Category: Daily Devotions

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This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:3,4

The Mindset of Our Heavenly Father

It’s natural for children to ask their parents “why,” especially when they’re being told to do something that they don’t want to do. Of course, the classic answer that parents often give to that question is both simple and direct: “Because I said so.” It really doesn’t need to be any more complicated than that. As the apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’—which is the first commandment with a promise—’so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth’” (Eph 6:1-3). Children must obey their parents and others in authority without asking why unless they’re convinced that the order would involve disobeying God. Then, “we must obey God rather than human beings!” (Ac 5:29).

Of course, our heavenly Father also doesn’t need to give us the reason he commands us to do something. But how blessed we are that so often he does! And what fundamental reason does he most often give us for his commands? He wants us to be like him, just as he created us to be holy and perfect in his image.

So, when Christians are urged by the apostle Paul to pray for all people, including kings and those in authority over us, it’s simply meant to reflect the kind of the love and concern our heavenly Father has for all people. The apostle Peter once plainly stated that “God does not show favoritism’ (Ac 10:34). And Paul could not have been any clearer by writing that God “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” Why? Because “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” (Jn 3:16).

That’s our heavenly Father’s mindset, and he wants his children to think and act the same way. So, love and pray for all people. Have the mindset of our heavenly Father.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, empower me to always think and act like you, demonstrating love and concern for all people. 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.

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I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
1 Timothy 2:1,2

Pray for the Powerful

When the apostle Paul urges Christians to pray for all people, it might be tempting to conclude that he only means those people who face trouble and challenges in this life. Certainly, he can’t mean that we should pray for those who live in royal palaces, people who seem to have everything in this world that their hearts desire. We should pray for those with wealth, power, and prestige? Why would they even need my prayers?

One could even argue that there are biblical reasons for drawing such a conclusion. After all, didn’t the psalmist pray for the downfall of mighty men who stood on top of the mountain and oppressed those under their feet? “Break the arm of the wicked man; call the evildoer to account for his wickedness that would not otherwise be found out” (Ps 10:15). Should we not instead be praying fervently for “the fatherless and the oppressed so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror.” (Ps 10:18)? Down with the powerful, right?

It should go without saying that Paul was not commanding Timothy or us to pray for the success of powerful people who are seeking to take advantage of others. That would run counter to God’s good and perfect will. But that does not mean we should exclude powerful people from our prayers altogether. Far from it! If anything, those who exercise power and authority in this world need our special prayers because their decisions often have a significant impact on the lives of others. God grant them hearts of wisdom, humility, justice, patience, and mercy.

To what end? Paul tells us: “that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” Please note Paul doesn’t suggest we pray for powerful people so that we can realize earthly success, power, and wealth ourselves. No, a Christian’s ultimate goal in this world is to live a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and holiness.

That’s a prayer worth praying!

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, help me to fix my heart on things above and to pray for those who exercise power in this world. 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.

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I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people.
1 Timothy 2:1

Pray for Everyone

“Be nice to everyone.” Everyone? I couldn’t believe what my mother was telling me. How could I be nice to everyone when everyone isn’t nice to me?

But she was standing on solid ground by laying down that principle for life because no less a person than Jesus expressed it himself in the same way, only with slightly different words. “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Mt 7:12).

But by giving the instruction he did, Jesus wasn’t only directing his disciples to be nice to everyone with their outward actions. After all, anyone can pretend to be nice to someone to their face, only to stab them in the back with unkind thoughts and words in the very next moment when they’re not looking. Jesus instead calls his followers to change from the inside out and to “love one another deeply, from the heart” (1 Pe 1:22).

And where can we begin, with the power of the Holy Spirit, to transform our hearts and minds to be more like Jesus? By taking to heart the apostolic encouragement that Paul once offered to his young pastor friend Timothy and the Christians he was shepherding. “I urge, then, first of all,” Paul wrote, “that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people.”

What’s the difference between “petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving”? Not much in the long run. But Paul probably piled up the words to illustrate how a Christian’s love and concern for all people should pile up like God’s own. As Jesus once pointed out about his Father’s love, “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Mt 5:45).

In the same way, we are called to be nice to everyone, not only when it comes to our outward actions but also in the very thoughts of our hearts. Let us pray for all people, even if we might suspect they’re not praying for us, asking the Lord Jesus to bless them with hearts of faith and joy and to grant them peace, now and forever.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, help me to be more like you and inspire me to pray for everyone. 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.

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[Jesus said] “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”
Luke 11:9

Do I need to pray?

There are times when it almost doesn’t seem worth it to pray. It may be our trouble—like illness or injury—that doesn’t seem bad enough to ask God for his help. There are other times when our problems seem so large and unmanageable that it seems prayer wouldn’t help anyway. But there is never a time when it would be useless to pray.

God wants to hear your prayers, no matter what. You are wrong if you feel that your trouble isn’t bad enough to bother the Almighty. The apostle Peter said to cast all your cares on him—even the little cares.

You are also wrong if you think your troubles are too big and can’t be remedied. God can overthrow all our problems, if he wishes.

More importantly, though, he can give us the strength and courage to face them. What we need most is faith in him. In all troubles, big or small, we can be assured of his forgiving love in Christ Jesus. For this, as well as for any blessings of the body, we should pray without ceasing. God will never ignore our prayers. And his answer will always be the best for us. We have his Word on it.

Prayer:

Lord, teach me to pray in all troubles. 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.

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As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38-42

More Important Than Stuff

There’s a lot of work to do. People are depending on you. No one else is going to do it if you don’t, and people are going to be disappointed if it’s not done.

It would be okay if you could get it all done without stressing out, but it’s impossible. How do people keep from being worried and upset when they have so much to get done?

Only one thing is needed: Jesus. Listening to his Word is more important than getting stuff done. Stop going so fast and hear that again: listening to his Word is more important than getting stuff done.

You hear it all the time from survivors of fires or floods: the stuff is gone, but the people are safe, so we’re okay. Those survivors realize that relationships are more important than stuff.

Our relationship with Jesus is most important, whether life is stormy or calm. His part in the relationship is speaking to us with the words of the Bible. Our part of the relationship is listening. His words of forgiveness and peace are worth hearing.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, keep me from being distracted from you and your Word by the busyness of this life so that I can be comforted by your promises. 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.

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[Jesus said] “Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:42

Truth That Sinks In

It’s kind of nice that Mary and Martha come back into the story a few different times within the four gospels. Both of them must have been listening well to what Jesus spoke to them at their home the day Jesus visited.

For Mary, the results of hearing Jesus speak to her showed fruit about six months later. At that time, she knelt down to anoint Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume and wiped his feet with her hair, knowing he was about to head to his death in Jerusalem, and that his death would be for her. That truth had sunk in for her.

For Martha, the truth Jesus spoke to her sank in, too. Later, as she stood at the grave of her brother Lazarus, she gave one of the clearest confessions of faith you’ll find in the Bible. At the death of her brother, Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Martha replied, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” Clearly, the truth had sunk in for busy Martha, too.

What Jesus said was true for both of the women. The one thing needed—Jesus and his words of life—were not taken away from them. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. About a week later, he rose from the dead, too, after crushing every sin of distraction and worry at the cross.

What Jesus gives you as you soak up his Word at his feet can’t be taken from you either. You can rest in what Jesus has done for you. Instead of letting yourself be pulled in so many unneeded directions, let the Lord pull you ever more toward the one thing needed—hearing his good Word. That is what he worked for Martha and what he will work in your heart, too.

His Word and promises will never pass away. Let that sink in. The good news of the gospel cannot be taken away from you. Ever. No matter what.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, let your Word sink into my heart and let it bear abundant fruit as I trust in 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.

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“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better.”
Luke 10:41,42

One Thing Needed

One thing that might happen when we read this account of Mary and Martha is to make it into a lesson that says, “Be less like Martha. Be more like Mary. Stop being so busy and start reading your Bible more.” This account could very easily turn into just another law to fulfill if we’re not careful.

However, Jesus isn’t aiming to replace one to-do list with another. He’s giving an invitation more than he’s giving a command. He’s inviting us to let him serve us. That is the better thing. Or, as some translations say, that is the “better portion.” It’s almost like Jesus is talking about a meal. There were two meals being served that day. The necessary one was not the meal Martha served Jesus, but the one Jesus served them. As a result, the portion of that spiritual meal Mary chose for herself was better. If you must make a choice of feeding Jesus or being fed by Jesus, choose the latter because that’s what Jesus wants for you more than anything else.

It’s like Jesus says to you, “Please just sit down here with me.” And what is it that he wants to tell you? “I’m with you always to the very end of the age.” “I’m the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” “I am going to prepare a place for you, and will take you to be with me where I am.”

Jesus said there are few things that we need. Indeed, there is only one thing we truly need: the Word and promises of our God. If everything else in our life was taken away, we’d still have all that we need: the love of Jesus, our Savior.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank you for providing for my deepest spiritual needs. By your Spirit, help me to always choose the better portion of listening to your voice. 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.

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“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things.”
Luke 10:41

Compassion for Worriers

An article on the website lifehack.org lists the top seven most common priorities people make in their lives. Those priorities are your life mission, physical health, quality time with family, healthy relationships, mental health, finances, and self-improvement.

The article claims you’ll cut back on busyness and stress by prioritizing these few things. But thinking about trying to prioritize even just seven things in life can make our heads spin. The priorities we set can worry us and trouble us as, time and time again, we fall short in each category, unable to juggle all these important aspects of life.

Martha had a lot of priorities that were making her worried and upset when Jesus showed up at her home. But, just like that list from LifeHack, she was forgetting the most important priority: sitting at Jesus’ feet.

Jesus didn’t harshly rebuke Martha though. He didn’t say, “Stop acting like you’re some kind of martyr to your own contrived busyness Martha!” He didn’t say, “Why don’t you be more like your sister Mary!” No, he just wanted Martha to realize she didn’t need to be so distracted and worried about serving him when his whole intent was to serve her. So, in a caring and compassionate tone he says her name twice, “Martha, Martha you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is needed.” One thing is needed. To sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to the peace he gives to anxious, worried people.

You can replace that compassionate phrase of Jesus with your own name to let it sink in. Imagine Jesus saying your name twice and then adding, “You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. I’m not looking for you to fill me up with your service or prove how well you keep your priorities. I just want you to have what I can give to you. Hear my Word. Hear my good news.”

Jesus has proven that you and your salvation are his greatest priority. Sitting at his feet and soaking up his compassion for us sounds like the best possible way to spend our time. It’s not work. It’s rest.

Prayer:

Dear compassionate Savior, take my worries and burdens on your shoulders. Help me to rest at your feet. 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.

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Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
Luke 10:40

I’m Doing It All!

“Twenty percent of the people do eighty percent of the work” is a common expression. Unfortunately, that’s true in many churches. And unfortunately, sometimes those who are doing eighty percent of the work begin to view serving in God’s kingdom as a burden rather than a blessing. They feel like Martha who said to Jesus, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me! I’m doing it all!”

The best cure for an “I’m doing it all” Martha attitude is listening even more to what Jesus has done for us. We know that we can’t perfectly resist the devil’s temptations. We know that we can’t do anything to rid ourselves of our sin. We know that we can’t escape death.

But Jesus has the solution to all those problems. He is the solution. And he says, “I’m doing it all!” He was tempted in every way, just as we are, yet he resisted temptation every single minute of his life. He had no sin, but he became our sin and put it to death on the cross, going alone as the sacrifice for sin. Jesus experienced real death, but then he escaped the death’s clutches, rising from the dead after three days. Jesus has left no work for us to do ourselves when it comes to our salvation. He has done it all, one hundred percent, by himself for the whole world! With such a comforting message, it’s no wonder Jesus wants us to sit at his feet and listen to his Word.

Prayer:

Wonderful Savior, thank you for doing it all when it comes to winning my salvation. Let my service to you every day be a joy and not a burden. 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

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.
Luke 10:38-40

From Stretched to Stilled

As busy twenty-first-century Americans it’s easy to relate to Martha. She’s described as “distracted.” Do you ever feel that way, too? The Greek word for “distracted” here literally means to be pulled or stretched in every direction. Do you feel that pull, too? There are responsibilities and expectations to be met, programs your children are enrolled in, and deadlines at work. The ever-present distractions of digital media and your phone don’t help either. Do you feel like Bilbo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings when he says that he feels “thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread”?

The hard part of all this is that sometimes the things that distracts us aren’t bad. Look what Martha was doing. She was trying to serve Jesus. He was a guest in her house. She wanted him to be well taken care of, well-fed, and comfortable. That’s certainly not a bad thing. Jesus had no issue with her loving service to him. But he had an issue with what all that busy service and work was doing to her soul. What she needed most was not to serve Jesus but to be served by Jesus. She was allowing her work to distract her from what was most important—the one thing needed—hearing the words of Jesus.

Modern life pulls us in a hundred directions and distracts us. But Jesus cuts through all of it to give us the one thing we really need—himself. He’s the one thing that fills us up even as the world empties our tanks with over-filled schedules and countless concerns. The words of Jesus are the one thing needed to counteract all that. We need to be stilled, not stretched. Jesus invites us to still our troubled souls at his feet so that we can be filled with all his loving service to us.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, let your Word still my distracted hearts so I can be filled with your calming grace. 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.