom Jesus spoke on Easter evening on the road to Emmaus had had their faith shaken to the core. Jesus had been tried as a felon and crucified as a criminal, looking like a failure.

They heard the reports that the tomb was empty and Jesus was alive, but it didn’t revive their faith. They didn’t even stick around in Jerusalem to see if it might be true. They hit the road for Emmaus, leaving the other disciples.

Jesus chose these two doubting disciples to be among the first he appeared to after his resurrection. He didn’t show up at Pilate’s palace. He didn’t walk into the temple in triumph. He didn’t gloat to the religious leaders who orchestrated his death. He chose two disciples in a crisis of faith.

Jesus gave them exactly what they needed. He shared God’s Word. He broke bread with them as he had during the Passover meal the previous Thursday. Those good gifts were all they needed to recognize that Jesus was alive and so was their faith.

We know what it’s like to struggle. A temptation that won’t loosen its grip. An illness that lingers. A loved one is drifting further from God. All of these can cause a crisis of faith.

That’s when we go where Jesus has told us to look. We open his Word where we hear that our sins are forgiven. We see that the cross is for us. And in the Lord’s Supper, Jesus gives us something tangible. We don’t just hear we are forgiven; we receive it.

When faith feels fragile, God doesn’t demand that we get stronger. He points us to his promises. The same Savior who walked with those disciples still comes to his people today. He still brings those good gifts with him.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, when doubt clouds my heart, draw me back to your Word and your promises. Strengthen my faith with your good gifts. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.

Listen to Devotion

[Jesus] said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
Luke 24:25-27

All Scripture Points Us to Jesus

When Jesus appeared to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, he kept them from recognizing him. That seems strange. If the goal was to convince them he was alive, why not simply say, “It’s me”? Instead, Jesus did something just as powerful. He opened the Scriptures.

He walked them through the first part of the Bible, what we call the Old Testament, and showed them how it had always been pointing to him. He may have taken them back to the Garden of Eden, where God promised that one of Eve’s descendants would crush the serpent. He may have reminded them of the Passover Lamb in Exodus, whose blood saved God’s people from death. He certainly could have pointed to the prophet Isaiah, who wrote about a suffering servant who would be “pierced for our transgressions.”

We might think it would be more powerful if Jesus were to appear today. Wouldn’t that make for an undeniable and visible testimony? If Jesus were standing right in front of us. Wouldn’t that settle everything?

But Jesus chooses something else. He chooses his Word. God’s Word doesn’t just give information. It creates faith. It reveals who Jesus is and what he has done. His Word shows us that his suffering wasn’t an accident. Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection was a rescue plan written across centuries.

The Bible is not a random collection of spiritual thoughts. It is one unfolding story with one hero: Jesus. And through that Word, the Holy Spirit opens eyes just like he did for those disciples on the road to Emmaus.

If you want to know who Jesus is, start where he told us to look. Open the Bible. That will lead you straight to your Savior, Jesus.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, open my eyes through your Word. Strengthen my faith in your promises and help me see you on every page of Scripture. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.

Listen to Devotion

One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.”
Luke 24:18-21

God’s Promises and Our Perception

In 1928, scientist Alexander Fleming returned from vacation to find that one of his petri dishes had been contaminated with mold. It looked like a failure and ruined work. But when Fleming looked closer, he noticed something remarkable. Around the mold, the bacteria had died. What looked spoiled was actually powerful. That mold, penicillin, would go on to save hundreds of thousands of lives during World War II and millions more in the years that followed.

Three days after Jesus’ death, two disciples were walking away from Jerusalem. With their faces downcast and their hearts full of disappointment. They said, “We had hoped…” They had hoped for redemption, freedom, and restoration for Israel. But Jesus had been crucified. To them, the cross looked like failure, like God’s plan had been ruined.

But the cross wasn’t failure; it was success. There, Jesus satisfied God’s wrath. There, he paid for every sin. And three days later, Jesus proved it with an empty tomb.

We know the feeling of having hope disappointed. We hoped the diagnosis would be different. We hoped the relationship would heal. He hoped the door would open. Sometimes God’s work in our lives looks like a ruined plan.

But the cross teaches us it is better to trust God’s promises than our perceptions. What looked like defeat became salvation. What looked like death became life. In Jesus, your greatest problem has already been cured.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, when plans don’t match my expectations, help me trust your promises. Remind me that your cross is never failure, but always my cure. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.

Listen to Devotion

“God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.. . . Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
Acts 2:32,36

Christ Lives to Reign

King Cyrus of Persia, King David of Judah, Caesar Augustus of Rome—these are three of the countless people who have ruled nations and empires over the centuries. Some kings and kingdoms lasted for generations, while others were short-lived. As different as they were from each other, they all had one thing in common—they did not last.

How uncertain life would be if all we had to lean on were these passing kings and kingdoms. Our immortal souls need something more. How eagerly, then, we listen to the words of the apostle Peter. He tells us of a far greater King. This King is the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter tells us of a far greater kingdom. Jesus’ kingdom will last for eternity.

It didn’t always seem this way, though. Jesus’ enemies plotted for years to kill Jesus. Finally, they carried out their plans and crucified him. He didn’t seem like a king whose kingdom would last for eternity.

But then came Easter. Jesus’ disciples ran to an empty grave. He had risen. He was still King, and his kingdom was still intact.

Today, let Peter’s words give you strength. Be assured of this: your King lives to reign. He is the Lord of your heart. He is your eternal source of forgiveness and hope.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, by your resurrection from the dead you proved that you are my Savior and Lord. May your sure promises of forgiveness and life not only lead me to trust in you but also to live for you. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.

Listen to Devotion

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1:3-9

Living Hope

A person struggles with a dangerous sin. He has given in before. It’s such a struggle that some days he is ready to give in for good. But he hangs on, remembering the battle Jesus fought to set him free. He continues to fight, relying on God’s power that raised Jesus to life. And where there is life, there is hope.

This new life is ours through the good news of the crucified and risen Jesus. Through this message, the Holy Spirit connects us to the accomplished work of our Savior. Jesus’ death becomes our death. Jesus’ life becomes our life—a living hope.

Living hope is not skeptical. It does not get discouraged when life’s circumstances change. Living hope holds onto God’s indestructible inheritance. If you die or the world ends, it’s still yours. It can’t be spoiled by sin or sinful people. It won’t lose value over time. God is keeping it safe for you in heaven. By faith in Jesus, that inheritance is your salvation—eternal freedom from sin, death, and the devil’s power.

So, rejoice! Jesus lives! And where there is life, there is hope.

Prayer:

Dearest Jesus, I praise you for the life, hope, and inheritance I have in you. And so, I consider it a joy if I must suffer for your name. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.

Listen to Devotion

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 20:30-31

Written For Your Faith

The apostle John closes his book with a purpose: “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

The resurrection appearances were not random miracles. They were signs. Proof. Testimony. Carefully preserved and proclaimed so that future generations—like us—might have certainty.

Christian faith is not blind optimism. It rests on recorded, eyewitness history. The apostles saw Jesus. They touched him. They ate with him. And then they wrote. Why? So “that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” Notice the present tense: have life. Not only future glory, but also present peace and access to God.

Jesus lives, and therefore you live. His victory becomes your victory. His declaration of sins forgiven becomes your declaration of peace with God. His promise to be with you always becomes your source of calm and courage. His selfless love for you becomes your motivation to selflessly love your neighbor.

This is why we treasure the Bible. It is not merely a collection of inspiring thoughts. It is Spirit-breathed testimony to the living Jesus. Through it, Jesus still comes into locked rooms and hearts. Through it, he still shows his wounds. Through it, he still declares, “Peace be with you.”

When doubts arise, return to what is written. When fear closes in, return to what is written. When guilt accuses, return to what is written.

The resurrection of Jesus on Easter is not only an annual celebration. It is daily proof that your sins are forgiven and your future is secure. He lives to give you proof and peace. He lives—and in him, you have life.

Prayer:

Living Lord Jesus, anchor my faith in your written Word. Through it, grant me unshakable proof and enduring peace. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.

Listen to Devotion

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
John 20:26-29

The Wounded Lord Draws Near

A week after Jesus appeared to his disciples on Easter evening, he appears again. The doors are locked. This time, Thomas is present. Jesus speaks directly to him. “Put your finger here; see my hands… Stop doubting and believe.”

What mercy! Jesus repeats Thomas’s own words back to him—not to mock, but to invite. The Lord had heard his doubt. And now he answers it with the proof of his wounds from the cross. Even in resurrection glory, Jesus keeps the marks of crucifixion as proof of his undeserved love.

Thomas responds with the clearest confession in John’s Gospel: “My Lord and my God!” Thomas declares who Jesus is—God himself—and who Jesus is to him—his Lord. His doubt is transformed into worship.

Jesus then speaks to us: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” This is not second-class faith. It is faith grounded in the testimony of the apostles. The eyewitnesses saw so that we may trust their proclamation.

We do not touch his wounds physically. However, we encounter the same crucified and risen Jesus in his Word and in the Lord’s Supper. In the Lord’s Supper, Jesus provides individual sinners with the ongoing assurance that his body and blood have been given and shed for them.

He lives. And his living presence continues to comfort wounded consciences.

Your wounds, too, are known to him. By his death and resurrection, he transformed your guilt into peace, your temporary pain into enduring hope, and your momentary sorrows into joy that will last forever.

Thomas received what he asked for and more. He received a living Savior. So do you.

Prayer:

My Lord and my God, thank you for meeting my doubts with mercy. Keep my faith anchored in your wounded yet victorious body. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.

Listen to Devotion

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
John 20:24–25

When Doubt Demands Proof

Thomas was not there. We are not told why. But in his absence, he missed out on the peace the risen Jesus brought to his disciples with his appearance. When the others told him, “We have seen the Lord,” Thomas refused to believe without tangible proof. “Unless I see… unless I touch… I will not believe.”

We often judge Thomas rather harshly. Yet his demand is deeply human. Disappointment makes us guarded. Grief makes us cautious. We hesitate to trust again. Thomas was not asking for some mystical feeling; he wanted reality.

But notice this: even in his doubt, Thomas remained among the disciples. He did not abandon the fellowship entirely. And that matters.

There will be seasons when you struggle. You may wrestle with suffering, prayers that seem unanswered, or intellectual questions. Doubt does not shock Jesus. He knows the wounds that cause it.

Yet the answer to doubt is not isolation. When doubt or grief casts a long shadow over your soul, the worst thing you can do is to go off alone with your gloomy thoughts.

The best thing you can do is to go where believers in Jesus gather around the promises of God and encourage one another with those promises. Go and be where Jesus meets with us— “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20). Go and be where his sweet “Peace be with you,” is spoken, where praying with others and for others and singing praise to God with many voices can lift you up and outside of yourself. The answer to doubt is not isolation.

Thomas stayed close enough to hear again.

And Jesus did not scold him from a distance. He came near. He lives not to shame doubters, but to give them proof and peace. The risen Jesus is patient with you, too. Even when your grip weakens, his hold remains firm.

Prayer:

Lord, when I struggle with doubt, keep me near your Word and your people. Strengthen my faith with the certainty of your resurrection. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.

Listen to Devotion

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
John 20:21–23

Sent with the Spirit’s Power

Twice, Jesus said, “Peace be with you.” Then he added, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

The peace Jesus gives is not stagnant. It inspires people who have found peace to now offer it to others in Jesus’ name.

Notice what empowered Jesus’ disciples: “He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” The same Lord who breathed life into Adam now breathes new life into fearful disciples. Resurrection life becomes missionary life.

And what is the core of their mission? Forgiveness. “If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” This is astonishing authority. Christians do not invent forgiveness; they deliver what Jesus purchased. The peace Jesus spoke in that locked room now travels through the mouths of believers into the ears of sinners. When a believer in Jesus declares, “I forgive you in Jesus’ name,” it is not wishful thinking. It is the living Jesus applying the forgiveness he purchased and won.

Receive from the risen Jesus the power of forgiveness.

Receive from the risen Jesus the power to forgive.

You are sent to bring peace to people in this world—not necessarily across oceans, but across rooms, across tables, across ordinary conversations. You carry the message that death has been defeated and sins are forgiven.

“Peace be with you!”

Prayer:

Jesus, breathe your Spirit into me. Fill me with your peace and send me to share the forgiveness you have won. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.