Month: March 2025

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.
Hebrews 4:14

What Everyone Is Looking For

Daily Devotion – March 11, 2025

Devotion based on Hebrews 4:14


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You can go and see all of it—garments, instruments, and furniture. An organization called The Temple Institute of Jerusalem has, at tremendous cost and utmost care, recreated everything needed to begin regular temple worship in Jerusalem. Carefully embroidered clothing and special furniture covered in gold are all there and need only one more thing: They need the next great high priest to be appointed.

Of course, that isn’t going to happen.

People have poured their hearts and souls into finding a high priest. Some do it by recreating expensive priestly garments and furniture like The Temple Institute of Jerusalem. Others aren’t as flashy but are trying to create a new priesthood just the same. They hope that through some series of good deeds, right prayers, or other efforts they are being made right with God.

We are all searching for a high priest—someone who will make us right with God.

The good news is that we already have that person who has made us right with God. We have a Great High Priest in Jesus Christ. He didn’t do it through his work at the temple or by saying the right prayers. He did this at great cost, but not with gold or silver. He is the Great High Priest because he made the perfect sacrifice of himself for the sins of the world. He is the one who even today is interceding for us in heaven, saying to God the Father, “All their sins have been paid for.”

Everyone is looking for someone. In Jesus, we have the Great High Priest who makes us right with God.

Prayer:
Merciful Lord, you have made Jesus to be the Great High Priest. Make me look only to him and his work for the perfect assurance that I have been made right with God. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.

David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”
1 Samuel 17:32

A Volunteer for Us All

Daily Devotion – March 10, 2025

Devotion based on 1 Samuel 17:32


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There are some jobs no one wants. When the break room is messy, no one wants to be the one to clean it up. When the school is looking for volunteers to take the closing shift on the concession stand, volunteers are hard to come by. When it is time to clean out the long-neglected storage closet at church, few people are willing. Though many benefit from these things, few are willing to do them.

In our Bible story today, we discover a job no one wanted to do. Goliath, a Philistine and giant of a man, had made a clear challenge to God’s people: Send out a man to fight, and the winner would take all. It would be a battle to the death, and the man left standing would take as slaves the army of the other nation. None of the soldiers in the Israelite army wanted this job.

Until David stepped forward and volunteered. He was the one who did the hard thing that no one else would do or could do. He won the day and provided victory not just for himself but for all the people of God.

While there is something to be learned from David’s bravery and willingness to fight the big man Goliath, the more important lesson is seeing David win a victory for all. Though others did nothing, they still received the benefit of David’s work.

In this way, David is a picture of what Jesus would do for us. God is clear in his Word that what needs to happen is for us to perfectly keep his law, but we failed to do the job. Since we did not do what needed to be done, Jesus took our place and did the work, and we receive the benefit of his victory.

Jesus did it all for us, and the victory is ours.

Prayer:
Father of all, thank you for sending Jesus to take my place. Help me to treasure that his victory is my victory. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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 David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
1 Samuel 17:50

Fear

Daily Devotion – March 9, 2025

Devotion based on 1 Samuel 17:50


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Ancient armies, including Israel’s, used slings. Don’t think of a child’s slingshot—a stone from a skilled slinger could kill. Israel’s camp probably included many good slingers that day.

So why was David the first to meet Goliath’s challenge? Fear. Israel had won military victories, but Goliath and the Philistines presented them with a challenge they decided was too big. They forgot that they were Israel, God’s people.

David wasn’t afraid. He was angry. And he was confident that the Lord would protect him. David told his challenger: “It is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands” (1 Samuel 17:47).

What challenges you? Perhaps a certain sin has great power in your life right now. The temptation comes along, and we say, “This one’s too big. All I can do is give in.” Maybe an unbelieving friend ridicules Christianity. You respond, “He’s so intelligent, so witty. I’ll just smile and nod through his tirades because there’s nothing else I can do.” Do we so easily forget that we are God’s people?

Jesus looked like a failure on the cross, but he wasn’t. He bore our failures. All the times we gave into fear instead of calling on faith. Our Champion rose again and continues to live in us, assuring us the battle will finally end in heaven. He continues to live with us, giving us the strength to meet all the challenges we face.

The giants out there are big and strong. However, they’re not nearly as big and strong as the One who is with us.

Prayer:
Lord, give me confidence to know that your strength is always with me. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.

“God made [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
2 Corinthians 5:21

Life’s Not Fair

Daily Devotion – March 8, 2025

Devotion based on 2 Corinthians 5:21


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“It’s not fair!” How many times have we said or thought those words? When we were younger and saw a brother or sister get something that we couldn’t have, we said it. When a co-worker receives a special honor, we think it. As has been so clearly pointed out—life’s not fair.

There is one place where we are so grateful that we didn’t get what we deserved. The apostle Paul says in our Bible verse today, “God made [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” We have all disobeyed God. From the angry word that escapes our lips to the lustful thought that runs through our minds to the laziness we have all exhibited, we have sinned. God is very clear about how he feels about sin. He cannot stand it. He hates it and has promised to punish all who do it. There is no escaping this fact. Paul also wrote, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Here, however, the great love of our God has been shown. As Paul reminds us, God made Jesus, who had no sin of his own, to be the very embodiment of sin. All our sins, indeed the sins of the entire world, were heaped upon Jesus. Because our God is a just God who demands that sin be paid for, yet is also a loving God, he punished Jesus in our place. All of God’s anger against our sin was poured out on Jesus when he suffered and died on the cross. He was punished in our place.

Our sense of justice stands up here. It wasn’t fair to punish Jesus. He did nothing wrong. Yet, if God had not intervened, we would be lost forever. In our eyes, it may not have been fair. Yet, it is also the greatest act of love that the world has ever seen. When we hear of this great love for us, we want to thank God for our entire lives.

Prayer:
Thank you, Jesus, for being willing to be treated unfairly for my sins so I can be unfairly forgiven of my sins. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21

A Great Exchange Indeed

Daily Devotion – March 7, 2025

Devotion based on 2 Corinthians 5:21


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The Christian religion seems to be so complicated. What’s an easy way to explain it?

God in heaven is holy. He wants people to join him in heaven, so they must be holy, too. God explains what it means to be holy by giving us his commandments, and he tells us to keep each of them with everything we do, think, or say. He says, “Be holy as I the Lord your God am holy.”

God looks down from heaven and sees that no one is holy, not even one. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. He warns us that the consequences of sin include death, and that is not just the separation of body and soul. That is also eternal separation from God in hell. That’s a problem.

Human beings have tried various solutions to the problem. They speculate that they don’t have to be holy; they must simply be holier than the next person. But that’s not what God says. They speculate that they must simply improve as they live their lives. But that’s not what God requires. They think they can do good things to make up for the bad things they have done. But God says that all the ways we try to make up for our sins are worthless.

God has a solution to the problem. He sent his only Son, Jesus, into the world, and Jesus lived a holy life. He always did and thought and said what was right. He never did anything wrong. He had no sin. But at the end of his life, he did not take heaven as the reward for his good life. Instead, he suffered hell when he died on the cross. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us. He rose from the dead to prove it.

In a great exchange, God took our sin, and then declared that all people who believe in Jesus get the righteousness of Jesus credited to their spiritual accounts. Through faith, we become the righteousness of God. That’s our ticket to heaven. It’s that simple.

Prayer:
Jesus, thank you for taking my sin and giving me your righteousness. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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 Nathan said to David, “You are the man!” . . . Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” Nathan replied, “The LORD has taken away your sin.”
2 Samuel 12:7,13

Repentance Opens the Door

Daily Devotion – March 6, 2025

Devotion based on 2 Samuel 12:7,13


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When we have done something wrong, we are often tempted to ignore the implications or consequences of our actions and just go on living as if nothing happened. It is as if we close off our emotions or our thoughts to anything from the outside so we can forget about what happened.

Sometimes, God sends people into our lives to remind us what is wrong. When an Israelite king named David stole the wife of a man named Uriah, God sent the prophet Nathan to David with a story about unjust treatment. After David admitted that unjust treatment was wrong, Nathan shocked David by pointing out that David had treated Uriah unjustly.

David had enough power to punish Nathan for telling the story, but instead of reacting with anger or denial, David repented. He admitted, “I have sinned against the LORD.”

That’s just what the Lord wanted to hear. The Lord is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love and mercy. He knew about the saving work of Jesus. He instructed Nathan to say, “The LORD has taken away your sin.”

That’s also what the Lord wants to hear from us when we have sinned. Repentance opens the door to hear and believe those glorious words from the Lord, “I forgive you all your sins.”

Prayer:
Holy God, gracious Father, I have sinned against you in my thoughts, words, and actions. Lead me to trust that Jesus, my Savior, paid for my sins. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Luke 18:9-14

Lowering Our Defenses

Daily Devotion – March 5, 2025

Devotion based on Luke 18:9-14


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You may think it is important to make a good impression on other people. It may be difficult for you to admit to other people that you have done anything wrong. You may want them to see everything good that you’ve done instead. If you spend enough time justifying yourself, you may become confident of your own righteousness.

That would be a mistake when it comes to talking to God. God wants to you to admit your sins to him—your faults and mistakes. He is looking for you to ask him for mercy. He doesn’t want you to think that you deserve forgiveness. He wants to give that to you as a gift, something that you didn’t earn and don’t deserve.

Such a humble attitude means lowering your defenses. Because Jesus earned your forgiveness and promises to give it freely, you don’t have to defend your actions in the eyes of God or in the eyes of people. Remembering that we are just dust and ashes, it is best simply to say, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Prayer:
God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.

While [Peter] was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”
Luke 9:34,35

God’s Pleasure Revealed

Daily Devotion – March 4, 2025

Devotion based on Luke 9:34,35


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Do you know what God likes? He likes holiness. He likes good things to be called good, bad things to be called bad, and everything to be exactly right. He does not like things to be messed up or imperfect.

When God spoke from the cloud and told people that Jesus was his chosen Son, he meant for you to understand that Jesus was perfect. Jesus always distinguished properly between right and wrong, good and bad. More than that, he always did the right thing and never did the wrong thing. He had perfect holiness and righteousness.

That’s one good reason to listen to Jesus. He will always tell you the right thing, never the wrong thing, and because he knows you even better than you know yourself, he will tell you about the right thing at just the right time. The Bible is the place to find out those good and right things.

Do you know what God likes? He likes you to be connected to Jesus by believing his words in the Bible. Don’t be afraid to be that close to Jesus. When you are connected to him, you have the gift of his perfect righteousness, and God will treat you as his child.

Prayer:
Lord, open my ears to the words of your Son, Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.

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. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.
Luke 9:28-31

God’s Plan Revealed

Daily Devotion – March 3, 2025

Devotion based on Luke 9:28-31


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How do you discover God’s plan for your life?

Moses lived 1,500 years before Jesus. Elijah lived 900 years before Jesus. They knew how their lives had turned out. They had gone to heaven at the end of their earthly lives. But they were still interested in how the life of Jesus would turn out. So, in a glimpse of the glory of heaven, they talked to him about it.

Three of Jesus’ disciples watched the amazing sight and listened to the conversation. As Jesus described the plan for him to die and then rise from the dead, those disciples had to wonder if that was the plan for their lives as well. Later, they would understand that Jesus was living and dying and rising again so they could join him in heaven.

How do you discover God’s plan for your life? You can ask Jesus about it in prayer. You will find the answers to your prayers in the Bible, where Jesus describes the purpose for his life and yours. When unexpected things happen in your life, you can be sure that God still wants you and others to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

That truth is glorious and amazing. No matter the details of your life, you have eternal life with Jesus in heaven to look forward to. Thanks be to God!

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, keep me focused on your presence in my life until I join you in the glory of heaven. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.

Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.
2 Corinthians 3:12

Bold in the Gospel

Daily Devotion – March 2, 2025

Devotion based on 2 Corinthians 3:12


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What makes a person bold? A husband and wife can boldy go to the bank to secure a mortgage for their first home because their credit score is top-notch. An athlete can go into the big game with boldness because he has put in hours of training, practice, and preparation. A young aspiring business professional walks into his interview with boldness because he has a shiny new degree from a prestigious university.

But what makes us bold as Christians? When we look at what God’s law has to say, we have no right to be bold because it shows us that we are sinners who deserve God’s judgment and punishment. Surely, a sinful human being cannot be bold before a holy God. Our boldness does not come from God’s law but from the gospel. God’s gospel tells us that our sins are forgiven in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus our Savior. The Bible says, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18). Through that message, the Holy Spirit works saving faith in our hearts and thus sets us free from the curse of sin. So, we can be bold not because of what we have done or can do but because of what Jesus has done for us!

That freedom and hope also makes us bold to share the wonderful news of the gospel with others, just as Paul did. We dare not change it or speak falsely about it. We set forth the truths of God’s law and gospel plainly because, “the gospel…is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).

So be bold. Know that in Jesus, your sins are forgiven and through faith in him you are made a dear child of your heavenly Father. Then share that gospel message boldly that others may hear it and be saved. Be bold in the gospel!

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, in you and your work of salvation alone do I have freedom from sin and the hope of eternal life. Strengthen my faith in you and make me bold to serve you with my life. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.