But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.
Ephesians 5:13

Becoming a Light

Daily Devotion – March 22, 2023

Devotion based on Ephesians 5:13

See series: Devotions

There is a race that governments, universities, and large corporations have invested millions of dollars to win. The challenge is getting rid of stray light to have the most accurate measuring and recording devices in the arts, medicine, and space exploration. The race is on to see who can come up with the “blackest” black. The current leader of this race is a color called Vantablack, and it was created at MIT using carbon nanotubes. Yet, despite the millions of dollars and advanced technologies, Vantablack isn’t perfect as it still reflects 0.005% of all light. And so the race continues for someone to find a way to stop light from being reflected.

The great challenge, of course, is that light naturally wants to reflect. The light from the hallway sneaks through the doorframe to put light in a dark room. The light going around your bedroom window shades is enough to wake you and let you know morning has arrived.

God has called his followers out of darkness into his light by revealing Jesus, who is the light of the world. Jesus shows us how great God’s love is by pointing us to the cross where he paid the price for every one of our sins. Jesus shows us that we have the hope of eternal life by pointing us to his empty tomb where he defeated death. Jesus shows us how we can thank him by illuminated what things are God-pleasing and what are not.

Having brought us into the light, he calls us to do what light naturally does—shine on others. God’s light in our life cannot help but spill out. It is reflected in our words of forgiveness, kindness, and hope. It is bounced back in our actions as we consider the needs of others over the needs of self. It is mirrored as we avoid the deeds of darkness and sin.

Light naturally wants to reflect and turn what it shines on into a light. As we have been brought into the light, may we reflect that light in our lives.

Prayer:
Light of my life, thank you for shining on me that I may shine for others. Amen.

As he [Jesus] went along, he saw a man blind from birth. . . “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. . . Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
John 9:1,7,35-38

Two Kinds of Blindness

Daily Devotion – March 20, 2023

Devotion based on John 9:1,7,35-38

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The blind man had never seen a sunset or a flower bloom in the Spring. He had never seen the faces of the people who loved him or looked out at the vastness of the sea. He had heard these things described with words, but having been blind from birth, he had never seen them with his own eyes until the day he met Jesus. Jesus took away his blindness, and for the first time in his life, he saw.

The blind man had never seen the Son of Man. He had never watched him preach from a boat in the Sea of Galilea or looked with amazement as he performed miracles. He had heard of the “Son of Man” through prophets Ezekiel and Daniel. They had written about how he would be someone sent from God to bring restoration to his people. However, he didn’t know who this “Son of Man” would be until he met Jesus, and his eyes were opened to see the fulfillment of all of God’s prophecies.

Jesus was there that day to cure two kinds of blindness. He was there to cure the man’s physical blindness so that he might see and to cure his spiritual blindness so that he might see Jesus as his Savior.

Jesus is still curing blindness today. Through his words, he continues to show himself to be the Son of Man who brings restoration to his people and salvation for the world. Jesus still causes men and women around the world to see that he is Savior so that they might worship him.

Prayer:
Gracious God, thank you for saving me from the blindness of unbelief. Amen.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:1

The Only Peace That Matters

Daily Devotion – March 18, 2023

Devotion based on Romans 5:1

See series: Devotions

A wealthy man wanted to have a painting that captured the ultimate picture of peace. Many artists entered their paintings. They all made noble attempts at putting down on canvass what peace really was. Some featured a mirror-smooth lake. Others featured quiet trees under a soft evening sky. Still others featured a grassy meadow where a flock of sheep grazed undisturbed.

The winning picture, however, had none of that. On the contrary, it contained elements that were not peaceful at all. An angry waterfall hurled itself down a rocky cliff. Overhead, dark clouds were beginning to explode with lightning, wind, and rain. Everywhere in this picture, there were signs of danger, menace, and trouble.

But there was something else. Near the middle of the picture, a small, frail tree clung to the rocks at the edge of the falls. One of its branches reached out in front of the falls itself. And there, in the elbow of that single branch, a bird had built a nest. Her little ones were asleep, content, and undisturbed under the shelter of her wings.

In this life, peace is not the absence of trouble or turmoil. After all, we live in a fallen, broken world, and by nature, you and I are fallen, broken people. Unexpected storms, sudden grief, and jarring disappointment will be with us until the day we die.

But there is something else. There is Jesus. There is God’s forgiveness of our sins for the sake of his Son. And along with that forgiveness comes the Lord’s promise to shelter us in every storm, every trouble, every moment of turmoil.

That’s real peace. That’s the only peace that matters. That is the peace under which you and I can rest, content and undisturbed.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, through faith in your Son, you have given me full forgiveness. You have also sheltered me in every storm. Remind me that, in you, we have nothing to fear. Amen.

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water . . . Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
John 4:10,13,14

A gushing spring of living water!

Daily Devotion – March 16, 2023

Devotion based on John 4:10,13,14

See series: Devotions

A person who has felt the guilt of a specific sin or ongoing struggle with temptation may say or at least think, “If people really knew me, how could they love me?” Maybe something like that ran through the Samaritan woman’s mind as she first encountered Jesus, but then she discovered that Jesus really did know her. The truth was out in the open!

But then Jesus flips that thought and says, “If you really knew me… If you knew who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” A guilt-ridden soul thinks, “If people really knew me, they’d run in the other direction.” Jesus, true God, really does know us to the core, but he doesn’t run away! He offers living water—the kind that quenches the deepest spiritual thirst caused by guilt and shame. This water doesn’t dry up or just keep you going for the day. This water gives eternal life.

Picture a desert where water is scarce. You have to dig down deep to find water that is essential for physical life. Now picture a gushing spring of water. It bubbles up and spills over; there’s an endless supply. That’s the picture Jesus paints for a spiritually thirsty soul beside a well. This living water that Jesus gives is not a shallow pool or babbling brook. It’s gushing over in an endless supply.

Jesus gives us more than just a sip of this living water, more than a drop on a thirsty tongue. It’s an endless fountain of God’s love and forgiveness, gushing over. That fountain never runs dry because the living water that Jesus gives is eternal life.

Prayer:
Jesus, meet me beside the waters of your Word where I find relief from the guilt of sin and the refreshing flood of your forgiveness. Amen.

Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”
John 4:6,7

He knows our thirst.

Daily Devotion – March 14, 2023

Devotion based on John 4:6,7

See series: Devotions

Can God truly know what I’m feeling? Is God in tune with what is going on in our world? Maybe at times, we’ve misunderstood God as a distant deity disconnected from the average human’s experience. But Jesus steps into human history, and he shatters that false assumption.

Maybe it seems like a minute detail in the true story told in John chapter 4—Jesus was tired. He asked for a drink of water. Jesus understood being physically tired, worn out, and thirsty because he experienced it all. Even more, he understood being worn out and thirsty on a deeper, spiritual level.

As true God, Jesus knows us intimately. But to prove he’s not a distant God, he became a real man with flesh and blood to experience pain and thirst and even temptation—yet he never sinned. But he still thirsted.

Jesus sat down by a well, thirsty and tired from his journey, and there he encountered a woman thirsty and tired in more ways than one. And God himself asked her for a drink of water. How ordinary and disarming is God’s approach! And in this way, he shows his extraordinary love for every human being.

By the well, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” On the cross, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” He was literally thirsty, but on the cross, he suffered the agony of God’s crushing punishment, and it parched his very being. He thirsted for relief from his Father in heaven. He knows what we’re going through, and he did something about it! Jesus’ rest beside the well and visit with that woman was a pitstop along the way to his cross, where he would experience something that he wanted no other human to experience—punishment for sin. From his wounds flowed forgiveness and peace for every thirsting soul.

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for approaching me in gentleness and love and with your almighty power to rescue me from sin’s curse. Amen

We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:1

Thankful for Permanent Peace

Daily Devotion – March 12, 2023

Devotion based on Romans 5:1

See series: Devotions

Earthly peace is elusive. Leaders of nations sign treaties to establish foundations on which peaceful relations can be built. Too often, however, treaties are broken, and the peace they sought to establish is lost.

As wonderful as earthly peace is, it is not the kind of peace we need most. We need peace with God, which is something sin took away. Sin brought strife between God and people. This strife is most evident in troubled consciences. It’s also reflected in the conflicts that exist between people everywhere.

To establish earthly peace, the involved parties must often give up something or contribute something. By contrast, there is nothing that we could give up or contribute to establish a peace treaty with God. Our sins alienated us so far from God that such a treaty could never be ratified.

God, however, did what we could not do. Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans: “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Through the redemption that came by his own Son, God brought to the peace treaty table everything he needed to sign the treaty with us. Jesus’ blood blotted out our guilt. He arose from the grave to announce God’s peace. Through Jesus, true peace is ours forever! Oh, give thanks to the Lord!

Prayer:
O Jesus, by shedding your precious blood, you bought me back from the eternal destruction I deserved for my sin. Praise and thanks to you, my Savior, for establishing peace between me and God and giving me the gift of everlasting life! Amen.

“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
John 3:10-17

The Need for Understanding

Daily Devotion – March 10, 2023

Devotion based on John 3:10-17

See series: Devotions

Nicodemus was a religious leader in Israel and a teacher of the people. He should have understood what was going on when Jesus came, but he did not understand because he did not realize that Jesus came from heaven.

When we realize the basic fact that Jesus is the Son of God from all eternity who came from heaven to earth and became a human being, we begin to understand.

When Jesus was lifted up on a cross, it did not look good. It was hard to understand how anything helpful might be happening. But there was a time when Moses lifted up a statue of a serpent on a pole, and the people who looked at it were saved from death.

Now a similar thing happens. Jesus was lifted up on a cross. His suffering there paid the punishment for our sins. Everyone who looks to him in faith will receive eternal life. It’s tough to understand, but Jesus came from heaven to accomplish and explain it.

We need to understand. God arranged everything because he loved us. Jesus did not come to condemn us because of our lack of understanding. Instead, he came from heaven to save us.

Prayer:
Lord, give me the understanding of your great love and keep me safe all the way to eternal life. Amen.

It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.
Romans 4:13

The Need for Righteousness

Daily Devotion – March 8, 2023

Devotion based on Romans 4:13

See series: Devotions

A Mormon woman who had become Lutheran took me to the apartment where the two young Mormon men on their mission were staying. We had a nice discussion. The young men mentioned the “gospel” a few times. I asked them what they thought the “gospel” was. They replied, “The gospel is the set of laws the heavenly Father gave us to show us how to get to heaven.”

Mormons aren’t the only people who think the gospel is a set of laws. Abraham and his offspring were given special laws by the Lord, and it would have been easy for them to think that following those laws would get them to heaven. But even the promise that the Savior would come from the line of Abraham was not given because Abraham and his offspring would keep those special laws.

Religions around the world have each devised their own set of laws for pleasing God or getting to heaven. None of them work. Getting to heaven does not happen through obeying God’s law. Getting to heaven happens through the righteousness that comes by faith.

What does “the righteousness that comes by faith” mean? “The righteousness” is the perfect life of Jesus, the only person who has ever lived a perfect life good enough to get to heaven. “Comes by faith” means that whoever believes in Jesus has his perfect life credited to them as a gift.

The gospel is not a set of laws. It is not through the law that you receive the promise of salvation. The gospel is a promise. You are going to heaven through the righteousness that comes by faith.

Prayer: (Christian Worship: Hymnal – 405)
On my heart imprint your image, blessed Jesus, King of grace,
that life’s riches, cares, and pleasures have no power to hide your face.
Let the clear inscription be: Jesus, crucified for me,
Is my life, my hope’s foundation, and my glory and salvation. Amen.

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
Genesis 12:1-3

A Gift to the World

Daily Devotion – March 6, 2023

Devotion based on Genesis 12:1-3

See series: Devotions

The Lord asked Abram to move away from his extended family to a brand-new country, a place where he had never been, a place that God did not even identify at first.

Abram could probably have made quite a long list of things he needed. There were so many uncertainties. He had to have a way to survive, to support his immediate family, and make a new home.

God was undoubtedly aware of those needs. But he was looking out longer than the next couple of years. Abram would be blessed, and his reputation would be good. If people were against him, they would be cursed. Abram’s descendants would become a great nation.

Those are amazing promises! Then God made a promise even more amazing. He said that all peoples on earth would be blessed through Abram.

God saw beyond Abram’s immediate needs to the future needs of the entire world. He knew that everyone in the world would need a Savior from sin and death. So he planned that the Savior, Jesus, would be a descendant of Abram, a blessing to the entire world.

God knows that you have immediate needs. He promises to bless you and take care of you. Then he looks to your more far-reaching needs, like forgiveness of sins and salvation, and he provides you a gift in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. That gift is for all people on earth. That gift is for you.

Prayer:
Lord, help me when I am consumed by my immediate needs, and lift my eyes to the cross of Jesus, where you took care of my needs for eternity. Amen.

How much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
Romans 5:15

One Man

Daily Devotion – March 4, 2023

Devotion based on Romans 5:15

See series: Devotions

In 2014, author Boris Johnson wrote a book entitled, The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History. In his book, Johnson makes the case that our present world would be a very different place had it not been for the presence of one solitary man—Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II.

To make his point, Johnson paints the scene. It is May of 1940. Churchill has just become Prime Minister. The war is not just going badly for Britain; it is going very badly. She is alone. Her armed forces are weak. Her allies in Europe are in collapse. And the Nazi military machine is devouring territory in real time. Churchill meets with his cabinet. The question before them is simple. Does Britain cut a deal with Hitler, thereby saving countless British lives, or does it choose to fight? Johnson asserts that we forget how close—how very close—Britain came to cutting that deal. One man, Churchill, convinced them to fight. Remove Churchill from that cabinet meeting, Johnson says, and Western Civilization as we know it would have vanished.

As irreplaceable as Winston Churchill may have been, however, even the rescue of Western Civilization is a small matter in comparison to what lay in the balance at another time. That time was when all of humanity was lost in a darkness of its own making. It was not the darkness of Nazi rule or political repression. It was the darkness of sin—yours and mine. Such darkness meant a pointless, miserable experience, separated from the goodness of God. And there was not a thing anyone could do to stop it.

Except for one man. And this one man was more than a man. He was the very Son of God who chose to walk among us as a human being. On our behalf, Jesus Christ lived the perfect life that the holy God demands. Then, in our place, Jesus took upon himself all of the punishment that all of sinful humanity deserved. And at the cross he paid the price in full.

That one man—the God-man, Jesus—changed everything. Our rescue is complete. Forgiveness is ours. Now through faith in him, the darkness is gone.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you are the one man who has changed everything. Move me by your Spirit to look to you alone. Amen.

But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
Genesis 3:9,10

Hide and Seek

Daily Devotion – March 2, 2023

Devotion based on Genesis 3:9,10

See series: Devotions

Do you remember playing hide and seek? Many parents have loved playing that simple game with their young children. Dad or mom would often hide in obvious places, but the toddlers were so happy to find the parent that they would giggle with delight. They were so cute when they played that game.

It is not so cute when we play hide and seek with God. He is always calling out to us in his Word, but we tend to hide, even as adults. Maybe we feel guilty for not being in God’s house more often. Maybe we don’t want to address our own life choices that we know aren’t God pleasing. Maybe we are angry at God or one of his representatives. And so we hide. And like when our parents hid from us as toddlers, we hide from God in rather obvious places: places like work, Netflix, excuses, and even kids’ sports. While we think we are conveniently unable to make time for God, it is all painfully obvious to him that we are trying to hide. He knows exactly where we are and what we are thinking.

And by a miracle of his grace, he still seeks us. He still comes to find us even though he knows all our sin and all our guilt. In love, he seeks to find and save us. That is exactly why he sent Jesus into this world to be our Savior. A Savior who was willing to suffer and die to pay for all of our sins. A Savior who would pay for and remove all our sin, guilt, and shame so that we could now have a right relationship with God. Because of Jesus and his work for us, there is no reason to hide. No reason to fear coming back to God.

So maybe it is time to stop hiding. Come out, come out, wherever you are! Find free grace and forgiveness from God through Jesus.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, forgive me for the times when I hide from you and your Word. Thank you for taking my sins away. Enable me to come back to you every day. Amen.

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
Genesis 3:6

Going Along With the Crowd

Daily Devotion – February 28, 2023

Devotion based on Genesis 3:6

See series: Devotions

There you were. You were part of the crowd—surrounded by all your friends. It started off as a great evening. Everyone was having fun, and life was good. But then things started to take a turn. Things got out of control and a fun evening crossed the line. Things happened that should not have happened. You wanted to speak up and to tell them all that this wasn’t right.

But there you stood, doing nothing. Sometimes doing nothing or saying nothing is just as wrong as doing the bad or evil thing. And God holds us accountable for our inaction. Adam stood-by and did nothing as Eve was led down the wrong path. He went along with it, and his silence had consequences that were bigger than he ever could have imagined. His inaction cast the whole world into sin and now we are all born with an innate desire to sin.

This makes Jesus all the more remarkable. He never went along with the crowd when they were on the wrong path. He always spoke when things were headed in the wrong direction. Jesus lived a perfect life in our place, and then at the end, he let the crowd put him to death so that you and I and the whole world could be saved from our sins. Because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, we have been set free from sin and through faith in him, we now have the gift of eternal life.

That means we no longer have to go along with the crowd! We can now say no to the evil in this world and live our lives for our Savior, Jesus, who gave his life for us. We can now be a positive influence in this world and lead others to the light of Jesus.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for giving yourself as my Savior from sin. Empower me to say no to the crowd and to live my life for you. Help me be a positive influence for others. Amen.

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Genesis 3:15

An Unlimited Guarantee

Daily Devotion – February 26, 2023

Devotion based on Genesis 3:15

See series: Devotions

When purchasing a product, we are interested in the manufacturer’s warranty. What does the company promise to repair or replace? How long is the warranty good for? How reliable is the business making the guarantee? Usually warranties are limited to varying degrees and cover only certain items for a specific period of time. Manufacturers do not issue warranties that cover their products without exceptions. Every guarantee is limited.

Except one, God’s guarantee of rescuing us from death and hell. God made a promise to the first people on earth. They had fallen into sin and lost the perfection with which God created them. Their sin condemned them to eternal separation from God in hell and not only them, but the whole human race. But God made a promise. He declared that a descendant of those first sinful people would come and destroy the devil’s power over them. That mighty offspring of the woman would deliver them from death, by being delivered to death himself. Yet he would overcome hell and guarantee for his people life forever.

Unlike a manufacturer’s limited warranty, God promise of salvation is full and free and offered to the whole world. The reliability of this promise is as sure as the existence of the eternal God who loves all people so much that he came into our world to fully accomplish what he promised.

Look at your Savior, Jesus, on the cross. He is your guarantee of unlimited life with God.

Prayer:
Lord, thank you that in your mercy you do not condemn me as my sins deserve but rather give me your ironclad guarantee of forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus. Amen.

Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.
Exodus 24:9-11

God Invites His People to See His Glory

Daily Devotion – February 24, 2023

Devotion based on Exodus 24:9-11

See series: Devotions

Would you like to see God? I think most people would say, “Yes, that would be amazing to see God with my own eyes!” We may want to see God, but we probably forget that our eyes are not qualified to see him in all his glory. Many times in the Old Testament, when a person came face to face with God’s glory, they trembled with fear. For a puny human sinner to gaze upon the full perfection and glory of God is beyond our pay-grade.

That’s why what happened at Mount Sinai in Exodus chapter 24 is so unexpected. Moses, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. It’s stated so simply and matter of fact. They saw God. And he looked glorious. But here’s the most amazing thing–God did not raise his hand against them. Even though they should have had no business standing before God in all his glory, God let them be there in his presence. They even ate and drank there as they saw him.

Standing in the presence our glorious and perfect God is above our pay-grade. God should hide his face from us because of our unworthiness and sin. But instead, God smiles his face upon us and looks on us with favor and kindness. Because of the cross on Mount Calvary we are allowed into the presence of our God. Jesus, God’s Son, has made the imposing God of Mount Sinai approachable. God invites his people to see his glory because Jesus has already draped us in his robe of perfection and holiness. We can approach God without fear. And one day, we will be able to eat and drink with God at the banquet table of heaven.

Prayer:
Dear glorious Lord, thank you for inviting me into your presence and letting me share in your glory. Amen.

When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
Matthew 17:8

Just Jesus

Daily Devotion – February 22, 2023

Devotion based on Matthew 17:8

See series: Devotions

Peter, James, and John had just seen their humble teacher, Jesus, transfigured into a shining and glorious version of himself. Jesus showed them a glimpse of who he truly was as the Son of God. The three disciples also saw two great prophets from long ago: Moses and Elijah. Seeing Jesus in all his glory and hearing the voice of God the Father speak from the heavens must have made the three disciples feel very small and unworthy. In fact, after they heard the voice from heaven, “they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.”

But Jesus came over to them, touched them, and said, “Get up. Don’t be afraid.” At that point they looked and saw no one except Jesus. Moses and Elijah were gone. The voice from the cloud was gone. Jesus wasn’t shining with the light of the sun anymore. He was normal looking Jesus again. But he was all Peter, James, and John really needed. The bright glory of heaven they glimpsed on the mountain would be theirs again one day. But right now, they needed their Savior and the humiliation of death he was about to undergo for them. They didn’t need all that glory yet. They did need their Savior now. As great as it was seeing all the glory of God there on the mountain, what they really needed to see was…just Jesus.

This is ultimately what we need to see—just Jesus. The glory of God is too bright and overwhelming for us poor sinners. We needed God to come to us when we could never approach him. So, he did. Jesus, God himself, came to earth in our flesh and blood to be one of us so he could die for us in our place. If we want to know God, we look to Jesus. He is the one who allows us to come to the Father. He is the one who makes us worthy of all the glory of God by sharing the glory of his resurrection with us. This is what we need—just Jesus.

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for coming as one of us in order to save me. Thank you for being our Way to the Father and glory everlasting. Amen.