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

Living Victoriously

Daily Devotion – April 19, 2022

Devotion based on Colossians 3:1-4

See series: Devotions

To the world, the Christian life can look like a wasted life–so much time spent worshiping God and serving other people. Why not take everything this life has to offer and make the most of its pleasures?

Why not? Because we have been raised with Christ, and our lives are hidden with Christ in God. This doesn’t mean we live in some fantasy world. Nor does it mean we cut ourselves off from the joys of life.

We still live, work, and play in this world, but culture’s current trends don’t mold our minds, and life’s disappointments don’t crush our hearts. For our hearts are set on the glorious home that Jesus has prepared for us. And so, we gear our minds to wanting what God wants and walking in God’s ways.

Yes, this makes us look like poor, pitiful fools to the world, but our value comes not from what people see. Our value comes from what God sees. Jesus wraps himself around those who trust in him. So, when God looks at us, he sees one that he loves. He sees one with whom he is incredibly pleased. He sees one who is beautiful and blameless. He sees one who is devoted to our first love, Jesus.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, what grace that I am known, and I am treasured by you. Help me to show this same grace without measure. 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.

“I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea. The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him.”
Exodus 15:1,2

The Victorious Life

Daily Devotion – April 18, 2022

Devotion based on Exodus 15:1,2

See series: Devotions

We like to remember the “good old days” when life was better, simpler, more wholesome. We long for those days again. But there are certain things we wish we could forget. And sometimes those things cast such a long shadow we think we cannot escape them and have no choice but to embrace them.

The Israelites’ time as slaves in Egypt was not the good old days. Even after God had delivered them with a mighty hand through the Red Sea, they still couldn’t shake their past. When the path to the promised land looked too difficult, they were ready to return to their former life of slavery.

However, God hadn’t just put space between them and their former way of life. He had shattered it and rendered it powerless. In its place, he gave them a new life and a new identity. As God’s chosen people, they had every reason to let go of their past, rejoice in their present, and hope in the future.

Easter is our Red Sea experience. It is the day that Jesus crossed over from death to life, shattering death and rendering the devil powerless. In its place, he gives us the gift of new life and a new identity. Through faith in Jesus, we are God’s chosen people.

If the path to God’s eternal promised land looks too difficult, too out of grasp, don’t look back. Don’t long for what once was. In Christ, good days do not lie behind us. Nor does our past define us. Jesus’ resurrection means that every day is a new day, a new life, for you and me.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I praise you for you are my strength against temptation, my defense against condemnation, and the joy of my 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.

When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
Luke 24:9-12

No Nonsense

Daily Devotion – April 17, 2022

Devotion based on Luke 24:9-12

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“Nonsense.” That’s what the apostles thought. They couldn’t believe the testimony of the women who had been to Jesus’ tomb. The stone rolled away. The tomb empty. An angel proclaiming Jesus has risen. Utter nonsense! The evidence, however, told a different story. Eventually, every detail Peter saw at the tomb supported the women’s earlier witness.

“Nonsense.” That’s what many people today say about the resurrection of Jesus. How could anyone be so foolish as to believe such a thing? It’s a fabrication. It’s a collection of exaggerations. It’s pure fiction. Nothing like this could ever happen. Still, the facts prove otherwise.

The facts are clear, and they are the foundation for the Christian faith. Jesus rose from the dead. The testimony of the Bible proves it. The eye-witness accounts of more than 500 people prove it. The consistency of the historical account proves it. The change brought about in the lives of Christians proves it.

The resurrection of Jesus is hardly nonsense. It is the most powerful and important truth ever!

Prayer:
Dearest Jesus, my ever-living Savior, fill me with the confidence I need to trust in your resurrection. When my mind would lead me to uncertainty and doubt, fill my heart with the peace that you have secured. 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] humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!
Philippians 2:8

Nothing More Needs to Be Said

Daily Devotion – April 16, 2022

Devotion based on Philippians 2:8

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Imagine it’s about 30 years after Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. Imagine you are a career military man, recently retired from the Roman army. Like many other retired soldiers, you decide to live in a town called Philippi. You like it there because so many of your neighbors are just like you—people who know what military life is all about.

Then it happens: The apostle Paul comes to your town with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. You believe his message. You help form a Christian congregation. You begin sharing the message of Christ with others.

But then life gets difficult. Because of your Christian faith, some of your old friends want nothing to do with you anymore. Some in your church family are even facing open hostility because of what they believe. You have moments when you wonder how much the Lord Jesus really loves you.

Then, a godsend—a letter from Paul! As you read it, there is one sentence that hits you hard. Paul is describing what Jesus was willing to do for you. He says, “He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!

Nothing more needs to be said. You see, as a soldier, you know what death on a cross is. The sight of gasping, writhing victims, the sound of their sobs, the smell, the flies—all have seared themselves into your memory long ago. And the Son of God willingly did that for you.

Does Jesus love you? There he was on the cross. There he bore your sins in your place.

Nothing more needs to be said.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you went to the cross in my place to take my every sin away. You love me. For that I love you. And I thank 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.

He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5

His Punishment, Our Peace

Daily Devotion – April 15, 2022

Devotion based on Isaiah 53:5

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You are on trial. You would like to think that it is just a misunderstanding, a mistake. They have the wrong person, but you know that’s not the case. You have heard the charges, and it is impossible to deny even one of them.

You’ve been greedy. You’ve been selfish. You’ve lied. You’ve hurt others with your words and hated them in your thoughts. You’ve been guilty of lust and discontentment. You’ve shown you don’t trust God or love him more than anything else. And you can say, “Well, nobody’s perfect,” but that’s no defense. The law—God’s law—demands perfect, loving obedience in everything we think, say, and do.

As the evidence is brought forward, you slide down further and further in your seat. You knew the facts were against you, but you tried to forget just how much evidence there was that you were a lawbreaker.

The case is over. As the judge prepares to read the verdict, you see his son walk into the courtroom. He’s the one against whom you committed every one of those crimes. He speaks a few words to his father, and you are sure you are a goner.

“The facts in the case are clear,” the judge says. “No crime can go unpunished. I, therefore, sentence my son to be cursed and crushed and killed on a cross. He will endure no less than the torment of hell. Justice demands that he suffer mortal wounds for the crimes that have been committed. The defendant is free to go.”

That is what this day that we call Good Friday is all about. Jesus, the perfect Son of God, was punished in your place. The sentence for your sins was inflicted on him. The disobedience that made you an enemy of God has been erased from your record forever!

Because of Jesus, you have peace with God. Perfect, permanent peace paid for by the punishment of God’s own Son. Because of Jesus, you are free from guilt and even death. What wondrous love! What amazing grace!

Prayer:
Jesus, my Savior, you gave your life, your all, for me. What a marvelous gift! 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, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
Luke 22:15,16

His Food, Our Fill

Daily Devotion – April 14, 2022

Devotion based on Luke 22:15,16

See series: Devotions

Don’t you love a good meal? Maybe it’s a birthday, anniversary, or holiday spent with people you love. Or it’s a special place—a favorite restaurant or a new one that comes highly recommended. Maybe it’s the one favorite meal that you never get tired of.

On the night before Jesus died, he enjoyed a meal with his friends. It wasn’t just any meal. It was the Passover meal, a special feast carefully prepared, served, and shared by the Jewish people every year.

The Passover was festive not just because it was celebrated with family. The Passover celebrated how God rescued the Jewish people from slavery and brought them to the Promised Land. Maybe best of all, it pictured a rescue still to come—a rescue that Jesus came to accomplish.

As Jesus sat down to that meal that night, he knew what would soon happen. He knew his body would hang on a cross and die. His blood would pour out of wounds that would be inflicted on him. He knew he would give his life for the sins of the world.

But knowing this didn’t sour the experience that night. It made Jesus look forward to it even more. The lamb killed and eaten in the Passover meal would foreshadow the way Jesus would be sacrificed to free us from our sins and bring us to the Promised Land of heaven, a sacrifice he was eager to make for you and me.

Jesus still longs to eat with us. When we hear his Word, he satisfies our hunger with his mercy and love. In Holy Communion, Jesus miraculously gives his body and blood with the bread and wine to remind us of his sacrifice and assure us of his forgiveness. With these gifts, he feeds our souls until we feast with him in heaven.

Prayer:
Jesus, you eagerly desired my salvation. Satisfy my soul with your Word. Amen.

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

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

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

He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
Isaiah 42:2,3

Just the Gentle Savior We Need

Daily Devotion – April 13, 2022

Devotion based on Isaiah 42:2,3

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We are in the middle of a week that the church calls “Holy Week.” This week, we hear about and reflect on the events of the final week before Jesus died. The Bible tells us more about the events of this week than about any other week of Jesus’ life.

It is perhaps noteworthy then that it seems there is nothing written about Wednesday of Holy Week. Some label this day “Silent Wednesday.”

Though the silence stands out in contrast to the other details of this week, it doesn’t stand out from how Jesus often operates. It’s not that Jesus never raises his voice, but often, he chooses gentle silence and tender conversations.

This is especially the case with the bruised and broken. When we are broken by our inadequacies and bruised by our insecurities, Jesus speaks words of gentle, unconditional love. When the struggles of life leave us worn and weary, Jesus promises his strength and pledges never to leave us. When our guilt leaves us feeling crushed and hopeless, Jesus assures us that he forgives us completely and makes us new.

And when our trust in Jesus is hanging on by a thread, Jesus doesn’t shame us or disown us. Instead, he points us to his cross and tenderly says, “There I kept my promise to you. There I died for you. There I opened paradise for you. I love you, and I’m not going to let you go.”

How fitting it is that Jesus, who entered Jerusalem in humility to go to the cross and die for us, now comes humbly and gently in the words of the Bible to comfort and encourage us, to heal our hearts and restore our hope. That’s where you will find him. Don’t seek him in the flashy or spectacular. Don’t look for him in the alarming or attention-getting.

Look for him and listen to him in the Bible. There you’ll find just the gentle Savior you need, one who patiently forgives, consistently cares, and never fails you in your time of need.

Prayer:
Jesus, gentle Savior, thank you for dealing gently and lovingly with me in my weakness. 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.

At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:10,11

Humble Jesus Is My Lord

Daily Devotion – April 12, 2022

Devotion based on Philippians 2:10,11

See series: Devotions

That day was a glimpse at a hidden reality. Jesus’ true identity was hidden. While he lived in this world, he looked like anybody else. He ate and drank. He walked, worked, and slept.

There were hints that there might be more to Jesus. Because of the way he taught with such confidence and authority. The miraculous ways he helped people. The loving, gentle way he spoke to and cared for people. But overall, Jesus still looked like just a man to many.

That day, something looked different, though, if not about Jesus, then about how people reacted to him. He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. And his friends and followers acted as if it were a presidential motorcade or a parade for a king returning from battle. They were shouting his praises and waving palm branches like their country’s flag. There was pomp and circumstance. And crowds of people joined in the celebration along the road. They were treating him like a king.

Even though Jesus seemed majestic that day on his donkey, it was later that week when his greatest and most praiseworthy work as Lord and King would happen in unthinkable humility—hidden from sight. He would bleed and die in weakness and shame to battle death and destroy sin’s curse.

Because he did, he rose from the dead and rules in heaven, where we and all who see him now by faith will see him in glory and praise our Lord and King.

Prayer:
Jesus, move my heart to acknowledge and praise you as Lord now and always. 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.

Christ Jesus . . . being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing.
Philippians 2:5-7

He Became Nothing for You

Daily Devotion – April 11, 2022

Devotion based on Philippians 2:5-7

See series: Devotions

We live in a culture obsessed with me. From little on, children are taught to believe in themselves. Embrace who you are. Celebrate the things that make you unique and different. As a phrase growing in popularity puts it, “You do you!”

God made each of us unique. And blending in with the crowds, doing what everyone else is doing, isn’t always wise. But is self-pride really the answer? Tragically, in this world of self, more and more people come up empty when they seek worth and value in just being who they are.

Jesus, however, had every reason to “do you.” He was the perfect Son of God. He had no flaws to be ashamed of. But what did he do? He made himself nothing. Not because he wasn’t happy with who he was, but because he wasn’t happy with who we were and what the future held for us.

Without Jesus, our self-focused ways could only end in self-destruction. But Jesus came down from heaven to serve us in humility. He set aside his rights as the Son of God to give us the right to be children of God. He made himself nothing to make you something.

Jesus rode the road of humility and suffering to give you hope—hope that is not based on what anyone else thinks of you or what you think of yourself, but hope that is based on how Jesus sees you and what Jesus was willing to do for you.

Jesus saw every flaw and failure in you that no one should be proud of, and he humbled himself to endure its shame for you. Jesus was judged, not by self-righteous hypocrites, but by a holy God. Because Jesus took our place, the same God judges us worthy of love, worthy of life, worthy of heaven. What he thinks of us is worth more than what anyone else says.

Find your worth, meaning, and hope in him. And then “do you” as a redeemed and forgiven child of God.

Prayer:
Jesus, you became nothing for me. Help me find my hope and worth 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.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; . . . And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!
Philippians 2:5,6,8

Reason to Keep Going

Daily Devotion – April 10, 2022

Devotion based on Philippians 2:5,6,8

See series: Devotions

In the state house at Albany, New York, there is a small artifact that tells a big story. It’s a letter written by President Abraham Lincoln. The letter grants a full pardon to a soldier found guilty of desertion. The soldier’s name is Roswell McIntyre. The letter is dated October 4, 1864.

As you read the letter, you can’t help but notice some additional scribbling on the lower left of the page. It’s this additional scribbling that completes the story. This extra note on the letter is dated 1865. It reads, “Taken from the body of R. McIntyre at the battle of Five Forks, Virginia.”

That’s the story of Roswell McIntyre. He was a man guilty of desertion. But instead of disgrace and punishment, he received a full pardon from his president. He was so grateful for that pardon that he carried it with him for the rest of the war. It kept him going. It empowered him to stand and fight. It empowered him to remain a faithful soldier to the end.

It’s no accident that the Bible compares our lives as Christians to those of soldiers. The spiritual dangers are great. The temptation to desert our Lord can be fierce. And, truth be told, you and I must confess that there have been many times we have run away from following the Lord’s will for our lives. For such desertion, you and I deserve God’s abandonment.

But because of Jesus, we have received a full pardon instead. Because of the cross, our failures are washed away. Through faith in him, we are forgiven and not condemned.

Keep that pardon with you. Pull it out and read it every day. Remember who you are in your Savior. It will keep you going. It will keep you faithful to the moment he takes you home.

Prayer:
Dearest Jesus, in you I stand completely forgiven. Empower me to fight the good fight. Empower me to be faithful to the end. 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.