Category: Daily Devotions

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Romans 12:4-5

Many Members—One Body

Daily Devotion – August 23, 2018

Devotion based on Romans 12:4-5

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Isn’t it amazing how beautifully all the different parts of our bodies work together? Each part has its own function. Each part has something different that it is “good at.” Yet when everything is working as it should, no part fights with another part. No part gets in the way of another part doing its job. Each part does what God designed it to do so that the body, as a whole, can function the very best it can. In fact, the overall functioning of the entire body depends on how well all the parts work together and support each other in their individual functions.

Your heart pumps your blood. But that blood would have nowhere to go if it were not for the arteries and veins connected to your heart. Your eyes see. But those images would mean nothing to you if the optic nerve didn’t transmit those images to your brain to be interpreted. You breathe with your lungs. But without your diaphragm, there would be no way for your lungs to draw the air in and then press it back out. Even the seemingly most insignificant parts of our bodies have important roles to play. Would you really want to go without your fingernails?

In the same way, God’s church is made up of many parts, and each of those parts is different. Some Christians are good at speaking. Some have the gift of teaching. Some have the gift of serving with a selfless heart. Some seem to always know just the right thing to say to encourage us when we’re feeling down. Some are “prayer warriors.” Some are organizers. God has specifically designed each person in his church to be able to perform a particular function. And none of these functions is unimportant. In order for God’s church to function the best it can, all members need to be doing their part.

What part are you in the body of Christ? What function has God designed you to perform? Is there something that God has given you a passion for that you could use in service to your congregation? It doesn’t matter if the gift God has given you isn’t one of those gifts that seem to be more important. God’s church simply cannot function at its best unless you are also doing what God has designed you to do. Whether you’re the heart or the arteries, whether you’re the lungs or the diaphragm, whether you’re one of the fingers or a fingernail, you are important and what God has given you to do is important. In Christ, we who are many truly do form one body, and each of us supports everyone else, just as God designed us to do.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for so beautifully designing each part of your church to work together. Help me do what you have designed me to do, so that your church as a whole may do the work you have given it to do. 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.

Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out its seven pillars. She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table. She has sent out her maids, and she calls from the highest point of the city. “Let all who are simple come in here!” she says to those who lack judgment. “Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.
Proverbs 9:1-6

Wisdom is Calling

Daily Devotion – August 22, 2018

Devotion based on Proverbs 9:1-6

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One of life’s more enjoyable experiences is getting together with friends for dinner. Time spent talking, laughing, and savoring good food is time well spent. In today’s reading, Wisdom herself invites you to a feast at a banquet she has prepared for you in a house she has built. This Wisdom that calls to you is the wisdom of God.

Don’t confuse God’s wisdom with worldly wisdom.

Worldly wisdom offers us an impressive-looking banquet of her own. On her table we see advancements in the fields of medicine, technology, and engineering. She offers clever advice on how to improve our health and our relationships. These things are of some value here and now, but they can do nothing to help our relationship with God, nothing to solve the problem of death.

We need wisdom that will mean true blessings for us both in this world and the next, wisdom only God can give us. We need God’s Son, our Savior. On his cross, Jesus took our sin and death on himself and secured eternal life for us. By the forgiveness of sin he won for us, our relationship with God is restored. Friend, be assured: he paid for you!

Be assured also of this: every time you put yourself close to the message of what Jesus has done for you, you are heeding Wisdom’s invitation. You are spending time with the Lord himself, and you are enjoying a feast for your soul. So keep coming back to God’s Word each day. Savor the food that strengthens your faith and makes you ready for heaven. Wisdom is calling! Come to the feast!

Prayer:: (Psalm 119:37)
O Lord, turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to 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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

…(Make) the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil … understand what the Lord’s will is … be filled with the Spirit.
Ephesians 5:16-18

It’s Time for a Fill Up

Daily Devotion – August 21, 2018

Devotion based on Ephesians 5:16-18

See series: Devotions

Time is a gift of God as old as creation itself. From the moment God created light, each day has been marked by evening and morning. On average, human beings will witness about 28,000 evenings and mornings during their earthly existence. As God continues to bless us with the gift of time, his unending kindness presents opportunities to serve him in our daily lives as we journey toward eternal life in heaven.

How do we utilize the precious hours God has given us? Our conscience can convict us when time is misspent. Have the blessings of the digital age become a destructive distraction that weaken both our faith and our relationships? Do hours of mindless television take precedence over the tasks on our “to-do” lists? Do social media sites seize our attention, causing us to lose sight of our God-given priorities in our church, family, or work?

Burdened by the weighty guilt of our sins, we repent. For the Lord provides refuge and relief in his timeless grace. At just the right time in human history, God fulfilled his promise to send a Savior from sin. Jesus Christ’s entire earthly life was unstained by sin. He made the most of every opportunity as he proclaimed the promises of God and provided the only way for mankind’s salvation.

Undistracted by the evil of his day and unmoved by the devil’s empty lies, Jesus fulfilled the heavenly Father’s will. One dark Friday, Jesus gave his life on the cross to pay for the sins of all our misspent days. There is never a day in our lives where we need to doubt his boundless love.

The limitless love of the Lord strengthens us to serve him as we strive to make the most of every opportunity he presents us to serve him. If we are tempted by evil, God encourages us to daily seek the clear will of his Word. The timeless truths of the Bible remain a constant light for our path of life.

If the rapid tempo of our daily schedules and demanding deadlines imperil our precious hope in God, we draw strength from the life-giving gospel. The Holy Spirit fills us with a fervent faith to meet the opportunities of each new day. We aim to make the most of the opportunities the Lord provides here on earth. We do so with a Spirit-driven zeal, and a heaven-focused faith.

Prayer:
Gracious Lord, I rejoice in the many opportunities you place before me to serve you. When the stress of obligations threatens to overshadow my joy, fill me again through the quiet rest your Spirit brings through the 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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.”
John 6:51

It’s so Hard to Trust

Daily Devotion – August 20, 2018

Devotion based on John 6:51

See series: Devotions

Have people made it tough for you to trust anyone? Perhaps your friends have betrayed you. Maybe your parents didn’t follow through on their promises. Have your co-workers or bosses ever lied to you? Fake news makes us question media reports. And sometimes we even lie to ourselves.

Who can we trust?

Jesus told the people (and us) to trust him. Jesus tells us to trust him when he said: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever.” Jesus is the Bread of Life. “Eating this bread (Jesus)” was another way of saying: “believe in Jesus.”

Jesus had made big claims about himself. He told people he was the eternal God and the promised Savior.

Could Jesus be trusted? People of his day struggled with that question. Some said “yes,” others said “no,” and still others just weren’t sure.

So, Jesus directed their attention to the promises about the Savior. Jesus fulfilled those promises. God’s Word said that Jesus was who he claimed to be. Jesus reminded the people of the miracles he did. The miracles testified that he was who he claimed to be. Jesus pointed people’s attention ahead to his death and resurrection. They could wait and witness as he suffered, died, and rose. Through Jesus, they would be forgiven and given eternal life.

Could they trust Jesus? Yes. God’s Word, Jesus’ miracles, and Jesus’ saving work all assured them. Trust Jesus.

Can you trust Jesus? Yes. God’s Word and Jesus’ many miracles still testify that Jesus is who he claimed to be—our God and Savior. Jesus died, rose and lives.

Trust that Jesus and everything he said is 100 percent truth. And trust that through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection you are forgiven, at peace with God, and have eternal life.

Prayer:
Jesus, forgive me for doubting you and your Word. Give me a stronger and deeper faith in you. Increase my trust in you, your Word, and all that you have done 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.

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.

“Foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant—these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations.” The Sovereign LORD declared—he who gathers the exiles of Israel: “I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered.”
Isaiah 56:6-8

God’s House

Daily Devotion – August 19, 2018

Devotion based on Isaiah 56:6-8

See series: Devotions

Meditate a moment on God’s declaration: “I will gather still others.” Do you realize that by God’s grace through faith, you are a fulfillment of these words? Think of all the amazing stories in the Bible you wish you could have been a part of. This one in Isaiah—it includes you!

Imagine yourself sitting in the house of God. Now reflect on why you are here. You have a phenomenal story, don’t you? Consider where you came from. There is no darker place than “dead in sin,” is there? But here you are. Recall your prodigal paths, each one illustrating how lost in sin you were. Still, here you are, in God’s house. You realize you should be on the outside looking in. “Foreigner” describes you well, doesn’t it?

But here you sit in God’s house, bound to him, loving his saving name, giving him the glory he deserves, clinging to his promises, praying with fellow believers. Why? The Sovereign LORD has gathered you here. That word “sovereign” says a lot about your Lord.

And it says a lot about your life, about the Lord’s gracious rule that has brought you into his presence. Do some more reflecting. Think of where you’ve been, the company you’ve kept, the rebellion of your life. You know there are times you could have died because of your foolishness. You would cringe at the thought of detailing these disgraces in an autobiography for all the world to read, but your God knows your story intimately. Yet here you are, sitting in the Lord’s house. Again, why? You sit here because of God’s grace. You sit here because the saving waters of baptism have made you alive in Christ. You sit here because “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).

You sit here because while you were still a sinner, Christ died for you and saved you from God’s wrath. This isn’t just your story. It is the story of countless others from all nations, all whom the Lord has gathered by grace.

The next time you go to church, remind yourself, “I get to sit here in the house of God because of his astonishing grace.” And may your heart stir with delight as you recall his promise, fulfilled in you: “I will give them joy in my house of prayer.”

Prayer:
Dear Lord, it is a humble honor and privilege to be in your house. Thank you for your grace. In Jesus’ name. 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.

You who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy.
Romans 11:30

What God Means by Mercy

Daily Devotion – August 18, 2018

Devotion based on Romans 11:30

See series: Devotions

The story goes something like this. Long ago, in a faraway land, there was an old man in a small village. The old man was a Christian. He also had the reputation for receiving direct messages from God. One day another Christian came through that village—a Christian haunted by his past. When people told him about the old man, he didn’t know what to think. And so, he decided to try a test. He went to meet the old man. Then he told the old man this. He said, “I am a Christian, but for years I have been carrying the guilt of a terrible sin. The next time you talk to God, would you please ask him to tell you what that terrible sin was?” The old man agreed.

The next day, the two met again. “Did you talk to God last night?” “Yes, I did,” said the old man. “Did you ask him to tell you about my terrible sin?” “Yes, I did,” the old man replied.

“And what did God tell you?”

In a strong, clear voice the old man answered, “He told me to tell you…that he doesn’t remember.”

When God speaks to you and me in the Bible about his forgiving mercy through faith in Jesus, many times you and I do not fully grasp what he means. Just because we often cling to memories of sins from the past, we assume that God does too. But that assumption is wrong.

Here is the truth. God was determined to wash away our sins of disobedience. He was determined to wash them away once and for all. And he did. He spilled the blood of his own Son to do it. Then he raised him from death to assure us that the guilt of our sin is gone. But not only is it gone from our record. It is even gone from God’s memory. As God has already said, “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31:34).

That’s what God means by mercy. And that is the mercy we possess through faith in Jesus Christ.

Prayer:
God of mercy, so often I choose to cling to memories of sins from my past. But you do not. Help me to absorb this truth. With your gospel, heal my wounded heart. 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.

The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
Acts 11:26

What’s in a Name?

Daily Devotion – August 17, 2018

Devotion based on Acts 11:26

See series: Devotions

Nicknames often serve the purpose of helping us remember certain characteristics of people. Olympic snowboarder Shawn White was given the nickname “the Flying Tomato” because, in his early years of competition, he had a full head of blazing red hair. Nicknames are often created to highlight something that is unique about an individual or a group.

That was the case in Antioch during the ministry of the apostle Paul. The term “Christian” is very well-known today. That was not the case then. Christianity as a religion was very young. The gospel of Jesus Christ had not yet reached to the ends of the earth, as it has today. But in Antioch, residents of the city began to notice there was something different about a certain group of people. They weren’t as concerned about social status as their neighbors. They didn’t worry quite so much when trouble or unexpected challenges came. They were not so eager to hold grudges when someone sinned against them. In fact, they readily forgave.

The residents of Antioch eventually realized that each person in this group had one thing in common. They believed that Jesus Christ was the Savior of the world. So a nickname was born—“Christ”-ians. Christians were known as people who loved Christ.

What are you known for loving? Those who see your life also see what you love. They see where you spend your time, how you spend your money, how you treat others, and how quickly the troubles of life cause you to worry. Whether or not anyone gives you a nickname, others can often see what you love most by looking at your life.

Just like we can when we look at Jesus. Look at his cross, and it is remarkably clear what he loves more than anything. He loves you. He believed that you are someone worth dying for. Jesus wants you to know that, whatever sins you have committed, however often and eagerly you have loved something more than you have loved God, you are forgiven. He wants you to know that nothing in all creation will keep you from one day enjoying the perfection of heaven.

For the Christians in Antioch, as well as for us today, that was a gift worth far more than anything this world could give.

Prayer:
Dear Father in heaven, thank you for the gift of forgiveness won for us by your Son, Jesus Christ. Give us strength and wisdom to live our lives in such a way that, through us, others see the significance of his sacrifice. 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.

You are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
Ephesians 2:19-20

Built on a Firm Foundation

Daily Devotion – August 16, 2018

Devotion based on Ephesians 2:19-20

See series: Devotions

On June 27, 2009, a very strange site greeted the construction workers arriving at the construction site of the nearly-completed Lotus Riverside apartment complex in Shanghai, China. One of the eleven 13-story apartment towers that they had been working on was lying flat on its side. It looked as if some giant toddler had walked up to the building and just pushed it over. The building itself was, for the most part, intact. Even the doors and windows remained in place. But none of that mattered because the foundation on which the building had been built had completely given way. Without a firm foundation, no building, no matter how skillfully built, can stand for long.

The apostle Paul makes the same point about the Holy Christian Church in our Bible passage for today. In these verses from his letter to the Christians in Ephesus, Paul compares the Holy Christian Church to a building. Just like a physical building, the Holy Christian Church needs to be built on a firm foundation in order for it to stand. If it doesn’t have a solid foundation on which to stand, the Holy Christian Church will fall like that apartment tower in Shanghai, regardless of how skillfully the building may seem to be constructed.

But what can serve as a firm foundation for God’s Church? What is solid enough to enable God’s Church to withstand every storm that may try to tear it down? What is strong enough to resist the attempted erosion of centuries and millennia? What is so sturdy that no matter how many bricks are built upon it, it will never give way?

Only one foundation can do all that. The foundation is Jesus Christ and the solid teachings about him that are recorded in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. From the beginning, the way in which God builds people into his church has remained the same. He always has worked to bring people to faith in his Son Jesus. In the Old Testament, God spoke through the prophets and told people about what his Son would do for them when he came. In the New Testament, God spoke through his apostles about what Jesus fully accomplished when he did come.

Throughout it all, Jesus remained the focus. He was, and is, the chief cornerstone on which God builds his church. Jesus’ perfect life on behalf of all people, and his innocent sufferings and death to pay for the sins of all people are the immovable foundation on which every Christian stands and on which God’s church stands. When we stand firmly on Jesus and his Word, nothing can knock us down. For Jesus is our firm foundation, and nothing built on him can ever be demolished.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, my strong foundation, keep me always firmly built 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.

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.

The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched [Elijah] and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
1 Kings 19:7-8

Food for the Journey

Daily Devotion – August 15, 2018

Devotion based on 1 Kings 19:7-8

See series: Devotions

The prophet Elijah was a wanted man. Hunted by Queen Jezebel, he ran for his life into the desert. Finding a tree, he sat under it and prayed: “I have had enough,LORD. Take my life.”

Do you ever feel like Elijah under that tree? Ever have one of those days, weeks, or years where you just want to curl up and die? Life is too hard; the journey is too much.

We work, we pray, we expect success, and then everything we work for falls apart. There’s pain that no medicine can numb, and diseases that wear down and destroy our bodies. There’s guilt over the things we have said and done, and the things we have left unsaid and undone.

But rather than ask God to end us, we should ask him to do what he promises, and give us food for the journey. Notice that God did not do what Elijah asked. He didn’t take Elijah’s life, he preserved it. He sent an angel to Elijah with bread and water. Not only did that meal strengthen him for his journey, it also assured him of God’s presence and reminded him that he was not alone.

God doesn’t let us starve on the journey either. He provides daily bread for our bodies and Jesus, the Bread of Life, for our souls. The good news about Jesus assures us of God’s presence and reminds us that we are not alone. Jesus journeyed to the cross to guarantee that our journey has a blessed end.

The Lord does not promise quick and easy solutions for the pains of our journey. We who eat the Bread of Life are not spared the trouble of life. Jesus isn’t magic wonder bread that takes away all our problems. He is God’s Living Bread, food for the journey that sees us through life and death to the resurrection on the Last Day.

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for feeding my body and my soul. 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.

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.
Ephesians 5:1-2

Change of Plans

Daily Devotion – August 14, 2018

Devotion based on Ephesians 5:1-2

See series: Devotions

They were young boys who loved to play soccer. Some had plans to play professionally when they grew up. But that’s before they entered the cave.

This past June, in Thailand, 12 boys and their soccer coach entered a local cave to look around—something they had done many times before. But heavy rains suddenly made waters in the cave rise. The rising water forced the soccer team to go back further and further into the cave. They found themselves trapped. Almost two miles of cold, murky water separated the team from the entrance. And few of the boys could swim.

Then came the Navy SEALs. They emerged from the water to find the boys after searching for them for days. They quickly saw to it that the boys and their coach would not be alone from that time forward. They brought food. They transported letters between the boys and their families. They even played checkers with them. The two-week ordeal climaxed in a miraculous rescue. Over 150 Navy SEALs took part in bringing each boy through underwater twists and turns. Every trip took hours. The difficulty was beyond words. One Navy SEAL died. The boys and their coach, however, are out, alive, and safe.

Since the rescue, several of the boys have changed their plans for what they want to do with their lives. They want to be Navy SEALs. They want to rescue others.

You and I once found ourselves trapped in a place far more desperate than even a water-filled cave. You and I once found ourselves trapped in the pit of our own sin.

But then the Son of God arrived. He did what had to be done to retrieve us from the despairing darkness into the warm light of his forgiveness. In doing so he gave his life. For us.

Now, through faith in Jesus, you and I are out, alive, and safe. And because Christ has risen from death, we know that we will never be alone again.

But this rescue has not only changed the destiny of our souls, it has changed our plans for life on this earth. Armed with the gospel message of what Jesus has done, you and I can now be rescuers too.

Right now, there are people you know who are trapped—trapped in the spiritual caves and caverns of this broken world. Seek them out. Bring them what they need. Bring them Jesus.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you have rescued me and brought me into the light of your forgiveness. Through your gospel, empower me to seek others as you sought 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 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.