Category: Daily Devotions

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Colossians 3:1-4

Set Your Heart on Things Above

Daily Devotion – April 26, 2025

Devotion based on Colossians 3:1-4


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What is your heart set on? Are you set on getting outside with the warmer weather and doing some springtime planting? Are you perhaps just itching to get out fishing? When your heart is set on something, notice how much of your life revolves around your mindset. If you can’t wait to plant, you are now getting all the things prepared and purchased. If it’s fishing, you’re working to prepare gear and tackle so that everything is ready to go.

We are just a few days removed from Easter Sunday. Do you remember what Christ’s heart was set on? He made it his entire life’s goal and passion to win our eternal salvation by crushing the head of Satan, giving up his life, and then rising in three days. If Christ had been distracted by the things of this world—power, prestige, earthly wealth, he would not have won our salvation, and we would still be dead in our sins. Praise God that Jesus set his heart on things above—on doing his Father’s will so that we might now have forgiveness, life, and peace.

The apostle Paul shares with us what it means to have our minds set on things above. He says that we died. That is to say that the controlling power of the sinful nature inside each of us is now dead. Christ has set us free and truly made us alive, just as Christ Jesus is alive and alive in us by faith.

May our hearts and minds always be set on things above. In the same way, may we also reflect what’s in our hearts and on our minds as we speak to one another about Christ’s victory over sin, death, and hell. It’s the best mindset to have and an even better one to share!

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, give me a heart that is filled with love for you and a mind that is focused on all that you have accomplished for my salvation. Preserve me in saving faith and finally bring me to share in the glory that you have prepared for me and all believers in heaven. 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.

On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken. In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”
Isaiah 25:6-9

The Feast of Victory

Daily Devotion – April 25, 2025

Devotion based on Isaiah 25:6-9


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Every year at the Masters Golf Tournament, past winners gather for a feast. The menu is set by the previous year’s winner. He often chooses items unique to his region and home. Some of the best chefs use the freshest, tastiest ingredients to put the meal together. It is an elite banquet reserved for the world’s most elite golfers.

The prophet Isaiah describes an even greater banquet. The diners are the victors of something more glorious than even the greatest golf tournament. The feast itself is tastier than anything a three-star Michelin chef could come up with.

These people are celebrating their victory over death. God has rejoined their bodies and souls to delight in a feast put together by God himself. They watch in awe and delight as the Lord destroys death.

Death, the great eater, the consumer of all that is living, is itself swallowed by Jesus. And Jesus left no crumbs. Death is completely destroyed by his resurrection. The sorrow that death causes is gone. The pain that death creates is engulfed by the love of Jesus.

The people eating and celebrating at this meal are the ones who trust in Jesus to save them. They rejoiced in life that God had secured their salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. And they will spend eternity enjoying the great celebratory feast and their victory over death.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for swallowing up death for me. Help me to always trust in you and rejoice in the salvation you have won for me. 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.

They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
Luke 24:2,3

The Tomb Is Empty

Daily Devotion – April 24, 2025

Devotion based on Luke 24:2,3


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The women came to anoint the dead body of Jesus on Sunday morning. Instead, they found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. Confusion clouded their minds. Their first thoughts were that someone had taken Jesus’ body.

If Jesus’ body had been stolen, who would have taken it? The Roman authorities had no reason to remove it; they wanted to keep order and suppress any claims that Jesus had risen. The Jewish leaders certainly would not have taken it; they had asked for a guard to ensure the body stayed in the tomb. And the disciples? They were hiding in fear, devastated by their master’s crucifixion.

An empty tomb alone does not prove a resurrection, but it’s a good start. Add to the empty tomb the undeniable fact that Jesus’ body was never found, the eyewitness testimonies of his disciples, and the radical transformation of those who saw him alive.

The resurrection was confirmed by multiple eyewitnesses. Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, Peter, the disciples, and more than five hundred at one time. These were not hallucinations. Hallucinations are individual experiences, yet Jesus appeared to groups of people, spoke with them, ate with them, and invited the disciple Thomas to touch his wounds.

Skeptics suggest alternative explanations, but none hold up under scrutiny. If the disciples had fabricated the resurrection, why would they suffer and die for it? If Jesus had merely swooned on the cross, how could a severely wounded man roll away a massive stone and escape unnoticed?

The simplest, most reasonable explanation is the one the Bible gives: Jesus truly rose from the dead. His resurrection is not just an ancient claim—it is the foundation of the Christian faith and the promise of resurrection to all who believe in Jesus. Because the tomb is empty, we know that death is not the end. Because he lives, everyone who trusts in Jesus as their Savior will also live.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, send me your Spirit to help me believe more and more in the certainty of Jesus’ resurrection. 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.

In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” Then they remembered his words.
Luke 24:5-8

Resurrection Promised. Resurrection Delivered.

Daily Devotion – April 23, 2025

Devotion based on Luke 24:5-8


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It didn’t make sense to them when Jesus spoke those words. They had seen his power. Power over sickness. Power over nature. Power over spiritual forces. But when Jesus spoke about dying—death at the hands of his enemies and sinners—it didn’t make sense.

How could their Messiah die? And what did he mean about being raised again? No one had ever done that. Sure, people like to call their shot, but no one has ever called their own shot about coming back from the dead. Once you died, that was it! At least until Jesus came.

The angels reminded the women that everything had happened as Jesus said it would. He was delivered to his enemies and crucified, but now it was the third day. And Jesus was raised to life. The woman remembered that Jesus had predicted this all along. It wasn’t just that Jesus had predicted this; it was the implications.

If Jesus can predict his death and resurrection from the grave and then has the power to pull it off, what can’t Jesus do? And if Jesus kept his promise to rise from the dead, he would keep all his promises. Jesus is exactly who he says he is. Jesus does exactly what he promises to do. His resurrection from the dead proves it.

We could spend our entire lives marveling at what that means; it still wouldn’t be enough time. Thankfully, Jesus’ death and resurrection mean that his believers will spend an eternity with him, not just marveling at what it means but experiencing it. Because Jesus has power over his death, it means he has power over your death. Trust him.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, your resurrection proves you are the Son of God. Help me to believe all your words. 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, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
1 Corinthians 15:51,52

Raised Imperishable

Daily Devotion – April 22, 2025

Devotion based on 1 Corinthians 15:51,52


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Our bodies wear out. We know this all too well. We see it in the mirror as wrinkles form. We feel it in aching joints. We watch it in our loved ones as disease, disability, and dementia take their toll. Sin has infected not just our hearts and minds but our flesh. Every human body is subject to decay, disease, and death.

But listen! The apostle Paul reveals a mystery. “We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.” In an instant, everything will be different. When Jesus comes again, the dead will be raised imperishable. That means no more sickness. No more disease. No more weakness. No more death. The perishable will be clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality.

Imagine a body untouched by sin’s curse—no cancer, disease, dementia, pain, aging, or death. Every tear wiped away. Every sorrow erased. This is not just wishful thinking. This is the promise of God.

How can this be? How can bodies that have been buried, decayed, or turned to dust be raised anew? Because Jesus lives. His resurrection is the guarantee of our own. He took on our sin, suffered in our place, died our death, and then conquered the grave. His resurrected body was real—touchable, recognizable, perfect. And through faith in him, we are connected to his resurrection.

What joy this brings! We grieve now when we watch loved ones suffer. We mourn as we feel our bodies growing weaker. But we do not grieve like those who have no hope. We know what is coming. We know who is coming. And when he does, we will be changed. We will be raised imperishable.

This promise comforts you in sickness, strengthens you in sorrow, and fills you with anticipation. Because when Jesus returns, our perishable bodies will be no more. We will be changed—forever whole, forever alive in him.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for the promise of resurrection and the hope of bodies made new. In Jesus’ name. 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.

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” . . . But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:55,57

Death’s Sting Is Removed

Daily Devotion – April 21, 2025

Devotion based on 1 Corinthians 15:55,57


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If you’ve been stung by a bee or a wasp, you know it is not a pleasant experience. The stinger doesn’t just pierce your skin, but the venom causes lasting pain. For that reason, many people have a fear of bees and wasps. But what if you knew that the bee or wasp didn’t have a sting? Well, take away the sting, and you take away the fear. Remove the sting, and the power of that flying insect is gone.

When Jesus rose from the dead, he took away the sting of death. Death had a powerful sting. Death is coming for everyone, and it casts a shadow over all of life. No matter what joy you experience, it won’t last because death is coming.

Death stings because it robs you of your loved ones. All the people you love will one day die. Death separates you from them. There is no FaceTime or phone calls with the dead. They’re gone.

Death stings because everyone has this gnawing feeling deep down that after death, there will be an accounting, a judgment. You are accountable to someone for your deeds and actions. There is a certain sense of fear and uncertainty of what that might be like.

Death stings and its venom can choke out even the best moments of life. The sting of death looks like ultimate defeat. But when Jesus rose from the dead, it meant a stunning reversal. Death no longer held the victory. Death no longer had its sting. Instead, Jesus gives the victory to all who put their faith in him.

Jesus has already undergone the judgment and punishment for sinners. His believers don’t have to fear a final reckoning with God. Jesus promises that those who die believing in him are not lost forever but alive in heaven. You will see them again. And Jesus’ resurrection means that death is not the end of the story for his believers. They will rise to an eternity of perfect joy and love.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for robbing death of its sting. Your resurrection means you have given me the victory. 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.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Colossians 3:1-4

A Resurrected Life

Daily Devotion – April 20, 2025

Devotion based on Colossians 3:1-4


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He had lived all his life on the streets. His skin was weathered. His hair was a tangled mess. His clothes were tattered and stained. He slept on cardboard and under garbage bags. He dined in the alleyways from restaurant dumpsters. Days he spent squatting on sidewalks, begging from passersby.

One day someone stopped, lifted him, cleaned him up, dressed him, and gave him $10,000 a week to live on. But months later, the pauper-turned-prince was still living on the streets. Once a week, he’d clean up. Once a month, he’d dine in a restaurant. He was not taking advantage of his new-found life.

The Bible says that through faith we have been raised with Christ. But are we living the resurrected life? Not if we only focus on Christ’s resurrection one day a year, Easter Sunday. The blessings of a resurrected life are life-changing. Take advantage of it!

A resurrected life is a life that looks up. Guilt can’t consume us because we find daily rest in Christ’s payment for all our sins. The world can’t fool us because we have God’s wisdom for making good decisions. Bad days can’t stop us because we have confidence in a better eternal tomorrow. Happiness is never out of reach, because it’s already in hand as we imitate the humble servant-life of our victorious Savior, Jesus Christ.

A resurrected life is a life connected to Christ. Your conscience may condemn you and Satan may accuse you. Let them! You have been set free from the guilt of sin. You are a redeemed child of the Father, purchased by the blood of Christ.

A resurrected life is a life with a glorious future. You may be overcome by the world’s hatred and hardship. But remember, what is over your head is still under Jesus’ feet. And one day, you will reign with Christ forever.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, keep my eyes fixed on you and the heaven you won for me rather than on the things of 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.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interest but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationship with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.
Philippians 2:3-5

Attitude

Daily Devotion – April 19, 2025

Devotion based on Philippians 2:3-5


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How has your attitude been lately? Have you gotten short-tempered with your children, spouse, or employees? Have you been disrespectful to your parents, teachers, or boss? Have you been a little self-righteous and unconcerned about the people around you? How has your attitude been toward the people you run into on a regular basis?

Now think about this: How is your attitude toward God? You may be happy with God when life seems to be going well, but it’s easy to blame God when things don’t go as planned. You may find yourself getting angry at God when there are difficult times in life—when you attend a funeral, miss a promotion, fail the exam, or have an illness. You may think that you know better than God, even though he is the Almighty and will judge all people one day.

We so desperately need Jesus. His attitude was always to glorify God and to love others. Jesus always displayed a humble attitude. He came to serve, not to be served. That is clearly seen when Jesus died on the cross to suffer the punishment for our sins so that we may live with him in heaven. Jesus even died to forgive you for the times when you had a bad attitude toward God and others!

Jesus’ forgiveness and love for you will change even a bad attitude into a life of love and service toward God and your fellow man.

Prayer:
Jesus, help me to improve my attitude toward others that I may be more like 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.

All who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” . . . Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”
Galatians 3:10,13

The Curse Is Ended

Daily Devotion – April 18, 2025

Devotion based on Galatians 3:10,13


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The plot of many fairy tales focuses on trying to end a curse, to break the spell cast by the story’s villain. In the end, you know that the hero will eventually appear, end the curse, and save the princess or even the entire land.

That plot is more true-to-life than we might like to admit. The Bible says, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Who can claim to have done everything required by God’s Law? We can’t even rightly claim to have kept a single one of God’s laws.

God’s Law demands actions that always step up to help and never cause hurt. His Law demands words that only build up with truth and love and never tear down. His Law demands hearts and minds that are perfectly pure and never polluted with hatred, greed, envy, or lust. And anyone who doesn’t live up to everything written in God’s Law is under a curse. Because of our sins against God’s law, we deserve death. We earn an eternity of God’s wrath in hell. “Cursed” hardly seems to be a strong enough word.

But what happened on a dark Friday afternoon nearly two thousand years ago changed all of that. Christ redeemed us from that curse by becoming a curse for us. He accepted our guilt—all of it. And he received the curse that it deserved—all of it.

Jesus was hung on the cross not only to suffer man’s wrath but the wrath of God and to pay the price demanded for our souls. With his life, he redeemed us. He paid the price to set us free from sin and guilt, from death and hell. Nothing less could have ended sin’s curse. Jesus paid that price in full. The curse is ended forever! And that’s why we call this Friday “good.”

Prayer:
What wondrous love is this! You paid the awful price for my soul! 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.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23

Faithful to His Promises

Daily Devotion – April 17, 2025

Devotion based on Hebrews 10:23


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Today, Christians celebrate Maundy Thursday or, as it is also called, Holy Thursday. The shadows of this night stretch back 3500 years. The descendants of Abraham had been forced into slavery in Egypt. But the Lord had promised that they would one day live in their own land where, through one special descendant, all nations on earth would be blessed.

The Lord kept that promise. Through a series of powerful miracles that you can read about in the Bible’s book of Exodus, the Lord rescued Abraham’s descendants from their slavery and brought them into that Promised Land.

Along the way, the Lord appeared to them with a covenant, a contract that said, “Obey me, and I will bless you.” But almost immediately, the people broke their side of the deal. And they continued to disobey and rebel against the Lord.

But the Lord gave a greater covenant to his people—a promise that didn’t depend on their obedience. A promise of forgiveness and deliverance from disobedience and death, just as he had delivered them from slavery and death in Egypt.

Every year, the people of God celebrated a special meal called the Passover. That meal remembered God’s rescue in Egypt. More importantly, it foreshadowed God’s future rescue, when he would make good on that promise of forgiveness and deliverance for all people.

Jesus came to fulfill that covenant promise. As he ate the Passover meal with his disciples, he was just hours away from giving his life to win a home in a heavenly Promised Land for all people. That night, he gave them a special meal to recall the covenant he came to fulfill. He fed them his own body and blood with bread and wine in a miraculous meal we call Holy Communion. It was their assurance, and it remains ours today, that God is faithful to his promises to unfaithful sinners like us.

No matter how unfaithful we have been to God, God’s faithful love gives us hope. Sure hope that, because God never breaks a promise, every one of our sins is forgiven through Jesus. Sure hope that one day, we will celebrate an even greater feast with Jesus in heaven.

Prayer:
Jesus, help me hold unswervingly to the hope that your faithful love gives to me. 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.