Category: Daily Devotions

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1 John 4:9,10

Love

Daily Devotion – December 10, 2023

Devotion based on 1 John 4:9,10


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The looks on the faces of my catechism students revealed their confusion. I had said, “You don’t have to like someone to love someone.” You can guess why they were confused even if you weren’t in the room for the conversation. For many people, the word love simply means a stronger form of liking someone or something. I like everything on the menu at my restaurant of choice, but I really love this dish! I like all the players on my favorite team, but I really love the team’s leading all-star!

The biblical concept of love is much stronger than that. Biblical love put into practice will speak and act in a way that serves in the best interest of our neighbors. We get a sense of what that looks like from excerpts of John the Baptist’s firm and fiery Advent preaching. When people heeded his call to repentance and asked what they should do, part of his answer was vocation-specific ways of showing love to one’s neighbor (see Luke 3:10-14).

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, love is often in short supply. The busyness of the season—pageants and practices, concerts and rehearsals, parties and presents and preparations—overwhelms our schedule. But have these pre-Christmas externals also moved more important priorities further down our list? Does our patience with others grow thin? Is our time in God’s house and in his Word suffocated by the hustle and bustle that overtake our December days? Does our love for God and our neighbor become noticeably weak at a time when we are about to celebrate his great love for us set into motion?

No wonder Advent presents us with John the Baptist’s bold call to repent! The Lord and his prophet have our best interest in mind. That is why God’s Word calls us to repent of anything and everything that compromises our love for him and for one another. That is also why Jesus Christ came into this world as the one who perfectly loved the Father’s plan of salvation and perfectly loved us to death, even death on a cross.

The love we have received from our Savior is powerful. It changes hearts from pride to repentance, from unbelief to faith, from selfishness to generous and grateful love for God and neighbor. He who first loved us fills us with a love that finds new and sincere ways to reflect his saving love to the souls that cross our paths each day from now to Christmas and until his triumphant return.

Prayer:
Forgive us, Lord, for our loveless deeds, words, and attitudes. Renew us with the good news of your Son’s advent that we may love you with our whole heart and reflect your loving grace to our friends and neighbors. Amen.

This Advent devotion is brought to you by Forward in Christ magazine. For an enhanced version of this devotion including a flipbook and video or to read other devotions in this series, visit forwardinchrist.net/advent-2023.

Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you!
Isaiah 64:1,2

God Does Awesome Things

Daily Devotion – December 9, 2023

Devotion based on Isaiah 64:1,2


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Why is it that people flock to the circus? Why do magicians attract a crowd? It’s because people are fascinated by amazing things. While traveling this fall with my family, one of the gate attendants pulled a scarf out of his sleeve and when he stuffed it into his fist it “disappeared.” My ten and eight-year-old boys were amazed and started telling everyone around them.

There are certainly times when people wish that God would display some of his awesome power. “Please God, stop the wars in the world. God, why did you allow that horrible accident to happen? Couldn’t you have stopped that from taking place?” People plead with God, hoping that if they pull the right prayer strings, they can control God and prompt a few miracles to suit their own needs.

But what really are our needs? Do we need that raise? Do we need more clothing and the latest phone with all the apps? The Bible makes it abundantly clear that God will meet our physical needs (not necessarily our wants), but more so, we learn that our greatest need is for a Savior from our sins.

Some 2,000 years ago, God did something amazing. He did rend the heavens open and sent his one and only Son down and gave him the name Jesus. As if that wasn’t enough, Jesus suffered and died on the cross in our place for all our sins. And, because God’s wrath over all sin was satisfied, Jesus rose from the dead. Calling all this “amazing” is an understatement. Indeed, God does awesome things!

Each day, you and I can live knowing full well that our amazing God has forgiven our sins, loves us, and cares for us. When someone does something this amazing for us, it makes us want to tell everyone around us!

Prayer:
Lord God, thank you for your amazing grace to me and all people. Help me appreciate your grace and share the story of your amazing grace and love through Jesus Christ the Savior of all. Amen.

“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Mark 11:10

The King Shall Come To Save Us

Daily Devotion – December 8, 2023

Devotion based on Mark 11:10


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When the ancient Israelites saw that all the nations around them had kings to rule over them, they said they wanted their own king. They decided to use the form of government with a king at the top so that someone would have the ultimate responsibility of defending the whole nation against enemies.

The most successful Israelite king was named David. He was well known for defeating Israel’s enemies on all sides. The Lord promised that when the Savior of the whole world would come, he would be a descendant of David.

When that promised Savior arrived on the scene, God told his parents to name him Jesus, which means “the Lord saves.” When Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the people recognized that he was a descendant of David. They yelled a Hebrew word, Hosanna, which means “save us!”

We don’t know what was on those people’s minds when they called out that word, but when we say it ourselves, we are acknowledging that we need saving. Our enemies threaten to overwhelm us in a sea of guilt and shame, but Jesus saves us with his forgiveness and love.

Jesus comes to us in a variety of ways today, in both Word and sacrament. He has the ultimate responsibility of defending us against our enemies. He is our King and comes to save us.

Prayer: (Christian Worship: Hymnal – 412)
All glory, laud, and honor to you, Redeemer, King,
To whom the lips of children made sweet hosannas ring.
You are the King of Israel and David’s royal Son,
Now in the Lord’s name coming, our King and Blessed One. Amen.

When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
Mark 11:7-9

In the Name of the Lord

Daily Devotion – December 7, 2023

Devotion based on Mark 11:7-9


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Let’s be honest. You can visit me whenever or wherever you want, but if you come in the name of someone important, I am going to pay more attention to you.

Jesus had entered Jerusalem before. But when he entered on Palm Sunday on a colt, the foal of a donkey, people recognized that he was doing something special. He was coming in the name of the only true God, fulfilling an ancient prophecy, and they shouted a Psalm verse that showed they were paying attention.

When Jesus enters your heart in the name of the only true God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—you pay attention to his promises. Every time you hear those words in baptism, you recognize that something special is going on. Every time you hear those words at the beginning of a church service, you remember that the only true God has promised to be there in a special way.

Remember that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. When someone comes in that name, it has to do with your salvation. You do well to pay attention to that arrival. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

Prayer: (Psalm 8:9)
Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Amen.

He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:8

Blameless

Daily Devotion – December 6, 2023

Devotion based on 1 Corinthians 1:8


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Did you know you need to be blameless to get into heaven? God in heaven is blameless and says that nothing unclean or impure will ever enter there. He commands you to be holy and righteous, just as God is holy and righteous. You need to be blameless on the day when Jesus returns to judge the living and the dead.

When God looks down from heaven, he sees no one who is blameless. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Everyone deserves punishment for their sin, and the punishment is death. The wages of sin is death, and that’s not just the separation of soul and body. It’s eternal separation from God in hell.

People read the Bible and realize these truths, but they don’t know how to remedy the problem. They try to point out that they are more blameless than other people, but that is just a misunderstanding of the total blamelessness that God demands. They try to make up for their sins by doing good deeds, but they don’t understand that all their attempts to be blameless fall far short of the real blamelessness that is required.

God realized that people’s attempts at blamelessness were not going to work, so he sent his only Son, Jesus, into the world to live a blameless life. Rather than taking the heaven he deserved for that blameless life, Jesus took the hell that you deserved when he died on the cross. God declared that the blameless life of Jesus counts for you through faith in him. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we become the righteousness of God.

Everything that God does to preserve your faith in Jesus will keep you firm to the end. Every contact you have with the Word of God in the Bible does precisely that. Through faith in Jesus, you will be blameless on judgment day.

Prayer:
God of peace, sanctify me through and through. May my whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you. Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.
Isaiah 64:3,4

Worth the Wait

Daily Devotion – December 5, 2023

Devotion based on Isaiah 64:3,4


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When our children were little, they had some difficulty understanding the passage of time. Everything in the past happened “yesterday,” and everything in the future was “tomorrow.” When they were anticipating something exciting like another visit from their cousins, they would ask, “Is it tomorrow yet?” On the day their cousins were to arrive, they would often check the front door and gaze out the front window until the moment finally arrived. It was agonizing—but it was worth the wait!

We may wish we were old enough to understand God’s timetable when it comes to the end of the earth and the return of Jesus in glory. He said he was coming soon, and it doesn’t seem soon according to the way we think of time. But as God’s children, we realize that he has a long view of time. It is agonizing—but it is worth the wait!

To remind ourselves that the wait is worth it, we think of awesome things that God has done. He sent his Son to be our Savior. Through that Savior, he forgave our sins and assures us that our sins are forgiven, even when we don’t expect it.

There is nothing like a visit from the only true God. We have seen what it was like when Jesus lived, died, and rose again, and we look forward to seeing what God will continue to do on behalf of those who wait for him.

Prayer: (Psalm 40:17)
As for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; you are my God, do not delay. Amen.

Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you!
Isaiah 64:1,2

Enemies

Daily Devotion – December 4, 2023

Devotion based on Isaiah 64:1,2


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You may think you have enemies. You may be able to identify them by name, and you may be able to list the ways they threaten to harm you and your loved ones.

Wouldn’t it be nice to simply name something those enemies are afraid of and then watch them cower in fear? Wouldn’t watching them back away and stop their threats be even nicer?

The prophet Isaiah called on God to come down from heaven in such a dramatic way even the mountains would tremble, and the enemies of God’s people would feel the heat.

God chose to come down from heaven the first time in a less dramatic way with the birth of a child named Jesus.

But make no mistake, the child who grew into a man was doing everything exactly right to fight the enemies of God’s people. Sin, death, and the devil threatened him, but he stood up to those enemies, and eventually, they cowered before him.

When sin, death, and the devil threaten you, cling to the name of Jesus, your Savior. Those enemies know him and tremble.

He is coming again soon, and the second time, it will be far more dramatic. When the mountains tremble, you will not because you know that he comes to save you from your enemies.

Prayer: (Christian Worship: Hymnal – 314)
O Savior, rend the heavens wide; come down, come down with mighty stride. Unlock the gates, the doors break down; unbar the way to heaven’s crown. Amen.

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Titus 2:11-14

Hope

Daily Devotion – December 3, 2023

Devotion based on Titus 2:11-14


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We went shopping at a local mall on a Saturday afternoon in September. As we rode the escalator to the second floor, my wife looked beyond me and said, “Don’t turn around!” I knew what she meant: “Turn around, but you won’t like what you see!” What terrible sight was about to greet us on the second floor? A fully decorated Christmas tree with lights, garland, and ornaments! Did I mention that it was September?

Our US culture observes its secular version of Christmas long before Christmas Day. The day after Thanksgiving used to be the start of the secular Christmas season. Now the starting date seems to be the day after Halloween—or even earlier! Impatient Americans don’t wait to celebrate the holidays. We exhaust them long before they arrive on the calendar!

How very different is the Christian’s Christmas celebration! Christmas Eve and Day don’t end the celebration but begin it. We spend the weeks leading up to Christmas not in celebration but in hopeful anticipation. We light the first candle of the Advent wreath as we take our place in the sandals of Old Testament believers who looked up to the heavens, waiting and watching and hoping for the Lord to keep his promise to send the Messiah.

God promised to send his Son to undo the damage of sin caused by Adam and Eve and each one of their descendants. That includes you. Jesus would have had every right to come into this world with his wrath and anger aimed squarely at us. He would have had every right to fill us with fear instead of hope. Instead, God’s promised Messiah came with grace and humility aimed solely at saving us. His mission from cradle to cross would remove the guilt of sin and restore the relationship between God and humankind.

Old Testament believers waited and hoped for God to send the Messiah as he promised. New Testament believers now wait and hope for Christ to return in glory and bring us to the glories that he won for us. Despite many attempts to predict that day, we cannot know when it will be. And so we patiently wait and hope. We hope in Christ, knowing that he who kept his promise by his first advent will come again in his good time for his final advent. With hopeful anticipation we cry, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, fill our hearts with patient hope as we wait for your triumphant return. Keep us faithful to you and fix our eyes on the promises of your Word so that when you return in glory, we may joyfully receive the salvation that you won for us at your first advent. Amen.

This Advent devotion is brought to you by Forward in Christ magazine. For an enhanced version of this devotion including a flipbook and video or to read other devotions in this series, visit forwardinchrist.net/advent-2023.

“As I looked, “thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.”
Daniel 7:9,10

A Sight to Keep In Mind

Daily Devotion – December 2, 2023

Devotion based on Daniel 7:9,10


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You don’t often think about the memorabilia you have stuffed into storage. Unless you’re a mechanic, you don’t often think about your vehicle’s engine. Out of sight, out of mind.

Then suddenly, you find yourself thinking about those things. You crave to see some old pictures because a dear friend has died. You pop open your car’s hood because that one noise has gotten so much louder.

Too often, God drifts out of our regular thoughts. We see and experience people, things, joys, and the struggles of life—they’re right in front of our faces. But God doesn’t visibly occupy a chair at the supper table. He doesn’t physically hug you when you cry. Is God out of sight and often out of mind?

One day, God will be very much “in sight.” About 550 years before Jesus was born, God showed Daniel a vision. As Daniel described that vision, he wrote how God appeared. God’s clothing was white as snow, and his hair white like wool. The throne he sat on was flaming with fire. Daniel was seeing God in his holiness and power. God was seated to judge.

One day, you will stand face-to-face before God, who will judge you. But if you believe in Jesus as your Savior, you will not be alone. Jesus will be at your side. Through faith in Jesus, God has credited you with the perfection of his Son’s holy life, and God has declared you not guilty of your sins on account of Jesus’ innocent sufferings and death for you.

Keep that day in mind—the day you’ll stand face-to-face with God. Keep Jesus in mind—his life, death, and resurrection for you. Keep in mind your forgiveness and peace with God, and even though God is now out of sight, one day that will change, and you will see God face-to-face.

Prayer:
Dear God, it is so easy to forget about you and the day I will see you face-to-face. Forgive my sins for Jesus’ sake. Fill my heart with your peace and my life with love for you and others. Amen.

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven . . . we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

A Never Ending Joy

Daily Devotion – December 1, 2023

Devotion based on 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18


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Trumpets. Angels. Flying. Reunion with loved ones. You’ve contemplated some or all of those things. God willing, you have been encouraged by all of them. And yet, they fail in comparison to the encouragement of the words before us today. We won’t just meet our loved ones in the air, “we’ll meet the Lord in the air. We will be with the Lord forever.”

When we’re with the Lord, nothing else matters. Think of some of the commercials you see this time of year. Some of the tear-jerking commercials are military members coming home for the holidays and being reunited with their loved ones. When a daughter runs into her G.I. dad’s arms at the airport, you don’t hear her complain, “Daddy, it’s really warm in this airport.” Her joy of being with her once-deployed dad supersedes any discomfort. Likewise, when a deployed daughter surprises her mom with coffee in the kitchen on Christmas morning, you don’t hear the mom complain, “Folgers? Why not Starbucks?” She’s just glad to be with her daughter.

On the day Jesus returns, so many exciting things will happen. But nothing will compare with our supreme joy of being with the Lord—a joy that will never end. Therefore, be encouraged with these words and that your King is coming to be with you.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, I can’t wait to be with you. Come, Lord Jesus! Come quickly! Amen.