Category: Daily Devotions

Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.
Romans 4:4,5

A Gift from God

Daily Devotion – March 8, 2020

Devotion based on Romans 4:4,5

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Everyone who has a job looks forward to payday. After putting in all those hours of work, you receive your paycheck. It is something that is owed to you. You and your employer came to the agreement that you would work for an amount of time and, in return, your employer would give you an amount of money.

In this section of Paul’s letter to the Romans, he uses that same picture. If you work, you are owed something. However, he shows us that, when it comes to salvation and heaven, it is not something that we are owed, but comes as a gift from God.

Paul says elsewhere in this letter, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). We deserve to be punished by God for all eternity because of our sins. This includes every single time we have had thoughts that were wrong or said things that we shouldn’t have. If you want to talk about something we are owed, this is it! We deserve eternal death.

However, as Paul points out, when we are brought to believe in Jesus as our Savior, then we are in a right relationship with God. Even this faith that we have is not our own doing. We cannot choose to believe in Jesus. This only comes through the work of the Holy Spirit as we hear God’s Word.

God owes us nothing. Yet, he gives us everything. Isn’t it wonderful to know that God does not give us what we deserve!

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for not giving me what I deserve. Thank you for giving me what Jesus earned for me. 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.

Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and the wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
Genesis 22:7,8

The Sacrificial Lamb

Daily Devotion – March 7, 2020

Devotion based on Genesis 22:7,8

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The words must have pierced Abraham’s soul. Isaac didn’t mean to wound his father, and under most circumstances, his question wouldn’t have been wounding words. But these were not normal circumstances. God asked a father to offer his only son as an offering to him. It was a test. God wanted to see whom Abraham loved more—his child or his Lord.

Children can ask questions that get to the point and leave adults fumbling for an answer. That’s Isaac on that day with his father. He loved and trusted his dear father so much! With honest eyes and a gentle voice, he asked, “Father, where’s the lamb?”

What would Abraham tell his son? Out of love for his dear son, he couldn’t bluntly say, “Isaac, you’re the lamb this time.” He couldn’t lie and say, “I don’t know.” What would he say, and how would he say it? Holding his son close to him and the Lord’s promises even closer, Abraham breathed deeply and declared, “God himself will provide.”

That’s exactly what happened. God himself provided an offering that day—and the offering was not Isaac. Once God knew he had Abraham’s full trust, the Lord provided an animal instead of Isaac for the sacrifice.

That day pointed ahead to another day when another Father would offer his one and only Son as a sacrifice. His Son’s name is Jesus whose sacrifice on the cross paid for all sin. Don’t underestimate the Father’s love—and the Son’s trust—that you find on the cross! Don’t ever wonder if God loves you. He provided his own Son, the perfect Lamb of God, as an offering. He was willing to give up his Son so he would have you forever.

Prayer:
Thank you, O my Father, for giving your Son as a sacrifice in my place. Enrich me with a greater understanding of your love, love that spared not your own Son, but delivered him up on the cross for me and all people. 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 tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Matthew 4:3

Be Ready for Battle

Daily Devotion – March 6, 2020

Devotion based on Matthew 4:3

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The devil had Jesus right where he wanted him, or so it would seem. Matthew calls the devil, “the tempter.” That word tells us that Satan was intent on doing evil to Jesus. He wanted to lead Jesus to sin and rob the world of the Savior. Satan was attacking Jesus but he was really declaring war on all of us. His goal is to take away our salvation. If Jesus was not perfectly sinless, he could not give us his perfection. Make no mistake, Satan intended to destroy us that day. He was not playing around.

He is still not playing around today. Do we always realize that the stakes are so high? We often get caught up in life and forget just how serious the situation is. We aren’t always ready to fight temptation. We often don’t give a second thought to how Satan might attack us today. This lack of preparedness gets us into trouble. Too often we fall into sin simply because we are not ready for battle.

How important it is, then, for us to focus on Jesus who has already done battle with Satan and won. Jesus has been where we are. He faced every temptation the devil threw at him. But there is a big difference between Jesus and us. The Bible says, “…we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.” Our Savior never once caved in to Satan’s pressure. Never once gave into the devil’s temptations or was unprepared. He perfectly fought the battle. He was victorious, for us.

Jesus has given us victory over Satan. The devil can no longer harm us as we trust in Jesus. Satan’s plans to destroy our souls have been defeated by our Savior. In Jesus, we are forgiven and saved. In Jesus, we now have the tools to fend off Satan’s attacks. With faith in Jesus and depending on his Word, we can be ready for whatever Satan throws our way.

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for the victory over sin and the devil. Help me to trust you and to rely on your Word. 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.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
Matthew 4:1,2

Remember Jesus

Daily Devotion – March 5, 2020

Devotion based on Matthew 4:1,2

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Sometimes in life, we are just overmatched. Our opponent or enemy is just too strong, too big, too much for us to handle. The Alamo is certainly one such example. Fewer than 200 men stood fighting against an army of 1,500. They knew they were overmatched and could not win. They knew no reinforcements were coming.

It certainly seems like Jesus was overmatched in his battle against the devil. For one thing, he was in the wilderness—a place where he was isolated. Nobody was coming to his aid. There would be no reinforcements. He was on his own. He was on Satan’s turf. And while he was out there, he was fasting. Physically, he was drained.

You know how that feels, don’t you—to be spiritually overmatched? You feel like you are on your own and the devil keeps on coming. He tempts you with doubt: “If God really loved you, why did he let this happen to you?” “Doesn’t God want you to be happy? He must not really mean what he says in his Word. Go ahead, live the way you want.” And he keeps coming. Temptation after temptation.

Like the Texans at the Alamo, you can’t win. You may fight for a little while, but in the end, you are overrun by the devil’s temptations and defeated. You have lost too many battles and have fallen into sin over the same old familiar temptations.

“Remember the Alamo!” That was the rallying cry in the war following the famous battle. Our rallying cry is different: Remember Jesus! He went to battle for you. He crushed the devil and defeated all your enemies. Through his death on the cross, he forgives your sins and gives you the gift of heaven. He also gives you the weapons to defeat the devil in your daily life.

Thank God for sending Jesus. And get to know his Word, so that you can say no to temptation and remain on the way to heaven.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for defeating Satan for me. Equip me with your Word that I may fight temptation in your name. 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 man said, “The woman you put here with me―she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
Genesis 3:12

The Blame Game

Daily Devotion – March 4, 2020

Devotion based on Genesis 3:12

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The first man created by God had disobeyed him. He had eaten fruit God had forbidden. When God gave him an opportunity to confess what he had done, Adam said, “The woman you put here with me―she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” That’s not exactly a confession, is it? Sure, Adam begrudgingly admitted the sin. But he was also quick to blame both Eve and God for putting him in that situation.

I suppose we want to shake our heads at Adam’s attempt to blame his wife and his God for his own sin. But then we remember we aren’t any different. We too have played the blame game. As children, we point the finger at our sibling and shout: “He made me do it!” As adults, we blame society for our loose morals. We blame work and our social life for not getting to church. We blame the coworker’s attitude for our harsh thoughts and words in the workplace. We blame our busy lives for not spending enough time in God’s Word. We blame our upbringing for the sinful choices we continue to make. God calls out, “Where are you?” And, unfortunately, we are too often lost in sin and blaming others for it.

Would it surprise you to find out that God played his own version of the blame game? No, he didn’t blame someone else for what he had done wrong. He blamed someone else for what WE have done wrong. The Bible says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” God blamed Jesus for all our sins so that we could be forgiven and saved. On the cross, Jesus suffered the punishment our sins deserve and through him, we have eternal life.

Because of Jesus, you and I stand blameless before God.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for taking my place on the cross and paying for my sin. Help me to always take ownership of my sin and to trust in you for forgiveness. 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.

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Genesis 3:8

No Need to Hide

Daily Devotion – March 3, 2020

Devotion based on Genesis 3:8

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“Come out; come out, wherever you are!” Anyone who has ever played hide-and-seek has heard someone shout those words. Who would ever have imagined God saying those words in the Garden of Eden? But then again, this wasn’t a game, was it? Adam and Eve weren’t playing a fun game of hide-and-seek. They weren’t having any fun at all.

Something had gone terribly wrong in that perfect place of paradise. Adam and Eve had sinned. They had broken their relationship with God and had gone their own way and they knew it was a terrible mistake. Something that had once given them great joy now sent them running for the trees. Accustomed to walking and talking with God in the garden, Adam and Eve now felt guilt and fear and they hid from God.

Where are you hiding? Are you hiding from God at work? Maybe by working so many hours, you don’t have time to pray or confess to God. Where are you hiding? On a website? In the gym? During sleepless nights? What is it that you don’t want to bring out into the light of day? Secret thoughts or desires…selfish behavior…lack of love toward God. Sadly, like Adam, you and I are often not looking for God―even though he is waiting right there for us!

Note the love and grace of God. “But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’” God’s love caused him to seek and to find the sinner who was hiding. In love, God seeks us out too. He invites us to come to him. God sent Jesus to die in our place on the cross and to remove everything that would make us hide. In Jesus, our sins are forever washed away. We are clean. We don’t need to hide. We can come to our Father in heaven and know that in Jesus, we are safe.

Prayer:
Dear Father in heaven, thank you for seeking me out. Thank you for forgiveness in Jesus. Help me to run to you, trusting in your love for me. 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.

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Genesis 3:15

God Repairs What We Destroy

Daily Devotion – March 2, 2020

Devotion based on Genesis 3:15

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“You ruined it!” Even if you were not in the room to see what happened, you could feel the despair, anguish, and hurt in those words. The older brother was building a city out of Lego bricks. He worked hard and spent a lot of time putting the finishing touches on his creation. Finally, he was done. He looked over his handiwork and saw that it was good. No sooner had he finished and was looking forward to enjoying his work, his little sibling came crashing into the room and leveled everything. Lego bricks crashed down all around him and just like that, his creation was destroyed.

“You ruined it!” One imagines the Creator saying those same anguished words. God had created a perfect world. He had spent six days getting everything just right, so that, in his own words, “everything was very good.” And in one instant, it was ruined. Adam and Eve destroyed the paradise God had made for them. When they disobeyed their loving Maker, they ruined their relationship with him, with one another, and with the world he had fashioned for them.

We do it too. How many relationships have we ruined through rude, harmful behavior? How many opportunities have we ruined through offensive words that we spoke? How many chances to serve God have we ruined through selfish attitudes and excuses?

How does God respond? As we read in Genesis 3, it is very telling what God DOESN’T do. He doesn’t fly off the handle and let loose with angry words. He doesn’t punish them with lightning bolts from heaven. He doesn’t even disown them.

Instead, God shows himself to be our compassionate Father. Genesis 3 highlights the love of God in the face of sin and rebellion. God patiently sought out Adam and Eve and invited them to repent. He lovingly forgave their sins. He promised to send a Savior who would one day come and defeat Satan and give his people the gifts of forgiveness and eternal life. He does the same thing for you and me. In Jesus, God forgives our sins and repairs what we have destroyed. In Jesus, we have eternal life!

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for your forgiveness. Help me to look forward to eternal life in heaven with 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.

Just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
Romans 5:19

Our Substitute

Daily Devotion – March 1. 2020

Devotion based on Romans 5:19

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A basketball player got hurt in the big game. There was no way he could make a meaningful contribution to the outcome, much less finish the game. The coach had to send in a substitute. It ended up being a good move because the substitute ended up winning the game for the team.

We have all heard stories like this. In some ways, it is the same thing that happened to all people. We all needed a substitute—not to win the big game, but to save us from our sin. You see, we have all inherited sin from the first man who ever sinned, a man named Adam. This is what our Bible reading for today refers to as “the disobedience of the one man.” His disobedience made all of us disobedient. And this disobedience ruins our relationship with our holy heavenly Father.

We could never save ourselves, no matter how hard we tried. In order to save ourselves, we would need to be perfect every single day of our lives. The trouble is that we are not perfect.

Because we couldn’t do it, God sent a substitute, Jesus Christ. He was perfect, in every way. This is part of what our Bible reading refers to as “the obedience of the one man.” Jesus lived as our Substitute, doing what we could not do. More than that, he willingly went to the cross to suffer and die to pay for our sins. Again, he was acting as our substitute, because he was punished in our place. In addition, Jesus rose from the dead, showing that he had won the victory. He shares that victory with us. Heaven is waiting for those who have been brought to believe in Jesus as their Savior.

We thank our God for sending in the substitute, Jesus Christ, for through him we have the victory.

Prayer:
Jesus, my perfect substitute, thank you for the victory you won for me. May my victory cry always be about your love, grace, and mercy. 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.

For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
2 Peter 1:16

An Eyewitness Account

Daily Devotion – February 29, 2020

Devotion based on 2 Peter 1:16

See series: Devotions

When a person is put on the stand in a courtroom, she is not allowed to speculate. She cannot guess what she thinks might have happened. Nor is she allowed to let her opinions color her answers. She can only tell what she has actually seen and heard.

There are many fantastic stories about Jesus Christ. We hear of him walking on water. There is the report that he fed thousands with just a few fish and a couple of loaves of bread. He healed the sick. We even hear about Jesus raising people from the dead, including himself! How are we to take these things? Did they really happen?

The answer is “Yes.” We know that they happened because God moved the men, who were eyewitnesses to these things, to write them down for us. We find the eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

More importantly, there we find the reason that Jesus came to this earth. He came to be our Savior. We have the eyewitness accounts of how Jesus fulfilled his Father’s will in our place. We read the account of Jesus’ suffering and death, knowing that he did this to take the punishment that we deserved. And we read those eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ rising from the dead, showing us that victory has been won.

Thankfully, the men who wrote the accounts of what Jesus has done for us were not just giving their opinions. They were giving us the facts about what they witnessed. And we can be certain that what they have written is reliable.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for causing those who witnessed what you did for me to record what you did for me so that I can be certain of your love for me. 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.

As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.
2 Corinthians 6:1,2

Help Right Now

Daily Devotion – February 28, 2020

Devotion based on 2 Corinthians 6:1,2

See series: Devotions

Don’t you just hate it when you try to help, and the person is like, “No, no, never mind, thanks anyway, I’ll be fine?” You know they are not fine, and you know they could really use the help. You hate to watch them keep failing. It’s frustrating. You wish the best for them, and something in them keeps them from realizing it. What is it? Pride? Ignorance? Fear?

You must recognize that God wants to help you, right? He wants the best for you, and because he made you, he knows what is best for you, even when you don’t realize it. You keep trying to say that everything is all right, but God knows that everything is not all right. He knows that better than you do!

And God’s help is not the kind of help that works only in the future. He is helpful right now! His forgiveness of your sins counts right now. His promises of relief from anxiety are designed to take immediate effect. His calming presence and protection are right here, right now. You don’t have to go somewhere else to receive them.

You might think that you do not deserve these good things. You’re right! You don’t! That’s why God calls them grace, which is things that you do not deserve. He’s giving them to you anyway. Right now—that’s the point.

So don’t delay. Go to God in prayer and thank him for blessing you. Take a deep sigh of relief. Now is the time of God’s favor. Now is the day of salvation.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. Take away my anxiety and give me peace. 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.