Month: February 2022

About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.
Luke 9:28,29

Bright as a Flash of Lightning

Daily Devotion – February 28, 2022

Devotion based on Luke 9:28,29

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It is advice countless moms have given to their children when they are squinting up at the sky: “Don’t look at the sun. It is bad for your eyes.” And while some advice moms give such as “don’t make faces or it will freeze that way,” isn’t true, this advice is something which we should listen to. The sun’s brightness, especially its invisible light, can do damage to our eyes, even leading to blindness. The sun’s brightness is just more than our eyes can handle.

In the same way, God’s perfection and might are just more than our sinful souls can handle. I cannot bring my pathetic attempts to love others before the God who loves all people with a perfect and limitless love. I cannot stand in front of a God who stretched out the universe when my own life is full of failures and feeble accomplishments. Our failures and disobedience have created distance between God and his people.

However, God had no desire to stay distant from his people. Since we could not go to him, he came to us in the person of Jesus. All the fullness of God comes to be with his people in Jesus, and we get to see that revealed when Jesus went up the mountain to pray. For a moment, he is uncovered as the Son of God. His brightness is on full display for his disciples and us to see so that we would have no doubts that Jesus is our perfect God come to be with his people.

How can we look to God when he is more than we can endure? We look to Jesus, who is God come to us. With our eyes fixed on him, we can see the love of God at work in human lives. Gazing upon Jesus, we see all the power of God at work.

Prayer:
Father in heaven, help me look to Jesus and see all the power of God given for my eternal good. 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 Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.
Exodus 34:29,30

Gazing Into the Face of God

Daily Devotion – February 27, 2022

Devotion based on Exodus 34:29,30

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There’s a famous work of art by Michaelangelo, in which Moses is pictured with horns on his head. Why is that? It’s because the Hebrew word for “shine” is the same as the word for “horn,” and apparently, the Bible Michaelangelo used had translated it as “horn.”

While that’s just a bit of (interesting?) trivia, there’s an important truth behind it. The word “horn” denotes “power, majesty, authority.”

Now think about this scene: Moses’ face is shining because he’s been in the presence of God. What kind of power and authority would it take to cause that to happen? Why, it would take amazing power, stupendous power! And God has that kind of power.

Do you and I fully realize the amazing power of our God? Do we comprehend his majesty? Do we approach life in such a way as to make it clear that we recognize God’s power, God’s majesty? The Israelites—when they gazed at Moses’ face—were afraid! How much more would we fear if we were to gaze into the face of God himself! At Jesus’ transfiguration, Peter, James, and John got a taste of it, as Jesus gave them a glimpse of his full glory. They were terrified!

But thank God that Jesus walked back down that Mount of Transfiguration. He again veiled his glory, exchanging it for the humility of going to the cross to win salvation for us. The amazing grace of God!

That amazing grace of God is yours, for he won forgiveness for you. And so someday, you and I will get to gaze into that face of God, and we will get to do so without fear.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, forgive me for failing to appreciate your full glory. Fill me with appreciation for your saving love, that you were willing to lay aside your glory to save me. Lead me to reflect your glory in my life now, and to look forward to that day when you’ll receive me into eternal glory. 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.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another.
Romans 12:14-16

Our Compassionate Savior

Daily Devotion – February 26, 2022

Devotion based on Romans 12:14-16

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The Bible is not the only book to instruct us to “live in harmony with one another.” Buddhism, Hinduism, and other world religions—even secular philosophies—give us much the same guidance for life. Our consciences warn us that we would do well to treat others around us with love and compassion. But no matter who gives us this advice or how often we hear it, we still struggle to put ourselves in the shoes of others or to put their needs and feelings ahead of our own. Our natural inclination is so turned inward that we are blind to the ways that we could be a blessing to others. And when we do think of others, it is often with jealousy, envy, contempt, and pride.

Fortunately, the Bible not only tells us what we should be doing, it tells us what God’s Son has done for us. Jesus Christ perfectly considered what others needed from him. He offered forgiveness to those who crucified him. He wept along with the mourners at the tomb of his friend Lazarus. He performed his first miracle at a wedding reception to help the joyful celebration continue even as he revealed his glory as the Son of God. At Christmas, we rejoice at the news that God loved us so much that he took on our own flesh and blood. He took our sorrows on himself. He took on the weight of our sin. And he carried the guilt of our selfishness to the cross where he paid for it in full.

Jesus has shared in our sorrows so that he can share his joy with us. In him, we find God’s grace and the promise of forgiveness. In him, we find compassion so deep that it spills over into our own hearts. In Christ Jesus, we find joy in serving others and in bringing his message of peace to everyone.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, you loved me when I was unlovable. May your compassion for everyone be reflected in the way that I live. Teach me to see the ways that I can be a blessing to others as you are to me. 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] “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that . . . Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
Luke 6:32-33,36

The Source

Daily Devotion – February 25, 2022

Devotion based on Luke 6:32-33,36

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Her name was Cornelia. Everyone called her “Corrie.” And Corrie was in a moment of shock.

It was several years after World War II. Corrie and her Christian family had hidden Jews from Nazi authorities during the war. The authorities had discovered what her family was doing and sent Corrie, her father, and her sister to a concentration camp. Corrie was the only one to survive.

Back to Corrie’s moment of shock: She was sharing her wartime experiences with others, including the message of God’s forgiveness in Jesus Christ. As she did, a man walked up to her. She recognized him right away, although he apparently did not recognize her. He had been a guard at Ravensbruck—the very concentration camp where Corrie had suffered and her family had died. The man had taken part in terrible, terrible things. And now, there he stood. There he stood, seeking God’s forgiveness in Christ.

He offered to shake hands. But in that moment, Corrie couldn’t do it. She just couldn’t. For all her talk in that room about forgiving others as God has forgiven us in Jesus, she didn’t have the strength. There was just too much horror. Too many memories. Too many scars.

Then, by God’s grace, Corrie received a lesson about the power of God’s forgiveness. She turned to her Lord with a repentant heart, seeking forgiveness for her failure to forgive this man. Before she knew what was happening, her arm was up. She was shaking the man’s hand. She realized, as she had never realized before, that the power to forgive others does not come from your own strength. Rather, it is God’s forgiveness in Jesus Christ that carries all of us.

Prayer:
There are times, Lord Jesus, when I struggle to forgive others. The hurt is so great. The memories are so strong. Wash me clean. Cleanse me in your blood. And let your forgiveness flow through me to others. 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.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21

Overcome

Daily Devotion – February 24, 2022

Devotion based on Romans 12:21

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Rome, 165 A.D. According to early Church history, the Christians living there at that time do not have an easy life. Persecution seems to be on the rise. Then conditions grow worse. A plague arrives. As many as two thousand people in Rome die every day. The dominant cultural mindset has little regard for the dead and the dying. Anyone with the financial means to move out of the city does so.

The Christians, however, do not. The Christians stay, and they stay for a reason. Because God has demonstrated mercy to them in Jesus Christ, they desire to demonstrate mercy to the sick and the dying in Rome. They care for them, bury them, and do not do this just for a little while. They do it for the duration.

Whenever Satan and this broken world team up to make life difficult for me as a Christian, it’s easy for my old sinful self to talk me into feeling overcome, defeated, resentful, bitter. When I do, I conveniently forget that nowhere in the Bible does God ever guarantee that I can expect my life to be comfortable, convenient, trouble-free. On the contrary, God’s Word fairly shouts that I can expect pushback of every kind. To forget God’s voice on this matter is more than some simple oversight. It’s deliberate, sinful denial—sinful denial for which I need to repent.

But the wondrous thing is this. When I once again receive the refreshment of God’s forgiveness through faith in the One who suffered and died to wash me clean—that very forgiveness empowers me to look at the difficulties in my life with new eyes. When the troubles of this world press down upon me, I can see them as opportunities for my fruits of faith to shine. As the old saying goes, the light of my candle is much more visible in times of darkness than in times of light.

And remember those early Christians facing all that trouble in Rome? Many, many new souls came to faith in Jesus during that time. As people watched these Christians reflect God’s love for them in Christ, they wanted to learn more.

Prayer:
By the power of your love and forgiveness, Lord Jesus, move me to overcome evil with good. 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.

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
Romans 12:19

Revenge

Daily Devotion – February 23, 2022

Devotion based on Romans 12:19

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“Revenge is a dish best served cold.” This old saying about revenge goes back at least to the early 1800s. It means that taking revenge on someone is more satisfying when you allow a good amount of time to pass by first. From caper movies like Ocean’s 11 to westerns like Once Upon a Time in the West, the cold dish of revenge makes for a compelling plotline.

But there’s a downside to revenge. English philosopher Francis Bacon put it quite well. He wrote, “A man that studieth revenge keeps his own wounds green.”

God, of course, knows us far better than we will ever know ourselves. He knows that revenge is simply a broad opportunity for my old sinful self to run amok. In the name of righteous indignation, it’s an opportunity for my old sinful self to indulge in all kinds of toxic impulses, from bitterness and resentment to arrogance and self-absorption. All of which threatens to harden my heart. All of which threaten to pull me away from the only Savior you and I are ever going to have.

When Jesus walked this earth on our behalf, not once did he ever give in to the temptation to plot revenge on someone who had wronged him, not even as he hung on the cross. And because of Jesus’ perfect faithfulness, God has washed us clean through faith in his Son—and that includes even our poisonous thoughts of revenge against someone who has wronged us.

Cleansed and embraced by our Savior, you and I are now free. In the words of Francis Bacon, you and I no longer have to study revenge, keeping our own wounds green. Instead, you and I can bask in the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. We can entrust all things to our just and good God. Instead, you and I can get on with the business of proclaiming Jesus Christ with our lives.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, when someone wrongs me, purge my heart of revenge. Fill me with the same spirit of forgiveness you have shown me. 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.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “. . . God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”
Genesis 45:4,7

Joseph’s Eyes

Daily Devotion – February 22, 2022

Devotion based on Genesis 45:4,7

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And so there Joseph stood. As the Prime Minister of Egypt, he had just revealed to his brothers his true identity. He was their brother, Joseph—the very one his brothers sold into slavery many years earlier.

In that moment, Joseph could have fixed his eyes only on his brothers. He could have filled his field of vision only with what they had done to him so many years earlier.

But he didn’t. Instead, by God’s grace, Joseph’s eyes rested on his Lord. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Joseph could see that God’s hand had been guiding his life all along. He could see that God’s hand had caused even the past actions of his brothers to submit to his good and gracious will.

Like Joseph, you and I can have times when we can easily fix our eyes only on those who have hurt us. Perhaps there’s someone who has disappointed us. Perhaps there’s someone who has humiliated us. Perhaps there’s someone who has abandoned us.

If that is where we fix our eyes, however, then we are placing our eyes precisely where Satan wants them to be. For when we look only at those who have hurt us, then we are blocking our line of sight to see the hand of God.

But that’s why Jesus came. As our substitute, he lived a life of perfect trust in his heavenly Father’s will. Even when he endured the cruelty of sinful men, Jesus knew that his heavenly Father would guide it all for good. The result was full forgiveness for our every sin. The result was a home for each of us in heaven. The result was a place for you and me in God’s family through faith in his Son. That, and God’s promise that he will guide all things in your life for good.

And here’s the best part. It is his very forgiveness of our sins that empowers you and me to lift up our eyes and see God’s guiding hand.

Prayer:
Lord, lift up my eyes to see that your hand is always at work in my life. 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.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “. . . [D]o not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.”
Genesis 45:4,5

Old Enemies

Daily Devotion – February 21, 2022

Devotion based on Genesis 45:4,5

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The story of Joseph is one of the most extraordinary accounts in the entire Bible. Sold into slavery by his own brothers, Joseph endures years of twists and turns until he finds himself serving in the extraordinary position of Prime Minister in Egypt. When famine strikes the region, his brothers come to Egypt looking to purchase food. The climax of the account arrives when Joseph finally reveals to his brothers who he really is. The sheer emotion of the scene is potent.

As soon as he reveals his true identity, however, Joseph displays a deep concern. His brothers are now in shock. They are now having to confront the terrible thing they did to Joseph so many years ago. Joseph is afraid that the distress and despair his brothers feel will overwhelm them.

Perhaps you have never sold a sibling into slavery. Chances are excellent, however, that you, too, have dark moments in your past. Maybe it’s something you said or did. Maybe it’s something you failed to say or do. Maybe there was a long period when you were too arrogant, lazy, afraid, or self-absorbed to do all kinds of things you should have been doing all along.

Such dark moments are perfect weapons for the devil. With them, he can smother you with guilt and block out the light of hope. With them, he can isolate and shove you into the solitary confinement of despair.

Enter Jesus. On our behalf, God the Son lived the kind of life you and I have failed to live. In our place, God the Son suffered and died for our every sinful failure, our every wasted moment. And now he lives. He lives to assure you and me that the old enemies of guilt and regret and despair no longer have the final word. Jesus does.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, by nature I was once your enemy. But now you have made me your friend. Your blood has washed my guilt away. Thank you, Lord. 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.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another.
Romans 12:9-16

The Importance of Family

Daily Devotion – February 20, 2022

Devotion based on Romans 12:9-16

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We all know and appreciate how important our families are. Family is there for you when you are really in need, they laugh with you and cry with you, and stand with you through the good times and the bad. Family members are linked together with a strong and common bond.

That bond is not always genetic.

There is a spiritual bond among fellow believers, and together we make up a spiritual family. I am so very privileged to have a group of brothers and sisters in the Lord—and so are you.

Remember your spiritual family. It’s far too easy to take them for granted. When times are good, we may feel that we don’t need a relationship with the people at church. When times are bad, however, their thoughts, prayers, acts of kindness, and deeds of love are priceless. If you need help and support from your fellow believers—ask! We are all willing to be there for you. If you don’t need any help and support at this time—someone needs you! Ask and look for anyone who needs encouragement and go out of your way to help them. We have all received so much from God. What a joy it is to be able to give a little back and help a brother or sister in the Lord. A Christian family is priceless!

Prayer:
Lord, thank-you for my brothers and sisters in Christ. May I be a blessing to them, and may they be a blessing to me. 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.