St. Johns News

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
1 John 3:16

What Is Love

Daily Devotion – November 5, 2023

Devotion based on 1 John 3:16

See series: Devotions

If you ask ten different people what love is, you may very well receive ten different answers. Ask a three-year-old, and the answer may be a simple “mom.” Ask a psychologist and you may have to settle in for a long and complicated response. The answer given by a fifteen-year-old girl will likely be very different than the one given by a sixty-year-old man who has been married to the same woman for 42 years.

Even though these answers may all be different, they likely all revolve around the same thing—emotion. Describing what love is usually involves how a person makes you feel or the committed feelings you have about a certain person.

God doesn’t talk about emotion when he describes love in the Bible. He talks about action. “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.”

Love is defined by the greatest act of self-sacrifice ever made. God’s own Son, Jesus, gave up his life for you because he knew it was the only way for you to live with him forever. He shed his blood not because he saw some great potential within you. He shed his blood because the sin within you needed to be washed away.

Jesus laid down his life for you because his desire to save you eternally was far greater than any desire to preserve his own life. That selfless, self-sacrificing action is the very definition of love.

Now that you know what love is, go and love others.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, my Savior, thank you for loving me by dying in my place. Forgive me for the many times love has been all about me and how I feel. Help me to love others the way that you have loved me—through actions that put their needs first. In your holy name I ask it. 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] “Freely you have received; freely give.”
Matthew 10:8

Freely Give

Daily Devotion – November 4, 2023

Devotion based on Matthew 10:8

See series: Devotions

This command was among the many instructions given by Jesus to his twelve disciples before sending them out on a mission trip. The disciples had received God’s love and forgiveness, mercy and compassion, call and commission. Now Jesus said to them, “Freely you have received, freely give.” The work they were called to do was not fee-based. They weren’t to profit from sharing the gospel of Jesus. From the heart of God, they freely received his gifts of forgiveness, new life, and salvation. God opened for them the floodgates of his grace. As they had received his blessings, they also were to give them away to others.

This message applies not only to sharing the gospel—our greatest treasure—but also to the many other gifts our Lord has graciously given us: our money, our time, and all those various skills and abilities that God has bestowed on us. As he has freely blessed us with all that we have, we will want to thankfully respond to God’s love by freely giving him some of our blessings for the benefit of his work to spread the gospel.

If our gifts are given under compulsion or only out of a sense of duty, then our offerings of money, time and skill are not gifts at all, and God is not pleased with them. If our offerings are not motivated by what we have freely and firstly received from God, then they sink into a mere go-through-the-motions activity.

Reflect on God’s generosity for you. All that you have for soul and body is a gift of God’s wonderful grace. Through Jesus, you have received the free gift of salvation! With a heart moved by God’s many free blessings, freely give to him.

Prayer:
Dear God, forgive your selfish servant and move me by your generous nature to love and serve you and others freely, for I am richly blessed and privileged to give through Jesus Christ, my Savior. 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.

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:21-24

The Price Is Paid

Daily Devotion – November 3, 2023

Devotion based on Romans 3:21-24

See series: Devotions

You owe God. God demands perfection. That’s what God’s law clearly states. Jesus said it himself when he summarized the law’s demands, “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

God’s law isn’t a manual on how to live a moral life. It’s a demand for perfection. And if you have not been perfect, then you owe God.

Every human comes up short of that perfection because all have sinned. We all have accrued an enormous amount of debt to God. There is no debt consolidation service able to help us. There is no payment plan. We’ve dug a hole of debt so deep there is no way for us to climb out of it. Our sins bury us.

But before your last sin can cover you up for eternity, you see someone walking toward you. He carries something in his hand. It’s a check for the debt you owe to God. With that check, Jesus buys you back and sets you free from your sin. He lifts that enormous burden off you.

Jesus earned the capital to pay your debt by perfectly obeying God’s law and taking the punishment for sin in your place. How do you get this life-changing check that pays your debt to God? You believe in Jesus as your Savior. Jesus gives it to you as an act of pure grace—unearned and undeserved. Jesus declares that you are debt-free; you are sin-free. To God be the glory!

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, you have paid all that I owe. Thank you for making me yours. Help me to live as your child. 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] On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Matthew 10:18-20

Guided by the Holy Spirit

Daily Devotion – November 2, 2023

Devotion based on Matthew 10:18-20

See series: Devotions

On April 18, 1521, some of the world’s most powerful political and religious leaders were gathered in a German city called Worms. Three and a half years earlier, a monk sparked a wildfire when he questioned the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. After digging into the Bible, he discovered that many of the doctrines of that church stood contrary to what God said.

Because of the truth of God’s Word, Martin Luther was brought before the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V. The emperor’s representative demanded that Luther take back his writings, or he would be outlawed and labeled a heretic. But Luther knew what he had written was in accordance with God’s Word, so he famously said, “Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me.”

Jesus predicted to his disciples that this would happen. And it did happen to them and many others in the early Christian church. It happened to Luther and the reformers. But Jesus didn’t just predict it; he also promised to send help. The Holy Spirit would speak through them as they made their witness about Jesus.

While you might not find yourself before governors and kings on account of Jesus, you might still find yourself intimidated when sharing your faith and speaking about Jesus. Questions might race through your head. Will they believe me? Will they make fun of me? Will I lose this relationship?

Jesus gives you the same promise. He is with you. The Holy Spirit will help you find the words to say. Let your words and actions witness to the grace and truth of Jesus Christ.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, help me rely on the Spirit’s guidance with unwavering trust. Strengthen me to be a bold witness of your Word, no matter the circumstances I face. Give me the courage to speak truth, love, and grace to a world in desperate need of 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.

Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”
Daniel 6:21,22

Innocent in His Sight

Daily Devotion – November 1, 2023

Devotion based on Daniel 6:21,22

See series: Devotions

It was an impossible situation for Daniel. Now eighty years old, he would have to spend the night in a den full of hungry lions. His only crime? Faithfulness to his God and refusing to compromise his devotion to God.

Daniel trusted that the God who had protected him all his eighty years of life would continue to protect him. His faith in God remained unshaken.

In our lives, we face situations that also seem impossible. While we don’t face literal lions, we do face challenges at work, health issues, relationship struggles, and spiritual battles against temptations or doubt. When we face those lions, we can trust in God as Daniel did too.

Just as God shut the mouths of the lions in the den, God is with us in our trials and temptations. Daniel told his king that God preserved him because he was found innocent in God’s sight. God finds Christians innocent in his sight because of the righteousness that Jesus gives to them.

Daniel was blameless before the king, and Christians are found blameless before God because of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. When we place our trust in Jesus, his righteousness covers us and protects us. We are no longer captive in the den of sin and guilt.

God’s protection and his declaration of our innocence don’t mean we will never face problems. But God’s protection and promises comfort and guide us as we face challenges, even ones that seem impossible. Just as the lions did no harm to Daniel, the difficulties we encounter will not ultimately overcome us when we place our trust in the Lord.

God’s angel shut the mouths of the lions, and Jesus has shut the mouth of death. That’s enough for our faith in God to remain unshaken.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, be with me as I face the lions in my life. Guide me and protect me. Cover me in your righteousness so that I can stand innocent and blameless before 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.

So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”
Daniel 6:16

Our True King

Daily Devotion – October 31, 2023

Devotion based on Daniel 6:16

See series: Devotions

The king knew he had made a mistake. He had allowed his ego and pride to get the best of him. And he had walked right into a trap. Daniel’s enemies had convinced him to pass a decree that said, “Pray only to the king for thirty days or face the lions.” And now his best government official, Daniel, would be thrown into the lions’ den.

The king tried to figure out a way to rescue Daniel. He worked till sunset, looking for a loophole. But the law was ironclad. Daniel had prayed to the true God as he always did, not to a human king. Daniel would now have to face the consequences of the king’s vanity.

The king had done everything he could to stop this except for one thing. The king didn’t offer to go in Daniel’s place and be his substitute.

Thankfully, our King, Jesus, was willing to be our substitute. Though he did no wrong, he offered to go to death in our place. Jesus did this so that all who trust in him would not be separated from God but live with him for eternity. What a wonderful King we have!

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, you are my true King. Thank you for doing everything to save me. Help me to give you the worship and praise you deserve. 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.

Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
Daniel 6:10

Lesson on Faithfulness

Daily Devotion – October 30, 2023

Devotion based on Daniel 6:10

See series: Devotions

The king of Persia issued a decree: “Pray only to the king for thirty days or face the lions.” The prophet Daniel’s day job was to serve as a high ranking official in the Persian government. And he was great at this job. So good that the king wanted to promote him to second in command. But Daniel had jealous enemies who wanted to get rid of him. So, they convinced the king to pass the decree.

Daniel’s enemies knew Daniel well. And if there was anything they could count on Daniel doing, it was praying to God and worshipping him. His enemies would use that faithfulness against Daniel. They set their trap and waited. Daniel learned about the decree. He knew the stakes and understood the consequences. And just as he had always done before, Daniel got down on his knees and prayed.

The content of the prayer was similar to the prayers Daniel regularly spoke to God, a prayer giving thanks. It wasn’t a prayer of panic for what might happen to him. It wasn’t a grumbled complaint about how unfair the whole situation was. Daniel prayed his thanks to God even though he knew he would be thrown to the lions for it.

Followers of the true God still sometimes pay a price for their faithfulness. In some parts of the world, Christians pay with their lives, property, or freedom. But for many other Christians, the persecutions are more subtle.

The Christian who prioritizes worship like Daniel might get passed over for promotion. The Christian who refuses to join the gossip might lose friends. The Christian—who follows the moral law of God—might be marginalized by society.

Like Daniel, faithful Christians trust that their God is always faithful to them. Christians know that in the face of persecution, God will not forsake them or leave them.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, like Daniel, I kneel before you as the King of kings. Through Jesus, you have brought me grace and salvation. Keep me faithful to you 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.

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:21-24

Fellowship

Daily Devotion – October 29, 2023

Devotion based on Romans 3:21-24

See series: Devotions

God wants to have fellowship with us. He wants us to live with him and experience his love and blessings. Finally, he wants to bring us to his heavenly glory. He has one requirement—we must be righteous. We must have the “rightness” that makes us acceptable to God. Setting the standard, God declares, “Be perfect.” We are to be and do everything according to what meets his approval. And what meets the approval of the holy God is nothing less than perfection.

Try as we may to reach that level of rightness by striving to do what God commands and avoiding what he forbids in his law—we are faced with the fact that it is impossible. The truth is that all of us “fall short” of the perfection that God requires. On our own, we are helpless and headed for an eternal separation from God and all of his blessings.

Oh, how we need saving! God knew that, and in mercy, he acted. He came into our world and freed us from the tangled mess of our sin by suffering for us the punishment we deserved. And he gave us his own perfection so that God now counts us as perfectly right. We meet God’s approval because Jesus has covered us with his righteousness. What we could never produce on our own, God has freely given to us.

Jesus did exactly what we needed him to do: he saved us. Trusting in Jesus, we have life with God and will enjoy fellowship with him forever!

Prayer: (Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal – 376)
Jesus, your blood and righteousness my beauty are, my glorious dress;
Mid flaming worlds, in these arrayed, with joy shall I lift up my head.
Bold shall I stand in that great day—who can a word against me say?
Fully through you absolved I am from sin and fear, from guilt and shame. 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.

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:34-40

Saving Love

Daily Devotion – October 28, 2023

Devotion based on Matthew 22:34-40

See series: Devotions

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day had developed a system of 613 laws. They identified this number of laws in the first five books of the Bible and divided the list into two categories: those commands in which God told the people to do something (248 laws) and those that prohibited the people from doing something (365 laws). They also stipulated which commands were binding and nonbinding. Then they spent a lot of their time debating whether their divisions and rankings were accurate.

In order to test Jesus (they really wanted to humiliate him), they got one of their smartest men to ask Jesus to weigh in on the debate of determining the greatest of God’s commandments. It was easy for Jesus to answer. God’s will is for people to love him and for people to love others. All of God’s commands are fulfilled by love.

This kind of love is not something we formulate on our own, though. The love God commands us to express toward him and others flows out of the relationship that we have with God through faith in Jesus. When we come to know the love of God that moved him to send Jesus to rescue us from eternal death, the Holy Spirit empowers us to love God for all that he has done for us and motivates us to express our love for God by loving others.

How can you demonstrate your love for God today? How can you demonstrate love for the people around you today? God give you the wisdom and willingness to do both!

Prayer:
Holy Spirit, fill my heart with the knowledge of God’s saving love through Jesus, my Savior. Help me to love the Lord my God with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my mind, and love others as myself. 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.