Category: Daily Devotions

Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
Isaiah 35:4-7

Your God will Come

Daily Devotion – September 12, 2018

Devotion based on Isaiah 35:4-7

See series: Devotions

Jennifer had a fearful heart. She was afraid of failing. Afraid of not being the person, mother, wife, sister, daughter she wanted to be, should be. Afraid of her own weaknesses and sins. Afraid of what God would think of her.

So how does this help? “Be strong, Jennifer. Do not fear; your God will come, with vengeance, with divine retribution.” God is coming? With vengeance and divine retribution? God is coming to pay me back for all my sins and failings? That is enough to make an already fearful heart completely fall apart. Terrifying!

But that’s not what God’s Word is saying in these verses. “Your God will come…to save you!” His vengeance and divine retribution are not against us, not against the repentant sinner with a fearful heart. The vengeance and retribution are reserved for Jennifer’s enemies. “He will come to save you, Jennifer.” God is coming to dish out divine payback to all of Jennifer’s enemies and save her from them.

God did come. Jesus arrived on the scene as a human being, God himself in the flesh. He defeated sin and all its consequences. He healed illnesses. He restored sight, hearing, speech, and movement. He drove away sin and death by his death on the cross. When he died and rose again from death, Jesus paid out retribution to sin, death, and the devil, and set his people free. He set Jennifer free. She is completely forgiven of every sin and failing. She is perfectly accepted and approved by God, through the work of Jesus. Instead of fear stalking her through the desert, Jennifer now walks in faith and joy through a vibrant paradise where grace grows.

She still has a fearful heart now and then. But she knows God came for her and died to save her. And he will come for her again to take her to be with him forever.

Prayer:
Dear Father, calm my fearful heart with your salvation. Restore all that sin has ruined in my life. Bring me to the paradise of heaven, through Jesus 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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
Romans 11:33

Astounding

Daily Devotion – September 11, 2018

Devotion based on Romans 11:33

See series: Devotions

Perhaps you enjoy viewing nature programs on public television. Perhaps you don’t. Regardless of your general interest in such programming, however, there is a nature series that towers above the rest. It’s a series of televised nature programs produced by Sir David Attenborough. Attenborough has combined his superb production values with the outstanding camera work of the BBC. Together, they capture moments in nature that are astounding.

If you watch, you will never forget the newborn lizard racing across a beach for its life while being chased by scores of fast-moving snakes (by the way, the lizard wins). If you watch, you will never forget what a father penguin is willing to endure to keep his young safe and warm. If you watch, you will never forget how the Australian lyrebird is able to imitate almost anything—even the intricate sounds of a camera. And if you watch, you will never forget the migration of a single monarch butterfly from Canada to a specific, pre-ordained cluster of trees in Mexico.

The series is not at all religious. Nevertheless, when one views these episodes in light of the reality that God is the Creator of all, the words of the apostle Paul seem to rise up and shout when he declares in pure astonishment: Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

As awe-inspiring as God’s creation is, however, Paul is not just speaking about the miraculous creatures that fill this planet. More than all that, Paul is speaking about the gospel.

God became a human being. God became one of us. In the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God lived among us. He ate and slept among us. He worked, got tired, and made friends. He wept when a loved one died. He suffered ridicule and rejection. He gave up his life on a cross.

He did all that to wash us clean and to set everything right between God and us. He did all that to ensure that all of our sins, all of our failures, all of our wrongs would never come back to haunt us ever again. And to assure us of this, he raised himself from the dead.

That’s what you and I have through faith in Jesus Christ. Through faith in him we have more than an awesome Creator. We have a Savior, Brother, and Friend.

And that is astounding.

Prayer:
Holy God, the wonders of your creation are astounding. Even more so, Lord, is your love for me in Jesus Christ. By your Spirit, keep me close to 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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.”
Mark 7:37

Simply Amazing

Daily Devotion – September 10, 2018

Devotion based on Mark 7:37

See series: Devotions

There are some things in life which are simply amazing: the glow of a sunrise, the iridescence of a sunset, the reflection of mountains in a calm turquoise lake. These are all amazing. To these, specific events from life can also be added: the birth of a child, the longevity and health of a relative, the unexpected recovery from a life-threatening illness. These too are all amazing.

There is one more area of my life where I never cease to be amazed, and that is with the love of my Savior.

In connection with today’s verse of God’s Word, when I consider his care and compassion for the man who could barely speak and was without the sense of hearing, it is simply amazing. Jesus healed him completely. No recovery needed. No therapy required. No further treatment prescribed. It is the same care and compassion Jesus promises for my life.

While I may not see a miracle such as this man experienced, I do know he promises goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life (Psalm 23:6). This is simply amazing that Jesus is so focused on my daily and personal care.

What is even more amazing is the care and compassion Jesus provides for eternal life. I was dead in my transgressions and sin. I was blind to his love and forgiveness. I was an enemy opposed to him at every turn. Yet, Jesus loved me. In that love he did everything to rescue me from my self-inflicted condemnation. He secured new life through his death and resurrection. He opened my eyes through the powerful working of faith. He reconciled me and brought me into his family. I deserved nothing but punishment, but he gave me everything. This is simply amazing.

There is only one response to Jesus’ undeserved love. I love him who loved me first. I also live every day in awe, thanking and praising my Savior for what he did—which is simply amazing.

Prayer:
O precious Savior, truly your love is amazing because it is undeserved. Keep me in your love and your compassionate care until I receive the greater blessing you have prepared for me in heaven. 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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or tax collector. I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Matthew 18:15-18

Repentance

Daily Devotion – September 9, 2018

Devotion based on Matthew 18:15-18

See series: Devotions

“It’s none of my business.” “I’m afraid it will damage our friendship.” “Who am I to point out the sin of another since I am a sinner myself?”

When a fellow Christian is caught in a sin, these are the excuses that so often find their way into our vocabulary. On the surface, they all seem legitimate. Why would we ever want to be considered meddlers, or controversy starters, or self-righteous hypocrites?

But when we trace such excuses to their roots, they get exposed for what they are: tricks and schemes of the devil. After all, Satan will do everything in his power to make sure we do not view sin for what it truly is—a poison that doesn’t just wound or hurt, but a poison that kills. And Satan desires nothing more than for people caught in deliberate sin to continue down that road of sin unrepentant—refusing to recognize their sin and refusing to recognize their desperate need for the forgiveness of our Savior. This is always Satan’s desire, because the road of unrepentance leads to hell.

That’s also why Jesus commands what he does in these words from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 18. Jesus desires the salvation of souls. And so, Jesus commands Christians to call those caught in sin to repentance, that they may recognize their sin and then turn to him for forgiveness.

The steps Jesus calls Christians to follow are clear concerning a brother or sister in Christ. First, approach the fallen sinner privately, that your careful warning may lead him to the repentance God desires. If the person does not repent, involve two or three others, that the seriousness of the matter may be underscored while its privacy maintained. If the sinner still does not repent, take the matter to the church, that the entire body of believers may demonstrate just how seriously the Lord desires repentance and just how greatly the Lord desires to forgive. Finally, if the unrepentant sinner refuses to listen even to the church, exclude him from the church, that he may be continually reminded that impenitence kills saving faith.

Because our Savior has issued us this command solely out of love for sinners, we carry it out with that same spirit of love. We approach it with a single-minded desire to lead sinners to repentance, that they may experience the joy of his forgiveness once again. And we approach it with a humble heart, recognizing that it is only by God’s grace that our own sins have been forgiven. May God grant all of us such love and humility as we carry out this important work!

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, in your unlimited love for souls, you have commanded your believers to call sinners to repentance. Move us to carry out this command with that same spirit of love. Amen.

This devotion was selected from the Daily Devotion archive.

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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself. “Son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what you are saying: “Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?”‘ Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?’
Ezekiel 33:7-11

Life for You

Daily Devotion – September 8, 2018

Devotion based on Ezekiel 33:7-11

See series: Devotions

The cancer support group gathers in a circle in the church basement. They tell their dreary stories of unending fatigue, nausea, and pain. Finally, a young man who has been listening quietly announces, “I have a brain tumor. The doctors want to do surgery and remove it, but I’m not going to do it.” Support gives way to exasperation. “What?” “How can you do this?” “Don’t you want to live?”

When faced with a cancer diagnosis, our loved ones will most likely make every effort to see to it that we seek out every treatment available. The goal is staying alive.

“Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?” The inner, spiritual death caused by sin is cause for deep concern. Too many of us know the agony of watching our loved ones separate themselves from God through careless and persistent sin. God insists that we stand guard and speak out to dissuade our loved ones from their sin.

There is no reason to die because of sin. God “takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked.” He wants us to live so much that his own Son took all of the careless and persistent sins we have committed and removed them by his sacrificial death on the cross. Troubled sinners cry out, “How then can we live?” Our loving God answers, “Turn from sin and trust that my Son’s death is life for you.”

Prayer:
Gracious God, lead us all away from sin and to your loving forgiveness in Jesus. Overcome everything harmful to body and soul with your promises of heavenly glory. Amen.

This devotion was selected from the Daily Devotion archive.

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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
1 John 4:1

Test the Spirits

Daily Devotion – September 7, 2018

Devotion based on 1 John 4:1

See series: Devotions

Test the spirits? That sounds a bit creepy or just plain weird. It seems like something outside the normal person’s expertise and abilities. Maybe we should leave such a thing to scientists. Although perhaps we would find that most scientists have moved beyond a belief in the spirit world. Maybe we need to call the Ghostbusters.

Seriously, today’s encouragement from God’s Word through the pen of a man named John is a vital matter that has critical consequences. God, who himself is spirit (John 4:24), tells us that there is a spirit world. He tells us that not every spirit comes from him. Not every spirit is good and faithful, trustworthy and true.

The chief of those evil spirits is called the devil or Satan. He is an angel who was created good but rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven. Satan and those evil angels, often called demons or devils, who followed him now roam the earth seeking to lead people away from God. They do their destructive work by speaking lies about God to deceive people about the way to have a peace-filled relationship with God. They most often do their deadly work through human beings called “false prophets.”

But how do we test spirits? Not by their personality, eloquence, passion, or sincerity. Test the spirits…by the message that is spoken. God’s Word—the Bible—reveals God’s truth in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Truth. During his life here on earth he spoke the truth from his own mouth. Now from heaven he still speaks through God’s Word recorded in the Bible. He speaks through true and faithful messengers who believe the Bible to be truth and speak it clearly and correctly.

Not everybody who claims to speak the truth of God speaks truthfully. Some are counterfeits. People trained to spot counterfeit currency are first trained to thoroughly and accurately know the genuine thing. Because of this training, they can easily pick out the fake. John, as a dear friend, encourages us to compare the message we hear with the message of God in the Bible. That means we need to read and know our Bible. We need to diligently seek out and surround ourselves with teachers who know the Scriptures and speak God’s truth faithfully. We need to connect ourselves to churches that seek out and speak God’s gospel truth. True spirits will point us to the Truth—Jesus Christ—who is our Savior from sin and the source of every blessing.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, we daily need your help. Help us to test the spirits by knowing your truth and then comparing what we hear to what you say. Give us wisdom and discernment as we seek to grow in our relationship with you. In your saving name, 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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:10-11

The Word of God Produces

Daily Devotion – September 6, 2018

Devotion based on Isaiah 55:10-11

See series: Devotions

Perhaps this summer you often see a farm field where both sunshine and rain have come down on that field. You have watched as rows and rows of corn reached toward the sky. First appeared little sprouts that hardly seemed more than organized weeds, but then they grew taller, knee-high, and now those little sprouts have become full stalks that stand taller than you.

Maybe, though, you don’t see corn fields where you live. Instead you have watched your tomato plants or your garden flowers. You have witnessed that when water contacts the soil, plants grow and thrive.

It is a perfect picture of what occurs in the places we call churches. As people gather, it is God’s Word that comes down from heaven—the Bible is read, songs are sung, messages are delivered by the pastor. God’s Word contacts human hearts. We cannot watch hearts as closely as we do the soil of the fields, and we may not witness green sprouts reach for the sky, but people grow and thrive. God promises it. He promises that when he sends his Word to human hearts, it produces. It accomplishes his desire and achieves his purpose.

What is God’s purpose for you? He desires that you will come to him because you thirst for his love and mercy. (See Isaiah 55:1.) He desires that you will turn to listen to his Word and know his mercy and pardon. (See Isaiah 55:7.) He desires that you will be able to go forth in your life with joy and peace. (See Isaiah 55:12.)

In his Word, God tells you that his Son also came down to accomplish what he desired and achieve the purpose for which God sent him. That purpose was that his own Son give his life over to death for you. Jesus died to purchase your life out from underneath the weight of your guilt. God’s purpose was that Jesus’ blood shed on the cross makes you clean in God’s sight. God’s purpose is that the victory his Son accomplished by his resurrection from the dead, be your very own by trusting in Jesus as your Savior.

Do you see a church where you live in which God’s Word is proclaimed? Now is the perfect time to let God’s Word cause faith to grow and thrive in your heart.

Prayer:
Almighty God, send forth your Word into my heart in abundance, so that my faith in Christ may grow and flourish. 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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you. … Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?
Deuteronomy 4:1,2,6-8

His Calling Card

Daily Devotion – September 5, 2018

Devotion based on Deuteronomy 4:1,2,6-8

See series: Devotions

Jim was a salesman. He traveled to visit his customers. He always left them a business card, so they would be able to contact him again later.

God uses his people as his calling card. On his people, he imprints his promises: “I will be with you. I will be near you. I will never leave you nor forsake you. I will always, always listen when you pray.” And a host of other promises. On his people, he imprints his laws: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart. Love your neighbor as yourself.” And he added a fully fleshed out code of conduct for his people’s society, worship, and personal life. God wanted his people to be his calling card. The people of other nations would see Israel and see God’s promises and commands stamped across the fabric of their lives. And it would have worked…

Except his people sinned. They fell away from God again and again. They disregarded his commands and promises and turned to other gods.

How about you? Do you represent God well? Do you display God’s commands to the world by the way you live? Do you promote God’s promises by what you say and do? Or are you guilty of giving God “bad press?”

God in his mercy sent another calling card: his own Son. In his Son, people of every nation can see the imprint of God’s righteousness, God’s laws. In God’s Son Jesus, the world can see God’s love, God’s promises. Jesus not only publicized God well in life but connected lost souls with God through his death on the cross. People from every nation who believe in Jesus not only learn about God, but know God as their Father, receive forgiveness of sins, and live forever.

God forgives you through Christ. And in grace, sends you out as his calling card into the world.

Prayer:
Dear Father, forgive me for giving you a bad name by a sinful life. Forgive me and cleanse me in Christ and use me as your calling card in a world of lost souls. 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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground.
Ephesians 6:13

Raw Recruit

Daily Devotion – September 4, 2018

Devotion based on Ephesians 6:13

See series: Devotions

In the world of the First Century AD, the Roman army was a sight to see. It had great numbers. It was well-supplied. It had cutting-edge weaponry.

However, its real strength was not in numbers, weapons, or supplies. It was the training. The training of the Roman soldier in the Roman army was superb. The historian by the name of Josephus got to observe the training of Roman soldiers firsthand. What struck him the most was their determination to always be ready for the day of battle. Their training was constant. Josephus wrote: “[T]hey do not sit with folded hands in peace time only to put them in motion in the hour of need. On the contrary, as though they had been born with weapons in hand, they never have a truce from training.”

In addition, this constant training was not just for the soldier who was new to the army. It was for the seasoned veteran as well. We know this from an ancient manual on Roman military training. After it emphasizes that the seasoned veteran has orders for daily training too, the manual then explains why. It says, “No matter how many years he has served, an unexercised soldier is forever a raw recruit.”

Which leads to you and me.

As a Christian, how many times have I presumed that I am a seasoned soldier of the cross when the reality is that I often behave like a raw recruit? As soon as the Lord gives me an opportunity to display some genuine Christian maturity for others, how often do I react with the immaturity of the raw recruit? And when this sinful world gives me a very trying day, how often do I glower, pout, and carry myself as if this were my first day in the Lord’s army?

We have all had our turn at letting down our Lord.

That is why my present strength as a soldier of the cross is not the number of years I have lived. It is not my happy memories of Sunday School or Christian Elementary School. It is not my past work on this or that committee at church. Rather, it is the Spirit-wrought realization that I need the Lord Jesus now more than ever. I need the forgiveness he has purchased for me at the cross. I need the peace and strength he gives me in his Word and Sacrament.

When that happens, the more fully I wear the armor of God. When that happens, the more fully I live to the Lord’s glory as a seasoned soldier of the cross.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, so often I have behaved as if I were a raw recruit. Wash me clean. Empower me by your Spirit to realize my need for you is greater than ever. 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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

“From within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.”
Mark 7:21-22

Heart Problems

Daily Devotion – September 3, 2018

Devotion based on Mark 7:21-22

See series: Devotions

Nancy was concerned about her husband. His lifestyle choices made him a perfect candidate for heart problems. Even Ken’s doctor agreed. Ken was overweight. He got little exercise. He was under a great deal of stress. What was most troubling was his attitude. Every time Nancy encouraged him to change, he replied, “You have to die from something.”

In many ways I can be like Ken, especially when it comes to the spiritual condition of my heart. Jesus wants to claim it as his own, but often I reject that claim and live my life the way I choose. This leads to a struggle between what is good and God-pleasing, and what could lead to my eternal condemnation.

My heart is the problem. Jesus’ warning to his disciples is one I need to take seriously. I may believe my heart is filled with good intentions, but the opposite is true. By nature, it is filled with evil thoughts and desires which result in evil actions. In the end, I either must confess I have a heart problem or deny it.

What a blessing it is that Jesus opens my eyes with the warning he gives. Not only do I need to see the horrible condition of my heart, I must acknowledge it. Once I admit my heart has a problem, my Savior leads me to look to the cure he provides.

In Jesus, I have forgiveness for the evil condition of my heart. In Jesus, I receive the desire and the strength to change. In Jesus, I have his peace which continually guards my heart and life. It is only Jesus’ undeserved love, his sinless life, and his triumph over every evil that replaces what exists by nature, repairs the damage, and renews my heart for a life of loving service.

This new life and new heart is mine only by faith in Jesus. And though I may never be completely free from heart problems in this life, I can live in hope. Jesus continues to call me, change me, and claim my heart as his own.

Prayer: (Psalm 51:10)
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.