Month: June 2021

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.”
John 3:3-5

New Birth

Daily Devotion – June 3, 2021

Devotion based on John 3:3-5

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What role did you play in your own birth? Did you give birth to yourself? Did you push yourself out of your mother’s womb? Did you contribute anything to your birth other than just being there? Your mother would be very offended if you took any credit for your own birth. She was the one who carried you in her womb and went through labor. She is the one who, humanly speaking, deserves all the credit for you being born.

Jesus told the Jewish religious teacher Nicodemus that if he wanted to see the kingdom of God, he needed to be born again. Nicodemus didn’t understand what Jesus was talking about. To him, it made no sense for someone who already was grown to climb back into his mother’s womb to be born again. Certainly, no human mother would allow that to happen, even if it were possible!

But Jesus wasn’t talking about being born physically a second time. He was talking about being born spiritually. Jesus described this second, spiritual birth as being “born of water and the Spirit.” The water he was talking about is the water of baptism. In baptism, God the Holy Spirit gave the person being baptized new birth. He brings them to spiritual life. And just as was the case with our first, physical birth, so it was with our second, spiritual birth. We can contribute nothing to it. Our second, spiritual birth through holy baptism is entirely the work of God the Holy Spirit. He (not we) brings our spiritually dead hearts to life by leading us to trust in Jesus as our Savior. He (not we) takes us who are completely separated from God and makes us God”s own children. The triune God gives us new birth—a new life to be lived with him here and in eternity.

Prayer:
O triune God, all praise to you for the miracle of holy baptism. 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.

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.
Romans 8:15-17

Adopted

Daily Devotion – June 2, 2021

Devotion based on Romans 8:15-17

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Zinnia is adopted. Her parents did not give birth to her. But legally, they are her parents, and she is their daughter. In fact, she is as much her parents’ daughter as any of her parents’ other children are. And even though she shares no genes with any of the other children in her family, she is their sister, and they are her siblings. Legally, there is no difference between Zinnia and any of her siblings. She has the same rights as any of her parents’ other children. Her parents love her the same as they love all their other children. And when her parents die, she will be just as much an heir as any of her siblings will be.

Zinnia’s adoption beautifully illustrates the relationship that all who believe in Jesus have with their triune God. When we were born, we were not God’s children. Instead, we were children of the devil. That meant we were outside of God’s family. We were separated from all the blessings that come from being a member of God’s family. And on our own, we had no hope of ever becoming members of God’s family.

But all that changes when God the Holy Spirit brings a person to faith in Jesus. When the Holy Spirit leads someone to trust in Jesus as their Savior, God adopts that person into his family. Through faith in Jesus, they become God’s children, and God becomes their Father. As God’s children, they now have Jesus as their brother. And as Jesus’ siblings, they are now just as much heirs of God as Jesus himself is.

What a wonderful promise the Bible makes. Rejoice and take comfort in it this day.

Prayer:
O triune God, help me always appreciate your willingness to adopt sinful children like myself into your family. 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.

“Woe to me!” [Isaiah] cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
Isaiah 6:5-7

Overwhelmed

Daily Devotion – June 1, 2021

Devotion based on Isaiah 6:5-7

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Isaiah was completely overwhelmed when he saw the holy God. But it wasn’t just God’s all-surpassing greatness that overwhelmed him. He also was overwhelmed by the greatness of his own sin.

In the bright light of God’s transcendent holiness, the extent of Isaiah’s sinfulness was painfully apparent. There was no hiding it. There was no excusing it. Isaiah knew what he deserved from the holy God because of his sins. He knew that he deserved to die and fully expected that he would.

But then one of the angels went to the altar, the place of sacrifice in the temple, and took from it a live coal. He flew to Isaiah, touched his mouth with the coal, and said to him, “Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Sinful Isaiah could not remove his sins from himself. However, the holy God could. And he did. He bridged the gap between himself and Isaiah and removed from Isaiah all his sins.

In the bright light of God’s transcendent holiness, the extent of our sinfulness is also unavoidably obvious. There is no way we can hide it. There is no way we can excuse it. Like Isaiah, we deserve to die, not just physically but eternally in the hell God has prepared for those whose sins separate them from him.

But God sent his own Son, Jesus Christ, to the altar of the cross to sacrifice himself for all our sins. The blood Jesus shed on the cross has now touched not only our lips but our heads and hands and feet and souls. Our guilt has been taken away. Our sin has been paid for. In Jesus, the holy God has bridged the gap between himself and sinful us. In Jesus, the triune God has removed from us all our sins.

Prayer:
O triune God, I praise you that in Jesus you have removed from me all my sins. 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.