I pray that out of his glorious riches [God] may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
Ephesians 3:16,17

More Than by Your Side

Daily Devotion – January 21, 2025

Devotion based on Ephesians 3:16,17

See series: Devotions

In Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Luke Skywalker finds a mentor in Obi-Wan Kenobi. The old Jedi master patiently teaches young Luke the ways of the Force, encouraging him to embrace his potential and the responsibility that comes with it. Before they complete his training, however, Obi-Wan allows himself to be cut down by the villainous Darth Vader, so that Luke and others might escape with their lives. Later in the film, when all depends on Luke making a one-in-a-million shot to destroy the Death Star, he hears the voice of his departed mentor guiding him to victory through the Force.

Since 1977, the year the first Star Wars movie came out, people have pointed out parallels between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jesus Christ. Both sacrificed themselves to save others and still provided guidance to their disciples even after death. But what a pale reflection that is! For as big of a dreamer as Star Wars creator George Lucas was, his epic tale of galactic proportions doesn’t come close to the awesome reality we find in Christ. Luke, Han Solo, and Princess Leia escaped the clutches of Darth Vader that day, but death would take them all by the end of the last movie.

Jesus, however, redeemed all mankind by his death, and his physical resurrection back to life guarantees our own on the Last Day. The movie ghost of the fallen Jedi master came alongside Luke Skywalker, urging him to find the strength within himself to do what needed to be done. Meanwhile, the risen Lord Jesus is more than by your side; he lives in your heart through faith. Through the proclamation of his love and forgiveness in his Son, Jesus Christ, God the Father sends his Holy Spirit to powerfully transform your inner being. The God of eternal love, who created the galaxies both near and far, far away, and who died that you might live forever, takes up residence in your heart; he alone is your strength and salvation.

Prayer:
Lord God, continue to work in my heart through the gospel to strengthen my faith in Jesus and my love for you. Amen.

For your ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all your paths.
Proverbs 5:21

The Continuous Video Camera

Daily Devotion – January 19, 2025

Devotion based on Proverbs 5:21

See series: Devotions

What if you had someone following you around all day with a continuous video camera? The camera would record everything you said and did. Not one second of the day would be unrecorded. Would that make you uncomfortable?

God is like a continuous video camera. He sees all our ways and examines all of our paths. Not only does he see every word and action, but he also sees every thought that enters our minds. He sees even the deepest and darkest. That makes us uncomfortable! We don’t want to watch a home movie of our hurtful words and actions. We don’t want God or anyone else to watch that, either.

Thankfully, our Savior washed away every sin from our hearts, mouths, and bodies. He has cleansed us from ALL our sins. With Jesus in the picture, God’s continuous video camera is a blessing. You can be sure that everything you have done has been in full view of God, and you can be sure he still loves you very much. He has examined all your paths and declares in certainty, “You are forgiven for everything.”

What a blessing to have a Savior who knows all and forgives all!

Prayer:
Father thank you for sending Jesus to wash away my sins so that I may rejoice forever in heaven. Amen.

He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
Titus 3:5

Washed Downstream

Daily Devotion – January 17, 2025

Devotion based on Titus 3:5

See series: Devotions

On November 19, 1854, the legendary Texas general, Sam Houston, was baptized. He was known as a brutish man, a rabble-rouser, and a heavy drinker. Apparently, his wife, Margaret, had been praying for fourteen years that he would get baptized. As the story goes, after Sam Houston came up from the baptismal waters of a river in Texas, one of his friends said, “Well, General, all your sins have been washed away.” Houston replied, “If that be the case, God help the fish downstream…”

We could technically all say the same thing. At our baptisms, a whole lot of filth got washed off of us. Every sin we’d ever committed and every sin we’d commit in the future received a cleansing on that day. That’s a lot of sin. But it’s gone now. It’s washed downstream. This washing by the Holy Spirit has saved you. By your baptism, you’ve been tied into the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. You died with Christ and now also live with Christ.

The two words Paul uses in this verse to describe your baptism are “rebirth” and “renewal.” To be “reborn” means to be given new life. At baptism, the “old you” was washed downstream. That “old you” was a slave to sin, but you’ve been set free now. It’s like you get to start your life over now as someone born into God’s family.

You’ve also been “renewed.” You see the word new in that word. At baptism, you were given a “new self.” This new self wants to please God and live in harmony with him. The old self of sin wants to rebel against God, but in your baptism, that old self is drowned. The new self now rises each day to live with Christ.

So, live every day as the reborn and renewed child of God that you are. You’ve been washed clean!

Prayer:
Cleansing Lord, you have saved us through the gracious washing of our baptisms. Lead us to live renewed lives each and every day. Amen.

John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Luke 3:16

Harsh or Hippie?

Daily Devotion – January 15, 2025

Devotion based on Luke 3:16

See series: Devotions

There seems to be an interesting flip-flop of expectations for Jesus between the Jewish people of his day and us today. The Jewish people of that time wanted a fiery figure like John the Baptist, one with power who would bring heat on the elite. Jesus seemed too ordinary, humble, and uninterested in being a powerful leader.

But now it’s flipped. It seems that more and more people today would prefer to have a hippie Jesus who’s cool with whatever we feel like doing or whoever we feel like being. A Jesus who always throws up peace signs and “hang loose” signs. Many want a Jesus who doesn’t confront sin and doesn’t come to separate the chaff from the wheat and bring judgment like John was talking about because that sounds too harsh and unloving.

While it’s true that Jesus is the greatest expression of God’s love, he also wasn’t just some pushover hippie. Jesus brought fire to those who thought they were secure in their own righteousness. He came because there was a serious problem to address—our sin. And Jesus didn’t back down from talking about it and calling it out.

So, is Jesus harsh or a hippie? He’s neither. He is just and powerful yet also humble and merciful. Jesus didn’t come to say, “You’re all good just the way you are.” Instead, he came to prove, “I’ve made you good by my perfect life, innocent death, and powerful resurrection.” Jesus was harsh in his answer against sin, death, and the devil. He showed his full power in defeating our enemies. And he has shown his overwhelming grace in loving us who didn’t deserve God’s mercy because of our sin.

We thank our God that he’s given us a mighty Savior who is mighty in power and even mightier in love.

Prayer:
Dear mighty Savior, I am not worthy to approach you, but you approached me in love. I praise you for your acts of mighty love on my behalf. Amen.

Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”. . . He sent for him and had him brought in. [David] was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”
1 Samuel 16:10-12

Not an Afterthought

Daily Devotion – January 13, 2025

Devotion based on 1 Samuel 16:10-12

See series: Devotions

The prophet Samuel had come to Bethlehem so that God could choose the next king of Israel. The king would be one of the sons of Jesse. So, Jesse had seven of his sons pass in front of Samuel. Right away, Samuel noticed Eliab, who likely had a tall, kingly stature. Samuel thought to himself, “Surely this man will be the one God chooses.” But God wasn’t choosing Eliab, Abinadab, Shammah, or any of the other four sons Jesse had with him that day.

Samuel said, “Are all your sons here?” Jesse replied, “Well, there’s still the youngest.” Jesse didn’t even think it was worth bringing his youngest son, David, in from the field for the prophet’s visit. He was an afterthought. But David was not an afterthought to God. He was the next king of Israel.

God doesn’t always operate the way we think he would. He doesn’t choose or prefer only those who have high earthly standing. He cherishes the lowly, the afflicted, the humble. The afterthoughts of the world are not afterthoughts to God.

No matter who you were or where you stood in the pecking order of life, at your baptism, God lifted you up as his own. He claimed you as his child. Even if you feel like an afterthought to the world, you are God’s treasured possession and an heir of his kingdom. You’re never an afterthought for God!

Prayer:
Gracious Lord, thank you for lifting me up. Thank you for never treating me like an afterthought. Thank you for choosing me to be your own and live under you in your kingdom. Amen.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said . . . “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.”
Genesis 17:1,4,5

An Everlasting Covenant

Daily Devotion – January 11, 2025

Devotion based on Genesis 17:1,4,5

See series: Devotions

In the past, the Lord made covenants with his people. When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord renewed that covenant he made a quarter century before. Abram and his wife would have a son, even though his wife was barren, and he was ninety-nine. Not only would they have a child, but many nations would come from him. Kings would also be among his descendants.

The Lord then assured Abram that this covenant would take place. Only instead of signing his name to it, he changed Abram’s name as an assurance that what was promised would happen. So, the Lord changed his name from Abram, which means ‘exalted father,’ to Abraham, which means ‘father of many nations.’ What a testimony this name change would be to everyone Abraham met.

Many different nations did come from Abraham. But it wasn’t until almost 2,000 years after God made this covenant with Abraham that the Lord completed it. One of Abraham’s many descendants was born. He was a king named Jesus. Jesus came to fight the battle against evil and win the victory over death. He brought peace between God and people through the forgiveness of sins, and he establishes his kingdom in the hearts of people as he turns them to faith in him as their Savior.

Through Jesus, we also become descendants of Abraham, spiritual children who trust in God by faith, just as Abraham lived by faith. As descendants of Abraham, we share in the everlasting covenant the Lord made that he is our God. What a comfort it is to know that the God who fulfilled his covenant with Abraham by making him the father of many nations is the same God who is our God through the forgiveness of sins given through Jesus!

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I praise and thank you for fulfilling your covenant with Abraham by sending Jesus to be my Savior and King. Give me the peaceful assurance that he rules in my heart by faith to guard and guide me as one of your own dear children. Amen.

For this is what the Lord has commanded us: “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
Acts 13:47

Light for All

Daily Devotion – January 9, 2025

Devotion based on Acts 13:47

See series: Devotions

Are your Christmas lights still up? Many turn them off in the few days after Christmas. For others, their tradition is to leave them up until the New Year begins or until the Festival of Epiphany. But now we are past New Year’s and the Festival of Epiphany. If I drove around my community, I’m guessing I’d find a few homes still lit up, but not many.

On Christmas night, the brilliant light of the glory of the Lord appeared over Bethlehem, as angels announced the birth of the Savior to lowly shepherds. But only a few saw the light that night, and it was gone almost as quickly as it appeared.

Later, the Magi followed a star in the sky to find the child and worship him. But they may have been the only ones who noticed that unique messenger star that served as their GPS.

But the light that appeared to Jewish shepherds and the light that led non-Jewish or Gentile Magi to Jesus illustrates a truth predicted by prophets centuries earlier. The Messiah—the Savior the Lord promised to send—would be a light for all people.

Outdoor Christmas lights may be especially enjoyed because they light up homes and streets when the days are short and the nights are long in the northern hemisphere.

Without the Messiah, we live in spiritual darkness. We know there is a God out there, but we can’t see him on our own. And so, we foolishly make up our own paths out of the darkness. Prideful paths that are paved with our own best efforts and that define right and wrong by how it feels. Those dark ways of our own making will only lead to one deadly dead-end after another.

But Jesus came into the world to be light. The light that reveals the perfection God requires of us. But, also, the light that lives out that perfection in our place and destroys sin’s darkness as it does. Jesus is the light we need because he is the path out of this world’s darkness into heaven’s eternal light that will never go out.

Prayer:
Jesus, be the light in my heart every day. Amen.

May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him. For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.
Psalm 72:11,12

One Size Fits All

Daily Devotion – January 7, 2025

Devotion based on Psalm 72:11,12

See series: Devotions

Little in this world is universal. People speak different languages. They have different abilities and come in different shapes and sizes. One-size-fits-all clothes are too big for some and too small for others. Laws meant for all often have loopholes and exceptions. Political policies that help the poor may hurt the rich and vice versa.

Imagine a leader lauded by kings and loved by peasants. Picture a king who truly cares for the greatest and the least, for those who have it all and those who have nothing. A king so wise that he understands what every single person needs. A king that is so powerful that he can provide exactly what everyone needs.

Who wouldn’t choose such a candidate? But you won’t find his name on any ballot. You won’t see him signing bills in the White House or your local city hall.

The Bible describes a King that all kings bow down to and all nations serve. Such a thought would horrify us if he were merely a human king. Rulers with far less influence have been corrupted by such power.

But this is not just any king. He’s not just a king that rich kings bow down to because he acts in their best interests. He’s a king who “delivers the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.”

Jesus is that king. As the Son of God, he rules over all kings and nations with unmatched wisdom and limitless power. But when he came as a human being, he experienced what it was like to be needy and afflicted with no one to help. And he rules to help people in their most desperate time of need.

That means no matter who you are, he rules for you. He rules to rescue you from your desperate need for mercy and hope. He fights to free you from the oppression and affliction of death itself. He listens to your cries and reigns to bring you safely to a perfect, peaceful kingdom that never ends. A one-size-fits-all-perfectly King.

Prayer:
Jesus, my perfect King, hear my cries and help me trust and worship you in every time of need. Amen.

When the set time had fully come, God sent his Son.
Galatians 4:4

Timing Is Everything

Daily Devotion – January 5, 2025

Devotion based on Galatians 4:4

See series: Devotions

Think about those words from today’s Bible reading for a moment. “When the set time had fully come, God sent his Son.” Throughout human history, God had a specific, precise timetable for when the Savior of the world would enter the world. It would not be a minute too late or too soon. But until the moment of his birth arrived, God’s people throughout the centuries had had to wait.

You and I have a real luxury. We have the luxury of reading exactly how God fulfilled his promise of a Savior. Believers who lived before Jesus’ coming could only wait and trust. But wait and trust they did. And their trust was not misplaced, “for when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son.” God kept his promise.

There are times in our lives when the noblest work we can do as Christians is not something heroic or dramatic. For we please our Lord when, in the difficulties and disappointments of day-to-day life, we wait for him, when we trust his promise to work everything out for our good. When we do that, our trust is well placed because the God who delivered on his promise to wash us clean of our every sin is the One we can trust for absolutely everything.

Prayer:
Lord, empower me by your Spirit to wait. For I know that you will fulfill all your promises to me in your own good time. In the name of Christ, I pray. Amen.

The Sovereign LORD has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary.
Isaiah 50:4

Strength for the New Year

Daily Devotion – January 3, 2025

Devotion based on Isaiah 50:4

See series: Devotions

The new year has just begun. Are you weary already?

You may have thought the new year would bring the turn of a page, a new start, the beginning of great new things. But then you may have discovered that the same problems hung around, and the same accusations rang in your ears, and the same hindrances kept you from being the best version of yourself.

What is to be done?

The Lord provides the answer. When Jesus came into this world, he encountered accusations and misunderstandings, mocking, spitting, and beatings. He endured all that for your sake, to make things right between you and God. You have peace with God through your Lord Jesus Christ.

That peace is the word that sustains the weary. The difficulties of this life are much easier to bear when you have someone to bear them with. Jesus is always there for you with his promises. Your weakness and your weariness do not scare him away.

Morning by morning, Jesus returns with his word of peace and forgiveness. Evening by evening, he comforts you with the assurance that he will always be with you.

If you are not weary now, you certainly will be sometime this year. Jesus will sustain you.

Prayer:
Lord, when I am weary, send me strength, and give me the peace that passes all understanding through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Hebrews 2:18

Help With New Year’s Resolutions

Daily Devotion – January 1, 2025

Devotion based on Hebrews 2:18

See series: Devotions

Happy New Year! Are you making any resolutions for the new year? Have you already broken them? It’s a time-honored tradition to resolve to do better in some way as you enter a new year. It’s also a time-honored tradition to fail quickly in your new resolve.

It doesn’t have to be a new year for you to resolve to fight harder against temptation. You are reminded of temptation every time you pray, “Lead us not into temptation,” in the Lord’s Prayer.

And the Lord you are praying to understands how difficult temptations can be. Jesus is God, and when he became human, he made himself subject to temptation. He even suffered when he was tempted. He knows what you are going through when you feel tempted.

He is able to help you when you are tempted. In his power and love, he provides a way out. And when you fall into temptation, he provides forgiveness and the promise of his continuing presence in your life.

Don’t let temptation drag you away from a Christian life. Cling to Jesus, he understands. His mercies are new every morning. Great is his faithfulness!

Happy New Year!

Prayer: (Christian Worship: Hymnal – 367)
Gracious God, in years to come, we pray your hand may guide us, and, onward through our journey home, your mercy walk beside us until at last our ransomed life is safe from peril, toil, and strife when heaven itself shall hide us. Amen.

After three days [Jesus’ parents] found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.
Luke 2:46,47

Make Good Use of Free Time

Daily Devotion – December 30, 2024

Devotion based on Luke 2:46,47

See series: Devotions

If you have free time between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, make good use of it. Enjoy the company of family and friends, pursue your favorite pastime, and relax.

Above all else, take some time to read the Bible. If you already do that daily, take some extra time. If you do not do that daily, start today. You can begin with the gospel of Luke.

It isn’t long in the Gospel of Luke before you see Jesus as a twelve-year-old. He had some free time since his parents inadvertently left him behind when they set out for home after celebrating a holiday. In that free time, Jesus found teachers of the Bible. He listened to them and asked them questions.

You might think that Jesus was a great example of doing that. But he was more than that. Because he always did the right thing, he earned the right to be your Savior. When he finished his life, he had never sinned but took the punishment for sin and declared that it counted for you. Through faith, you have his perfect life credited to your account. It’s your ticket to heaven.

Because Jesus took care of things for you, you can rest between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Enjoy reading all about him on any day of the year!

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, lead me to see you clearly in every word of the Bible. Amen.

He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach the ends of the earth. And he will be our peace.
Micah 5:4,5

Jesus is Our Peace

Daily Devotion – December 28, 2024

Devotion based on Micah 5:4,5

See series: Devotions

Peace is the absence of trouble, tension, disaster, and surprise. Peace is the presence of safety, security, contentment, and relief. When you experience peace, you’d like things to stay just as they are. You hope that nothing changes.

Unfortunately, earthly peace will always change. Earthly peace is always short-lived. Happy relationships bring peace, but can you guarantee that even for one fleeting year, your solid relationship will never once face discord? Christmas presents bring a little peace, but the same gadgets that cause a hearty “Thanks!” are soon broken or forgotten. And how many people ever get everything on their Christmas lists? And even if they did, would they have lasting peace?

For lasting Christmas peace, we look away from earthly things and look to the Good Shepherd, Jesus. His peace is not only for a time or isolated to one area. Jesus’ peace cannot be overruled. In power and compassion, his greatness reaches everywhere, all the time, penetrating into our hearts and lives.

Take note especially of this sentence of God’s Word: “And he will be their peace.” Jesus himself is our peace. It’s not just that he knows where to find peace or shows us the way to peace—he is our peace! In Jesus, we stand confidently under God’s favor. In Jesus, we live with the comfort of God’s abiding presence and almighty power. We know exactly what our eternal future will be. Jesus alone provides eternal safety, security, contentment, and relief. Our peace will never change because Jesus is our peace!

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, prevent me from looking to earthly avenues of peace and thinking they will last. Instead, lead me to trust in you, so that I might find true peace that lasts. Then help me to enjoy all the other blessings on earth you provide in a way that honors you. Amen.

His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.
Luke 1:50-52

Lord, Lift Us Up!

Daily Devotion – December 26, 2024

Devotion based on Luke 1:50-52

See series: Devotions

A lot of people love the holidays. Houses shine at night with sparkling Christmas lights. Carols are blasting on radios. Families come together for presents, food, and laughs. It can be a wonderful time that we love and cherish.

However, I know some people who can’t stand this time of year. This time of year, brings out all sorts of problems. Some feel stress from business projects that must be completed before the new year. Others worry about purchasing just the right gift for their loved ones and feel empty when the present falls flat. There are still other people who don’t like the holidays because they remind them of the loved ones they have lost or don’t feel like they have anyone in their life who loves them.

I don’t know where you fall. Maybe you’re on one side or the other. Maybe you have a mix of emotions. But today’s Bible reading reminds us of a wonderful thing that the babe born in Bethlehem does for all of us this Christmas: he lifts us up!

Your heart might be heavy with emotions, and getting through these days might seem like an impossible task. But take care. God delivered on the promise of sending your Savior into this world to pick you up and carry you through those times of stress and strain. When you look into that manger this Christmas, see the Savior who loved you so much that he shouldered your guilt, shame, and sin and carried it with him to a cross so that darkness would be gone forever. Jesus still comes to us through his Word and lifts us up to get us through those dark times.

I pray this Christmas that you don’t get caught up with all the things that cause your heart to ache and that the news of the forgiveness of your Savior lifts you up and brings you peace.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, crush those thoughts of loneliness and stress and lift me up with your Word. Amen.

She gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
Luke 2:7

Come and Meet the King!

Daily Devotion – December 24, 2024

Devotion based on Luke 2:7

See series: Devotions

I have never met the President of the United States. I am guessing that you haven’t either. I have seen one of them in person. In fact, I was less than fifty feet from him! But I didn’t shake his hand or have any personal interaction with him. The President doesn’t know me. I don’t have his phone number. I don’t have any sort of access to him, and most likely I never will. He is guarded by the Secret Service. He meets with foreign dignitaries and ambassadors. He has an important job to do as Commander-in-Chief. And on top of that, he has friends and family of his own.

But Jesus is different. Jesus, the King of Creation, is not separated from mankind. He makes himself accessible to us. He comes to us through his Word and doesn’t just give us a gratuitous handshake. No! He touches our hearts. He knows your name. He knows all your worries, fears, and the problems that keep you awake at night. And amazingly, Jesus is never too busy meeting with “important” people. He is always there for you and me. We are his family.

You would think that someone as important as Jesus, as important as the King of Creation, would have been born in a city of prominence and have the finest accommodations for his birth. But Jesus is a different kind of king. He humbled himself and had a manger for his bed because his whole purpose for being born was to serve you and me. He took on flesh and gave up his life so that you and I could be his own.

As cool as it would be if we had the President’s phone number and could call him up for help with any problem, we have something better—Jesus, the King of all Creation!

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for humbly serving and coming into my life. Strengthen me through your Word as I meet you every time I read it. May I walk with you every day until we meet face to face in heaven. Amen.