Category: Daily Devotions

You who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy.
Romans 11:30

What God Means by Mercy

Daily Devotion – August 18, 2018

Devotion based on Romans 11:30

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The story goes something like this. Long ago, in a faraway land, there was an old man in a small village. The old man was a Christian. He also had the reputation for receiving direct messages from God. One day another Christian came through that village—a Christian haunted by his past. When people told him about the old man, he didn’t know what to think. And so, he decided to try a test. He went to meet the old man. Then he told the old man this. He said, “I am a Christian, but for years I have been carrying the guilt of a terrible sin. The next time you talk to God, would you please ask him to tell you what that terrible sin was?” The old man agreed.

The next day, the two met again. “Did you talk to God last night?” “Yes, I did,” said the old man. “Did you ask him to tell you about my terrible sin?” “Yes, I did,” the old man replied.

“And what did God tell you?”

In a strong, clear voice the old man answered, “He told me to tell you…that he doesn’t remember.”

When God speaks to you and me in the Bible about his forgiving mercy through faith in Jesus, many times you and I do not fully grasp what he means. Just because we often cling to memories of sins from the past, we assume that God does too. But that assumption is wrong.

Here is the truth. God was determined to wash away our sins of disobedience. He was determined to wash them away once and for all. And he did. He spilled the blood of his own Son to do it. Then he raised him from death to assure us that the guilt of our sin is gone. But not only is it gone from our record. It is even gone from God’s memory. As God has already said, “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31:34).

That’s what God means by mercy. And that is the mercy we possess through faith in Jesus Christ.

Prayer:
God of mercy, so often I choose to cling to memories of sins from my past. But you do not. Help me to absorb this truth. With your gospel, heal my wounded heart. Amen.

This devotion was selected from the Daily Devotion archive.

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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
Acts 11:26

What’s in a Name?

Daily Devotion – August 17, 2018

Devotion based on Acts 11:26

See series: Devotions

Nicknames often serve the purpose of helping us remember certain characteristics of people. Olympic snowboarder Shawn White was given the nickname “the Flying Tomato” because, in his early years of competition, he had a full head of blazing red hair. Nicknames are often created to highlight something that is unique about an individual or a group.

That was the case in Antioch during the ministry of the apostle Paul. The term “Christian” is very well-known today. That was not the case then. Christianity as a religion was very young. The gospel of Jesus Christ had not yet reached to the ends of the earth, as it has today. But in Antioch, residents of the city began to notice there was something different about a certain group of people. They weren’t as concerned about social status as their neighbors. They didn’t worry quite so much when trouble or unexpected challenges came. They were not so eager to hold grudges when someone sinned against them. In fact, they readily forgave.

The residents of Antioch eventually realized that each person in this group had one thing in common. They believed that Jesus Christ was the Savior of the world. So a nickname was born—“Christ”-ians. Christians were known as people who loved Christ.

What are you known for loving? Those who see your life also see what you love. They see where you spend your time, how you spend your money, how you treat others, and how quickly the troubles of life cause you to worry. Whether or not anyone gives you a nickname, others can often see what you love most by looking at your life.

Just like we can when we look at Jesus. Look at his cross, and it is remarkably clear what he loves more than anything. He loves you. He believed that you are someone worth dying for. Jesus wants you to know that, whatever sins you have committed, however often and eagerly you have loved something more than you have loved God, you are forgiven. He wants you to know that nothing in all creation will keep you from one day enjoying the perfection of heaven.

For the Christians in Antioch, as well as for us today, that was a gift worth far more than anything this world could give.

Prayer:
Dear Father in heaven, thank you for the gift of forgiveness won for us by your Son, Jesus Christ. Give us strength and wisdom to live our lives in such a way that, through us, others see the significance of his sacrifice. 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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

You are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
Ephesians 2:19-20

Built on a Firm Foundation

Daily Devotion – August 16, 2018

Devotion based on Ephesians 2:19-20

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On June 27, 2009, a very strange site greeted the construction workers arriving at the construction site of the nearly-completed Lotus Riverside apartment complex in Shanghai, China. One of the eleven 13-story apartment towers that they had been working on was lying flat on its side. It looked as if some giant toddler had walked up to the building and just pushed it over. The building itself was, for the most part, intact. Even the doors and windows remained in place. But none of that mattered because the foundation on which the building had been built had completely given way. Without a firm foundation, no building, no matter how skillfully built, can stand for long.

The apostle Paul makes the same point about the Holy Christian Church in our Bible passage for today. In these verses from his letter to the Christians in Ephesus, Paul compares the Holy Christian Church to a building. Just like a physical building, the Holy Christian Church needs to be built on a firm foundation in order for it to stand. If it doesn’t have a solid foundation on which to stand, the Holy Christian Church will fall like that apartment tower in Shanghai, regardless of how skillfully the building may seem to be constructed.

But what can serve as a firm foundation for God’s Church? What is solid enough to enable God’s Church to withstand every storm that may try to tear it down? What is strong enough to resist the attempted erosion of centuries and millennia? What is so sturdy that no matter how many bricks are built upon it, it will never give way?

Only one foundation can do all that. The foundation is Jesus Christ and the solid teachings about him that are recorded in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. From the beginning, the way in which God builds people into his church has remained the same. He always has worked to bring people to faith in his Son Jesus. In the Old Testament, God spoke through the prophets and told people about what his Son would do for them when he came. In the New Testament, God spoke through his apostles about what Jesus fully accomplished when he did come.

Throughout it all, Jesus remained the focus. He was, and is, the chief cornerstone on which God builds his church. Jesus’ perfect life on behalf of all people, and his innocent sufferings and death to pay for the sins of all people are the immovable foundation on which every Christian stands and on which God’s church stands. When we stand firmly on Jesus and his Word, nothing can knock us down. For Jesus is our firm foundation, and nothing built on him can ever be demolished.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, my strong foundation, keep me always firmly built on 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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched [Elijah] and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
1 Kings 19:7-8

Food for the Journey

Daily Devotion – August 15, 2018

Devotion based on 1 Kings 19:7-8

See series: Devotions

The prophet Elijah was a wanted man. Hunted by Queen Jezebel, he ran for his life into the desert. Finding a tree, he sat under it and prayed: “I have had enough,LORD. Take my life.”

Do you ever feel like Elijah under that tree? Ever have one of those days, weeks, or years where you just want to curl up and die? Life is too hard; the journey is too much.

We work, we pray, we expect success, and then everything we work for falls apart. There’s pain that no medicine can numb, and diseases that wear down and destroy our bodies. There’s guilt over the things we have said and done, and the things we have left unsaid and undone.

But rather than ask God to end us, we should ask him to do what he promises, and give us food for the journey. Notice that God did not do what Elijah asked. He didn’t take Elijah’s life, he preserved it. He sent an angel to Elijah with bread and water. Not only did that meal strengthen him for his journey, it also assured him of God’s presence and reminded him that he was not alone.

God doesn’t let us starve on the journey either. He provides daily bread for our bodies and Jesus, the Bread of Life, for our souls. The good news about Jesus assures us of God’s presence and reminds us that we are not alone. Jesus journeyed to the cross to guarantee that our journey has a blessed end.

The Lord does not promise quick and easy solutions for the pains of our journey. We who eat the Bread of Life are not spared the trouble of life. Jesus isn’t magic wonder bread that takes away all our problems. He is God’s Living Bread, food for the journey that sees us through life and death to the resurrection on the Last Day.

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for feeding my body and my soul. 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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.
Ephesians 5:1-2

Change of Plans

Daily Devotion – August 14, 2018

Devotion based on Ephesians 5:1-2

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They were young boys who loved to play soccer. Some had plans to play professionally when they grew up. But that’s before they entered the cave.

This past June, in Thailand, 12 boys and their soccer coach entered a local cave to look around—something they had done many times before. But heavy rains suddenly made waters in the cave rise. The rising water forced the soccer team to go back further and further into the cave. They found themselves trapped. Almost two miles of cold, murky water separated the team from the entrance. And few of the boys could swim.

Then came the Navy SEALs. They emerged from the water to find the boys after searching for them for days. They quickly saw to it that the boys and their coach would not be alone from that time forward. They brought food. They transported letters between the boys and their families. They even played checkers with them. The two-week ordeal climaxed in a miraculous rescue. Over 150 Navy SEALs took part in bringing each boy through underwater twists and turns. Every trip took hours. The difficulty was beyond words. One Navy SEAL died. The boys and their coach, however, are out, alive, and safe.

Since the rescue, several of the boys have changed their plans for what they want to do with their lives. They want to be Navy SEALs. They want to rescue others.

You and I once found ourselves trapped in a place far more desperate than even a water-filled cave. You and I once found ourselves trapped in the pit of our own sin.

But then the Son of God arrived. He did what had to be done to retrieve us from the despairing darkness into the warm light of his forgiveness. In doing so he gave his life. For us.

Now, through faith in Jesus, you and I are out, alive, and safe. And because Christ has risen from death, we know that we will never be alone again.

But this rescue has not only changed the destiny of our souls, it has changed our plans for life on this earth. Armed with the gospel message of what Jesus has done, you and I can now be rescuers too.

Right now, there are people you know who are trapped—trapped in the spiritual caves and caverns of this broken world. Seek them out. Bring them what they need. Bring them Jesus.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you have rescued me and brought me into the light of your forgiveness. Through your gospel, empower me to seek others as you sought 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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
John 6:51

Life-giving Bread

Daily Devotion – August 13, 2018

Devotion based on John 6:51

See series: Devotions

“What’s to eat?” That’s the question heard daily, and the answer can be found in the refrigerator, the pantry, or the cupboard. Often one of those sources provides a solution and hunger is satisfied.

“What’s to eat?” This question can be understood in a completely different way. Instead of focusing on an empty stomach, it can also focus on the empty soul. What satisfies this hunger?

Many people look for answers in all sorts of places. Most rely on what I must do to satisfy the hunger pangs of my guilty soul. Unfortunately, all these self-reliant solutions will only leave me hungry. Worse yet, I soon come to the realization I am dying from spiritual starvation. Where do I turn to find life-giving bread that feeds my hungry soul?

The answer is found only in Jesus. His words are simple, yet profound: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.” There is no doubt about what Jesus offers. It is bread which gives life. Not only does it fill my starving soul, it also nourishes me with eternal life.

Jesus can rightly offer this living bread from heaven. As the source of life, he came into this starving and death-ridden world. He endured the pain, the emptiness, and even the horrible death it demanded. He triumphed over everything, and with his victory he offers food that gives life.

This life-giving bread is mine only through faith. When I put my complete trust in him and in his precious work, my hungry soul is filled. No longer do I search to find nourishment. No longer do I yearn to be filled. No longer am I resigned to endless starvation and death. Jesus is my life-giving bread from heaven. Daily I long to eat what he offers, and joyfully I find the food which gives eternal life.

Prayer:
O gracious Jesus, bread of life from heaven, come and feed me with your life-giving food that my hungry soul may be filled. 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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
Matthew 14:25-27

Mistaken Identity

Daily Devotion – August 12, 2018

Devotion based on Matthew 14:25-27

See series: Devotions

Often embarrassment follows a case of mistaken identity. What also quickly follows is an apology with the explanation, “I thought you were someone else.” It is a situation that will repeat itself regularly, but likely will not have any lasting consequences—except when it happens regarding Jesus.

On the night the disciples witnessed the miracle of Jesus walking on the lake, their fears escalated. Instead of seeing their friend, teacher, and Savior, they mistook Jesus for a ghost. As a result, they were filled with terror and believed their demise was near. I need to learn a lesson from the disciples, and even more importantly, I need to know who Jesus is and what he does for me.

It is easy for Jesus to experience a case of mistaken identity. It happens when I fail to see Jesus for who he is and try to make him into something he never came to be. Without the guidance of the Scriptures I would only identify Jesus as a good man, a fine teacher, or someone after whom I would like to model my life. The problem comes when I need Jesus to be more than this.

This is why I need to get back to what God’s Word reveals. There I see Jesus’ true identity. He is my Savior who by his obedient death on the cross rescues me from the condemnation of sin. He is my Redeemer who by his victorious resurrection frees me from the power of the devil. He is my Shepherd who by his unsurpassed power lovingly leads me through this life to eternal life. He is, finally, my ever-present God and Lord who says, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

While situations of mistaken identity will happen from time to time, I can never afford to see Jesus as anything, or anyone other than my Savior, my God, and my Lord.

Prayer: (Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal – 358)
How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer’s ear!
It soothes our sorrows heals our wounds, and drives away all fear!

O Jesus, Shepherd, Guardian, Friend, my Prophet, Priest and King,
My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End, accept the praise I bring.

This devotion was selected from the Daily Devotion archive.

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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

… from [the patriarchs] is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all.
Romans 9:5

The Rescue

Daily Devotion – August 11, 2018

Devotion based on Romans 9:5

See series: Devotions

During World War II, an American soldier by the name of Bert Frizen was on the front lines in Europe. One day, his patrol reached the edge of a wooded area with an open field before them. But unknown to the Americans, a unit of Germans waited in trenches about 200 yards across that field.

Bert was one of two scouts who moved out into the clearing. Once he was halfway across the field, the remainder of his battalion followed. Suddenly the Germans opened fire. Bullets ripped into both of Bert’s legs. The Americans immediately withdrew into the woods for protection. A rapid exchange of fire continued, but Bert lay helpless where he had fallen.

Then things got worse. Bert noticed that a German soldier was crawling towards him. He closed his eyes and waited for his enemy to arrive and put him to death. Time passed. Finally, he dared to look. There was the German soldier kneeling at his side. Then Bert noticed something else. The shooting had stopped. The shooting had stopped because every man on both sides wanted to see what this mysterious German soldier was going to do next.

And this is what he did. In the middle of that field, the German picked up Bert in his arms and carried him to the safety of the American side. Then, without speaking a word, he turned and walked back across the field to his own troops. Moments later the fighting resumed, but not before all those present had witnessed how one man had risked everything for his enemy.

By nature, you and I were God’s enemies. Our sinfulness had infected us so much that our very minds were hostile toward God. But God did the unthinkable. He became one of us. He became one of us in the person of Jesus Christ. On our behalf he lived the holy life we had refused to live. Then, for our sin he suffered and died the death we had deserved to die. Then he rose from death to assure us that we were enemies no more.

And now we are rescued, you and I—rescued and forgiven through faith in the One who refused to stand by and watch us die. That is what we have in our God. That is what we have in our Savior.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, at a time when every fiber of my being was your sworn enemy, you chose to rescue me. And now you are my dearest friend. Thank you, Lord. Thank you. Amen.

This devotion was selected from the Daily Devotion archive.

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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
Revelation 1:5b-6

Priests to Serve

Daily Devotion – August 10, 2018

Devotion based on Revelation 1:5b-6

See series: Devotions

Today when we hear the word “priest,” we may picture someone wearing a black shirt with that one-of-a-kind clerical collar. We may think of someone being addressed as “Father.” Yet in these verses from the book of Revelation, the title “priest” does not strictly apply to Roman Catholic clergy. It applies to every believer.

Permit a little history to complete the picture. For Old Testament Israel, God had established an order of priests. Their role was to serve as the intermediaries between God and his people. Why? God is holy. His people are not. Holiness and sin do not mix. So, if the people were to offer to God the gifts, offerings, prayers, and sacrifices he commanded, they would do so through the priest. They could not offer God anything on their own. They needed a priest.

Jesus has changed all that. We do not need priests to go between us and God anymore, because Jesus loves us to such an extent that he offered his holy life as the payment for our sins. We are neither slaves nor prisoners to our sin any longer. We are free. When God looks at his people, he doesn’t see their sin. He sees the holiness of his Son, Jesus.

As a result of that, all believers are not just “members” of the Holy Christian Church, Jesus has made us all priests. We get to offer gifts to God ourselves. We do so not just in giving money to church or charity. We do this when we, ourselves, go to God in prayer, when we help those who need it, when we provide for those under our care, when we treat others with love and respect. He transforms our lives so that every day in what we do, we serve him. He has made us priests to serve.

Prayer:(Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal – 469)
Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee. Take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise.

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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
Ephesians 5:25-27

The Beauty of the Church

Daily Devotion – August 9, 2018

Devotion based on Ephesians 5:25-27

See series: Devotions

I am a fan of the tradition that on the wedding day the groom should not see his bride before she comes down the aisle. I think it came from superstitious notions, which I do not believe in, but the upshot is that the expression on the groom’s face is often one of the best pictures of the day. What he sees is a breathtakingly beautiful bride. She is the woman of his dreams. She is radiant, and in that moment, she is without blemish. It is a beautiful moment.

Now men, put yourself on the other end of the aisle. You are walking down the aisle to meet the church’s groom, Jesus, who loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy. The Church—all believers in Christ, collectively—is the bride and she is beautiful.

I can think of many things about Christian people and me that I know are not beautiful. It is a stain and wrinkle on my record when I think how I do not love my wife as Christ loved the church. And yet, here we are, walking down the aisle to stand by Jesus. His sacrificial death makes us holy. The washing of baptism cleanses us, and Jesus in his beautiful love for us presents us to himself as a radiant church.

Prayer:
Jesus, your great love for us and the remarkable transformation from stained and blemished sinner to radiant bride is marvelous to ponder. Lead us in gratitude to love each other as you have loved us. 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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.