Author: Kerry

The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Genesis 2:18

Marriage is a Gift of God

Daily Devotion – October 6, 2024

Devotion based on Genesis 2:18


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God provided a beautiful home for the first man he created to live on earth. It was a wonderful garden—a paradise! There were varieties of plants and an abundance of animals. But there was one thing that was “not good.” The man was alone. He observed that the animals had mates, but he had none. In the midst of all the beautiful perfection of his environment, he needed to have someone with whom he could closely share his life.

God answered the man’s need. He created another person—a very special person—a woman and brought her to the man. The man loved her, and they joined together in a special union that God intended. In marriage they lived as husband and wife.

The first marriage was God’s plan to bring blessing to the man and the woman. That marriage is important because it is God’s pattern for humanity. God established marriage as a lifelong union of one man and one woman. Though sin has brought many difficulties into marital relationships, God still blesses couples through marriage as he established it.

If you are a husband or wife, love your spouse and live together faithfully in your marriage. If you are single, honor the will of God regarding the union of marriage. God established his plan for marriage because he loves us and desires to bless our lives through it. Marriage is a gift of God to be respected and enjoyed.

Prayer:
Lord God, praise to you for establishing the union of marriage. Help me to honor this wonderful gift and live according to your will. Amen.

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
James 4:8

Wash Your Hands

Daily Devotion – October 5, 2024

Devotion based on James 4:8


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A hospital in our area has a special unit for premature babies. Before you enter this unit, there is a washing station. Above the washing station, there is a sign for everyone to see. The sign says: “If you could see the germs, you’d wash your hands.”

That sign says a great deal in just a few words. It declares that if you and I could only see the masses of dangerous germs crawling over our hands, we’d recognize what deadly business these germs can be and do what’s necessary to wash them away.

Sin can be like that. Our noses can get so used to the stench of our sinful habits that we can’t even smell them anymore. Our ears can get so used to the ungodly screech of our sinful thoughts that we can’t even hear them anymore. And our eyes can grow so accustomed to the bacterium of sin crawling over us and through us that we can’t even see it anymore.

“Wash your hands, you sinners,” James tells us. But how? And with what?

When it comes to your sin and mine, the answer is not some antiseptic that squirts out of a hospital dispenser. The answer is blood, the blood of the Son of God.

Jesus saw our filthy, sinful hands. He knew we were helpless to wash them clean. And, so, he did what we needed him to do. He sacrificed himself; he shed his blood to wash away our sins. His blood cleanses us. It makes your life and mine fresh and forgiven, clean and new.

So, let’s wash our hands every day. Wash them in the cleansing blood of our Savior, for “the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purifies us of all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, it is your blood that washes me clean. Move me by your Spirit to come to you every day. Amen.

Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?
James 4:11,12

The Irony of Judging Others

Daily Devotion – October 4, 2024

Devotion based on James 4:11,12


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Jesus could not have been clearer. He said, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned” (Luke 6:37). Those instructions were undoubtedly a regular part of our Savior’s preaching and teaching. And why? Because human beings are so naturally and sinfully quick to judge others. It’s easy for us to spot a sinner… until we’re standing in front of a mirror. We tend to overlook our own spiritual flaws because we’re so laser-focused on the sins of others.

And what’s worse, after we notice our neighbor’s sins, what’s the next thing we’re likely to do? Talk about it to someone else. God calls that slander, even if what we are saying about someone is 100 percent true, and through the pen of Saint James, he forbids it. “Brother and sisters, do not slander one another.”

Judging others is truly ironic because by gleefully pointing out the sins of others, you’re sinning yourself. James explained, “Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.” What are you doing when you stand in judgment over your neighbor? You’re suggesting that you’re in a better position to be your neighbor’s judge than God is. You’re attempting to push God off his judgment seat in order to take his place. It’s a classic symptom of arrogant, sinful, and deadly pride.

But as James reminds us, “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy.” So, let’s leave the judging to Jesus. After all, “Who are you to judge your neighbor?” Jesus has the job of judging all people under control, and his judgments are perfect.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, save me from the sin of arrogantly and lovelessly judging others. Amen.

Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
James 4:9,10

Don’t Hold in Your Sin

Daily Devotion – October 3, 2024

Devotion based on James 4:9,10


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Some of the best advice a person can receive when going through the grieving process is this: “You need to cry.” Some people will claim that they’re not “criers,” but it’s pretty clear that while living in this fallen world, there are times when crying is appropriate. Even Jesus cried when he went to the tomb of his friend Lazarus and when he wrestled in prayer with his heavenly Father over the painful mission he had been sent to accomplish by his death on the cross. So, if Jesus didn’t hold it in, we shouldn’t either. Crying is very much a part of the grieving process, so don’t cover it up. Let it rip. It’s healthy!

That’s also good advice when it comes to our sin. We tend to hide it, to cover it up. But that’s not healthy. In fact, it’s deadly. In Psalm 32, King David described the acute suffering he brought on himself by attempting to cover up his transgressions. It wasn’t a pretty picture. He confessed to the Lord, “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.” But what was David finally prompted to do? To let it go. “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin.” His heartfelt confession and grief over his sin resulted in forgiveness, peace, and restoration.

Saint James urges us to take this same approach toward our own sin. “Grieve, mourn and wail,” he wrote. “Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord.” And why? Because when we do, the Lord “will lift (us) up” with his powerful and forgiving arms.

You can’t fix your sin by holding it in and covering it up. But Jesus can, and he does. So it’s always best to let it go.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, help me to unburden my heart of sin’s baggage, and lift me up with your forgiving love. Amen.

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
James 4:8

Run to Jesus

Daily Devotion – October 2, 2024

Devotion based on James 4:8


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If your clothes caught on fire, it might be your first instinct to run. But as a child, you probably received the same instruction I received if faced with this scenario. I was told to stop, drop, and roll. If your clothes are on fire, running away won’t do any good; it will simply fan the flames. But stopping, dropping, and rolling are meant to snuff the fire out by eliminating the fire’s air supply. It might seem counterintuitive not to run, but it’s the right thing to do.

When Adam and Eve fell into sin, their first instinct was to run. Moses tells us that when the Lord God came to pay a visit to the Garden of Eden, the two occupants of that former Paradise didn’t come running to greet God; they hid from him. Their reason for doing so was simple and straightforward: they had done the very thing that God had told them not to do, and now they were dreading the eternal consequences: death itself!

But rather than leaving them in the misery of their guilt and sin, what did our gracious heavenly Father do? He called those scared sinners to his side. And when they came near to him, what did he do? He came near to them with the promise of a Savior. Yes, they would have to endure some earthly consequences for their sin, but God would send a unique offspring of the woman—his own Son, Jesus—to crush the devil’s head and defeat the eternal consequences of sin once and for all.

What does that important biblical account teach us? That when we find ourselves engulfed in sin, as tempted as we might be to run from God, we should run toward him. No, don’t stop, drop, and roll. Run to the open and forgiving arms of Jesus, who alone can heal the wounds of our sin with the cooling balm that flows from the wounds he willingly endured for us on the cross. And it’s in his wounds where we can wash our hands and purify our hearts forever.

Prayer:
Jesus, teach me to flee to you with my every sin to find forgiveness, peace, and life everlasting. Amen.

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7

Resisting the Devil

Daily Devotion – October 1, 2024

Devotion based on James 4:7


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Martin Luther loved to mock the devil. That especially became the case after he fully realized just how certain and sure Jesus’ love and salvation were for him. He knew that with Jesus and his Word on his side, he could be as bold as the brave boy David was when he faced the giant Goliath. “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin,” David told that Philistine warrior, “but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head” (1 Samuel 17:45,46). With Jesus on his side, Luther knew that his victory over the devil was just as certain as David’s victory over Goliath. It would result in a blowout.

But what would have happened to David or Luther if they hadn’t entered their battles with Jesus and his powerful promises at their side? They would have been swiftly defeated and stripped of their brashness. Simply put, if they had believed they could defeat the dark forces of this world based on their own power or wisdom, they would have quickly learned otherwise. Without Jesus, none of us are a match for the devil—he will win every time.

But as Saint James reminds us today, when we resist the devil in Jesus’ name, armed with the sword of the Spirit, his holy Word (Ephesians 6:17), we can’t lose. That doesn’t mean the devil won’t attack us daily with temptation; he most certainly will. But when we resist the devil in Jesus’ name, James assures us, “he will flee from you.”

And so, we sing with Luther:

Though devils all the world should fill, all eager to devour us,
We tremble not, we fear no ill; they shall not overpow’r us.
This world’s prince may still scowl fierce as he will,
He can harm us none. He judged; the deed is done;
One little word can fell him (Christian Worship 863:3).

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, help me daily cling to you and resist the devil’s temptations. Amen.

Submit yourselves, then, to God.
James 4:7

A Battle of Wills

Daily Devotion – September 30, 2024

Devotion based on James 4:7


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The parent-child relationship in this broken world is a fairly easy one to summarize—it’s a battle of wills. A parent wants one thing; the child wants something else. And so it is that from a very early age, toddlers begin to utilize and perfect one of their favorite words: “No!” Mommy or Daddy has directed them to do this or that, but their little ones have a completely different idea, a different will, and they resist. And the battle ensues.

Good parenting involves training a child to submit to your will willingly. It’s a valuable lesson to learn. But for children to be willing to do that, they must learn from experience that their parents’ will is good for them. They need to appreciate that Mom and Dad love them and have their children’s best interests in mind. As children begin to recognize this, they’ll be more willing to surrender their will because they see how it results in their blessing.

It’s no different for the children of God. By nature, we don’t trust our heavenly Father. We’re convinced that our way of doing things is better than his. We’re forever tempted to engage him in a battle of wills.

But how could that ever turn out well for us? Consider the many advantages our heavenly Father has over us, not the least of which is his ability to know the future and control it for our good. More than that, when we consider what he wants for us and all people—that he “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4)—why would we ever think that his will for us could somehow turn out badly? And when we consider his overwhelming love for us—that he “did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all” (Romans 8:32)—how could we ever imagine that our will is superior to his? God’s will is always accomplished, and his will for us is good.

Simply put, this is one battle of the will we should want to lose because it results in our eternal blessing.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, help me daily to submit to your good and gracious will for me. Amen.

Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the tent. Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders.
Numbers 11:24,25

Equipped by the Spirit

Daily Devotion – September 29, 2024

Devotion based on Numbers 11:24,25


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Moses was a humble, faithful leader of God’s people. As an 80-year-old man, he served with courage and patience, leading the Children of Israel out of Egypt to the promised land of Canaan. The Israelites numbered about two million people. God was gracious and provided for their needs on the journey. On a daily basis, he miraculously provided a special food they called “manna.” But the people God fed with this food got fed up with it and ungratefully complained that it wasn’t enough. It was almost too much for Moses. He got very frustrated and prayed to the Lord, “I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.”

The Lord provided help. Seventy elders were chosen to assist Moses. The Lord equipped these elders for service by putting his Holy Spirit on them. The Spirit gave them the gifts they needed to accomplish the service for which they were appointed.

The Lord gives us his Spirit, too. The Holy Spirit comes to us through the gospel. He uses the good news of Jesus to give us life and salvation. God the Holy Spirit also equips us for the Lord’s service of leading people from the slavery of sin to the promised home of heaven. With gratefulness for all the blessings in Jesus, we gladly serve the Lord in this most important work.

Watch for opportunities that you have in your family, at work, or through your church to serve the Lord and accomplish his work. Equipped by the Holy Spirit, be confident that the Lord can use you to fulfill his will.

Prayer:
Lord, give me the ability to recognize and utilize the special gifts I have received from the Holy Spirit so that I may humbly and faithfully serve you and do all I can to lead more people to Jesus for their salvation. Amen.

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
James 3:13-15

Wisdom From Above

Daily Devotion – September 28, 2024

Devotion based on James 3:13-15


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What does it mean to be wise? What does it mean to possess wisdom and understanding? The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates is attributed with saying, “I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.” King Solomon, the wisest man ever, came to a similar, sober conclusion when he pursued human wisdom. In the book of Ecclesiastes, he wrote: “For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.” Just as having more money doesn’t mean more happiness, having more earthly wisdom doesn’t mean a more satisfying life.

Thankfully, God has shown us another kind of wisdom. This wisdom is much more than the accumulation of information or the acquisition of insight; it is a way of life. True wisdom that comes from heaven “is first of all pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”

This wisdom can be seen perfectly in the life of Jesus Christ. It’s demonstrated in his mercy towards sinners, in his submission to his enemies, in his patience with his disciples, and finally in his selfless sacrifice on the cross. Jesus not only shows us the best possible way to live, but in his wisdom, he saved us from the control of sin and the penalty that it deserves.

When the Holy Spirit leads us to understand who Jesus is and what he has done for us, true wisdom is born in our hearts. This wisdom leads us to put away all bitter envy and selfish ambition. It helps us see through the false wisdom of this world that is earthly, unspiritual, and of the devil, and follow Jesus by sowing peace so that we, too, might raise a harvest of righteousness.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, send your Holy Spirit into my heart that I may always know true wisdom in my Savior, Jesus. Help me to live a life that is more and more like his. Amen.

He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”
Mark 9:36,37

Welcome the Children!

Daily Devotion – September 27, 2024

Devotion based on Mark 9:36,37


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Nowadays, it seems like the kids control the family schedule: baseball practices, dance recitals, band rehearsals, science fairs, etc. I know that my wife and I are not alone in this. It seems that whenever I talk to my friends with children, they’re just as gassed and tired as we are from all the chasing and driving. How about you?

Why do we do all of this? Why are we willing to cart them around and sacrifice all that time and money? There is probably a whole slew of reasons that you could spout off, but I think it boils down to this: we love them! We want the best for our kids. We want them to be successful and have an enjoyable childhood.

Jesus loves children, too. There are a number of times in the Bible where he took time for them, held them, and blessed them. Why? Because children are important to him. Our children are important to him.

If God has blessed you with kids, you have an amazing responsibility. God has put you in charge of that child’s spiritual welfare. As important and pressing as practices and rehearsals might seem, there is something deeper and longer-lasting that God wants for your child—a life and an eternity with Jesus. God wants your child to know that he has a Savior from sin. God wants your child to know that nothing will separate him from the love of Jesus. God wants your child to know he is forgiven.

Our society spends so much time on children. Let’s make sure that the children are being cared for with something that will last into eternity—their Savior.

Prayer:
Dear God, bless the young people in my life with assurance of your love and forgiveness. Bless our efforts to raise the next generation with the message of the cross of Jesus. Amen.