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Awake, awake, O Zion, clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem, the holy city. The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again. Shake off your dust; rise up, sit enthroned, O Jerusalem. Free yourself from the chains on your neck, O captive Daughter of Jerusalem.
Isaiah 52:1-2

Keep Your Head Up

It’s not easy, is it? It’s not easy living in such a sin-filled world. All around we see theft and murder and cruelty. It’s enough to make a person hang his head in sadness and frustration. But hanging your head won’t help. Because then you’ll only be looking at yourself. And when you look at yourself, you also see cruelty, arrogance, and bitterness. You see all the ways you have failed God and failed the ones you love.

To you God says, “Awake, awake…Put on your garments of splendor… Shake off your dust; rise up, sit enthroned…Free yourself from the chains on your neck.” How can God say this? The answer is simple—Jesus. Jesus destroyed sin and death when he rose from the grave. There is no reason for us to live lives of doom and defeat. We live a victorious life! We are clothed in Jesus’ perfection. The chains of sin have been thrown aside.

So, even though the world looks awful, our lives are awesome. And, one day when God delivers us to heaven, we will experience a world that matches what we now see only by faith. So, keep your head up! Live like the victor Jesus has made you!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you that for delivering me from my sin. Keep me from becoming despondent because of the things I see in the world around me. Instead, lift my eyes to see the cross you hung on, the tomb you left empty, and the throne from which you now rule. This day, keep my head up! Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.
1 Thessalonians 5:8-10

Our Safe Place

Have you ever heard of “doomsday preppers?” They are people who prepare for a catastrophic event, or the collapse of civilization by storing food and other supplies in a safe place just in case. It’s good to be prepared.

Judgement day, the day when Jesus will return, is sometimes referred to as doomsday. It will be a dreadful day for those who are unprepared. However, for those who are prepared it’s not a day of doom and gloom. Being prepared makes all the difference, but we cannot prepare ourselves for that day by stockpiling the right supplies. None of the earthly things we collect will save us on that day. None of the places or possessions where we seek comfort and safety in this life will shield us. So, how does one prepare?

Everyone who trusts in Jesus is already prepared. Jesus is our safe place. In him, we are sheltered from all that seeks to harm us spiritually. God has appointed a day of judgement, but in his incredible mercy he has not appointed us to suffer his wrath against sin. He appointed Jesus to suffer wrath for the sins of the world. Jesus was sent to suffer in our place and then to be victorious in our place by rising from the dead. Jesus supplies all we need. Through faith in him, we are spared from wrath and receive salvation.

Jesus is our safe place, and not just on the last day, but every day. Today you can find refuge in him and his salvation. You need not fear when the day will come. As long as you trust in him, Jesus is your safe place. He died for all, so that you may live eternally and safely with him. The one who is truly prepared is the one who finds refuge in Jesus, now and always.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, may I daily seek refuge so that I may be kept safe until the day you return. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. . . So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.
1 Thessalonians 5:3,6

Stay awake!

We’ve all dozed off at some point. Sitting in front of the TV is one thing, but what if you’re behind the wheel? Your eyelids start to get heavy. Everyone else in the car is sleeping. It’s taking all you have to stay awake. You nod off and hit the rumble strips. In that situation, falling asleep could be deadly. Being spiritually awake means trusting in Jesus for salvation. Spiritually dozing off means our attention and faith start to drift away from him. This can be spiritually deadly.

Another thing happens when we drift off to sleep. You start to dream and lose touch with reality. Some dream of a “peace and safety” apart from Jesus— “I’m at peace, I’m doing my best.” Some dream of a better life apart from God’s plan and design. Wake up! The rumble strips of God’s Word wake us up to reality: The day is coming and this world won’t last forever. Our lives in this world don’t last forever. It’s time to stay awake!

But how? When you’re on a road trip you need help staying awake—snacks to munch on, tunes to listen to, a friend who stays awake with you. Jesus, the one who awakens our souls to the reality of his forgiveness, keeps us awake on our way home to heaven. He puts other believers in our lives to stay awake with us and encourage us along the way. When we start to drift, we can tune our hearts to his promise of salvation and tune out the empty promises of this world. He is with us, and he neither slumbers nor sleeps.

Prayer:

Lord, when I drift, steer me back to you. When I become tired and alone, remind me that you are with me. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-2

Perfect Timing

It’s hard for us to time things perfectly. We try to time our commute just right, but we hit traffic and we’re late. Is there even such a thing as perfect timing?

The one who alone is perfect and holy has perfect timing. The Lord’s timing is perfect. This is true of all he does. He knows when best to bless us and to redirect us. He provides all things according to his perfect will and perfect timing. When the time was right, he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, into this world to save the world from sin. At just the right time, Jesus will come again on the last day. It will be the day of destruction for those who do not believe in him, but the day of salvation from this decaying world for those who believe in him.

As we learn about that day, we might become troubled about the timing. We ask, “Why doesn’t Jesus come back now?” as we look at the world around us and see evil, or we look at our lives when we’re in pain or sorrow and wish Jesus could come now to rescue us. Jesus knows about your struggles, and he cares. He will come to bring relief, and not a moment too late.

Other times, we worry that Jesus will come too soon. We might think, “What about people who haven’t heard about Jesus?” Jesus knows all things and has thought this through better than we have. He cares about people who haven’t heard of him, and this is one reason he hasn’t yet returned. He will come and not a moment too soon.

While we wait, we trust in the Lord’s perfect timing. When we are troubled, we can remember that we are in God’s hands. When we are concerned about those who haven’t heard the good news about Jesus, we can be the ones to share it.

Prayer:

Lord, as we wait for the day you will return, give us confidence that your timing is always perfect. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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[Jesus said] Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
Matthew 25:13

Keep Watch

Jesus told stories called parables to teach important spiritual truths. At the beginning of Matthew chapter 25, he told a story about ten bridesmaids waiting for the start of the wedding banquet. The five wise ones brought extra oil for their lamps. They were thinking ahead. The five foolish, unprepared ones did not. They were living for the moment and were unprepared for the future, so their lamps burnt out. Five were ready when the banquet started, and the other five were not, so they missed out on the wedding celebration. The moral of the story is simple: “keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

In the Bible, heaven is pictured as a wedding banquet—the best party you’ve ever been to! A party you don’t want to miss! Why do some miss out? The one who is ready and waiting to meet Jesus at this life’s end, or when he returns, is simply the one who believes in him and his complete work of salvation.

Sadly, the faith of some may grow dim and burn out. It’s easy to live for the moment and put off the reality of the future. Instead, Jesus teaches us to think ahead. Be ready now and be ready when he returns or calls us out of this world. But how are we ready? Where can we find oil for our lamps? When we feel like we’re running on fumes, where do we find gas for our tanks?

The Lord provides all we need to grant faith and to keep it burning bright. To keep watch for Jesus means to keep watching Jesus. Fix your faith and attention on him every day, trusting that he alone is your hope and salvation. Watch out for things that steal your heart away from him. Hear his words recorded in the Bible. There you find his promises of forgiveness and unconditional love. This supplies all we need. It refreshes us. It renews us. It keeps us ready and eagerly waiting to meet our Savior face to face and spend an eternity with him at the best party ever!

Prayer:

Lord, give me wisdom and patience that looks forward to the awesome day you return or call me home to heaven. Amen

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Awake, awake, Zion, clothe yourself with strength! Put on your garments of splendor, Jerusalem, the holy city.
Isaiah 52:1

Rise and Shine!

Wake-up calls aren’t always pleasant, but they are necessary. The sound of the early morning alarm can be a shock to your system when you’re sleeping peacefully. However, it’s even more unpleasant when you miss the alarm and realize you’re late. You missed your flight, or you’re late for work.

God gives plenty of wake-up calls in the Bible. They may not sound pleasant, but they are necessary. God seeks to wake us up from indifference or ignorance concerning the problem of sin. We can’t just sleep it off and think it will go away. Missing these wake-up calls would be eternally devastating. We must be woken up to our greatest need that only God can meet.

Other times, waking up can bring relief. When you wake from a nightmare, you are relieved. When a child is troubled in the middle of the night and afraid of the dark, what a relief when morning comes and they see the sun. Once we shake off the sleep and see the bright new day, we face that day with excitement.

This is the goal of God’s wake-up calls. He seeks to wake us up not only so we can see the reality of sin, but ultimately so we can see his forgiveness and the new life he gives. Today’s Bible verse from Isaiah is not the thunderous voice of an angry God. It’s the voice of the compassionate Father calling his children to wake up to a bright new day. He has come to set people free and rescue them from the bondage of sin and death. He has come to give new and eternal life.

The Lord awakens souls from spiritual slumber by his powerful word so they can rise and shine. He scatters the darkness and sets sinners free from guilt. He clothes his children in the clean garments of his Son’s perfection. He covers them with his gracious and compassionate love through his Son, Jesus Christ, so they can face this day and this life with the greatest confidence. Rise and shine each day to the voice and promises of the compassionate Father!

Prayer:

Lord, as I hear your Word, keep me awake and alert to your compassion so that I may rise and shine for you. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.
1 Thessalonians 5:6

A Cure For Your Sleepiness

Have you ever heard about a condition called sleep apnea? If you or a family member has this condition, you already know all about it. Here’s a quick description for the rest of us: A major symptom of sleep apnea is chronic sleepiness. You tend to feel sluggish and fatigued all the time, even when you’ve had plenty of sleep. And if you happen to sit down to watch a movie, attend a meeting, or even drive a car, chances are good that you will begin to doze off.

The cause of sleep apnea is that body is not taking in enough oxygen while you sleep. The solution is more oxygen. Doctors prescribe a device that helps you take in more air during your sleeping hours. The results are dramatic. When sufferers of sleep apnea finally get the help they need, it’s not uncommon for them to say, “Only now do I realize how terribly sleepy I had been.”

Christian, here’s a question: Are you suffering from spiritual sleep apnea? Have you gotten so sleepy in your walk with your Lord that your soul has trouble staying alert? Has your spirit gotten so sluggish that you end up drifting towards things that aren’t truly important?

The solution is the kind of oxygen that only Jesus Christ can bring. In repentance, when we breathe deeply of his gospel, his forgiveness purchased at the cross, then our sleepiness will end. Our drowsiness will stop. And our eyes of faith, clear and bright, will once again see the things that are truly important in our lives.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me spiritual life through your Son. Forgive my spiritual drowsiness. By your gospel fill me with your Spirit. Make my eyes of faith clear and bright. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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[Jesus said] “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
Matthew 5:8

The Pure in Heart

There is an important truth that Jesus brings to mind in this Bible verse. We can’t fool God. There is no covering for false notions or hidden deception. God looks right through the outward evidence and inspects the inner motivation. He is looking for the pure in heart.

What is the measure for the kind of purity that Jesus talks about? The Bible doesn’t tell us to compare ourselves to others. It holds us up to God’s perfect and holy Law and measures us against it. If all we had to do were to come out looking better than someone else, then there are plenty of “evil people” in the world to make our sins look smaller than they are. But in the light of God’s holy will, our hearts have never been pure. From the moment of our conception, we have been stained with sin. Only God can produce inner purity within us. It is for that reason that we pray with David: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).

In Jesus, God answers our prayer. Jesus had a perfectly pure heart. And he gives that pure heart to us as a gift. Through faith in Jesus, God sees us as if we had a pure heart. It’s why all of the followers of Jesus are, as he said, blessed.

And now, his Holy Spirit works in our hearts to make them as pure as God sees them. The night before his death, Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). This sanctification is God’s work in our hearts to make us more and more like him.

Jesus promises that the pure in heart will see God. The more we listen to his voice in his Word, the better we “see” him. And, one day, when we enter the heaven he won for us, we will literally see him face to face. What a day it will be!

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, purify my heart and fill me with the confident hope that when I die I will be glad to see God. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “the righteous will live by faith.”
Romans 1:17

Good Enough for Heaven

Are you good enough for God? Have you done enough good and avoided enough of the bad to be on God’s good side? How do you know for sure? Will all the good and kind things you have said and done be enough in the end?

Talk about a stressful set of questions! There is a reason people like to put off thinking about this kind of stuff. It can make a person anxious, nervous, and stressed. Our answers to these questions can never provide confidence or assurance that we will be saved in the end. Going through life with all that in the back of our minds is exhausting. With these questions unanswered, we can find no rest for our souls.

There is a better way. The Bible says, “The righteous will live by faith.” We actually don’t need to worry about these questions. The answer is, no, we aren’t good enough. But that’s not the main takeaway from this verse. We may not be good enough, but that does not matter because we have one who was good enough for us: Jesus. Jesus was good enough for me and you and the whole world. He lived a perfect life in our place and died to take all our sins away.

Whether or not we make it to heaven in the end does not depend on our level of goodness. Rather, it depends on Jesus’ perfect level of goodness for us. He was perfect in our place. We are saved because of him. So rather than stressing about whether or not we are good enough, we are now free to live by faith, trusting in Jesus and his life and death for us.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, I know that on my own I cannot ever be good enough. Thank you for removing that pressure from my life by being my perfect Savior. Enable me now to live my life for you. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed – righteousness that is by faith from first to last.
Romans 1:17

True Religion

According to Google, there are an estimated 4,000 to 10,000 distinct religions in the world. On the surface, they can all seem quite different from each other. When it comes down to it, though, all of them, with one exception, depend to some degree on the person to do the right things at the right time. All these thousands of religions can be lumped together under the category of ‘works righteousness.’ Do the right stuff. Say the right things. Avoid the really bad things. Work your way towards perfection. Keep after it, and eventually you will get where you need to be.

Our religion is different. Biblical Christianity says that we cannot possibly do enough to be saved. Our works are not good enough because the standard is perfection. God’s standard for heaven is to be perfect. To be righteous. And this is not a future standard. It is what God requires of us today and every day. Our righteousness does not and cannot save us because it is not a perfect righteousness. In fact, it never will be.

Thankfully, someone else does have perfect righteousness. The Bible says that righteousness comes from God, not from us. There is one person who lived a perfectly righteous life for us. God provided righteousness for us through Jesus. He came to this world to do what we could never do. He came to earn our righteousness. He came and lived a perfect life in our place. Through faith in Jesus, we are saved. This is Christianity in a nutshell. We are saved through faith in our perfect Savior who lived and died in our place.

So, is your righteousness going to save you, or is Christ’s righteousness going to save you? You can only pick one. Put your trust in your Savior, who was perfect for you.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, you are my righteousness. Thank you for being perfect in my place. Help me to place all my trust and confidence in you and what you have done for me. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.
Romans 1:16

Salvation is One Hundred Percent Jesus

‘I believe in Jesus, and I am a good person.’ ‘I believe in Jesus, and I have never killed anyone or stolen anything.’ ‘I believe in Jesus, and I give lots of my time and money to various charities.’ Jesus and something else, is a common religion in America today. If you were to ask someone why they think they will make it to heaven the answer is often, ‘I believe in Jesus, and …’

It is easy to think that way. In all areas of life, we are quick to want to add our own contributions. We want to do our part or pay our own way. We want to feel good about ourselves. We want to know whether we carried our own weight or held up our end of the bargain. All this is also true when it comes to getting into heaven. We want to feel like we did everything we could.

But there is a problem. ‘Jesus and …’, is not the faith of the Bible or of Christianity. The gospel of salvation is Jesus and only Jesus. We are going to heaven always and only because of what Jesus has done for us. He lived a perfect life in our place and died an innocent death to take away all our sins and rose from the dead to give us eternal life in heaven. That’s it. We cannot add anything to that. It all has been done by Jesus, for us—one hundred percent! This salvation is for all who believe in Jesus—free of charge. Nothing further required.

So, when someone asks about why you think you are going to heaven, take yourself out of the equation. Only Jesus saves. Only he can provide the confidence we need that we are saved. Our salvation is one hundred percent Jesus and zero percent us. And we would not want it any other way.

Prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, my salvation is entirely dependent on you. Help me not to look at my own efforts but to know and believe that you and you alone are my salvation. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.
Isaiah 25:9

His Salvation, Not Mine

I used to play golf. I wasn’t in a league or anything, but I played frequently enough over the course of the summer to feel like I could call myself a golfer. Truthfully, I wasn’t any good, but I liked to try. Even though my ball ended up more often in the woods than on the fairway, or in the pond instead of on the green, I kept playing.

Perhaps because of my poor scores, my favorite format of playing golf is undeniably the scramble. In this type of golf event, each team of four tries to compile the best score to win the tournament. To achieve this score, each golfer tees off on the hole. Then they decide which of the four shots was best, and all four hit their second shots from there. I always liked that style of play because I could use someone else’s shot when mine wasn’t good enough.

Getting to heaven is a lot like that. We try hard. We aim to stay on the straight and narrow. But frankly, our best is not good enough. Our thoughts wander into the woods of greed, lust, and pride. Our actions are often so far out of bounds that we would be embarrassed if anyone saw them. Our words often fail to be on par with what is God-pleasing.

Thankfully, there is someone else’s life we can use. If life in this sinful world is a scramble, we need someone on our team who can get it right. That someone is Jesus. He always got it right. He never let his thoughts stray into sin, and he always kept his words and actions perfectly in line with God’s Word. Believing in Jesus means we get to use his shot every time. We trust in his life and not ours. His life of perfection enabled him to present a perfect scorecard to his Father in heaven. We rejoice in his salvation because we are unable to achieve it on our own.

Prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, you are my perfect substitute. Thank you for all that you have done to ensure that I can be with you forever in heaven. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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[H]e will swallow up death forever.
Isaiah 25:8

A Tough Pill to Swallow

As a parish pastor, I have visited many people over the years. It has been a blessing to minister to people in their homes, hospital rooms, and assisted living facilities. Often on such visits, we end up sitting at the kitchen table, enjoying good conversation. Often, as we gather around the table, I will notice that an individual has several containers of prescription medication. I have seen more than one individual expected to take staggering amounts of medication to enable their bodies to keep on going.

Swallowing pills is quite common: vitamins, supplements, pain relievers, and prescription medication are all taken in an effort to put off swallowing that one pill that no one wants to take. That last bitter pill is death. No amount of vitamins or medication can ultimately prevent it. Whether we live to be 80, 90, or even 100 years old, we will all eventually encounter this inevitability. Death is undefeated.

Actually, it was undefeated until Jesus came along. Jesus died a horrible death, and it looked like he would face the same fate as everyone else. But then something happened. He didn’t stay dead. Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, forever conquering death for all who believe in him. In his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus has swallowed up the one enemy none of us could defeat. Through faith in Jesus and his saving work on our behalf, we are saved. Death is not the final answer for God’s children. Death for the one who believes in Jesus is now nothing more than the door to heaven. Because of Jesus, heaven is ours!

God blesses us in this world with medicine and doctors who help us to continue living and serving the Lord. Thanks be to God when this earthly life is over, death holds no power over us!

Prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, you have done what I could not. Thank you for defeating death and swallowing it up forever. Help me to live for you here and to look forward to the day I will be with you. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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[Jesus said] “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God”
Matthew 5:8

Blessed Are the Pure in Heart

Thick walls of water rushing over the falls and shattering into mists on the rocks below. A spectacular sunset streaking red and orange beams across the darkening blue sky. My wife walking down the aisle at our wedding. Lotus blossoms so thick they lay a purple and green carpet across the pond.

These are just some of the beautiful things I’ve been privileged to see.

None of them compares to seeing the face of God. No, I’m not claiming I’ve had a vision from heaven and God spoke to me. I am claiming that Jesus promised I will see with my own eyes the God who created me.

How could I ever think his promise applies to me? Jesus says it applies to those who are pure in heart. Pure in heart? Not me. I have a nice outside but a rotten inside. I stress when my daughter doesn’t come home on time. I am often jealous of those who have things I don’t. My heart is a lot of things, but it isn’t pure.

Still, I will see God—eye to eye. I won’t blink or blush crimson when he looks straight into my polluted heart.

Why not? Jesus washed me clean. His death sucked all the sin out of my heart. I am blessed and I am pure and I will see God.

On judgment day, God will see my sin-free heart. I will see God. I’ll study his ageless beauty, wisdom, love, and kindness. My life of aches and heartbreaks will quickly dim. All because my Savior pulled my sins onto himself.

Prayer:

Father, I await the day when we will meet face to face in your heavenly kingdom. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.