Author: Kerry

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:8-11

Humility Comes Before Glory

Daily Devotion – October 6, 2023

Devotion based on Philippians 2:8-11

See series: Devotions

In the life of Jesus, humility came before glory. This is especially evident when we see what happened before and after he died. A few days before his death, he voluntarily rode into Jerusalem knowing full well what would happen to him there.

He did not stop Judas from betraying him, his disciples from abandoning him, and his enemies from putting him on trial. “He was obedient to death” (2:8). So he suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He did it all for the disciples who abandoned him, the soldiers who beat him, and sinners like you and me.

And because he humbled himself in that way, “God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name” (2:9). If you exalt something, it means you lift it up. God lifted Jesus way up. First, God lifted Jesus up from the dead. Forty days later, he exalted Jesus to his right hand when Christ ascended into heaven.

The message is clear: Jesus Christ is Lord. And on the Last Day everyone will confess that truth. That glory will come for Jesus, but humility came first.

Our lives will be the same. Being a Christian doesn’t stop heartache, sickness, or sadness. It doesn’t give you lots of money. You might not be any healthier or richer than someone else, who couldn’t care less about Jesus. But not even the Son of God himself had an easy life when he became a man. In the life of the Christian, humility also comes before glory.

But there is glory for the Christian! The glory is heaven, eternal perfection, and your own resurrection. For now, Jesus has you right where he wants you—in the nail-scared palm of his hand.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, let the promised glory you won for me sustain me through difficult times. 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.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Philippians 2:5-7

The Mindset of Christ Jesus

Daily Devotion – October 5, 2023

Devotion based on Philippians 2:5-7

See series: Devotions

Today’s Bible passage gives you a peak into the mind of Jesus and empowers you to live like he did by telling you who he is and exactly how he lived.

Jesus is in very nature, God. But even though he is God, he did not use his divinity for his own advantage. Jesus had infinite power, but he used that power in miracles that helped others and not himself. He blessed children, washed feet, served meals, taught thousands, and became a servant of all.

That is the mindset God wants us to have—one that is very different from how we normally operate. Humility does not come naturally. We don’t want to humble ourselves. Our sinful nature will always try to convince us we deserve to be served.

That’s why it’s so important to see the mindset of Christ Jesus. If anyone deserved to be served, it was the Son of God. Jesus, however, did not get what he deserved. He got what we deserved because of our sin. He was the suffering Servant who was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities (Isaiah 53:5).

By our standards, he was not treated fairly, but by God’s standards, he was. Climb into Jesus’ mind and see his life and death the way he sees it. The plan was always that the One who had no sin would die for the sins of the many. Jesus knew that his life and death in service to us would give him what he really wanted: you, with him, forever, in heaven.

That is your Savior—the Son of God by whose death you have life. By his grace, you are now set free to serve others as he has already served you.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, give me a mindset like you and grant me joy in service to 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, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
Philippians 2:1-4

United With Christ

Daily Devotion – October 4, 2023

Devotion based on Philippians 2:1-4

See series: Devotions

Wouldn’t it be great to live a life filled with the virtues in today’s Bible passage? Then you could effortlessly display patience with your coworkers, selflessness in your marriage, and compassion in your parenting. It would make all those sorts of interpersonal relationships better if you had this kind of mindset.

This attitude, however, is hard to come by. The temptation toward selfish ambition and vain conceit is constant. Human nature is selfish by default. We are all born with the sinful tendency to serve ourselves rather than others and to view our way as the only right way. That, coupled with a culture that encourages you to focus exclusively on yourself, makes the virtues in this passage seem unattainable.

So the question of the day is this: Can you really live a life filled with those virtues, or is that wishful thinking? The answer is yes when you are united to Christ. When you become a Christian, Jesus changes you from dead in sin to alive in faith. Because Jesus lived for you, died for you, and rose from the dead for you, God sees you as a child he loves—a child with the amazing ability to love like Jesus loves you.

God does not see you as some hopeless, lost cause of a sinner. You are forgiven, and that totally changes the way you look at others. You don’t have to be selfish, angry, or lose control anymore. Be united with Christ.

Prayer:
Holy Spirit, unite me to Christ and give me humility so that I value others above myself. 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 to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.”
Matthew 21:31,32

Repent and Believe

Daily Devotion – October 3, 2023

Devotion based on Matthew 21:31,32

See series: Devotions

It was a shocking thing to say. Jesus was talking to some religious leaders and told them that tax collectors and prostitutes were entering the kingdom of heaven ahead of them. At that time, prostitutes and tax collectors were considered the worst of sinners.

So, how could Jesus say this? Because those sinners believed what John the Baptist preached. He had told them to repent and trust in Jesus. That was the best thing they ever heard. So, the tax collectors and the prostitutes repented, but the religious leaders to whom Jesus was speaking did not. They didn’t understand that they needed to repent just as much as everyone else.

And this is where we need to watch ourselves. It is easy to think we are better than other people–that they need to repent more than we do. But repentance is recognizing that no matter how good you may look outwardly, you’re no better than anyone else, and your only hope is in Christ alone. That’s why tax collectors and prostitutes were getting in ahead of the religious leaders. Not because they were better than them but because they turned from their sin and trusted their Savior.

It was a shocking thing for Jesus to say. But he said it out of love. He wanted to warn the religious leaders so that they would recognize their sin, repent, and trust in their Savior.

And do you know what? He is doing the same thing for you now in this devotion. Repent and believe the good news!

Prayer:
Lord, show me my sins and forgive me for them. Help me to trust in your perfect life and innocent death and give me your righteousness. 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] “There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
Matthew 21:28-31

Which Son Are You?

Daily Devotion – October 2, 2023

Devotion based on Matthew 21:28-31

See series: Devotions

Jesus told this story to confront his listeners with the ugly truth that they were not as obedient to God as they thought they were. A father asked his sons to work in the vineyard. The first son said no but later changed his mind and went to work. The second son said yes but then never went to work.

Which of them did what his father wanted? The obvious answer is the first son because he eventually did what his father asked. The other son gave the right answer but did not do what he promised.

So, which son are you? Jesus’ story forces you to examine yourself. Do you ever say no to what God tells you to do? Have you ever been quick to say yes to God’s commands, only to continue in your sins as usual?

Jesus wants you to admit that you are like both sons. Neither of them really did what their father wanted them to do. Ideally, both sons would say and do the right thing right away.

That kind of son isn’t in the story. He is telling the story. Jesus is the eternal Son of God who became one of us. This Son always said yes to his Father and always did his will. He lived perfectly as the substitute for all the other sons and daughters. He gave his perfect life on the cross for them as a gift. He did all the work in his Father’s vineyard, and you received all the credit.

Whenever you are confronted with the ugly truth that you are not as obedient to God as you think you are and see the disobedience of both sons in your life, thank God for his perfect Son, Jesus, who takes away all your sin.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for being obedient in my place and punished for my sins. 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 word of the LORD came to me: “What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: “‘The parents eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?” As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.”
Ezekiel 18:1-4

It’s Not Fair

Daily Devotion – October 1, 2023

Devotion based on Ezekiel 18:1-4

See series: Devotions

My children used to complain, “Dad, it’s not fair!” My response was, “You’re right. But then, God never promised that life would be fair.”

In our Bible reading for today, God’s children were complaining things weren’t fair. The gist of their complaint was that their ancestors had done sinful things, and now they were having to bear the consequences. It wasn’t fair. Rather than take responsibility for their own sinful actions and spiritual failures; they blamed their parents, grandparents, and ancestors.

How easy it is in life to slip into similar thinking. “My parents were terrible.” “My spouse totally mistreated me.” “I don’t deserve the treatment I’m getting; I’m better than that.” Then we are tempted to finish those sentences with, “It’s not fair, and it’s not my fault.”

God’s answer is succinct: “Every living soul belongs to me.” Our responsibility isn’t to make excuses about our circumstances in life. Rather, we are to serve God to the best of our ability in the situation into which we have been placed.

God made you exactly who he wanted you to be for your eternal good and the eternal good of others. God guides you through life’s good times and its unfairness so that you learn to rely on him more and more. Sometimes life is not easy or much fun. But through it all, God has claimed you as his own, bought at the price of Jesus’ own blood.

God never promised that life would be fair. Instead, he promised that he would keep on loving us and forgiving us through Jesus. That’s fair enough for me!

Prayer:
God, strengthen me to deal with life’s unfairness. Focus my attention on your love, always reminding me that you have graciously made me to be your own. 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.

What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.
Romans 9:14-16

Responsibilities

Daily Devotion – September 30, 2023

Devotion based on Romans 9:14-16

See series: Devotions

Those of us who are parents have the awesome task of preparing our children for their future. That future is the fusion of two parts—training for the short time they will be here on earth and training for their future in eternity. That can be a daunting undertaking, involving two totally different approaches to achieving a successful outcome.

For their time here on earth, we teach our children to be self-sufficient and responsible for their actions. We teach them to stand on their own two feet. The goal is to prepare them for life on their own, establishing their own families.

Then there is the training we give them to prepare for eternity. Suddenly we tell them that they can’t be self-sufficient. There is no way that they can prepare themselves to live eternally with God. Not since our first parents—Adam and Eve—sinned. From that time on, none of us could keep God’s commands and earn our way to heaven.

Instead, we totally rely on God and his plan for our salvation. We were unable to find our way to be with him eternally. As much as we may have wanted heaven for our future, we had a fatal flaw; we were sinners and separated from God. So God sent his Son. Jesus’ perfect life, his death in our place, and his resurrection brought us back so that we will be with God eternally in heaven. There is nothing we can do because Jesus has done it all by the mercy of God. Jesus was self-sufficient for us.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I take comfort in knowing that my hope of heaven is completely dependent on you and your mercy. Thank 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.

‘Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
Matthew 20:15

Begrudging Generosity

Daily Devotion – September 29, 2023

Devotion based on Matthew 20:15

See series: Devotions

“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth,” the saying goes. Since you are probably like me and haven’t been gifted a horse recently, maybe this saying doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. However, if you know a little about horses, you may know you can tell their approximate age by their teeth, so “looking a gift horse in the mouth” was a way of checking how valuable a gift it was. Today’s equivalent might be, “Don’t check the price tag to see how much the gift costs.”

It’s hard to do though, isn’t it? We are constantly comparing ourselves to others to see how we match up. We want to know if we have the best or if someone else has more. Even when it comes to someone’s generosity, we want to make sure everything is fair and that someone doesn’t receive more than we do.

While I may be tempted to think I deserve more from the Lord, I need to start with what I deserve. I should be punished, rejected, and separated from God forever. My sin is the reason why God should have turned away from me. God’s love, however, brought about a different response. Through the sacrificial work of Jesus, as well as through the substitution of his righteousness for my unrighteousness, I am saved. If God were fair, none of this would have happened. Instead, God would judge me and sentence me to eternal punishment.

Through his love, the Lord leads me to rejoice in my rescue and the promise of heaven. It also leads me to rejoice that God offers the same rescue and promise of heaven to all people. He wants all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. This is more than fair. It is grace.

Prayer:
Gracious God, help me to always be content with your gifts. Give me a contentment knowing that you purchased me with your Son’s 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.

‘Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Matthew 20:15,16

Enviable Generosity

Daily Devotion – September 28, 2023

Devotion based on Matthew 20:15,16

See series: Devotions

Fairness is instilled in us very early on in our lives. Observe small children dividing candy or the last piece of cake, and you will see them exercise precision in a way they never do unless fairness is involved. Emotions run high on the playground when someone cheats, and a group of children walk away crying, “That’s not fair!” Even as adults, the problems that really raise our blood pressure are almost always related to issues of fairness.

So, it would be easy to understand why someone might become frustrated with God’s way of dealing with people. We naturally think he ought to love people as a reward for good behavior. And those who do things like obey his commands and listen to his word ought to be treated better by God. Certainly, those who have done more deserve more—right?

But then we see God forgiving the sins of people who spent most of their lives ignoring him and disobeying what he commands. We can feel it’s unfair, especially after we have spent our lives following him and striving to obey what he commands.

Instead of being envious of God’s generosity to others, we do well to rejoice in it, to celebrate that this is the kind of God we have! One who is this generous to sinners, even sinners like us. When we see God generously forgiving others, we can be thankful he shows that same generosity and goodness to us.

God grant that we celebrate, not envy, his generosity.

Prayer:
Saving Lord, you are merciful to all. Give to me a spirit that is thankful that you have forgiven all sins and promise salvation to all. 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.

What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.
Romans 9:14-16

God’s Mercy

Daily Devotion – September 27, 2023

Devotion based on Romans 9:14-16

See series: Devotions

We’re all pretty good at excusing our own behavior and judging the behavior of others. For example, we may think it’s reasonable to take a few extra breaks at work; after all, we deserve it. However, we look at the coworker just a few spaces down and think they take too long at lunch and are lazy. Or we might speed a little and break a few traffic laws and think that’s no big deal. However, we are certain the guy who just passed us needs to get pulled over by the police. Or, we are rude or cruel to some of the people around us but are deeply offended when someone is rude or cruel to us.

Simply put, we want our mistakes and sins to be unjustly overlooked, but something should really be done about our neighbors’ mistakes and sins. When it comes to the sins of others, we want justice.

The truth is that all people deserve God’s just punishment for their sin—you and I included. But, thankfully, our God is merciful. His compassion led him to become one of us in the person of Jesus Christ so that he could live the perfect life we didn’t live and die the death we deserved. For his sake and his alone, God has had mercy on us. As the apostle Paul wrote in our Bible reading today, “It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy” (Romans 9:16).

Rather than depending on something I have done or not done, God is merciful to me because that is his way. It is simply who he is and what he does, and therefore, I am included in those whom God loves because it is his merciful and compassionate way.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, make me to better know that it is not my will or actions, but your mercy and compassion by which I am saved. 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.