February 2022 – Page 3 – St. John's Evangelical

Because Jesus Says So – February 10, 2022

February 10, 2022 Kerry

When [Jesus] had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.
Luke 5:4-6

Because Jesus Says So

Daily Devotion – February 10, 2022

Devotion based on Luke 5:4-6

See series: Devotions

Can you imagine the scene? Jesus had just finished teaching crowds of people, using Simon’s boat as an impromptu stage. Now he taught Simon how to fish. The problem was that Simon was a professional fisherman, and Jesus was not.

Jesus told him to put out into the deep water during the day. But Simon knew that the best time to fish was the evening and that the best place to throw your nets was in the shallow water. In fact, Simon had labored with all his skill all night long and caught nothing. And now Jesus wanted him to drop his nets again at a less favorable time. It didn’t make any sense.

But there was something about Jesus that caused Simon to take him at his word. And so, he said to Jesus, “…because you say so, I will let down the nets.” Jesus’ word has authority and power. Because Jesus is the almighty Son of God, he filled the nets with fish to their breaking point.

The miracle taught Simon to always trust Jesus’ word. This would be important when Simon began doing the important work of what Jesus called “catching people.” You see, after this miracle, Jesus called Simon to fish for people. Jesus’ word is what catches people for him by bringing them to faith, and now Simon knew the power of Jesus’ word.

Do you? Christianity has been spreading and growing for millennia, not by human skill or technique, but by the word of Jesus. It may seem strange or go against your expectations for how God should work, but because Jesus says so, trust in his word to do the job. He will not let you down!

Prayer:
Jesus, help me to always trust your word. 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.

Christianity Is for Everyone – February 9, 2022

February 9, 2022 Kerry

For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:12,13

Christianity Is for Everyone

Daily Devotion – February 9, 2022

Devotion based on Romans 10:12,13

See series: Devotions

Of all the words you could pick to describe Christianity, would “inclusive” be one of them? Many people would say, “No, Christianity is too exclusive.” But does the Bible passage you just read sound discriminatory?

The apostle Paul wrote those words. His life’s work was spreading the good news of Christianity, and he did not discriminate with it. Paul was Jewish, but he told non-Jewish people about Jesus. Paul was a man, but he told women about Jesus. Paul had a religious upbringing, but he told the unreligious about Jesus.

Why is the Christian message so inclusive? Because God wants to include all people in his kingdom. He wants all people to be saved—including you! Isn’t that amazing? It makes God happy to include you.

Christianity is for everyone. That’s why Paul’s words here are so inclusive. But did you also notice how exclusive they are? You cannot believe anything that you want to. Paul did not write, “Everyone who calls on whatever will be saved.”

God is more exclusive than that. He does not tolerate faith in just anyone or anything. In this, he is like a doctor. When you’re sick, the doctor doesn’t prescribe medicine that he randomly picked. He administers what he knows will help you. He wants to give you the medicine that will cure your ailment.

God works the same way. All human beings suffer from the same problem—sin. Therefore, all human beings need the same solution—the Lord Jesus Christ.

So why is the Christian message so exclusive? Because there is only one Savior. We need a salvation that is all God’s work and not ours, and we have it in Jesus Christ. Only Jesus is the God-man who loved the world so much he gave up his life on the cross for everyone who ever has lived, is living, or will live.

When Christians speak the good news about Jesus, they are just like sick people telling other sick people where to find the cure. God promises eternal salvation to everyone who calls on Christ in faith.

Prayer:
Lord of all, bless me when I call on 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.

Unlikely Messengers – February 8, 2022

February 8, 2022 Kerry

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.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Isaiah 6:6-8

Unlikely Messengers

Daily Devotion – February 8, 2022

Devotion based on Isaiah 6:6-8

See series: Devotions

This is one of the most striking incidents recorded in the Bible. The prophet Isaiah saw the Lord high and exalted, surrounded by angels and seated on his throne. He was overwhelmed by his sin. He was convinced that he was ruined.

Until God sent an angel with a burning coal from the temple’s altar. In the Old Testament, the altar was the place where sacrifices were slaughtered and burned. What happened on the altar made sinners forgiven.

So the angel touched Isaiah’s lips with the coal and declared that his guilt was gone, and his sins were atoned for. The Hebrew word translated “atone” literally means “to cover up.” Sin is atoned for when it is covered by sacrificial blood and can no longer be seen.

Our holy God does not ignore sins. He atones for them. That is what Christ did on the cross. On the altar of the cross, Jesus gave his life as an atoning sacrifice to pay for your sins and cover them with his blood.

Because of Jesus’ work, that angel could announce that Isaiah was forgiven. The same announcement is still spoken to sinners. Not by angels, but by the people whom God forgives, just like Isaiah. Isaiah was overwhelmed by God’s forgiveness and volunteered to speak it to others.

God continues to use unlikely messengers to announce his forgiveness to you. Whether it was spoken by a Christian friend or family member, a stranger, or even the pastor writing this devotion, know that the holy Lord forgives and welcomes you into his presence. Look at Jesus’ cross. Listen to Jesus’ word: “Your guilt is taken away and your sin is atoned for.”

Prayer:
Lord, you have made atonement for my sin and let me know about it. 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.

Seeing God – February 7, 2022

February 7, 2022 Kerry

“Woe to me!” I 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.”
Isaiah 6:5

Seeing God

Daily Devotion – February 7, 2022

Devotion based on Isaiah 6:5

See series: Devotions

Would you like to see God? The prophet Isaiah actually did. The Lord was seated high on his throne, and his robe filled the temple. Smoke billowed everywhere. Fiery angels flew overhead and shouted praises to God so loudly that the temple shook. And there, in the middle of all of it, stood Isaiah, listening to what the angels were saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:3).

To be holy means to be set apart. Holiness is separation from sin. In fact, sinfulness and holiness are polar opposites. It is like light and darkness. One cannot exist in the presence of the other. Light scatters darkness, and God’s holiness destroys unholy things.

That was why Isaiah was terrified. What happens when sinners see God? Death happens. No sinner can stand in the presence of God and live. Isaiah expected to be obliterated by God’s holiness.

That was Isaiah’s problem. It’s also our problem. Like him, we have unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips. Whether we look inside or outside ourselves, there is only unclean sin.

So, would you still like to see God? Only if you know that God’s holiness does not just condemn sinners; it also saves them. Because he is holy, God cleanses us from our sin.

How? The holy Son of God came down from heaven and became a man. He lived a perfectly holy life and gives you his holiness. And then, for the sake of sinners, woe came to Christ. Jesus Christ was treated as the sinner and was ruined on the cross, cast from his Father’s presence so that you will live in his Father’s presence forever.

That is the goal of God’s holiness—to take away your sin so that you are able to see him without fear. In heaven, “we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).

Prayer:
Lord Almighty, thank you for giving me what I need to see 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.

BULLETIN FEBRUARY 6th, 2022

February 6, 2022February 6, 2022 kerry@inmarketsuccess.com

St. John’s & Emmanuel Lutheran Church

February 6, 2022 – 5^th Sunday After Epiphany

The Service – Setting One

Dedication Rite

We dedicate our new hymnals today to the glory of our Lord. A hymnal contains the forms which bring to us God’s precious means of grace: the Gospel in Word and Sacraments. A hymnal contains many of the songs and prayers we use together to ask God’s grace and respond to it. A hymnal helps shape the bond of faith not only within a congregation but also among congregations united in a synod. A hymnal expresses the bond we share with saints of past centuries and brings us new songs for our time and for the future. So today it is our special joy to dedicate our new worship book to the glory of our Lord.

Stand

Invocation CW 154

Rite of Dedication

M: We gather today to dedicate our new hymnals.

C: We give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

M: Gracious Father, we know you desire to be with us. You delight in hearing the prayers and praise of your people.

C: Thank you, Lord, for the privilege of being your people, for the blessing of worship, for the comfort and strength you give in this place, for the praise and joy you prompt in our hearts.

M: We thank you for your many gifts: for language, for music, and for the liturgy as a setting for your marvelous grace in Baptism, in Holy Communion, and in the proclamation of your Word.

C: Bless us as we use this book.

M: Lord, you gifted the many people who helped prepare this book. Their service to you and to us is a rich blessing. For those who have labored diligently in developing this worship book,

C: We thank you, O Lord.

M: For those who use their time and ability to assist our worship – for those who lead us in worship, for singers and all other musicians, for those who prepare your house each week, for talent with flowers, banners, and all other arts,

C: We thank you, O Lord.

M: Lord, we confess that we have not always put our hearts and minds into worship as you desire. Forgive our sins of approaching you too casually, carelessly, infrequently, or without concentration on your presence in worship.

C: Send your Holy Spirit so that the words and music of this hymnal become the sincere prayers and praise of our hearts.

M: Bless our use of old songs and forms, that we more deeply recognize our connection with your people of all times and the value of their contribution to our worship.

C: Bless our use of new liturgies and songs, that we see anew the wonder of your ways and the privilege we have to praise you.

M: Bless us as we receive your priceless gifts and express our faith to you and to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.

C: Bless our sincere participation in worship.

M: May others who do not yet know you learn something of your love and power through all we do here.

C: Move us to commit ourselves – heart and mind – to this vital part of our lives called worship.

M: To your glory, O Lord, and for the edification of your holy people we dedicate these hymnals, in the name of the Father and of the Son † and of the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen.

483 Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty Congregation

Text and music: Public domain

Confession CW 154

Absolution CW 154

Lord, Have Mercy CW 156

Glory Be to God CW 157

The Word CW 160

Salutation CW 160

Prayer of the Day CW 160

First Reading Isaiah 6:1-8

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. ²Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. ³And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”⁴At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. ⁵“Woe to me!” I 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.”⁶Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for. ”⁸Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Psalm 67E O God, Show Us Your Mercy

O God, show us your mercy

and bless us with your grace;

and cause to shine upon us

the brightness of your face,

that so your way most holy

on earth may soon be known,

and unto ev’ry people

your saving grace be shown.

Let all the peoples praise you,

let all the nations sing;

in ev’ry land let praises

and songs of gladness ring.

For you will judge the peoples

in truth and righteousness,

your rule of perfect justice

all nations will confess.

Let all the peoples praise you,

let all the nations sing;

then earth in rich abundance

to us its fruit shall bring.

The Lord our God will bless us,

his richest blessing send,

and all creation praise him

to earth’s remotest end.

Second Reading 1 Corinthians 14:12b-20

¹²So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church. ¹³For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. ¹⁴For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. ¹⁵So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. ¹⁶Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer,^[^a^] say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? ¹⁷You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified. ¹⁸I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. ¹⁹But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue. ²⁰Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.

Gospel Acclamation CW 161

Gospel Luke 5:1-11

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,^[^a^] the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. ²He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. ³He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.⁴When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”⁵Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”⁶When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. ⁷So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.⁸When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” ⁹For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, ¹⁰and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” ¹¹So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

745 Hark, the Voice of Jesus Crying Congregation

Text and music: Public domain

Sermon Luke 5:1-11, “Let Down Your Nets for a Catch!”

Begin with listening to Jesus’ advice
Requires trusting Jesus’ power
Involves leaving things behind for Jesus

Apostles’ Creed CW 163

Prayer of the Church CW 164

Offering

549: 1,2 Across the Lands Choir

Text and music: Keith Getty, b. 1974; Stuart Townend, b. 1963; arr. Ruth N. Coleman, b. 1953

Lord’s Prayer CW 171

Blessing CW 171

549: 3 Across the Lands Congregation

Text and music: Keith Getty, b. 1974; Stuart Townend, b. 1963; arr. Ruth N. Coleman, b. 1953

Acknowledgments

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are 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. Software distributed in partnership with Northwestern Publishing House. Created by Christian Worship: Service Buillllder © 2022 Concordia Publishing House

Be Ready – February 6, 2022

February 6, 2022 Kerry

So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
Luke 5:11

Be Ready

Daily Devotion – February 6, 2022

Devotion based on Luke 5:11

See series: Devotions

“Come on! It’s time to go!” It was the third time Dad called upstairs. It seemed his daughter had a hard time deciding what to take along in the car. First, it was her pillow. Next, it was her favorite baby doll. This time Dad wasn’t sure. He only heard her panic-stricken words. “Wait! We can’t leave yet!”

Dad and the rest of the family were ready to get going. It was the youngest that seemed to hold them back. Yes, she had her reasons, and they all seemed important to her. The delays, however, were going to cost them valuable time on the road.

A similar situation can happen in our walk with our Savior. Jesus says, “Follow me.” Our initial response might be: “Wait a minute!” Another might be: “Not right now, but maybe later.” We may even answer: “Just let me finish what I am doing first.”

When tempted to put off Jesus’ invitation, remember the response of the disciples in our Bible reading for today. They said they were ready, and they showed it. They saw the authority and the love Jesus revealed to them on the lake. Nothing was going to keep them from following him. When we see Jesus’ love and authority, we’ll be ready to hear and respond to Jesus’ invitation the same way they did—”they pulled their boats up on the shore, left everything and followed him.”

Prayer:
O gracious Lord, time after time you invite me to follow you and serve you. Remove every obstacle that would stand in my way. Give me a strong and devoted love that not only hears, but also responds to you and to your love for 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.

True Significance – February 5, 2022

February 5, 2022 Kerry

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Jeremiah 1:5

True Significance

Daily Devotion – February 5, 2022

Devotion based on Jeremiah 1:5

See series: Devotions

We all want to matter to someone. We want affirmation and, in some way, to make a difference. Emotions tank when we feel we don’t matter, can’t do anything, and no one cares.

God came to the prophet Jeremiah with the following words: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah was given a specific task to take a challenging message to the people of his day. It would be a tough assignment, but God encouraged and equipped him for the task.

While the call is not the same, the heart of God toward Jeremiah is the same heart he exhibits toward you. Remember three things today about your value, worth, and significance. God says, “I knew you.” Even before you were born, God knew you. He knows the hairs on your head and the hurts of your heart. He knows the strength of your skills and the reality of your weaknesses. He knows the significance of your sins and still chose you to be the object of his saving love.

God says, “I appointed you.” Jeremiah was called to a specific role to bring God’s message to the nations. When we realize that God knew us and loves us, that he set us apart and called us his own, we also realize that he appoints us to be part of his larger mission to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). God has us here on earth to be part of an eternally significant task—to proclaim the saving love of Jesus to people everywhere.

So today and every day, remember true significance is knowing God knows you, that he set you apart, and that he appoints you to be part of his eternal mission of bringing Jesus to the nations.

Prayer:
Lord, as I search for and desire significance, help me see myself as you see me—one whom you love and have set apart and called to be part of your work. Help me today find my significance in 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.

An Unchanging Life-Changing Message – February 4, 2022

February 4, 2022 Kerry

As for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:14,15

An Unchanging Life-Changing Message

Daily Devotion – February 4, 2022

Devotion based on 2 Timothy 3:14,15

See series: Devotions

As parents, we were encouraged to read to our children from a young age. It would help to spark their imagination and grow their reading and language skills. I spent hours reading to my oldest children when they were younger.

Eventually, our older children did more of the reading with their younger siblings until they could read on their own. But there is one thing I still read and teach to my children almost every single day. And that’s the message of the Bible. It’s the same message my parents taught me when I was young. It’s the same message I pray my children will teach their children.

That message doesn’t change. The Bible uncovers the truth about a God whose standards of right and wrong don’t change, whose promise to punish disobedience doesn’t change. But the Bible also uncovers the truth of a God whose Son was born as a human being to be punished in our place, who frees us from guilt for his sake and makes us worthy of life in heaven.

That unchanging message changes our lives. It leads us to see and know God as a God of mercy, forgiveness, and unconditional love. It leads us to trust God as the source of true hope and peace for this life and the life to come after we die. As we trust the Bible’s message, we receive its benefits—rescue from guilt and punishment, a place in God’s family, and an eternal home with him.

Every time we hear that unchanging, life-changing message, God is carrying out his eternal agenda for us. He is strengthening our faith to believe what he has done for us so that we continue in that faith as long as we live. And every time we share it—with our children or with others—God is carrying out the same saving agenda in their lives.

Prayer:
God, thank you for changing my life with your unchanging message. Help me to continue in what I have heard and believed. 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.

The Truth Must Be Told – February 3, 2022

February 3, 2022 Kerry

Preach the word . . . with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
2 Timothy 4:2,3

The Truth Must Be Told

Daily Devotion – February 3, 2022

Devotion based on 2 Timothy 4:2,3

See series: Devotions

Imagine that you are given a new job but are told that you will fail. A prophet in the Bible named Ezekiel had a job like that. God said, “Speak this message, but the people won’t listen.” Other prophets like Jeremiah and Isaiah didn’t fare much better.

In today’s Bible verse, a pastor named Paul was giving instruction and encouragement to a young pastor named Timothy. But it doesn’t sound entirely encouraging: People won’t want to listen to you. They’ll go to others who tell them what they want to hear.

Paul wanted Timothy to know the agenda God had for him. It wasn’t to tell people what they wanted to hear. It wasn’t to compromise the teachings of the Bible. How much easier his job would have been if that’s what God told him to do. But too much was at stake for that!

What people want to hear is that they are good people and are able to correct whatever might be wrong with their lives. No one wants to hear that they deserve punishment, certainly not the punishment of hell. But that is the truth about every one of us.

Why is it so important that we hear that? Because, if we don’t know how serious our situation is, we won’t realize how much we need what God has so generously provided for us in Jesus.

Jesus is the Savior of the world. The world’s biggest problem is sin that leads to death. Its only solution is Jesus. Jesus paid the full price necessary—his own innocent life and death—to remove our sins and guilt forever. God wants us to patiently and lovingly teach the whole truth of his Word so that people everywhere hear that awesome truth of Jesus loud and clear.

Prayer:
Gracious God, thank you for uncovering the truth about my sin and my Savior. When I speak your truth to others, help me do it with patience and love, but without compromise. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

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From God’s Lips to Ours – February 2, 2022

February 2, 2022 Kerry

The LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth.”
Jeremiah 1:9

From God’s Lips to Ours

Daily Devotion – February 2, 2022

Devotion based on Jeremiah 1:9

See series: Devotions

Seven-year-old Charlie was playing in the yard when he heard his dad call his name. Charlie slowly walked into the garage, where his dad was working. His dad said, “I want you to go in and tell your sister it is time for the two of you to clean up the toy room. Grandma and Grandpa are coming for dinner later, and we want the house to look nice.”

Charlie knew his sister wouldn’t be happy to hear that message, and he wasn’t either. So, instead of relaying the message, he told her, “Dad says we each need to pick up one toy in the toy room, and then we can have a cookie.”

Charlie’s dad was not happy when he walked in later to find cookie crumbs on top of the mess on the toy room floor.

God wanted a man named Jeremiah to give the people a message. He told him to warn the people about God’s judgment for their disobedience. They wouldn’t want to hear God’s message, but God uncovered a clear agenda for Jeremiah: Take my message and speak it to the people. Unlike Charlie, Jeremiah faithfully did what he was told to do, even though he would be persecuted and suffer for what he said.

God wants everyone to know and believe what he says. Many don’t want to hear what God has to say. But God’s agenda for us is clear: Take the message you hear and read in the Bible and speak it to others. Don’t hide it. Don’t change it. Don’t put your own spin on it. Speak the message I give you.

God’s message isn’t always popular with us, and it won’t always be popular with others. It reveals our disobedience and how we deserve God’s judgment. But then it uncovers the truth of God’s love for us in Jesus: Jesus came to die for us, to forgive our fears, and clean up the messes we make in our lives. Jesus doesn’t want anyone to die without knowing and believing that awesome saving message. God gives us the strength to speak his Word faithfully.

Prayer:
God, you’ve given me your Word. Help me to speak it without changing anything. 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.