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So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
2 Thessalonians 2:15

Hold on Tight

Daily Devotion – January 18, 2024

Devotion based on 2 Thessalonians 2:15


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If you’re treading water in the ocean during a storm, what would you do if someone threw you a life preserver right in front of you? You’d wrap your arms around it and cling to it with all your strength, wouldn’t you? You wouldn’t just hang onto it with your little pinky finger and hope you can be reeled in. You’d hold on as tight as you could to your lifeline.

The Christians in the city of Thessalonica were facing a great deal of persecution and hardship. The apostle Paul encouraged them to keep holding on tight to everything they had been taught. He told them to stand firm in the identity Christ had given them as forgiven children of God. He told them to hold fast to the Savior, who promised never to let them go.

We also want to hold tight to God’s Word. There, we find the good news of how we’ve been rescued by Christ. As we find ourselves adrift in the sea of sin and hardship, we know that only God can pull us to safety. He’s extended the lifeline of his Word. We wrap our minds and hearts tightly around his Word and cling to it like our eternal life depends on it, and it does.

God’s Word and promises won’t let us down or let us sink. And if we ever find ourselves in a similar situation to the Thessalonians, facing hardship and persecution, we learn, all the more, to cling tight to God and his Word.

Hold tight to God’s promises and trust that he will bring you to safety with him.

Prayer:
Dear rescuing Lord, I know that you have done everything necessary to save me. Help me hold tight to your Word and work. Amen.

He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:14

The Gospel Calls

Daily Devotion – January 17, 2024

Devotion based on 2 Thessalonians 2:14


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There are some calls you get that make your day. The doctor calls with the test results of your biopsy. “I’ve got good news! The test came back negative!” The supervisor calls after the interview. “You got the job!” The wife calls her husband while he’s at work because she can’t contain her excitement. “I’m pregnant! We’re having a baby!”

But when things in your life are going well, do you sometimes start bracing yourself for something bad to happen? We’ve learned that no good thing lasts forever in this world. We might convince ourselves that if things are going too well, that a fall is imminent. That’s not a very fun way to go through life. Yet, it’s true to a degree. In this world, we will have trouble and, eventually, bad news will come knocking on our door. The doctor calls with the biopsy results. “It’s positive….” The supervisor calls and says, “I’m sorry. Your position got eliminated.” The pregnancy test is negative again. So, the wife doesn’t bother calling her husband. We crave good news but are all too familiar with bad news.

But God’s good news, his gospel, is different. God’s good news isn’t something that lifts our spirits temporarily as we wait for more bad news to hit. God’s good news calls us into something permanent. We are called into a verdict of forgiveness because Jesus died to take away our sins. God’s good news calls us into the peace of knowing that we are at peace with God, our Creator. God’s good news has effects that stretch into eternity. We are called to salvation through the gospel so that we get to share in the glory of our Lord Jesus. In other words, we get to have eternal life in the glories of heaven.

God’s good news of our salvation in Christ calls us into a life that can face whatever bad news comes our way.

Prayer:
Merciful Father, you have shared the best news with me that Jesus is my Savior from sin and bad news. Help me to share this good news with others so they, too, can share in your glory. Amen.

But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
2 Thessalonians 2:13

God Put You in His Cart

Daily Devotion – January 16, 2024

Devotion based on 2 Thessalonians 2:13


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When you go shopping online, do you ever look at the reviews for products before buying them? If you came across an item that only got one-star reviews, would you choose to put it in your cart? No, you’d find something better.

God knows you. He knows everything about you. Yes, everything. He knows how many times you’ve sinned against him. He knows all the one-star reviews other people might have given you about the way you treated them. It would seem God knows too much about you to ever choose to put you in his “salvation” cart.

However, God put you in his cart anyway! He chose you to be his own. Jesus made the payment on the cross for you to be his own. God chose you, warts and all, to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and belief in the truth.

God putting you in his salvation cart had nothing to do with who you were and everything to do with who he is. He is a merciful and gracious God. He sent the Holy Spirit to you through his Word to plant the truth of the good news of Jesus in your heart. And, by grace, you believe in what God has done for you!

Prayer:
Gracious Lord, thank you for choosing me and saving me by your Holy Spirit’s work. Amen.

But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord.
2 Thessalonians 2:13

Thankful for Brothers and Sisters

Daily Devotion – January 15, 2024

Devotion based on 2 Thessalonians 2:13


See series: Devotions

Siblings sometimes have rocky relationships throughout life. Even siblings who get along well and frequently stay in touch likely had plenty of fights and disagreements through the years. A first child has a hard time adjusting to a new baby and having mom and dad split their attention. The youngest child has to watch his older siblings get all the new clothes and toys and gets stuck with the hand-me-downs. The middle child might feel lost in the shuffle and take out her frustrations on her siblings.

Within the family of believers, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. And we might feel the same way as siblings with blood ties. We get frustrated with one another. We don’t see eye to eye on many topics. We get into petty arguments and don’t feel like sharing. We give one another a cold shoulder.

But as Christians, we can always thank God for one another. We can always be thankful for our Christian brothers and sisters because they are loved by the Lord. Our Father in heaven would have every reason to be frustrated or disappointed with us, his children. We fail to listen to his Word and constantly get into pointless arguments with one another. But our Father loves each of his children all the same. If our Lord loves that Christian brother or sister we don’t get along with, we can love them, too. We can thank God that he has brought us all into his family despite our differences. Even if we don’t see eye-to-eye with a Christian brother or sister, we can still love them just as the Lord does. We can show kindness to each of our brothers and sisters because our Father first showed kindness to us in Christ.

Prayer:
Lord, we thank you for our Christian brothers and sisters. Help me to love them as much as you love me. Amen.

“The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
1 Samuel 3:10

I’m Listening!

Daily Devotion – January 14, 2024

Devotion based on 1 Samuel 3:10


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The ability to listen is fast becoming a “lost art.” In our culture of hyper-communication—cell phones, email, text messages—everyone is so busy talking that we don’t have time to listen. It is an attention deficit disorder of the ears. Few are unaffected by it.

But turn on a popular children’s movie, and the kids will sit for two hours without stirring. Sunday afternoons find many sitting in front of the television for three hours or more watching football. Apparently, the “listening disorder” is a rather selective thing.

Young Samuel—a boy who lived 3,000 years ago—had the right attitude when it came to God’s Word. Rather than argue with God or say, “Listen, Lord, your servant is speaking!” he humbly responded, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”

Whenever the Lord spoke, Samuel listened, even if it was only for a short time. It is in our best interest to do the same thing. God has so much to tell us in the Bible: how he loves us, how he can help us, how he has a gracious plan for our lives. Take some time today and listen!

Prayer:
Lord, give me willing ears to listen carefully to what you tell me in your Word. Amen.

And now the LORD says—he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD and my God has been my strength—he says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
Isaiah 49:5,6

Small Things

Daily Devotion – January 13, 2024

Devotion based on Isaiah 49:5,6


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A leading expert on stress, cardiologist Robert Eliot, gives the following prescription for dealing with stress: Rule number one is—don’t sweat the small stuff. Rule number two is—it’s all small stuff.

Looking back at your celebrations of Christmas and New Year’s, do you feel like much of what you did was hurried and stress-filled, yet ultimately all small stuff? Perhaps you are even feeling remorseful regret over not having made more of a season filled with opportunities for witness and worship. If you have sinned through selfish indulgence or wasted worship time, then behold, “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10).

Entering our lives is the God of our salvation—Jesus, servant of the Lord. Jesus is the one who brings salvation to the ends of the earth. He came to rescue the world from sin.

That means he brings salvation to the homes of those who gathered and gifted until they had their fill but let Christmas and Christ pass by with little notice. It is a new year, and it is not too late to shake things up and change–to reflect upon the smallness of life here and the greatness of life hereafter.

The game-changer is Jesus. His plan and purpose is to bring salvation to the ends of the earth and gather us to himself. Don’t settle for small when you can marvel at great!

Prayer:
Gracious God, I marvel at the task you laid upon your Son to rescue and save me. By the Spirit, cause me to embrace and receive that salvation as my own. Amen.

And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love.”
Mark 1:11

He Knows

Daily Devotion – January 12, 2024

Devotion based on Mark 1:11


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In our sinful weakness, there are times when you and I can slip into falsely accusing the God who loves us. The temptation can be strong when you and I face tragedy and grief. “God doesn’t know. God doesn’t understand. God has no idea how it feels to carry such difficulty, pain, and loss. And so, why should I listen to what he says? Why should I pay attention to his nice words? He doesn’t get it anyway.”

When such thinking creeps into my mind, I need to stop. First, I need to remember that God the Son not only knows all about real life in this fallen world; he has fully experienced the very worst that this world can dish out. He knows pain, grief, and loss.

God the Father understands, too. At Jesus’ baptism, God the Father spoke up. He spoke up because he had something to say—something he wanted you and me to know. In that moment, God the Father said to Jesus, “You are my Son, whom I love.”

“You are my Son, whom I love.” These are not words of some abstract theological concept. This is a Father speaking to his Son. This is a Father telling his Son that he loves him. It is this same Father who watched his Son sacrifice himself on a cross for the sins of the world. God the Father endured this loss because of his love for you and me. As Jesus himself says, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.”

And so God loves us beyond what we can grasp. And he also understands.

Prayer:
Lord God, I sometimes forget that you understand the pain that sin and death can bring. Forgive my false presumptions. And thank you for your love for me. Amen.

For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.
Romans 6:9

Former Master

Daily Devotion – January 11, 2024

Devotion based on Romans 6:9


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The time is during the American Civil War. A man has lived his entire life in slavery under the rule of his master. Now, however, the man is free. He chooses to serve as a soldier in the Union Army. Months go by. One day, the man’s unit is near a camp that contains Confederate prisoners of war. Suddenly, he sees a familiar face. He sees the face of his former master. It is then that the man walks up to his former master and famously says, “Hello, master. Bottom rail on top this time.”

His point could not have been more clear. In their previous life together, one was the master, and the other was the slave. But that reality no longer existed. His old master was now a prisoner of war. His days of owning slaves were over. If anything, the former master now had to answer to his former slave.

Ever since our first parents, Adam and Eve, fell into sin, death has ruled as a master in this world. It has ruled us with fear, grief, and dread. It has ruled us with the awful reality that one day, sooner or later, death comes for each of us. It comes for our grandparents. It comes for our parents, siblings, children, and friends. It comes for you and me.

But then Jesus came. And he changed everything. On our behalf, he lived a life of perfect goodness. In our place, he carried our every sin to Calvary’s cross. As our substitute, he suffered and died to wash us clean. And three days later, he did something to make a point. Three days later, he walked away from death and raised himself back to life.

And because Jesus lives, death is no longer our master. Because Jesus lives, death now serves as a door to eternal life. Because Jesus lives, you and I can walk up to death and say, “Hello, Master. Bottom rail on top this time.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, because you live, death now must answer to you. Thank you. Amen.

For we know that our old self was crucified with [Christ].
Romans 6:6

Official

Daily Devotion – January 10, 2024

Devotion based on Romans 6:6


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For a young woman by the name of Anne Greene, the year 1650 was a year she would never forget. Falsely accused and wrongly convicted of murder, Anne Greene faced the gallows. The hangman carried out her execution. Immediately afterward, the coffin bearing her body went to a team of doctors for medical research. Upon lifting the lid, however, the doctors detected faint breathing. They rushed to do everything possible to revive her, and in so doing, they saved her life.

The consensus among all involved was that her official execution had taken place; there was no need to pursue the matter further. As a result, Anne Greene enjoyed a full and free pardon. Displaying an extraordinary sense of wonder about her indescribable experience, she took her coffin as a souvenir, settled in another town, got married, and raised a family.

In Romans chapter 6, the apostle Paul tells us that our official execution has taken place as well. When Jesus went to the cross outside the city walls of Jerusalem, God took all the sins of my old self and placed them on his Son. This means that, as far as God is concerned, my old identity as a lost sinner is no more. It’s no more because a first-century crucifixion detail carried out my execution just outside the city walls of Jerusalem. And now, through faith in Jesus, I enjoy a full and free pardon. Jesus’ death has washed my old identity away. I stand forgiven. A fresh, bright future now awaits me. And beyond that is eternal life in heaven.

One more thing. On the day of her execution, Anne Greene labored under massive debt. Afterward, however, Anne received more than enough contributions from others to wipe her debt away. In our crucified and risen Lord, the debt of our sin is gone, too. It’s official.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, in God’s eyes my old identity as a guilty sinner is no more. The old debt of my transgression is gone. My life is now fresh and clean and new. Move me to live it for you. Amen.