Category: Daily Devotions

All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Matthew 10:22

Persecution Preservation Perseverance

In love Jesus took his disciples aside to prepare them for the time when his earthly ministry would come to an end. He warned them about the persecutions they would face. He also encouraged them through his promise that he would preserve them. He even offered them the assurance that they would persevere.

In love Jesus provides me with the same preparation for my life. As a disciple of Jesus I need to understand the world in which I live is not my friend. There are distractions and deceptions. Each proves destructive to my faith because they draw me away from my Savior and his will for my life. Even more dangerous are the persecutions I will have to endure. These deadly attacks are designed by the devil to destroy my faith and rob me of heaven. Jesus alerts me to these dangers. He also makes me aware of the preservation he provides.

Jesus tells me I will be able to stand firm to the end. My confidence to remain steadfast comes through faith in his precious work. Jesus’ ministry brought him to this earth to secure the victory I could never win on my own. Through his death on the cross, he defeated the terror of death and the grave. Through his descent into hell, he proved that he destroyed the devil’s power and control. Through his resurrection he proclaimed the victory was won. Jesus further assures me he will preserve me from all harm and danger, and guard and protect me from all evil.

It is because of Jesus’ precious work that I will be able to persevere. Life can be wearisome and discouraging. I will have to endure troubles and persecution. The enemies of my faith will seek to strike terror into my heart and rob me of heaven. Jesus not only tells me, “Do not be afraid,” he also assures me I will persevere. Because of his strength and his victory I can endure and overcome all things.

How blessed I am to know that my Savior will preserve me so that I can persevere in every time of distress and persecution. How blessed I am to know he will be with me to save me.

Prayer:
O gracious Savior, by your death you have overcome death. By your resurrection you have declared your victory. Bless me through your work so that I can remain faithful to you in this life, and in the end, receive the gift of eternal life. Amen.

This devotion was selected from the Daily Devotion archive.

At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?” Daniel answered, “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king.” The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
Daniel 6:19-23

Courageous Faith

They couldn’t believe that Daniel, the do-gooder Jew from Jerusalem, was being promoted to one of the most powerful positions in the kingdom. But no matter how hard they tried, they just couldn’t find anything wrong with him. Amazingly, after 70 years of public service, there wasn’t one intern who spoke against him, or proof of one underhanded deal, or one case where he fixed the books just a little to his advantage. If they were going to get him, it had to be with his religion. So they got the king to issue a decree that anyone who prayed to any god or man, except the king, would be thrown to the lions.

When Daniel heard the decree, he did what he always did. He went home, opened the windows, turned toward Jerusalem, got down on his knees and gave thanks to God. Instead of giving in to the threats of his enemies, instead of rationalizing reasons to hide his faith, he chose to courageously put it on display. And even though he didn’t seem to have any specific promise from God that he would be delivered from the lions, he trusted in the Lord. In this case, the Lord rescued him from bodily harm.

We don’t have a promise from God that nothing bad will ever happen to us as we follow Jesus and glorify him with our lives. But we do have this same marvelous promise from God that served as the foundation for Daniel’s faith: God has forgiven all of our sins, made us his children, and he will be with us in every circumstance and even use everything that happens to us for our eternal good. We live in a culture that seems to be growing more and more opposed to Christ and his followers. But like Daniel we can trust in God. His promises give us the confidence to courageously live our faith and look for ways that we can glorify God with our lives.

Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, remind me of your promises to be with me and to bless me in every circumstance. Help me by the power of your Spirit to courageously live for you. Amen.

This devotion was selected from the Daily Devotion archive.

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:9

Chosen People

When you hear the words “chosen people,” who do you think of? If you’re familiar with Old Testament history, you probably think of the Old Testament people of Israel. Throughout the Old Testament God repeatedly refers to the people of Israel as his “chosen people.” For example, as the people of Israel were camped at Mount Sinai on their way from Egypt to the Promised Land of Canaan, God told them, “If you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5-6). Forty years later, as the people of Israel finally prepared to enter the Promised Land, Moses reiterated God’s declaration when he said, “You are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession” (Deuteronomy 7:6).

In our Bible passage today, the apostle Peter echoes those Old Testament words about the people of Israel. Only now, he’s not using them to refer only to the Old Testament people of Israel. He’s not even using them to refer just to those who might be physically descended from the Old Testament people of Israel. Instead, he’s using them to describe all believers regardless of their ethnic heritage. He’s using them to refer even to you and me. Everyone who believes in Jesus, regardless of their ancestry, is now a part of this “chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God.”

How did this happen? Was there something in us that caught God’s attention and led him to choose us? Did we do something to deserve this inestimable privilege? Not at all. Nothing in us and nothing that we could have done could ever have led God to choose us as his special people. But that was the case for God’s Old Testament people as well. God didn’t choose them because they were bigger or stronger than all the other people on the earth. Instead he chose them because he loved them (Deuteronomy 7:8). That was it. God loved them and, in his love, he chose them to be his special people. That ultimately is why God has chosen us as well. He loved us. In spite of the sinful, damnable, unlovable people that we were by nature, God loved us. And he demonstrated that love by sending his Son Jesus to live, die, and rise again for us. Now, through faith in Jesus, we are exactly what the Bible says we are: we are God’s chosen people. We are kings and priests, ruling with God and having direct access to him through Jesus. We are holy, for we are covered in Christ’s holiness. We are a people belonging to God, purchased with the blood of his Son and invaluably precious to him.

All this makes us eager to do what God has chosen us to do. As God’s chosen people, we are eager to declare his praises to all those who are around us. May God use us, whom he has called out of the darkness of unbelief into the light of faith, to share this good news with others, so that many more may come to faith in Jesus and join us as God’s chosen, holy people.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, all praise to you for making me a part of your chosen people through faith in Jesus. Lead me to declare your praises that many more may become a part of your holy people. Amen.

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.
Ephesians 1:18

Hope Fulfilling and Fulfilled

If a loved one of yours left this earth for heaven this past year, you are freshly aware of the feelings of grief and loss. Even if the funeral service was an uplifting celebration of God’s grace in Christ, you still miss your loved one on all those special days of the year: birthdays, anniversaries, holidays. They all are missing that someone special.

If that has been your experience, then today is your day. It is possible that we have all lost someone special this past 12 months, so today is for all of us. For 1300 years, on November 1, Christians have been remembering those believers who have gone on to heaven on a day that is called All Saints Day.

On this All Saints Day, we join the apostle Paul in praying that the eyes of our heart would be opened to see two glorious things: The hope—that is the “present certainty of a blessed future reality” that we have now—it is a fulfilling hope. God blesses the believers, the saints here with the promise of heaven—a glorious eternal life with Jesus and our dear departed loved ones.

We also have the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, that is, the assurance that we will have a glorious inheritance which is heaven or that we will be God’s inheritance in heaven. We can understand the words either way, but the result is the same: The fulfilling hope of heaven yet to come will become the fulfilled hope of heaven when we leave this world and take up residence there in the glory of God.

God called the saints to this hope when he brought us to faith in Jesus who lived perfectly, died sacrificially, and rose victoriously for us so that hope in Christ is never just wishful thinking.

So if you have been feeling loss, take time today and every day to also feel gain—the joy of heaven for your loved ones and the joy of heaven for you—the glorious inheritance of the saints.

Prayer:
Jesus, my Savior, fill my heart with the hope you gave the world. Lead me to rejoice in the heaven that is mine by your grace through faith. Amen.

This is what the LORD says: “Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost of the nations. Make your praises heard, and say, ‘O LORD, save your people, the remnant of Israel.’ See, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth. Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor; a great throng will return. They will come with weeping; they will pray as I bring them back. I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble, because I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son.”
Jeremiah 31:7-9

The Change That Brings Us Home

A year ago, Christians, especially Lutheran Christians, celebrated the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Five hundred years ago, all of Europe was caught up in a time of unparalleled change. The Reformation changed how people looked at God and at themselves. Five hundred one years later, very little has changed.

Lutheran Christians still look upon God as a God of grace—a God known primarily for his loving forgiveness of sins, based on Christ’s sacrifice.

Lutheran Christians look upon themselves as sinners and saints at the same time. They believe in and practice confession and absolution. They have a sure and blessed hope of heaven based on the promises of God and the completed work of Christ.

So, while little has changed for Lutheran Christians, we can also say everything is changing and that change happens every day. Every day the Holy Spirit is bringing people to faith or renewing faith that had faltered and waned. Of course, this is not just a Lutheran or Reformation thing. This is the work of God that Jeremiah prophesied about.

In our reading, we see sharp contrasts indicative of great change. The people of God—the ones he saved for his own glory “sing for joy” and “come with weeping.” They “shout” and they “pray.” The blind, the lame, and the expectant mothers return to their God on a “level path where they will not stumble.”

Everything changed for God’s Old Testament people Israel when they heeded the words of the prophets. When they listened carefully to men like Jeremiah and Isaiah, they saw God’s grace and mercy—his loving desire to be in relationship with them. They saw their sin and their need to repent and everything changed.

There was reformation well before there was the Reformation. God has been changing people since the fall into sin. He has been and still is calling us home on the path of salvation he established through Christ, leading us by faith step by step. This reformation is the change that brings us home.

Prayer:
Lord God, thank you for calling me heavenward in Christ. Lead me safely home by faith in him as my Savior. Amen.

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 5:7-10

Nobody Knows the Trouble I Have Seen

“Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen…” Since 1867, the words of that song have been performed by many successful artists. However, they were originally composed and sung by struggling slaves.

Times change, but troubles don’t. Children have trouble with bullies. Adolescents have trouble with peer pressure. Adults have financial, health, relationship, and work troubles. We all have troubles because we all have sin. What we feel we may not have is someone who can empathize with us. And so, we find ourselves echoing the words of that African-American spiritual: “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen…”

But the song doesn’t end there. The chorus continues, “Nobody knows but Jesus.”

Does he really? Is it possible for first century Jesus to understand twenty-first century problems? Is it possible for God to understand the problems of mankind? It is, and he does. Jesus is God, but he shared fully in our humanity except for one important difference. He was without sin. He was tempted in the same ways we are. He knew sibling rivalry. He knew what it was to not be understood. He knew loneliness, poverty, and hunger. He knew sorrow and suffering. He knew betrayal and bullying. Because he himself suffered, he empathizes with us when we suffer.

And because Jesus was without sin, he was able to do something about our troubles. He submitted himself to the suffering, scorn, and shame of the cross. Because he allowed sin to crush him and he passed from death to life, he is the source of our eternal salvation. God uses death to pull us, who are connected to Jesus by faith, safely from this trouble-filled world to the trouble-free existence with him in heaven.

“Glory hallelujah!”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, our Great High Priest, help us to call on you in our weakness and to sing your praises in our troubles. Amen.

Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
Mark 10:46-52

Jesus is There for You

“Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’” How often do you think Bartimaeus was told to be quiet? How many times was the blind man shoved into the corner and ignored? How frequently was he out of sight and out of mind?

It can certainly feel demoralizing to be ignored or marginalized in any way. It can be lonely to feel like no one cares or notices us. When life gets us down, we can easily feel like God treats us the same way everyone else seems to. At such times, we may falsely assume that God is ignoring us or that he wants us to be quiet and stop bothering him. Satan knows us well and he seeks to drive us down into the depths of despair. Too often we follow his lead. Such despair is sinful and shows a lack of faith.

As hopeless as things looked for Bartimaeus, he knew where he could put his trust. Even as people were trying to quiet him down, “he kept on shouting all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’” It’s hard to imagine a more powerful and worthwhile prayer than the one the blind man shouted to Jesus. His prayer was heard. Miraculously, Jesus immediately gave the man sight and vindicated his faith.

Thank God that Jesus doesn’t ever marginalize or ignore us! He never shoves us to the side or brushes us off. Rather, he pays attention to our every need and takes good care of us. Like Bartimaeus, keep on shouting! Keep on taking your prayers to Jesus. Don’t let the devil or this world quiet you or fill you with despair. Your Savior Jesus stands ready and willing to come to your aid.

Nowhere was that more evident than when Jesus went to the cross to meet our greatest need. We were in grave need of help—even more in need than blind Bartimaeus. We needed a Savior. We needed someone to suffer and die to take away the punishment that our sins deserved and to rescue us from eternal damnation. Jesus willingly took our place on that cross and earned our forgiveness and salvation. In his great love, he took care of our greatest need. In that same love, he stands ready to come to our aid today and every day.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for going to the cross and taking care of my greatest need. Help me never to despair, but to always look to you for help and to trust in your loving care. Amen.

Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice quickly.”
Luke 18:1-8a

Persistent Prayer

Prayer is such a wonderful gift and privilege from God. His disciples can pray to him at any time. We can ask him for anything we need, and he promises to hear us and help us. Still, we find that it isn’t always easy to use the gift of prayer as God intends it to be used. We might treat prayer like it’s our duty, rather than our privilege. We might pray thoughtlessly. We might forget to pray all together.

It’s easy to think that the key to improving our prayer life is just try harder. So, we think of weak spots in our prayer life and say, “Well, I’m just going to have to buckle down and do better next time.” But our commitment isn’t the key to improvement.

The key to a stronger prayer life is to remember that through faith in our Savior Jesus we are God’s own dear children. As dear children of God, we can pray confidently to him just as dearly-loved children confidently ask their parents. We can ask our Father for anything, and we can trust that he will always give us what’s best for us.

In today’s reading Jesus tells the parable of a persistent widow who keeps asking an unjust judge for justice against her adversary. Since he’s an unjust judge, he ignores her. But she keeps at him, and because of her constant pestering, he finally helps her. Jesus’ point is clear. If even an unjust judge is willing to help someone who keeps bothering him, how much more will our loving Father in heaven want to receive the prayers of his dearly loved children and answer them!

Is there something in your life you’ve been praying about? Does it seem as though God hasn’t answered you yet? Don’t give up. Pray persistently in Jesus’ name. Your dear Father in heaven will most certainly hear you and help you.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, lead me to pray boldly and persistently without giving up, trusting you to give me the best answer at the best time. In Jesus’ name I ask it. Amen.

This devotion was selected from the Daily Devotion archive.

This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.
2 Timothy 2:8b-9

Chains

There Paul sat. He was in a dungeon in Rome. His execution was near. And as he wrote his last letter, he also had to deal with something we don’t always consider. He had to deal with the reality of wearing a chain.

In the 1st Century, chains for prisoners were made of rough iron. They weighed an average of 15 pounds. How the authorities placed the chain on you could vary. They might place your chain on one of your legs or both of your legs, on one of your wrists or both of your wrists. Or they might decide to place it around your neck. They might chain you to another prisoner, or they might chain you to all the other prisoners who are there.

The chain you wore could be painful. The rough iron would easily rust from your perspiration. The sheer weight of your chain could be debilitating. And the noisy creaking of your chain would be constant.

In the darkness of that dungeon, therefore, Paul understood the limitations he faced as a Christian proclaimer of the gospel. All he had to do was see, and feel, and hear the chain on his body.

But he knew something else. He also knew that God’s Word was not chained.

As we walk through this life, the Lord calls upon us to share the gospel with others. As we work to do that, however, you and I are painfully aware of our limitations. We know how lazy we can get. We know how fearful we can be. And no one has to tell us how often our sinful behavior has threatened to drown out the very message the Lord wants to proclaim through us.

The chains of our sinful limitations can be many. But God’s Word is not chained. The Good News of full forgiveness through faith alone in Jesus Christ—this Good News has a power and a vigor all its own. It is the gospel that pierces stone-cold hearts. It is the gospel that makes alive. It is the gospel that changes destinies—one soul at a time.

With all that in mind, Paul continued to share the unchained gospel, chains and all. You and I can too.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, never let the chains of my own limitations discourage me from sharing your gospel. I may be chained, but your Word is not. Amen.

This devotion was selected from the Daily Devotion archive.

In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
1 Peter 3:15

Always Prepared

As I write this devotion, another hurricane is bearing down on U.S. soil. It is predicted to be the most powerful storm that region has seen in over 150 years of weather records.

Residents need to prepare for what’s coming to protect life and property from the storm. Meanwhile, people in other areas are preparing to help those affected by the storm.

God’s Word commands us to be prepared. The apostle Peter wrote, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”

Peter was writing to people who were facing all kinds of troubles. They were being persecuted, arrested, and even killed because they trusted Jesus as their Savior and set apart Christ as Lord.

But Peter knew that God is always in control, and he wanted Christians to see even these troubles and hardships as opportunities. When they were arrested and ordered to defend themselves, they would have the chance to talk about Jesus.

They could talk about the difference Jesus made in their lives. They could talk about the sure hope they had even in the darkest moments of life.

They had hope because Jesus too was put on trial and faithfully spoke the truth about who he was and what he came to do. Through his innocent suffering and death at the hands of his enemies and his resurrection three days later, death was destroyed, and every sin was forgiven. Eternal life was theirs! And it is ours!

We too have the certainty of forgiveness and the sure hope of eternal life through Jesus. And we never know when our conversation with someone will lead to the opportunity to give the reason for the hope that we have. And so, we always want to be prepared.

We prepare by listening to God’s Word, by learning more about what God has prepared for us in his perfect love. Keep listening. Keep learning. And be prepared to share your hope in Christ.

And if you are among those affected by hurricanes or other hardships, we are praying for you. May God’s Word give you hope for yourself and hope to share.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you have prepared heaven for us. Now prepare us to share our hope every day. Amen.