Category: Daily Devotions

[Jesus prayed] “I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.”
John 17:14,15

The Heavenly Father Protects You

Daily Devotion – May 12, 2024

Devotion based on John 17:14,15


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The world is not our home. Heaven is our home. Jesus knew this better than anyone. Jesus knew from personal experience how difficult it is for God’s people to live in a world ravaged by sin and under constant attack by Satan. That is why Jesus prayed for his disciples the night before he went to his death. He knew his disciples would face temptation, persecution, poverty, and imprisonment.

Knowing this, we might expect Jesus to pray for his disciples to be delivered from this world. Why not just ask the Father to whisk them right to heaven so they could avoid all the evil and opposition that the devil throws against Jesus’ followers? But the reason he prayed as he did was because Jesus had work for his disciples to do. They would take the good news of forgiveness and eternal life to the ends of the earth. So, rather than ask the Father to take them out of this world, Jesus prayed that his Father protect them.

Jesus asks his Father to do the same for all of his followers, including you. He knows about every temptation you are facing, every trial you are undergoing, and every trouble you are enduring. He knows that temptations, trials, and troubles are part of living in this sin-filled world. But he does not ask his Father to take you out of this world. There is work for you to do. You have people to love and serve. You have God’s good news to share.

Your heavenly Father will answer Jesus’ prayer. He will give you strength to do this work and protect you from the devil until your Father does, in his time, take you home to heaven.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I humbly ask you to protect me from the evil one that I may carry out the important work you have given me to do. Amen.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.
1 John 4:7

The Danger

Daily Devotion – May 11, 2024

Devotion based on 1 John 4:7


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In the world of 21st Century philosophy, Charles Taylor is a pretty big name. According to thebestschools.org website, Taylor “has been influential in defining how we conceive of ourselves in the modern world.” In a book entitled, “Dilemmas and Connections,” Taylor makes a compelling observation about the secular mind and what motivates the secular mind to do good for other people.

A paraphrase of Taylor’s observation is as follows: People with a secular mindset do good for others because, among other things, it makes them feel good about themselves. However, cautions Taylor, the danger with this kind of motivation is that it can easily slip into feelings of superiority and even contempt for the very people you are trying to help. This can especially happen, says Taylor, when the people you are trying to help are not as responsive or grateful as you think they should be.

Let’s take the observation of Charles Taylor and turn it on ourselves. As you work to do good for others, how do you react when the people you are trying to help are not as responsive or as grateful as you think they should be? Does your attitude harden, even just a bit, into an attitude of superiority? Does it even darken into an attitude of contempt? Are there times when a bitter voice within you says, “After all I’ve done for them, this is the thanks I get?”

That’s why we need Jesus. Out of a kind of selfless love we will never fully comprehend, the Son of God lived a life of perfect service on our behalf. Then he took upon himself the guilt of all of our self-serving motives, our hidden agendas, our false humilities, and he paid the price in full at the cross. And now, as our living Savior, he comes to us in his Word, calling us to repentance, washing us clean, renewing our hearts, empowering us to love others as he has loved us.

What drives real love is not self-serving pride. What drives real love is Jesus’ love for us.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, forgive my self-serving agendas. Empower me to love others with your love for me. Amen.

And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
1 John 4:21

Loving Others

Daily Devotion – May 10, 2024

Devotion based on 1 John 4:21


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Growing up with siblings can be fun. Brothers and sisters can create good memories. Things like family vacations, playing in the backyard, watching movies, building forts in the basement and snowmen outside are all things that make having siblings fun. It is easy to love our brothers and sisters in moments like those.

However, it is not always so enjoyable. Living in close proximity with our siblings can provide ample opportunities for unloving behavior. Arguing, fighting, tattling, pushing and shoving, and insulting each other are all too common among siblings.

But it does not change much when we grow up and live around roommates, classmates, and coworkers. While there can be good times with these relationships, there can also be friction. It is difficult to love those who don’t love us back. It is a challenge to love others when they ignore us, insult us, or are so self-absorbed that they pay no attention to us. Why should we love them?

Thank God that he did not view us that way. God easily could have convinced himself that we were not worth loving. Thankfully, God’s love for us did not depend on our behavior toward him. Knowing that we would never perfectly show love to him or to others, God still put his love into practice and offered up his only Son to die on the cross in our place. Even though he knew that we would not always love him, God demonstrated his love for us. Thank God for his faithful love to us!

One of the best ways we can return that love to him is by loving others. We can love others by showing patience when treated poorly. We can love others by showing kindness in the face of rudeness. We can love others with acts of generosity that expect nothing in return. As we love others this way—our love for God will come shining through.

Prayer:
Dear Lord God, thank you for the love you show to me each and every day. Move me to love the people in my life, even if I may not receive the same love from them. Amen.

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and all his love is made complete in us.
1 John 4:12

A Clear Picture

Daily Devotion – May 9, 2024

Devotion based on 1 John 4:12


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Do you ever wonder what God looks like? Perhaps we have an image of Jesus that comes to mind, but what about God the Father? What does he look like? Wouldn’t it be nice if he would just show himself? Frankly, that would make it easier for us all to believe in him. I mean, if God is really out there, why doesn’t he show himself to us?

In this world of pain and suffering, it is not difficult or uncommon to feel like God isn’t present. Or to feel like God doesn’t love us or care about us. Maybe there is a person in your life who has recently made similar comments to you. How in the world can anyone get to know God if they can never see God?

That’s where we come in. The Bible says that the world can get a glimpse of what God is like when we love one another. When we live as God’s forgiven children, that gives others a chance to get to know what God is like. Your friend or coworker may never see God, but she will see you every day. What picture of God will she get as she interacts with you?

If we keep the love of Jesus fresh in our hearts and minds—that will enable us to present a clear picture of God’s love for others. When we remember his sacrificial death, we can then be selfless for others. We can put others first. We can listen to their fears and worries without judgment. We can help someone in need and show compassion when so many others pass by uncaring. We can acknowledge a hurting soul and let them know that they are seen. We can show respect and honor in a world that is so quick to put down and condemn. God will be clearly seen when his children live in his love.

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for your love and forgiveness for me. Give me strength today to let your love shine through in all that I do. Lead others to see your love through me. Amen.

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
1 John 4:11

Share God’s Love

Daily Devotion – May 8, 2024

Devotion based on 1 John 4:11


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Imagine turning on your television to watch the NCAA basketball tournament. You have been waiting all year for this. Just as you settle in, the game breaks for the first round of commercials and, of course, they go right to a political ad for the upcoming election. You brace yourself for a harsh, critical presentation where one candidate blasts the other. But, to your surprise, that is not what you see. Rather, you see the two nominees complimenting each other, shaking hands, and telling America how much they like each other. The commercial ends with the two opposing candidates giving each other a big hug and promising to get together soon.

Does that seem far-fetched? Of course it does. That is not the world we live in. We live in a world where political candidates sling mud at each other through all forms of media. We live in a world where citizens threaten each other on various social media platforms. We live in a world where people swear at each other in traffic and ignore each other as they pass through the halls at the office.

God says we ought to love one another, but often, we fail in doing that. Thankfully, God has loved us without fail. Even though we could not perfectly show our love to others, God demonstrates his love in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. God is different. He loved us even when we did not love him back. In Jesus, our sins are forgiven. Our imperfect love for others is forever washed away.

So now, as forgiven and loved children of God, we are free to love others. To be different from the world we live in. To show love in our thoughts, words, and actions, regardless of whether someone else shows the same love to us. To share the love of Jesus in how we treat others.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, forgive me for my imperfect love toward others. Thank you for forgiving those sins. Empower me and encourage me to live a life of love toward others in this unloving world. Amen.

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
1 John 4:8

Constant Love

Daily Devotion – May 7, 2024

Devotion based on 1 John 4:8


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Would you describe yourself as a loving individual? If so, are you always loving toward others? We undoubtedly have our moments. Moments when we love our children and grandchildren and show up at their events and cheer for them. Moments when we are there for our spouses and family members to support them in a difficult time. Moments when we help a friend move or take care of their yard when they are out of town.

But then there are times when our love falls flat. Couples in our world fall in and out of love. Children fail to lovingly be there for mom and dad in their last years. Friends are too busy to provide a shoulder to cry on. Neighbors don’t always even make the effort to introduce themselves to each other. Love is one of those things: sometimes we have it, and sometimes we don’t.

God is different. God can’t not love. In fact, the Bible says that God is love. Our love comes and goes, but God’s love is constant. He can’t help it. It’s who he is. But God didn’t show that constant love for us in a way that we might expect. God doesn’t show us his love by turning a blind eye to our sin and giving us a free pass to do whatever we want or by tolerating anything and everything. That’s not what true love is.

Rather, God demonstrated his love for us through sacrifice. He gave up his one and only Son for us. He sent Jesus to die as a sacrifice on the cross to pay for all of our sins. Rather than wink at or ignore our sin, God paid the price our sins demanded. He gave Jesus to die so that we wouldn’t have to. That is true love. God selflessly looked to our needs rather than his own.

This amazing love of God is with you always because that’s who he is. God is love. And this love is something we always have through faith in Jesus.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for your love for us in Jesus. Comfort me with your constant love and enable me to give that same love to others. Amen.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
1 John 4:7 (ESV)

Loved by God

Daily Devotion – May 6, 2024

Devotion based on 1 John 4:7 (ESV)


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Do you feel loved? It feels great to be loved. It feels wonderful to be hugged by our grandkids, comforted by our spouse, and cared for by our parents. But what about the other times? The times when our spouse is too preoccupied with work to pay attention to us? The times when we work so hard to take care of our kids, and they don’t even acknowledge it with a thank you or a hug as they head out the door to their next activity? The times when the boss fails to recognize our contributions to the company? The times when we look in the mirror and don’t love what we see?

It is not easy to feel loved in this world or even love ourself. In fact, it is far easier to feel unloved, unappreciated, and unnoticed. These feelings can quickly spiral downward and lead us to despair, depression, and feelings of worthlessness.

In moments like these, remember that God loves you. The people in our lives may pay us little attention or give us no outward affections of love, but the God of all creation not only knows us, but says we are objects of his love. And he showed his love to us in a way that no one else ever has or ever could. To demonstrate just how loved we are, God sent his Son, Jesus, into the world to live and die for us. Jesus gave his life in our place on the cross and paid for all our sins, forever removing the eternal punishment they deserved. He did all this because God loved us and did not want us to be lost forever.

So regardless of how others may feel about you, take comfort in knowing that you are loved by God. And that will never change! God’s love for you is always constant in Christ Jesus.

Prayer:
Dear Father in heaven, thank you for loving me and sending Jesus to die in my place. Enable me to now live in your love. Amen.

We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
1 John 4:19-21

God’s Way To Love

Daily Devotion – May 5, 2024

Devotion based on 1 John 4:19-21


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Most people would tell you love is an emotion. Sometimes love is there; sometimes it is gone. People think they can only show love when they feel like it. Before long, the feeling goes away. Love is gone, and so are any expressions of love.

The kind of love God talks about is much more stable and consistent than this human love. Christian love gives—it shows kindness, consideration, and patience. Through loving actions, we reflect that we are children of God. We follow God’s pattern.

For the Christian, love is not just an emotion that grows when it receives something in return. Rather, Christian love rests on the boundless love of God for us. John tells us that merely saying we love one another is not enough to demonstrate adequately what Jesus has done for us and that he is at work in us. We must show our love in tangible ways.

How do we do this? In our Bible reading today, John explains that we cannot see God. So we cannot go to him and give him some food, clothing, or other tangible, temporal goods. So what do we do? We show our love to those we can see. They give us tangible opportunities to show our love to God. If we withhold our love from them and refuse to share it—how can we claim to love God?

In other words John says, love the one who is right there with you, and you will be showing love to God. True, our brothers and sisters in Christ aren’t as kind and loving as God has been to us. But remember, God loves us and sent his Son to die for us, even when we were his enemies. Not having our love returned is all the more reason to show love, for then it is unconditional, just like the love Jesus has for us.

Prayer:
Lord, help me show love to those around me just as you have loved me, not just in words, but in action. Amen.

[Jesus said] “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5

Connection with Jesus

Daily Devotion – May 4, 2024

Devotion based on John 15:5


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Lately, I seem to be getting frequent reminders that I am not as young as I used to be. The latest was a notice in the mail that my twentieth high school class reunion will be held this summer. Indeed, those twenty years can go by very quickly. Also, a lot can happen in twenty years, making it hard to stay connected with classmates. Life happens. We get married and have children. Jobs take us all over the country. When we go so long without seeing people, it is easy to lose the connections we once had with them.

It’s also easy for that to take place with Jesus. Life happens. We get married and have children. We fill our schedules up with work, sports, and school activities. We have family and community obligations. We take vacations and try to make the most of life. Before we know it, we are losing our connection with Jesus. This happens gradually, just like with high school classmates over twenty years.

Losing a connection to a high school friend is one thing. Losing our connection with Jesus is another thing altogether. Jesus makes it clear in John chapter 15 that without a connection to him, we are in trouble: we can’t produce spiritual fruit and be saved from our sins. Ultimately, no connection with Jesus means no getting into heaven. It means getting tossed out with the other dead branches into the eternal burn pile.

The good news is that Jesus will never sever his connection with those who are joined to him by faith. He is always ready and waiting in his Word to remind us of his love and to draw us closer to him.

Perhaps, for you, now is a good time to reconnect with Jesus and take steps to remain in Jesus. Recommit yourself to regularly attending worship. Join a Bible study. Expand your devotional life.

We may or may not want to attend a class reunion, but we never want to miss out on eternal life with Jesus!

Prayer:
Dear Savior, thank you for always being there for me in Word and sacrament. Bless my efforts to remain in you now and forever. Amen.

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.
1 John 3:21-23

Love Pleases God

Daily Devotion – May 3, 2024

Devotion based on 1 John 3:21-23


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God has not only made you the object of his love, but he has also made you the subject who gets to love others. Like an object placed in a sentence that receives the action of the verb, God has placed people in your life to receive the action of your love. God calls them another, which means the objects to whom you can show your love can be anyone besides yourself.

As we talk about the objects of our love, we could talk about humanitarian aid, civil service, or random acts of kindness, but perhaps we should start with the objects of love God has placed in your home, people closest to you, likely the people to whom you have already said, “I love you.”

You can show your love in many ways to these people, but if you want to make your love visible, try doing something new. Perhaps it is vacuuming the living room or doing the dishes. It might be packing a lunch for your spouse or drawing a picture for your mommy.

I bet they will be pleased by it. I know God will. When we show our love by doing these things for one another, the apostle John says we “do what pleases him (God).” When the objects of God’s love also become the subjects who love others, God is pleased.

Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, thank you for making me an object of your love. Thank you also for putting people in my life to be the objects of my love. Help me to think of clever and creative ways to show others my love through the things I do. Amen.