Category: Daily Devotions

[Jesus said] “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. . . . But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ . . . For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Luke 14:8,10,11

Humble Yourself

Daily Devotion – September 26, 2019

Devotion based on Luke 14:8,10,11

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“Where am I supposed to sit?” you wonder as you enter the reception hall. You scan all the tables and notice that one table at the front of the hall is specially decorated and elevated on a riser. “That must be where the bride and groom want me to sit,” you think. “After all, I’m one of their best friends. I deserve to be seated as close to them as possible.”

It’s hard to imagine that any of us would be so presumptuous as to do something like that at a friend’s wedding reception. Yet, as Jesus observed, such behavior is certainly not unthinkable for us sinful human beings. Each of us naturally has a very high opinion of ourselves. We believe that we deserve to be honored by others. And if they don’t give us the honor we think we deserve, we’ll do what we can to build ourselves up so they can’t help but notice how great we are.

Such self-exalting behavior, however, is not what Jesus wants to see in us. It certainly is not how he acted. Although, as the Son of God, he deserved to be honored more than anyone else, he did not insist on always receiving that honor. Instead, he willingly humbled himself and for a while hid his greatness so he could save us. It was through humbling himself, even to the point of suffering and dying on the cross for us, that Jesus was exalted to the right hand of God.

If you want to be honored in Jesus’ kingdom, don’t seek to build yourself up. Instead, through faith in Jesus, humble yourself. And trust that Jesus, who humbled himself for you, will exalt you just as he has promised.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, lead me through faith in you to humble myself to your glory. 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 whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
James 2:10

Break One Law You Break Them All

Daily Devotion – September 25, 2019

Devotion based on James 2:10

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The sound of breaking glass shatters the peace of your Saturday afternoon. You go into your living room and see a jagged hole right in the middle of your living room window. The scuffed baseball rolling on your living room floor answers the question of how that hole got there.

Your doorbell rings, and when you open your door you see a group of very contrite looking children standing on your porch. “We’re so sorry that we broke your window,” one of them says. “But we’ll fix it. We’ll go get some duct tape right now and tape over the hole. Then your window will be as good as new!”

“Absurd!” you think to yourself. “It’s not just the hole in the window that needs fixing. The whole window is broken. You can’t just break a part of a window and not break the whole thing!”

In our Bible passage today, James makes the same point about God’s law. Once we’ve put a hole in any part of it, we have broken it in its entirety. We can’t just patch up the part we think we’ve broken. Just like a broken window needs to be replaced in its entirety, our sin-shattered lives must be replaced in their entirety for us to be spiritually whole.

Thankfully, Jesus has done just that for us. Throughout his life, he kept the window of God’s law completely intact. Not once did he even chip any part of it. Now, through faith in him, he gives us the completely intact window of God’s law that he kept for us. His perfectly intact obedience replaces the window we shattered with our disobedience. And in him, we can stand before God without fear or shame, for in Jesus, God’s law is completely unbroken.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, all praise to you for keeping God’s law perfectly in my place. 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.

If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.
James 2:8

Love Your Neighbor

Daily Devotion – September 24, 2019

Devotion based on James 2:8

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I deleted my Twitter account a few weeks ago. I just couldn’t take it anymore. While it started as a way for me to keep up with news and current events, the longer I stayed on Twitter the more I didn’t like what I saw. I saw angry virtual mobs saying vile things about other people whom they knew nothing about. I saw coordinated efforts to ruin the lives of people who held opinions that the Twitter hordes found objectionable. In short, I saw a glaring lack of the kind of thing that James talks about in our Bible passage today. I saw far too many people who failed to love their neighbor as they loved themselves.

Getting off Twitter, however, did not separate me from the problem of people failing to love their neighbor as themselves. That’s because getting off Twitter did not separate me from my own sinful heart. The failure of people to love their neighbor as themselves is not just an “out there” problem. It is an “in me” problem. My sinful nature loves me above all else. And it finds the whole idea of loving my neighbor as much as I love myself utterly offensive and absurd.

So how are we supposed to fulfill this demand when our sinful hearts resolutely refuse to do so? Praise God that in his undeserved love toward us he sent his Son Jesus to fulfill this demand for us. In fact, in his perfect living, Jesus not only loved all his neighbors as he loved himself, but he also loved God above all things. In doing this, Jesus fulfilled God’s entire law in our place. And through faith in him, we now have his perfect love toward God and neighbor credited to us, just as if we had done it ourselves.

Getting off Twitter won’t separate us from our old sinful selves. But in Jesus, we’re no longer just our old sinful selves. Through faith in Jesus, we are new people. And in him, we will keep the royal law found in Scripture and love our neighbor as ourselves.

Prayer:
Dearest Jesus, may your love for me fill my heart that I always love my neighbor as myself. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
James 2:1-4

Equally Valuable

Daily Devotion – September 23, 2019

Devotion based on James 2:1-4

See series: Devotions

How would you react if you were in the situation that James describes in today’s Bible passage? An obviously wealthy person and a homeless person both walk into the place where you are. It is your job to greet them and make them feel welcome. How will you do that? Will you view them both equally? Or will you value the wealthy person more than you value the homeless person? And will the subjective value you place on each person affect how you treat each of them?

None of us like to admit it, but we all are guilty of assigning value to people based on wholly external factors. We value those with wealth more than we value those without it. We prefer to be with people we believe will bring us some benefit rather than being with people who might need our help. It’s bad enough that we make these distinctions in our minds. But rarely does this favoritism remain hidden inside us. It’s very difficult for us to treat people equally when we don’t value them equally.

How thankful we can be that Jesus never showed favoritism! Jesus never valued one person more than he valued another. He loved (and loves) all people equally, and that includes each of us. In fact, Jesus loved and valued each of us so much that he willingly lived, suffered, and died for us all without distinction. As we see how Jesus loved and valued each of us equally, we are equipped to love and value others in the same way. And we will see that all people are equally valuable because Jesus loves them all.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help me always to love and value all people equally, just as you do. 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.

Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among great men; it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,” than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman.
Proverbs 25:6,7

Self-Promotion

Daily Devotion – September 22, 2019

Devotion based on Proverbs 25:6,7

See series: Devotions

Do you want to get ahead in life? Here’s the advice of Stanford University business professor Jeffrey Pfeffer: “Leaders are not modest, and more importantly, the extensive social science research on narcissism [and] self-promotion . . . shows that these qualities and behaviors are useful for getting hired, achieving promotions, keeping one’s job, and obtaining a higher salary.” In other words, if you want to get ahead in life, let everyone know how great you are. Trumpet your accomplishments. Place yourself among those who are recognized to be the greatest. And make it seem unthinkable that anyone would consider you unworthy of being in that position.

Greatness for a follower of Jesus is very different from greatness as the world defines it. Worldly greatness is all about promoting yourself and having others serve you. Greatness in Jesus’ Kingdom is all about taking attention away from ourselves and selflessly serving others.

Jesus, of course, is the perfect example of such selfless service. Jesus’ entire life was not about promoting himself, even though he was the Son of God. His life was about serving us by keeping God’s law perfectly in our place and dying on the cross to pay for our sins. Jesus’ greatness came through his service to us, and in his humble service, he was exalted.

By his humble service, Jesus has also exalted us. We who believe in him are great, but not because of who we are or anything we have accomplished. We are great because in Jesus God has made us his dearly loved children. Regardless of how the world may see us, in God’s eyes, we are kings and queens. And we who have been exalted by God have no need to seek to promote ourselves.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for humbling yourself so that I might be exalted. Help me always to find my greatness in 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.

[You] have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.
Hebrews 12:22

A Different Kind of Mountain

Daily Devotion – September 21, 2019

Devotion based on Hebrews 12:22

See series: Devotions

No doubt you’ve seen pictures or video of Mount Everest. Its beauty is stunning. And its height—nearly 6 miles above sea level—makes it the highest mountain in the world. It’s the stuff of legend.

That much you know. What you may not know is that Mount Everest is littered with bodies.

Over the years, about 4,000 people have tried to climb Mount Everest. Almost 200 of them have died in the attempt. The terrain is so extreme near the summit, however, that it’s simply impossible to recover many of the bodies. And so they remain on the mountain to this day.

It’s a sobering thought: A mountain littered with scores of people who gave their lives for a fleeting moment of glory.

The Lord introduces us to a different kind of mountain—”Mount Zion,” he calls it. The heavenly Jerusalem. The city of the living God. Here there is only one person who gave his life. His name was Jesus. Only he didn’t do it for a moment of glory. He did it to wash us clean of every sin. He did it to give us eternal life.

And now he lives. And because he does, Mount Zion is ours. And not just for a moment. Because Jesus lives, Mount Zion—HEAVEN—is ours forever.

Prayer:
Dearest Jesus, you died to wash me clean. And now you live again. Because you do, Mount Zion is mine. Keep me from every forgetting, or taking for granted, what I have through 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.

“There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. People will come from the east and west and north and south and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
Luke 13:28,29

Eternal Regret and Eternal Rejoicing

Daily Devotion – September 20, 2019

Devotion based on Luke 13:28,29

See series: Devotions

There are many misconceptions about hell. False ideas are all over television, social media, and the internet. Some will say that hell is not a real place. Others argue that it is a place reserved only for the terribly bad people and most of us don’t have to worry about it. A recent Twitter discussion argued that hell will be a lot more fun than heaven. Some will even say that hell is an invention of the church made up to scare people into doing what the church tells them.

In Luke, chapter thirteen, Jesus tells us the truth about this awful place. Contrary to what many in this world believe, there is a hell and people can end up there. Hell will not be a big party. Jesus says, “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth.” Scripture is clear about the intense pain, suffering, and torment that those in hell will experience. But, the worst part of hell won’t be the heat, pain, or suffering. The worst part will be the eternal regret of knowing that you had a chance to believe in Jesus and chose not to.

Thankfully, those who believe in Jesus will never have to worry about that. There will be a large crowd of people going to heaven. “People will come from east and west and north and south and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.” Through faith in Jesus, we will never have to face eternal suffering in hell. Rather, through his life, death, and resurrection, we will be with him forever in his kingdom, enjoying all that heaven has to offer.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for winning heaven for me. Help me to keep my eyes focused on the heavenly goal. Help me encourage others to put their faith in 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.

[Jesus] said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.”
Luke 13:24

Follow The Narrow Road

Daily Devotion – September 19, 2019

Devotion based on Luke 13:24

See series: Devotions

My family and I recently went on a vacation and found ourselves on a highway that was seven lanes across. And those were just the lanes going in our direction! That many lanes and cars can be overwhelming. Knowing when to exit is key because you must make plans to get over to the correct lane in time. The flow of that much traffic moving at high speeds can be very difficult to navigate across.

That’s how life is for the Christian too. Jesus tells us that the door to heaven is narrow. Life flows so swiftly before us and so many people are not looking to exit on the narrow road. We can get swept up in the materialism and greed of our society. We can get pulled along by the sports-crazy culture. We can get caught up trying to pass the guy ahead of us at work. All the while, we find ourselves moving with the traffic and we have taken our eyes off our exit. If we aren’t careful, we will speed down the highway that leads away from God and our heavenly home.

So, we want to keep our eyes open and be aware of what the world around us is steering us toward. We want to turn on the “GPS” of God’s Word and read and listen to it daily. We want to continue to learn more and more about our Savior Jesus, who is the only way to heaven. After all, only Jesus lived, died, and rose again to give us the gift of eternal life.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, keep my eyes and my faith focused on you, so that I do not get swept along by the ways of this world. 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 LORD said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.” So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred.
Judges 7:7

God Will Deliver You

Daily Devotion – September 18, 2019

Devotion based on Judges 7:7

See series: Devotions

Do you ever feel overwhelmed? Do you ever feel like things have gotten away from you? Like the odds are stacked against you? Imagine how Gideon felt as he watched God strip away his army. The troops were whittled down from 32,000 to just 300 men. A strong, confident fighting force was reduced to a small band of soldiers. Did he feel hopeless? Helpless? Worried? Panicked? Afraid for his life? Gideon was left in a spot where the only thing he could do was trust in God to deliver him.

Perhaps God has led you to a similar spot. Maybe it is the upcoming surgery that has you feeling helpless. Maybe it is the loss of a job or a move to a new city that has your family panicked and worried. Maybe life has just beaten you down that you feel so hopeless and don’t know where to turn. Our enemy, the devil, uses these situations to tempt us to blame, doubt, or even get angry at God.

Jesus sure had those moments throughout his life too. Imagine what he could have been feeling as he dragged that cross up the hill to the spot where he was going to be nailed to it. Yet, through it all, even as he was suffering and dying for you and me, Jesus trusted in his Father to deliver him. And he did! Jesus has risen, ascended into heaven, and is ruling all things for our good.

So if you find yourself in a spot like Gideon, don’t panic. Instead, realize what a good place that is to be! It is an opportunity to trust him! And, you can be sure that, in his own way and in his own time, he will deliver you.

Prayer:
Dear God, help me to lean on you always. Help me to trust in your deliverance. 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 LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’”
Judges 7:2

Give God the Glory

Daily Devotion – September 17, 2019

Devotion based on Judges 7:2

See series: Devotions

Giannis Antetokounmpo recently won the NBA Most Valuable Player award. For Milwaukee Bucks’ fans, this was especially great to see. The “Greek Freak” amazed basketball fans all year with his ball-handling skills, powerful slam dunks, and all-out effort. At just under 7 feet tall and 242 pounds, Giannis is just about unstoppable. And so, when he took the stage to give his acceptance speech, you may be surprised to hear the first thing he said: “I want to thank God for blessing me with this amazing talent.” He went on to thank God three times before saying anything else.

It is refreshing to hear someone give God credit rather than boasting about his own abilities. Boasting about ourselves is a strong temptation. But, think of what happens when we do. We take credit away from God. We forget who is ultimately responsible for anything we accomplish.

God knew this would be a temptation for Gideon and his men. So, he said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’” Boasting is a strong temptation.

And never is boasting a more serious sin than when we are tempted to think that our own strength saves us from hell and earns us heaven. This is why the devil is constantly trying to convince us that we can get to God on our own. He knows that if we trust in ourselves, rather than in Jesus, we will never get to God. Only Jesus’ perfect life and innocent death could do that. It is his gift to us, not something we earn. Remember this the next time you are tempted to think you are good enough for God. Remember the story of Gideon and give God the glory for your salvation.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, help me always to realize that I cannot be saved by my own strength. Help me always to look to you for salvation. 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.