Category: Daily Devotions

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
Romans 10:14,15

The Story of Your Salvation

Daily Devotion – February 9, 2025

Devotion based on Romans 10:14,15


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Novel writers will tell you there is no secret recipe for producing a best-selling page-turner. However, many successful authors start with the ending and work backward. They have a goal in mind—it may be a happy ending or a shocking surprise, and the rest of the story builds toward that last chapter.

As a believer in Christ, you already know how your life’s story will end. You will joyfully spend eternity in the glorious presence of God, who loves you. But how do you come to such a happy ending? In his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul “reverse engineers” your story. You will be saved from the punishment you deserve through your faith in the Son of God, Jesus, who died in your place. You were led to call out to God for mercy, and he answered you for the sake of Jesus. But how did you know to call on him? How did you learn that he was such a merciful God and offered full and free forgiveness? Someone—a family member, a friend, or a pastor perhaps, shared with you the good news of what Jesus accomplished by his death on the cross. But that person who told you had to have been told by someone else. And so on.

Your life’s story begins and ends with the love of God in Christ Jesus. He has arranged everything to happen in your life for the purpose of your salvation. The events that lead to your eternal life in heaven began long before you were born. Always remember, in prayer, those that God has used to bring you to know him and consider how God may be using you in someone else’s life story. As you share what you know about Jesus with others, you become a vital character in the story of how that person also arrives at their happy ending.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I thank you for sending gospel messengers into my life. Let me know the joy of revealing to others the not-so-secret ending of the story of your love. 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 Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16,17

An Instruction Manual

Daily Devotion – February 8, 2025

Devotion based on 2 Timothy 3:16,17


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There is a direct correlation between how complex a piece of equipment is and how important the instruction manual is. You probably don’t need to look at the instruction manual for a straightforward calculator, but a new smartphone’s instruction manual may be helpful for figuring out some of its more complicated functions.

Life is complex and complicated. So, where’s the instruction manual for life? We do have one. It’s called the Bible.

You can go to any bookstore and find all kinds of self-help books, but these are instructions that are written by imperfect humans who struggle with the same life issues you do. Why not go to the source of life for instructions on how to live?

God, who created you, has given you his own Word—the Bible—to guide you in life. In that Word, he tells you that he loved you so much that he sent his Son into the world to save you from your sins and give you eternal life.

You have all the guidance you need for life in the Bible. No, you won’t find specific instructions for every decision you need to make. The Bible won’t tell you which job you should apply for or whether you should lease or buy your car. What you will find is one reminder after another of God’s awesome love for you and encouragement to live every moment of your life to his glory as the beloved child of God you are.

Treasure this God-given instruction manual and turn to it often. The author will never let you down.

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for giving me the Bible. Without it, I would not know of your love or my salvation. Through it, I know that I am loved and saved through Jesus. Help me to treasure and regard it as it truly is—your perfect Word. 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.

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
2 Timothy 4:2,3

Stick With Sound Doctrine

Daily Devotion – February 7, 2025

Devotion based on 2 Timothy 4:2,3


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There are over 40,000 different Christian denominations around the world, each one with its own unique teachings. So, if there is only one God and only one Bible, why is there so much variety?

The apostle Paul answers this in today’s Bible passage. People won’t put up with the sound doctrine God speaks in his Bible. Instead, they follow teachers who tell them what their itching ears want to hear. Over the last two millennia, this has resulted in many churches.

In a way, it’s understandable. You know how hard it is to tell people something they do not want to hear, especially if you’re correcting their sinful lifestyle or erroneous beliefs.

Because the Word can offend sinners, there will always be a temptation to twist its meaning—not just for pastors and teachers, but for all Christians. If you do that, however, you set up yourself and others for eternal disaster.

Thankfully, Paul doesn’t just describe the problem; he also gives the solution. “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season” (v. 2). That is, stand by the Bible’s sound doctrine, not only when it’s popular but also when it isn’t.

Jesus knows what it’s like to be unpopular for speaking the truth—he was crucified for it! He gave his life as a sacrifice for sins, and you are forgiven when you avoid the truth, ignore the truth, and forget the truth.

And that’s the key: When God has spoken it, it is the truth. He promises to bless all his words that come from your mouth. When you speak the word with great patience, you won’t always tell people what they want to hear, but you will always tell them what they need to hear. Stick with the sound doctrine that prepares you for your eternal home.

Prayer:
Father in heaven, help me to apply my heart and mouth to do your will. Prepare me to correct, rebuke, and encourage. 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.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:14,15

The One Thing That Works

Daily Devotion – February 6, 2025

Devotion based on 2 Timothy 3:14,15


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Are you a pragmatic person? Pragmatists want to find effective solutions to life’s problems. They deal with challenges based on what works, not on what they wish worked. And that sounds great because if there’s one thing we want, it’s things that work.

Does that attitude apply to religion? There are thousands of religions, and all claim to have an effective solution to one of life’s great problems: How do people get right with God?

On the surface, all these religions seem incomprehensibly diverse, but all of them—except one—boil down to essentially the same solution: You need to do enough good in life to stand before the holy God.

But does that work? Can you have confidence that you and God are good because you’ve done enough good? Not if you’re honest with yourself. Your conscience is a constant reminder that the solution of doing enough good doesn’t work because no one can ever be sure they have done enough.

But there is another plan, the one in today’s Bible reading. In fact, what works is the Bible. Those Holy Scriptures “are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (v. 15).

Other religions may be popular, but that doesn’t mean they’re successful. Unlike them, Christianity isn’t about trying to be good enough. It’s about God making you wise for salvation. His Word gives you wisdom that leads to salvation because it tells you all about Jesus.

Jesus is God’s plan to save you. You can’t do enough good for God, so Jesus came and did enough good for you. You can’t pay for your sins, so Jesus went to the cross to pay for them. You can’t conquer death, so Jesus rose from the dead to conquer it for you. That’s a different solution! Not trusting in yourself but trusting in Jesus. That works!

Prayer:
Christ Jesus, through your powerful Word continue to make me wise for salvation through faith in you. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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

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

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“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory. . . your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Isaiah 6:3,7,8

One With the Holy One

Relationships are rewarding. No relationship is more meaningful and important than the one we have with the Lord. Our present and eternal life depends on that relationship.

Yet how can we be certain that such a relationship exists? And if it exists, how can we be sure it will endure? We can’t help but recognize the vast gulf between our nature and his. He is absolute perfection, while our life reveals countless imperfections.

Before him, the heavenly angels shield their faces and feet with their wings. They cry out in reverent awe, “Holy, holy, holy.” The holy Lord demands and deserves such holiness from us.

Yet the Lord of matchless majesty is also the Lord of matchless mercy. He bridges the divide between his holiness and our sinfulness. The bridge he provides is Jesus. He takes our sins and bears them all upon the cross. Our guilt is completely taken away, and in its place, he freely gives us his grace. Before the holy God, we are holy, for Jesus’ holiness is ours.

In the freedom of God’s forgiveness, Isaiah confidently received God’s invitation to be his prophet. He boldly answered God’s call, “Here am I. Send me!” The Lord still sends out messengers to fearlessly confess his saving name with faith-driven courage. Our holy and gracious God draws even more people into a relationship with him as his saving word is proclaimed.

Prayer:
O heavenly Father, you are truly loving and holy. Through your holy Son you have provided healing and forgiveness to an unholy world. Send the Holy Spirit to create faith in me through your Holy Word. 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.

“Alas, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.”
Jeremiah 1:6,7

Say Whatever I Command You

Daily Devotion – February 5, 2025

Devotion based on Jeremiah 1:6,7


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How do children respond when you ask them to do something unpleasant? They make excuses: “I can’t do that! Do I have to?” Sometimes adults do the same thing: “I don’t have the skills to do that! Can’t somebody else do it?”

When the Lord called Jeremiah to be his prophet, he gave him the unpleasant task of convicting the people of their sin. How did Jeremiah respond? “Alas, Sovereign LORD, I do not know how to speak; I am too young” (v. 6).

Jeremiah was a young man sent to people who valued experience more than youth and who wouldn’t want to hear what he had to say. It was a good excuse, but it was still an excuse, and a childlike one at that.

What excuses do you have? No, the Lord has not called you to be a prophet, but we all have people in our lives who need to hear about God and his promises.

What do you say to yourself to justify staying quiet? “I’m too young. I’m too old. The timing is wrong. I don’t know what to say.” Satan loves excuses because excuses silence the Word so souls headed for hell don’t hear it.

That’s why the Lord tells you the same thing he told Jeremiah: “Say whatever I command you” (v. 7). Jeremiah didn’t speak his own words. He repeated God’s Word. What comfort! The people wouldn’t always like what he had to say, but Jeremiah wasn’t called to be popular; he was called to fearlessly share God’s Word.

Remember this. The power of God’s Word does not depend on you. The power comes from God. That means you don’t need to be afraid to speak the Word of the Lord to people who need to hear it. The Lord does not promise to supernaturally give you words to speak, but he does give you the Bible. That is the Word you speak.

Prayer:
Sovereign Lord, silence my excuses and give me confidence in your Word and care. 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.

At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
Luke 4:42-44

Sent for Success

Daily Devotion – February 4, 2025

Devotion based on Luke 4:42-44


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One of the quickest ways to become popular is to make life better for people, and Jesus had been doing just that. He had performed one miraculous healing after another. People suffering from all kinds of sicknesses flocked to him, and he cured them one by one.

It’s not surprising, then, that people went looking for him after he slipped out for some alone time. It’s even less surprising that they tried to prevent him from leaving. What is surprising, though, is that Jesus wanted to leave. Why would he go away from a place where he was so popular?

Isn’t that the point? Conventional wisdom states that popularity means success and if you’re popular, it will make your life better.

But while it’s natural for us to think that being popular is a worthy goal, Jesus demonstrated that popularity is not proof of success. Remember what he told the people: “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent” (v. 43).

It’s true that Jesus had the power to make life better for people and the potential to be extremely popular, but that was not the reason he was there. He was sent not to make life better, but to give us a different life entirely.

Jesus knew that our problems are bigger than the sicknesses that kill us. For Jesus, success meant proclaiming the good news of his imminent victory over sin, death, and the devil. That victory does more than make life better; it gives eternal life to all who believe in Jesus.

That’s why believers in Jesus keep preaching that same good news—to take as many people as possible safely into the kingdom of God.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Son to proclaim good news and letting me hear it. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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

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

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At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.
Luke 4:40,41

Signs of the Ultimate Healing

Jesus had been busy. In the synagogue that morning, he freed a man from demon possession by commanding the demon to leave him. Later he cured a woman of her high fever simply by rebuking the fever. Jesus’ word had accomplished great things that day, and word about him had been spreading like wildfire. He was a popular man.

By sunset, all kinds of sick and demon-possessed people had been brought to Jesus. With a touch from his hands, the sick were healed, and by the word of his mouth, demons were exorcised. No illness resisted him, and demons couldn’t speak without his permission.

In one miracle-packed day, Jesus demonstrated his power over afflictions and his deep concern for every afflicted individual. But if affliction is no match for Jesus’ powerful word, why doesn’t he continue to miraculously heal people today? That is a question every follower of Jesus wrestles with, especially when they are suffering.

To answer that question, we need to remember that everyone Jesus healed could have gotten sick again, and even if they stayed healthy for the rest of their lives, they still died. Those miraculous healings made Jesus popular, but they were only temporary reprieves of a much greater problem. The Bible tells us, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

Jesus came to end that problem permanently. His miracles proved he was sent by God to do just that because they demonstrated that he was the Son of God in human flesh. Jesus’ bloody cross and empty tomb leave no doubt that he defeated our afflictions at their source. Jesus’ miracles of healing point to the ultimate healing: the forgiveness of your sins and the perfect restoration of all things on the Last Day.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you are the Great Physician of body and soul. Remind me of your concern for me. Help me when I suffer and give me strength to endure until the day you restore your creation to perfection. 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.

The word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Jeremiah 1:4,5

I Knew You

Daily Devotion – February 2, 2025

Devotion based on Jeremiah 1:4,5


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“I thought I knew you.” You might hear those words from someone who thinks you’ve changed. They knew you at one point in your life, but now you’ve apparently changed. The perspective is one of looking back on who you once were. Time and distance have changed you. What they knew about you no longer seems to be true.

The Lord spoke to the prophet Jeremiah and told him: “I knew you.” But the Lord wasn’t surprised at Jeremiah–who he was, how he’d changed, or what he was up to now. No, the Lord’s perspective was different. Before Jeremiah even existed, the Lord knew him and what he would do.

From our perspective, life can feel like a chaotic tornado or a gigantic game of Plinko. When we feel that way, we all too easily give in to temptations. When we think that no one is in control, we decide to take the reins. We start making all the decisions ourselves, regardless of what God says. When it feels like our lives are stuck in a dangerous swamp of question marks, we worry about everything, even though worrying has never worked.

The Lord is here to tell us differently. He knows, cares, and has plans for you. The Lord’s plans started before you were even born. He planned for you before this world was created. His plans included a cradle where his Son, your Savior, was born. He planned for the cross, where Jesus’ punishment brought you peace. In your life, God brought you his Word and Jesus. And Jesus is planning and preparing a room for you in heaven.

The Lord, who has known and planned those HUGE details for you, knows every little detail, too. The Lord knows. He knows you. He loves you.

Prayer:
Lord, you know me better than I know myself. Forgive me for not trusting your loving care. Give me confidence always that you know me, you love me and your plans for me culminate with my happy home in heaven with you. Amen.

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.
Isaiah 61:1

Freedom

Daily Devotion – February 1, 2025

Devotion based on Isaiah 61:1


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When we try to guess what God is thinking, we don’t usually get very far. We don’t know what he will bring into our lives tomorrow, much less next year or the year after. But there is one area of life where we can begin to guess what God is thinking with great accuracy, and that is when we’ve messed up. Maybe friends were depending on us, and we let them down. Maybe we said something we regret and wish we could take it back. Maybe it was something bigger than all that, something that eats at us. It’s not as though God has given us something complicated to do—just love. But we get this wrong again and again, and we can sense that God is angry.

But God anointed Jesus to preach God’s mind, and to tell us something we would never have guessed on our own. Jesus preached freedom. Not political freedom. Not financial freedom. The freedom Jesus preached is a release from the darkness of sin and death, forever. And he did more than preach. He rescued us. On his cross, he put himself in our dark dungeon and released us into the light. Jesus didn’t just talk about freedom; he set us free.

You are fully and eternally free from all punishment for your sin. Jesus signed your pardon papers with his blood and sealed them with his resurrection from the dead. Have you ever found yourself caught in a web of guilt, buried under a burdened conscience, terrified by the darkness of death? The message of Jesus is as breathtakingly wonderful as it is simple: freedom.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, you have suffered and died for me. You have set me free from sin, guilt, and death. Bless me with your peace and joy today and always. Amen.