What About Jesus? Devotions

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260419dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.. . . Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” Acts 2:32,36 Christ Lives to Reign King Cyrus of Persia, King David of Judah, Caesar Augustus of Rome—these are three of the countless people who have ruled nations and empires over the centuries. Some kings and kingdoms lasted for generations, while others were short-lived. As different as they were from each other, they all had one thing in common—they did not last. How uncertain life would be if all we had to lean on were these passing kings and kingdoms. Our immortal souls need something more. How eagerly, then, we listen to the words of the apostle Peter. He tells us of a far greater King. This King is the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter tells us of a far greater kingdom. Jesus’ kingdom will last for eternity. It didn’t always seem this way, though. Jesus’ enemies plotted for years to kill Jesus. Finally, they carried out their plans and crucified him. He didn’t seem like a king whose kingdom would last for eternity. But then came Easter. Jesus’ disciples ran to an empty grave. He had risen. He was still King, and his kingdom was still intact. Today, let Peter’s words give you strength. Be assured of this: your King lives to reign. He is the Lord of your heart. He is your eternal source of forgiveness and hope. Prayer: Lord Jesus, by your resurrection from the dead you proved that you are my Savior and Lord. May your sure promises of forgiveness and life not only lead me to trust in you but also to live 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260418dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:3-9 Living Hope A person struggles with a dangerous sin. He has given in before. It’s such a struggle that some days he is ready to give in for good. But he hangs on, remembering the battle Jesus fought to set him free. He continues to fight, relying on God’s power that raised Jesus to life. And where there is life, there is hope. This new life is ours through the good news of the crucified and risen Jesus. Through this message, the Holy Spirit connects us to the accomplished work of our Savior. Jesus’ death becomes our death. Jesus’ life becomes our life—a living hope. Living hope is not skeptical. It does not get discouraged when life’s circumstances change. Living hope holds onto God’s indestructible inheritance. If you die or the world ends, it’s still yours. It can’t be spoiled by sin or sinful people. It won’t lose value over time. God is keeping it safe for you in heaven. By faith in Jesus, that inheritance is your salvation—eternal freedom from sin, death, and the devil’s power. So, rejoice! Jesus lives! And where there is life, there is hope. Prayer: Dearest Jesus, I praise you for the life, hope, and inheritance I have in you. And so, I consider it a joy if I must suffer for your name. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260417dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:30-31 Written For Your Faith The apostle John closes his book with a purpose: “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” The resurrection appearances were not random miracles. They were signs. Proof. Testimony. Carefully preserved and proclaimed so that future generations—like us—might have certainty. Christian faith is not blind optimism. It rests on recorded, eyewitness history. The apostles saw Jesus. They touched him. They ate with him. And then they wrote. Why? So “that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” Notice the present tense: have life. Not only future glory, but also present peace and access to God. Jesus lives, and therefore you live. His victory becomes your victory. His declaration of sins forgiven becomes your declaration of peace with God. His promise to be with you always becomes your source of calm and courage. His selfless love for you becomes your motivation to selflessly love your neighbor. This is why we treasure the Bible. It is not merely a collection of inspiring thoughts. It is Spirit-breathed testimony to the living Jesus. Through it, Jesus still comes into locked rooms and hearts. Through it, he still shows his wounds. Through it, he still declares, “Peace be with you.” When doubts arise, return to what is written. When fear closes in, return to what is written. When guilt accuses, return to what is written. The resurrection of Jesus on Easter is not only an annual celebration. It is daily proof that your sins are forgiven and your future is secure. He lives to give you proof and peace. He lives—and in him, you have life. Prayer: Living Lord Jesus, anchor my faith in your written Word. Through it, grant me unshakable proof and enduring peace. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260416dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:26-29 The Wounded Lord Draws Near A week after Jesus appeared to his disciples on Easter evening, he appears again. The doors are locked. This time, Thomas is present. Jesus speaks directly to him. “Put your finger here; see my hands… Stop doubting and believe.” What mercy! Jesus repeats Thomas’s own words back to him—not to mock, but to invite. The Lord had heard his doubt. And now he answers it with the proof of his wounds from the cross. Even in resurrection glory, Jesus keeps the marks of crucifixion as proof of his undeserved love. Thomas responds with the clearest confession in John’s Gospel: “My Lord and my God!” Thomas declares who Jesus is—God himself—and who Jesus is to him—his Lord. His doubt is transformed into worship. Jesus then speaks to us: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” This is not second-class faith. It is faith grounded in the testimony of the apostles. The eyewitnesses saw so that we may trust their proclamation. We do not touch his wounds physically. However, we encounter the same crucified and risen Jesus in his Word and in the Lord’s Supper. In the Lord’s Supper, Jesus provides individual sinners with the ongoing assurance that his body and blood have been given and shed for them. He lives. And his living presence continues to comfort wounded consciences. Your wounds, too, are known to him. By his death and resurrection, he transformed your guilt into peace, your temporary pain into enduring hope, and your momentary sorrows into joy that will last forever. Thomas received what he asked for and more. He received a living Savior. So do you. Prayer: My Lord and my God, thank you for meeting my doubts with mercy. Keep my faith anchored in your wounded yet victorious body. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260415dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” John 20:24–25 When Doubt Demands Proof Thomas was not there. We are not told why. But in his absence, he missed out on the peace the risen Jesus brought to his disciples with his appearance. When the others told him, “We have seen the Lord,” Thomas refused to believe without tangible proof. “Unless I see… unless I touch… I will not believe.” We often judge Thomas rather harshly. Yet his demand is deeply human. Disappointment makes us guarded. Grief makes us cautious. We hesitate to trust again. Thomas was not asking for some mystical feeling; he wanted reality. But notice this: even in his doubt, Thomas remained among the disciples. He did not abandon the fellowship entirely. And that matters. There will be seasons when you struggle. You may wrestle with suffering, prayers that seem unanswered, or intellectual questions. Doubt does not shock Jesus. He knows the wounds that cause it. Yet the answer to doubt is not isolation. When doubt or grief casts a long shadow over your soul, the worst thing you can do is to go off alone with your gloomy thoughts. The best thing you can do is to go where believers in Jesus gather around the promises of God and encourage one another with those promises. Go and be where Jesus meets with us— “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20). Go and be where his sweet “Peace be with you,” is spoken, where praying with others and for others and singing praise to God with many voices can lift you up and outside of yourself. The answer to doubt is not isolation. Thomas stayed close enough to hear again. And Jesus did not scold him from a distance. He came near. He lives not to shame doubters, but to give them proof and peace. The risen Jesus is patient with you, too. Even when your grip weakens, his hold remains firm. Prayer: Lord, when I struggle with doubt, keep me near your Word and your people. Strengthen my faith with the certainty of your resurrection. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260414dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” John 20:21–23 Sent with the Spirit’s Power Twice, Jesus said, “Peace be with you.” Then he added, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” The peace Jesus gives is not stagnant. It inspires people who have found peace to now offer it to others in Jesus’ name. Notice what empowered Jesus’ disciples: “He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.'” The same Lord who breathed life into Adam now breathes new life into fearful disciples. Resurrection life becomes missionary life. And what is the core of their mission? Forgiveness. “If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” This is astonishing authority. Christians do not invent forgiveness; they deliver what Jesus purchased. The peace Jesus spoke in that locked room now travels through the mouths of believers into the ears of sinners. When a believer in Jesus declares, “I forgive you in Jesus’ name,” it is not wishful thinking. It is the living Jesus applying the forgiveness he purchased and won. Receive from the risen Jesus the power of forgiveness. Receive from the risen Jesus the power to forgive. You are sent to bring peace to people in this world—not necessarily across oceans, but across rooms, across tables, across ordinary conversations. You carry the message that death has been defeated and sins are forgiven. “Peace be with you!” Prayer: Jesus, breathe your Spirit into me. Fill me with your peace and send me to share the forgiveness you have won. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260413dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. John 20:19-20 Behind Locked Doors The doors were locked. The disciples were scared. The next knock on the door might be Roman soldiers sent by Jesus’ enemies to finish the job and make sure every last disciple of Jesus was silenced for good. But then—without knocking—Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you.” This peace knows everything is the way it should be. Hiding behind locked doors was not going to manufacture calm and peace in the disciples. So, Jesus came to them. The living, breathing, crucified-and-risen Jesus stood in the middle of their anxiety and declared peace—everything is as it should be. I’m alive. You’re forgiven. Peace be with you. Not only did he declare peace to them, but he also gave them the proof they needed. He showed them his hands and side. The proof of his love remained visible. His wounds had not vanished. The proof of his presence was no longer in doubt. You may feel isolated in your doubts, guilt, or fear of the future. Yet the risen Jesus does not wait for you to manufacture peace on your own. Through his Word, he stands among his people today. And he still says, “Peace be with you.” When we are afraid, Jesus doesn’t say, “Calm yourselves.” He says, “Look at me. See the wounds that won your freedom.” The same body that hung on the cross now stands alive. The penalty of sin was paid. Death was undone. Peace with God has been won. The peace Jesus gives is not based on our feelings, but on Jesus’ promised presence, power, and love for us. Jesus proved his love for us when he died on the cross for us. He proved his power when he conquered death. Jesus lives, so our souls trust that Jesus makes everything the way it should be. “Peace be with you!” Prayer: Jesus, fix my eyes on your wounds, that I may have peace in the certainty of your victory. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260412dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. John 20:19-20 Then Jesus Stepped Into the Room How secure are you? Is your job safe, or is there a lay-off coming? How about your health? Or what if you had a serious car accident, or your home caught on fire, or what if …? These are important questions, but in reality, almost laughingly insignificant in comparison to, “What is my relationship to God?” Or to put it a different way, “When I die, where will I go—to heaven or hell?” Now these questions simply have to be answered, or there will be a nagging sense of worry, emptiness, and insecurity. The problem is, as we look into our heart and mind, we’re not helped. Have we been perfectly patient with those around us, shown perfect love to them, always been an example of Christ-like love? Or do we see in ourselves a rash of impatience, unkindness, selfishness? Ouch, more insecurity. Jesus’ disciples understood insecurity. There they were, locked in the room, with no idea what was going to happen next, with no idea where their life was going to go. And then? Then Jesus stepped into the room. And what did he do? He showed them his hands and side. There, on his nail-pierced hands, was proof that the disciples were forgiven, that Jesus had fully paid for all their sins, and that they stood at one with God. It wasn’t, “Don’t worry, be happy, the sun will come out tomorrow.” No, it was far deeper. It was, “See here—in my hands and side—the proof that I love you! The proof that your sins are forgiven and you’re on the way to heaven!” Jesus’ hands and side say the same thing to you and me: “You are forgiven. You are loved. You are on the way to heaven!” Prayer: Jesus, my risen Savior, often I’m nervous and afraid. Forgive me. Focus my attention on your nail-scarred, risen hands, that I might see clearly that my sins are forgiven, and that I’m at peace 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260411dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him.” John 20:1-2 We Know Where Our Savior Is! Panic, confusion, and emptiness filled Mary Magdalene. Already her heart was heavy with grief as she prepared for one last act of love for the one she had followed as the promised Messiah. She would help anoint his body for burial and then leave the tomb without hope and without help. But now this was too much to bear. Not only was her friend dead, but his body was also missing. First, panic set in. “What could have happened?” Mary must have thought. Then confusion followed. “How could just a few days change my life so much? Just days ago, I thought I had found the Messiah. How I loved listening to him! His words freed me from my burdens. I really thought Jesus was the one. But now he’s gone. What am I to do?” And now her life felt empty. No Jesus. No hope. No help. And that’s how our lives would also be, if Jesus had never been found, or if his dead body would have been discovered in the tomb or elsewhere. Without a risen Savior, we could have no hope, no help, no forgiveness, no life. Then we would have every reason to panic. Then confusion and emptiness would be our lot in life, and we would be pitiable and hopeless indeed. Thankfully, the apostle Paul assures us in the book of 1 Corinthians, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). Thank the Lord, we know where our risen Savior is! He’s not in the grave, for he is alive, and we have the certain hope that we live eternally. Now our life remains full, today and forever! Prayer: Lord Jesus, today I rejoice in the reality of your resurrection and the hope and help it provides. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260410dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Now the LORD provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Jonah 1:17 The Lord Provides a Savior It seemed like the end. Jonah had run from the Lord. He boarded a ship going in the opposite direction. When the storm came and the truth was revealed, he was thrown into the sea. The water closed over him. There was no escape. No strength left. No hope of saving himself. But the Lord provided. God appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah. What looked like judgment became rescue. What seemed like certain death became the means of preserving his life. Jonah could not save himself, but the Lord saved him. This account points us to someone greater than Jonah, that is, Jesus Christ. Jesus would not spend portions of three days in a fish, but in the grave. He would sink into death itself, not because he ran from God, but because we have. He took our place. He carried our sin. He faced the punishment we deserved. When Jesus died on the cross and was laid in the tomb, it seemed like hope was lost. But on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead. What looked like defeat was victory. What looked like judgment became salvation. This means your salvation does not depend on your ability to rescue yourself. Like Jonah, you cannot escape sin or overcome death by your own strength. But the Lord has provided. He provided his Son. Jesus entered death and came out alive. His resurrection proves that sin is forgiven. His victory means death is defeated. When you feel overwhelmed by guilt, remember that Jesus has already paid for it. When you feel helpless against death, remember that Jesus has already conquered it. When you feel lost, remember that the Lord has already provided your rescue. Your salvation rests not in what you have done, but in what Jesus has done for you. The Lord provided a fish for Jonah. The Lord provided a Savior for you. Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for entering death to rescue me from sin and judgment. Strengthen my faith in your victory and help me trust in your saving love. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260409dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. John 20:18 Mary Saw the Lord Grief had brought her to the tomb. Mary Magdalene stood outside weeping. The one who had changed her life was gone. Jesus Christ, who had freed her from darkness and given her hope, had been crucified. Now, even his body seemed to be missing. It felt like one more loss, one more sorrow, one more reason to despair. Then Jesus spoke her name. “Mary.” In that moment, everything changed. The one she thought was dead was alive. The one she thought was lost was standing right in front of her. Death had not won. The grave had not kept him. Jesus lived. Her sorrow turned to joy. Her despair turned to hope. And she went to tell the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” This is the heart of the Christian faith. Not a philosophy. Not wishful thinking. A living Savior. Mary was not sharing a rumor. She was announcing a reality. Jesus had risen from the dead, just as he promised. His sacrifice for sin had been accepted. His victory over death was complete. This means everything for you. It means your sins are forgiven. Jesus did not remain in the grave because his work was finished. The payment was complete. God accepted his sacrifice in full. It means death is not the end. Because Jesus lives, those who trust in him will live also. The grave is no longer a place of defeat, but a doorway to eternal life. It means Jesus knows you personally. Just as he called Mary by name, he knows you. He sees your struggles, fears, and sorrows. And he comes to you through his Word with comfort and peace. Mary’s message is still the message the world needs to hear: “I have seen the Lord.” In the words of the Bible, you see him too. You see his love, his victory, and his promises. And because he lives, you have forgiveness, hope, and life, now and forever. Prayer: Risen Lord, thank you for revealing yourself as the living Savior. Strengthen my faith through your Word and remind me that you know me and love me. Help me live each day in the joy and confidence of your resurrection. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260408dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. John 21:13-14 Jesus Serves a Meal It was a simple meal. Jesus’ disciples had spent the night fishing and caught nothing. They were tired. Perhaps they were still uncertain about the future. They had seen the risen Jesus Christ, but what now? What would become of them? Had their failures disqualified them? Had Peter’s denial changed everything? Then Jesus met them on the shore. He didn’t come with demands. He didn’t come with a list of corrections. He came with food. He took the bread and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. The risen Lord of life served his disciples. What a beautiful reminder of who Jesus is. This is the same Savior who had washed their feet. The same Savior who had given his life on the cross. The same Savior who rose from the dead in victory. And now, he still came to serve. His resurrection had not changed his heart. He was still their gracious, giving Savior. This is comforting, because we are not so different from those disciples. We also grow tired. We also face uncertainty. We also carry the burden of our sins and failures. We wonder if we have done too much wrong, failed too often, or wandered too far. Yet Jesus still comes to his people. He comes through his Word with his promises. He serves a meal, the Lord’s Supper, for the forgiveness of our sins. He comes with promises that calm our fears. He comes with his grace, not because we deserve it, but because he loves us. The disciples did not need to earn that meal. Jesus freely gave it. In the same way, you do not earn his love. He freely gives it. Your risen Savior lives. He knows your needs. He knows your weaknesses. And he still serves you with his grace. Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for serving me with your grace and forgiveness. When I am uncertain, remind me that you are alive and caring for me. Strengthen my faith and help me trust your constant love. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260407dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you” Luke 24:36 Peace Be With You The doors were locked. The disciples had every reason to be afraid. Jesus Christ, their teacher and friend, had been crucified. Reports of his resurrection were circulating, but it all seemed too good to be true. And if the authorities had executed Jesus, what might they do to his followers? Fear filled the room. Fear of the future. Fear of suffering. Fear of death. Into that fear, Jesus came and stood among them. He didn’t knock. He didn’t wait for permission. He simply appeared. And the first words he spoke were not words of correction or disappointment. He didn’t say, “Why did you doubt?” or “Why did you run away?” He said, “Peace be with you.” This was more than a greeting. It was a declaration. Just days earlier, these disciples had failed him. They had argued about who was greatest. They had fled when he was arrested. Peter had denied even knowing him. Their fear and weakness were fresh failures. Yet Jesus came with peace. This is the peace he won for them. His death on the cross had paid for every sin. His resurrection proved that forgiveness was complete. This is also the peace he brings to you. You know your failures. You know the times fear overcame faith, when worry replaced trust, when sin spoke louder than God’s promises. Your conscience reminds you of what you’ve done wrong. And yet Jesus still arrives. Through his Word, he stands among his people and says, “Peace be with you.” Your sins are forgiven. Your guilt is removed. Your relationship with God is restored. This peace does not depend on your strength. It depends on his finished work. Jesus lives. The cross counts. Forgiveness is real. Whatever fears trouble your heart today, your risen Savior stands with you. He is not distant. He is not absent. He is alive. And he still speaks the words you need most. “Peace be with you.” Prayer: Risen Lord Jesus, thank you for bringing your peace to fearful hearts. Remind me that my sins are forgiven and that you are always with me. Strengthen my faith and calm my fears with your promises. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260406dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion [Jesus] is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Matthew 28:6 Just As He Said The tomb was not supposed to be empty. On Friday, everything seemed so certain. Jesus Christ had died. His lifeless body was laid in the tomb. A heavy stone was rolled into place. Roman guards stood watch. Death had done its work, just as it always had. Early Sunday morning, the women came expecting the same reality we all know too well. They came expecting death. They came bringing spices, ready to care for the body. They came grieving, hearts heavy with loss and disappointment. But instead of death, they heard life. The angel announced, “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.” Those words change everything. Jesus had promised this. He told his disciples he would suffer, die, and rise again. At the time, they didn’t understand. It seemed impossible. Death doesn’t reverse itself. Graves don’t open. The dead don't walk out alive. But Jesus is not like anyone else. His resurrection proves that his promises are true. When he said he would pay for sin, he did. When he said he would defeat death, he did. When he said he would rise, he did. And that means his promises to you are also true. When guilt weighs on your conscience, the empty tomb assures you that your sins are forgiven. Jesus’ resurrection is God’s declaration that the payment was complete. Nothing remains to be paid. When grief fills your heart, the empty tomb assures you that death is not the end. Because Jesus lives, those who trust in him will live also. When fear whispers that God has forgotten you, the empty tomb reminds you that Jesus keeps every word he speaks. The stone was rolled away not so Jesus could get out, but so the world could see in. The tomb is empty. Death is defeated. Your Savior lives. And because he lives, you have peace, forgiveness, and eternal life. Just as he said. Prayer: Risen Savior, thank you for keeping your promise and rising from the dead. Strengthen my faith in your victory over sin and death. Help me live each day in the peace and confidence that you are alive and that your promises are true. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260329dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to Daughter Zion ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'” The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Matthew 21:4-9 The Heavenly King Took Our Place It is a sad reality that you and I sin against our God every day. Because we sin, we don’t deserve to be in heaven in the presence of God for all eternity. And the alternative is not pretty. But God loves us, his creation, and took action to change what we deserved because of our disobedience. God, the ruler of all things, sent his Son, Jesus, into the world to be among us for a purpose. Instead of being an earthly king, Jesus lived a humble life and kept all of God’s laws for us. Then, even though innocent, he suffered and died for us. After three days, Jesus rose from the grave to show his power over death and the devil for us. Now you and I, by faith, can look forward to spending eternity in heaven because of our perfect substitute, Jesus. Because of what our King Jesus has done for us, we can shout with the crowd on the first Palm Sunday, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” In our excitement, we exclaim, “Blessed is he who came in the name of the Lord!” Prayer: Jesus, may your Spirit work in me the joyfulness to praise you for being my substitute and assuring me of heaven with you forever. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260328dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:15-17 Living by the Spirit There is probably nothing more important to a child’s well-being than having loving and caring parents. When children feel safe, cared for, and nurtured, they tend to be more obedient, perform better in school, and learn how to build relationships with others. However, when children live in constant fear of a parent, just the opposite often happens. They suffer in school, have low self-esteem, and find it difficult to trust others. God gave us life by his Spirit when he led us to trust in his Son, Jesus. This gift of his Spirit changed our relationship with our heavenly Father. The apostle Paul says it this way: “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship.” Without God’s Spirit in our hearts, we would fear God and have nothing to look forward to except his judgment on our sin. But the Spirit leads us to see Jesus—the one who became our sin, so that we could be God’s forgiven children. Right now, we can be confident that God loves and cares for us as we await the glorious inheritance, he has waiting for us. This wonderful truth not only changes our future, but it changes our present. Instead of living as slaves to our sinful nature with nothing but death as our future, we can live as God’s grateful children, making the most of every opportunity to thank our Father. Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, help me to always remember that through Jesus, I am your dear child and you are my dear Father. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260327dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. John 11:43-44 By the Power of His Word Does your word carry weight? Sure, there are times when I tell people to do things, and they do them. I can tell my kids to clean their rooms or do the dishes, and they will. I can tell my dog to get off the couch, and she will… sometimes. And yet, sometimes, it does not happen. The kids don’t always do their chores. And my dog defies what I have to say more often than not. But when Jesus spoke, his word packed a punch. When Jesus spoke, amazing things happened. Once, when he and his friends were stuck in a furious storm, he simply told the storm to stop, and it did. There was another time when Jesus cast out some demons who were torturing a young man simply by the power of his word. And in our Bible reading today, we see that by the power of his word, Jesus raised a dead man to life. He simply told him, “Lazarus, come out!” Why do Jesus’ words carry so much power and authority? It’s because he is the Son of God. He’s not just the head of a household. He’s sitting on a throne ruling heaven and earth. And what he says, goes. That’s why I want to tell you about something else Jesus said. One of the last things he said, when he was dying, was “paid in full.” That’s what Jesus said about the sins of humanity—about your sins and mine. By his death on the cross he paid for them in full. He paid for them with his life. Because our sins have been wiped out, you and I are sinless before holy God. And he sees us as his children whom he loves dearly, children whom he will welcome to our home with him in heaven some day. All by the power of Jesus’ word. Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for saving me through your death on the cross. May I daily draw comfort from the power of your holy Word. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260326dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said. . . So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. John 11:38-39,41-43 It’s Okay to Grieve Sometimes, Christians might give the impression that when a fellow Christian passes away, we shouldn’t be sad. That’s simply not true. Jesus wept at the graveside of his dear friend, Lazarus. Jesus wept even though he knew he’d raise Lazarus from the grave. Losing someone we love hurts. We’re going to miss making memories with that family member or that friend. It’s okay. It’s okay to grieve. I miss my dad. I miss my grandparents. That hurts. And it’s okay to grieve. But the Bible also tells us that as Christians, we don’t grieve like the rest of the world that doesn't have hope. Because we believe in Jesus, who died and rose from the dead. And Jesus will raise to life all who have died with faith in him. To be honest with you, as a Christian, my grief doesn’t consume me. Sure, some days are tougher than others, but while I mourn my loss of not being able to spend time with my family and friends who have passed away, I also celebrate their great gain of eternal life. And I take the greatest comfort that I will be reunited with them in heaven for eternity. If you’re reading this or listening to this, I want that for you as well. But more importantly, God wants you to have this comfort. And that’s what Jesus delivers. Prayer: Dear God, thank you for the promise of a resurrection from the dead of all who have faith in you. May this truth bring me comfort when I mourn for my loved ones who have passed. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260325dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” John 11:25-27 Life After Death Benjamin Franklin has been credited with saying that there are two things certain in life: death and taxes. Everyone you and I know is going to die. It is inevitable. There is no scientific discovery that can avoid it. There is no amount of money you have that can add years to your life. You and I are powerless to the inevitable. One day, you and I are going to die. I realize that that can be a terrifyingly morbid thought. I don’t know what death will be like. I’ve never done it before. You would say the same. We don’t know what death will be like. But I know someone who does: Jesus. Two thousand years ago, Jesus died. And his death had a great purpose! Martha knew who he was. She called him “the Messiah, the Son of God.” Ever since sin entered the world, it brought a terrible consequence: death. God did not create us to die. We die because we’ve been spoiled by sin. So God came up with a plan to rescue you and me from death. He promised that one day he would send someone very special, his Son, who would live a life without sin, a life that we couldn’t live. And his Son would give up his life so that you and I could live forever beyond death. Jesus promises, “The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” That promise brings me so much comfort. I know that I’ll eventually die. I might even die tomorrow. But Jesus has promised me life beyond death. And he’s promised you that as well. I hope and pray that it brings you peace. Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for dying in my place and for your promise that because I trust in you, I will live 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260324dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” John 11:23-24 Words That Truly Comfort Many people feel uncomfortable at funerals. I remember hearing a comedian quip that he read a poll which said that the number one fear of Americans is public speaking, and the number two fear is death. He laughed, ‘So that means people would rather be in the casket than give the eulogy!’ A lot of people don’t like funerals. And the reason I hear most often is that people don’t quite know what to say. ‘I don't want to say the wrong thing.’ ‘I don’t want to say something insensitive.’ ‘I don't want to compound their pain.’ Have you ever felt like that? What do you say at a funeral? Someone’s mother, someone’s spouse, someone's child, someone’s friend, is lying there in the casket. The family is grieving and aching. They'll have an empty chair at the dinner table during the holidays. They won’t be able to make more memories with that loved one. Death has seen to that. And death seems so final and scary. Jesus had shown up at a funeral, and in a small interaction with a woman named Martha, whose brother had just died a few days before, Jesus gave her the words that truly comforted her! He said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” How could Jesus say such a thing? Martha’s brother had died. Isn't death the end? Not at all! Jesus himself died. He was nailed to a cross, and after hours of enduring the physical pain of execution and the full wrath of God, he gave up his life. But he didn’t stay dead! No, he walked out of his grave, and he promises that all who put their faith in him will do the same one day! That is the greatest comfort that I have as a Christian. And that is what I share with those who are grieving the loss of a fellow Christian: They will rise again! Prayer: Dear Jesus, be with those who are mourning the loss of loved ones. Surround them with people who will comfort them with your promises of a resurrection. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260323dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” John 11:17-21 Where Were You, God? “Where were you, God?” Have you ever found yourself asking that question? Where was God when your life was falling apart? Where was God then? Mary and Martha’s world was falling apart. Their brother, Lazarus, had been sick. And this wasn't just a bug that knocked him out for a few days. It was obvious to his family that there wasn't much hope he was going to recover. But this family had a special connection: a dear friend named Jesus! Jesus had healed other people before. ‘Surely Jesus will help our brother!' Mary and Martha thought. So, they sent word for Jesus to come. But when Jesus got word that his friend Lazarus was sick, do you know what he did? He waited. And Lazarus died. What? That doesn’t seem right! Why wouldn’t Jesus sprint to the side of his buddy Lazarus and cure him in an instant? You know that sentiment from Martha, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” I don’t know exactly what Jesus was thinking and why he didn’t come right away to heal Lazarus before he died. The Bible doesn’t say. But we can have every confidence in Jesus and that he will do things in his way and in his time. Everyone has those times when they’re waiting for God to show up and fix this problem or that heartache. And we can turn to God in those times because he has already fixed our greatest problem—our sin! That’s why Jesus came. He came to take the sin of humanity and die so that our guilt would be taken from us. And like Lazarus, Jesus walked out of his tomb so that we could put our trust in him always. Prayer: Dear God, you know what is troubling my heart. Help me to trust in you and your plans 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260322dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion “Run to meet her and ask her, ‘Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your child all right?'” “Everything is all right,” she said. 2 Kings 4:26 Everything Is All Right How could this woman possibly say that everything was all right? The son she thought she would never have, had died while sitting in her lap. And now she was saying everything was all right? She said this because in her heart, her son was not dead until the prophet Elisha had the last word. Little did she know that everything was all right. Through Elisha, God brought the boy back to life and returned him to his mother. How often did your parents have to tell you, “Everything is all right,” when you were little? They would say, “Everything is all right. There are no monsters under your bed waiting to gobble you up.” “Everything is all right. Even though you don’t feel well, I’ll give you medicine and take care of you until you feel better.” “The storm will soon pass. Everything is all right.” It is, you know. That’s not a mere wishful sentiment or a white lie. Everything is all right. It’s all right because the holy man of God—the God-man Jesus—came to show compassion to every distressed parent, every suffering child. Just as Jesus reassured a mourning mother outside of Nain that everything was all right and she should stop crying, so he reassures us that everything is all right when he promises that “everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” For every parent and child who has shed bitter tears, Jesus rose from the grave. Jesus rose triumphant from the grave and promises you that because he lives, everything is all right. Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for the promise of eternal life through you. Use this to remind me when times are tough that, in the end, everything will be all right. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260321dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion As [Jesus] went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. …” Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. John 9:1-7 Why? Often, when we see someone struggling or suffering, we wonder: Why? Why is that man homeless? Why is that woman sick? Why does that family fight so much? Whenever we see unpleasant situations—whatever they might be—we wonder why. Jesus speaks about sin’s connection to struggles and suffering in the case of the man who was born blind: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” he said. Not every hardship is caused by a particular sin. The struggles and sufferings that many people experience are beyond their control. So why was he blind? That man was blind for two reasons. The first reason was because he was born in a sinful and cruel world. The impact of sin is terrible and enormous. It can be sickening and distressing. Suffering is the result of living in this sinful world, but Jesus teaches that not every experience of suffering in our lives is due to a particular sin we have committed. The second reason this man was blind is far more beautiful. He was born blind so that God could work through him. Jesus saw him and had mercy on him. He reached out to the man and healed his physical malady. Through this miracle Jesus revealed his power as the Son of God to give sight and heal. This is why God sent his Son. Sin destroys but Jesus restores. Prayer: Jesus, I know that, by nature, I am blinded by sin. Thank you for reaching out and healing me from my blindness through your Son and your Word. Open my eyes that I might see Jesus as the light of the world. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260320dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Jesus heard that they had thrown [the formerly blind man] 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 9:35-38 Giving Sight to the Blind Imagine what it would be like: being blind all your life and then suddenly you can see; going from living in utter darkness to having powerful and colorful light instantly pouring into your eyes! Ironically, that kind of newly discovered light must be blinding. But those who have come to trust in Jesus as their Savior from sin and death don’t need to imagine what this must be like, because they once lived in the most dreadful darkness, the dark shadow of sin and death. What’s worse, the apostle Paul once described those who once lived in unbelief as people who “were dead in your transgressions and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). Being spiritually blind is bad enough. Being spiritually dead seems like an unescapable sentence. But that’s why Jesus comes, to give sight to the blind and raise the dead. Already 700 years before his birth, the prophet Isaiah described Jesus’ work this way: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:2). And Jesus himself explained why he comes to sinners like you and me, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). While it was indeed a miracle for Jesus to give sight to the blind man—until that day the man had never seen—the far greater miracle was when Jesus granted him the eyes of faith. He asked the man, “Do you believe in the Son of Man,” the Messiah? “Who is he, sir,” the man responded. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” Jesus replied, “You have now seen him.” Then the man said, “Lord, I believe.” Through his powerful Word, Jesus also shows himself to us, giving sight to the blind and life to the dead. Let us also say, “Lord, I believe!” Prayer: Jesus, help me always see your perfect love and 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260319dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about [Jesus]? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.” . . . To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out. John 9:17,34 Telling It Like It Is The Pharisees were not wrong when they said to the blind man we meet in John chapter nine that he was “steeped in sin at birth.” They were simply telling it like it is. The Bible is clear on this point. What King David confessed about himself is most certainly true about all of us: “Surely, I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5). This man was no different. He was indeed “steeped in sin at birth.” The problem with the Pharisees’ assertion, however, is that they were likely not willing to make the same confession about themselves. Like Jesus’ own disciples, these haughty religious leaders assumed that this man had been born blind because of some terrible sin his parents had committed in the past or some sin God foresaw in the blind man’s future. Surely, they thought, this kind of serious birth defect signaled some sort of divine punishment for wrongdoing! But the wrongdoing revealed in these verses was committed by the Pharisees, not the blind man. And the blindness on display is not the physical sort; it’s spiritual. And it’s alarming. It’s not as if Jesus never showed the Pharisees that he was the long-promised Messiah, the very Son of God. He proved it over and over again. But their seething hatred for Jesus and his Word—yes, for the gospel itself—prevented them from acknowledging the truth. It prompted them to fight against it and to fall further under God's judgment into spiritual blindness. It was left to the formerly blind man to tell it like it is. When they asked him who he believed Jesus was, he answered plainly, “He is a prophet,” one who faithfully proclaims the very Word of God; one who tells it like it is. And what message does Jesus have for sinners like you and me? Two words: “You’re forgiven.” Prayer: Dear Jesus, give me the strength to hear your Word and follow you always. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260318dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided. John 9:13-16 A Rulebreaker The Third Commandment could not be clearer: “Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy.” But to avoid all confusion, God went on to explain, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work” (Exodus 20:9-10). So, Jesus is a rulebreaker, right? He worked on the Sabbath! He made mud, put it on a blind man’s eyes, and told him to wash in the Pool of Siloam, all of which led to this man seeing for the first time in his life. Some of the Pharisees could not help but conclude, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” This wasn’t the first time Jesus had generated a heated debate by healing someone on the Sabbath. From the earliest days of his earthly ministry, Jesus was causing his opponents to have serious bouts of consternation as they tried to square Jesus’ claims of being the Son of God and the promised Messiah with his apparent refusal to obey God’s holy law. But was it a refusal? Hardly. It was a fulfillment! Jesus once explained, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). His point was simple: of course, God wants us to honor him by resting from our labor at some point every week to hear and ponder his saving Word. But he also calls us to put his Word into practice by regularly demonstrating love for our neighbors in need. The Christian life is not an either/or proposition. It’s an everyday both/and way of life! Our Savior never overturns God’s Word. Instead, he fulfills it. Perfectly. Prayer: Jesus, empower me to be like you more and more every day. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260317dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. John 9:6-7 Even Jesus Uses Tools My wife will tell you. I’m not handy. Putting a tool in my hands can be a dangerous prospect, because I'm more likely to make the problem worse, not better. Tools are just not my thing. With some household projects, it might be wiser to give me a magic wand to wave than a hammer to swing, since the best chance for success would have to involve some miracle. Jesus doesn’t need tools to fix things. The Bible makes that abundantly clear. He’s God, so he can do what he wants and can fix every problem without lifting a finger or batting an eye. But here’s the thing: often, Jesus uses tools to accomplish his saving will. We see that truth plainly illustrated in John, chapter nine. When Jesus encountered a man born blind, he could have given him sight without saying a word or moving a muscle. But he didn’t. Instead, “he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.” Then he said, “Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam.” What happened? John tells us that “the man went and washed, and came home seeing.” In other words, Jesus used tools—spit, mud, words, and washing—to accomplish the glorious task of giving sight to the blind. And he does the same for us! No, Jesus may never need to give or restore our physical sight to us. But he longs to bless us with the spiritual sight of saving faith and to sharpen it daily. But he doesn’t do either of those things without using tools. Instead, he uses the water of Holy Baptism and the wheat and wine of Holy Communion, combined with his powerful Word, to create and sustain faith in his people. He could have decided to do it differently, but he doesn't. He uses tools. Which means what? That he would have us use those same tools. Through them alone, Jesus gives saving sight to the blind! Prayer: Jesus, inspire me to use your Word and sacraments faithfully and to share your saving Word with others. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260316dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” John 9:1-3 The Way God Operates One of the greatest difficulties we have in understanding our Creator God is that we assume he operates the way we do. We are tempted to judge him and his actions based on our own faulty criteria of what’s right and wrong, good and bad. When we do that, he seems to come up short, and his ways remain mysterious. But God explains time and again in the Bible that he operates on an entirely different level. His forward-thinking plans and pursuits do not naturally square with our sinful human logic, which is bound by time and immediate self-gratification. He says through his prophet Isaiah, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). No wonder his ways are mysterious to us! But he’s not the one to blame; we are. We’re broken; he’s not! We’re not alone in having to struggle with this intellectual and spiritual handicap. Jesus’ hand-picked disciples stumbled around as well, trying to understand why God does what he does and getting it wrong. For instance, they assumed that the man they encountered in today’s Bible reading had been born blind because either he or his parents had committed some terrible sin. But they were dead wrong. Jesus explained, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” Get that! God allows—even sends—painful suffering into our lives, and why? Because he hates us? No. So he can show us and others how powerful he is to save, now and forever. Prayer: Dear Jesus, help me to see how you graciously work all things for my good. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260315dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. Ephesians 5:8-11 Light in the Lord If you get up early to go outside and wait for the sunrise, you know what it’s like to sit in darkness. Until the light comes, you can’t see anything because the darkness hides things, obscures things, and makes things impossible to see. But then, just as you think the darkness couldn’t get any deeper, you finally see it. The horizon begins to brighten in the east, and dawn begins to break. The sun begins its ascent into the sky, and its light is now cast all around you. It’s a total transformation! Everything you couldn’t see before is now visible. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Just as the sun breaks the darkness of the earth when it rises in the east each morning, Jesus has also broken the spiritual darkness that once covered our world and our lives. Oh, what an impact this has on every single day of your life! In the darkness, you can’t see. But in the light, you can! In the darkness, you can’t function. But in the light, you can! Now, you can live as a child of the light. It’s a total transformation! “Fruitless deeds of darkness” aren’t a part of who you are anymore because “You are light in the Lord.” Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, you are the Light of the world, and you have made me light by bringing me into the light of your forgiveness, mercy, and love. Bless and keep me always as you give me the strength to now live like who I am by faith in you, my Savior. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260314dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8 Live Today in Confidence This isn’t an easy part of the Bible to read. It says some very uncomfortable things about us. Here, the apostle Paul describes us as “ungodly” and “sinners.” Those aren’t pleasant descriptors. But unfortunately, they are accurate. And, because of our ungodly ways and our sinful thoughts, words and actions, our Maker could have let us die in those sins and be separated from him forever. It is what we would have deserved. But instead, God chose to love us! Yes, in an amazing act of HIS will, he determined that he would come to this earth for you and me and all people, would live for us, would die for us. In an amazing act of his will, he determined to save us. In an amazing act of love, Christ came and died in our place. God has chosen to love us with the most amazing love ever. So, you can live today in confidence, knowing that God is on your side, knowing that God loves you dearly! Prayer: Assure me that you have chosen to love me, dear Savior. Fill me with peace because of it. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260313dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” The LORD answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people . . . I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” Exodus 17:3,5-6 Water from a Rock If you grew up in a home like mine and you complained about your food, you heard your parents say something like this: “There are starving children in Africa who would love to have that food.” Whether the reasoning was sound, the point was that we should be thankful for what we had instead of complaining. The temptation to be dissatisfied with what we have has plagued humanity for almost as long as this world has existed. But what if it is a basic need that seems to be missing? The nation of Israel was in the wilderness. No running water. No cool springs, pools, or streams to draw water from. We can live without food, but water is essential. Didn't God care enough to provide? But God wasn’t ignoring their need. With a miracle, he would show that he was the one who provided for them. He told Moses to strike a rock with his staff, and water flowed out of that rock for them to drink. How patient God was with them. How patient God is with us. We grumble and complain; yet he patiently continues to provide just what we need every day. The greatest gift he provides is another Rock. The Bible later comments on this time period and says, “They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:3-4). Jesus was always with them, and he is always with us, too. In his word of grace, he gives us the essential water for our spiritual lives. Through that living water that flows from Jesus, we are rescued from the wilderness we deserve because of our sins. And we are kept alive to dwell with our God, whose patient love for us always provides everything we need and more! Thanks be to God! Prayer: Jesus, forgive my grumbling and lack of trust. Pour out your living and life-giving water to quench my thirsty soul. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260312dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Psalm 95:6-7 Under His Care Imagine a shepherd who takes care of sheep. However, he is only concerned about making sure that they have food to eat. As long as the grass is growing in the field, nothing else matters. Or he only thinks about providing shelter. As long as the barn or the sheep pen is in good repair, he thinks he’s done his job. Such a shepherd won’t be a shepherd for long. The sheep may be well fed but have no protection from wolves that want to attack. They may have shelter but lack the basic food and water they need to survive. No, that would be unthinkable. A shepherd needs to attend to all the needs of his sheep. Today’s Bible verse invites us to worship the Lord because he is our Maker. Reflecting on all that we are and all that we have from the Lord who made heaven and earth leads us to joyful worship. But then he adds another even greater reason to worship. “He is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.” The God who made us is the Shepherd who cares for us. Who better to care for us than he? He knows our needs, inside and out. He knows the diseases that threaten our bodies and our souls. He sees the wolves that want to attack and destroy us. He knows the nourishment our hearts need not only to survive but to thrive. With his innocent life and death, Jesus crushed Satan’s power to accuse and destroy us, no matter what we've done. With the nourishing food of his Word, he feeds our faith to receive forgiveness and the life he won at the cross. No, not a single need escapes his notice. Not a single need is beyond his care. He consistently, lovingly, and perfectly provides for all our needs. And he blesses us every day with one goal in mind—to bring us safely into his eternal pastures, where we will praise him forever. Prayer: God, my Maker and my Shepherd, I worship and praise you for your perfect love and care 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260311dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5 Filled with His Love “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” “No pain, no gain.” People say such things to encourage someone not to give up in difficult circumstances. It could be an athletic training regimen, a cancer treatment program, or just the emptiness that comes when we experience loss. If you are like me, if someone says something like this, there’s a part of you that thinks, “That’s easy for you to say. You are not going through it.” Or you find yourself wondering if the suffering and pain are worth the possible gain you might receive. Today’s Bible verses might sound like one of those “no pain, no gain” pep talks: “You are going to suffer, but keep your chin up. It will make you stronger and better in the end.” But that’s not what St. Paul meant. Yes, he is trying to reshape our view of suffering, especially suffering because of our trust in Jesus. But it’s not about finding or forging personal strength by fighting through the pain and not giving up. Instead, God wants our suffering to guide us in seeking answers and strength beyond ourselves. Our answers, our hope, our strength don’t come from a hidden reservoir inside of us but from what God himself pours into us. The Bible says, “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” God loves us unconditionally and knows our struggles, wanting to rescue us from them. That’s why Jesus came, to suffer so that we don’t have to, to conquer sin and death because we couldn’t. Only God has the strength to overcome every trouble. Only he could love us enough to do just that. And his loving promises never fail. Filled up with his unfailing love, we can keep going with the strength he provides. We can press on, fueled by confidence in his unfailing love. Prayer: God, pour your love into my heart, that I can face every day with the hope that you give. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260310dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” John 4:17-18 Dehydration Jesus met a woman at a well outside of her village one day. They started talking, and before long, her whole life was out in the open. He knew all about her. She couldn’t pretend to be someone she wasn’t. Her past sins and her current sinful living arrangement were no longer secrets. She had made excuses and rationalized her behavior in the past. However, that didn’t bring any real relief to the condition of her soul. What Jesus said revealed that she was spiritually dehydrated. What Jesus said revealed how desperately she needed living water. What proof of spiritual dehydration would Jesus point out in your life? What sins for which you’ve made excuses? What sins did you hope were hidden or forgotten? Would he mention a disregard for marriage in the way you live each day? Would he point to choices about how you spend your time or money that don’t put God first? Would he ask questions that reveal grudges you don’t want to let go of or anger that you let fester in your heart? Would he uncover lies you have told or hurtful things you have said? In his Word, Jesus uses the commands of the law to awaken in us a spiritual thirst that no amount of effort or excuses can satisfy. He shows us that what naturally wells up in us is filthy sludge that can only lead to death and not the pure, clean water that leads to eternal life. Jesus himself is the pure living water we need. He entered the wasteland of our world and found spiritual refreshment every day in God’s Word. Then he hung on a cross, thirsty not just from the physical toll of crucifixion but from the spiritual dehydration of our sins that he took as his own. Now he refreshes us with the promise that our sins are forgiven. Our guilt is gone. He revives us with his mercy. Through his death and resurrection, he gives us new life that will never end. Prayer: Jesus, give me living water every day in the promise of your forgiveness. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260309dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion 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.” John 4:10 If You Knew Knowledge is power. When you know a problem, you can address it. When you have the background of a situation, you are better equipped to assess it and react appropriately. Proper education and training are essential for achieving objectives and goals within a given field. One day, Jesus was talking to a woman in a village he was passing through. She had not met him before. Both his ethnicity and his gender as a Jewish man would have made a public conversation between the two of them culturally inappropriate at that time. But Jesus was willing to work past those cultural norms. He began the conversation by asking her for a drink of water. When she responded with surprise and suspicion, what he said got her attention even more: “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.” “If you knew…” But she didn’t. To her, Jesus was just a bold Jewish rabbi. But he was so much more. He was the Son of God who gave physical water its qualities that are so important for life. He was the Messiah, who came from God to quench the needs of thirsty souls with his grace, mercy, and forgiving love. He was the only one who could solve her deepest need and ours. Jesus wants us to know him, too. When we know who he is, we eagerly come to him with every need of our thirsty souls, knowing that he will meet each one. He already has. By taking our sins on himself, he set us free from guilt. By giving his life for us, he rescued us from death. By rising from the dead, he gave us eternal life with him. No need is too great for him. In the Bible, Jesus invites you to get to know him better. Then, knowing how he loves to bless you, turn to him in every time of need. Prayer: Dear Jesus, lead me to your Word to know you better and, knowing you, to come to you for every blessing. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260308dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 True, Lasting Peace Amidst the struggles and hassles of our lives, there is a longing for true, lasting peace. If only there could be the peace that existed in the Garden of Eden. Our first parents lived in perfect harmony with God. They were his friends. And out of that peaceful relationship flowed a warm relationship with one another. The tragedy of sin was that it shattered both the peace between God and people and the peace among people. Quickly after the fall into sin, we see the rise of doubts and fears and hostility, which people directed both toward God and toward one another. True, lasting peace was lost. It's not hard to point to examples in our lives that demonstrate the truth of this: the envy in our hearts, the lust of our eyes, and the hurt that we cause by wayward words and selfish actions. For all these sins and the many more we do, we truly deserve God's eternal wrath and the pronouncement of his condemnation. Yet the remarkable thing is that God loves us, and he demonstrated his one-of-a-kind love by reestablishing peace between himself and his sinful, rebellious world of people. Listen to the words again: “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Every teaching of Scripture rests upon this truth. Though all people are undeserving sinners, Christ sacrificed himself in their place to win peace between God and us. Peace was reestablished through the death of Jesus Christ for “the punishment that brought us peace was upon him” (Isaiah 53:5). God’s righteous wrath against sin was directed at Jesus, and he paid the deadly price for sin with his own precious blood and his innocent sufferings and death. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). Prayer: O Jesus, by humbling yourself and dying for me, you rescued sinners from the condemnation I deserved. Comfort me with the true, lasting peace which comes from knowing and believing that you are my precious Savior. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260307dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion 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.” Genesis 12:1-2 Making a Name for Yourself More than one has dreamed of it. Some have been lured by its promise. Others have cursed its lack of fulfillment. We call it many different things: “making it,” “success,” “winning.” Striving for it is as American as Mom and apple pie. It all comes down to making a name for yourself. People have gone about it in different ways, from getting an advanced degree to destroying personal relationships. “How much do you want it?” seems to be the strategy of success. Abram was already a success in the eyes of the world. He was married and wealthy. Then God changed everything. God promised Abram even more. God promised Abram a name so great that generations would remember it. Abram believed God’s promise, left his home, and went to a land he had never been to before. God makes a promise to you, too. His promise is that your name will be great—maybe not here on this earth, but certainly in the roles of heaven. God will make your name great, too. How much do you want it? Believe in Jesus. Abram did. That’s the way God marks success. Prayer: Savior, may your promises fill my heart with eager anticipation to see your glory 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260306dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion [Abraham] is the father of us all. Romans 4:16 Abraham’s Faith One of the giants of the early Christian church was John Chrysostom. He served as a pastor about 300 years after Jesus rose from the dead. Trained in classical rhetoric, John easily could have made a comfortable life for himself in various professions. Instead, he devoted his considerable gifts to the proclamation of Jesus Christ. Like many a Christian before him and after him, John Chrysostom read from the Old Testament about Abraham. He read how God called Abraham to leave the familiarity of his homeland and live as a permanent stranger somewhere else. He read how Abraham, surrounded by a godless and calloused culture, publicly proclaimed the name of the Lord. And he read how Abraham heard God’s promise that the Savior of the world would one day come from his family, and how Abraham believed that promise. As he thought long and hard about Abraham, about the profound faith Abraham possessed, John Chrysostom said this about Abraham, “He asked no questions, demanded no signs, but trusted the promise alone.” Let’s read that again. Of Abraham, John Chrysostom said, He asked no questions, demanded no signs, but trusted in the promise alone. It is no coincidence that the apostle Paul calls Abraham, “The father of us all,” the father of all of us who believe in Jesus as our Savior. He says this because Abraham embodies what it meant to trust the gospel promises of God. Paul marveled at Abraham’s faith. So did John Chrysostom. So did Martin Luther. How could he do it? How could he trust so fully, without question? Was it his innate strength of character? Was he simply a better, more spiritual, kind of person? That cannot be it. The Bible makes it clear that Abraham was born a lost, broken sinner just like the rest of us. In the end, the answer does not lie in Abraham. Rather, it lies in the power of the promise itself—the promise of full forgiveness in Jesus alone. It is the same promise that feeds your faith and mine. Prayer: Lord Jesus, feed my faith by the power of your promise. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260305dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Romans 4:3 The Same It’s about thirty years after Jesus has risen from the dead and ascended into heaven. His followers have eagerly shared the Good News of what Jesus has done. As a result, many have come to faith in Jesus as their Savior from sin. New congregations are forming. There is even a gathering of Christians in the capital city of the Roman Empire. Moved by the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul sits down to write a letter to these Roman believers. What Paul writes is a letter that outlines some fundamentals of the Christian faith. As he does so, he quickly takes on one of the oldest assumptions people make about their relationship with God. That old assumption is this: I assume that, somehow, some way, I have it in me to set things right with God. Sure, I know I’m not the person I should be or could be. But if I keep improving myself, if I make up for the bad in my life by doing good, if I can live a life that’s a little better and more spiritual than most, then I’ll be in a proper position to receive blessings from God. It’s an old assumption that never dies. If Paul were to have a chance to tour our twenty-first century society, nothing would shock him. Even secularists are using the same old tools: Trying to find peace, meaning, fulfillment, identity in what I do. As old as this assumption is, Paul asserts that it is wrong. The answer to “ultimate meaning” lies not in me. It lies only in Jesus Christ. And all he has won for me—forgiveness, peace, meaning, identity, fulfillment—all this is mine through Spirit-created faith in my Savior. Faith alone. To prove it, Paul points back 2,000 years. He points back to Abraham. After God gave Abraham a cluster of promises, at the heart of which was the promise of the coming Savior, the Bible records that “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). For Abraham. For Paul. For us. The answer is the same. The answer is Jesus. Prayer: Lord Jesus, when the temptation comes to look inward, move me to look to 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260304dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion [Abram] … pitched his tent there, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and proclaimed the name of the LORD. Genesis 12:8 Proclamation “I can worship God at home. I can read the Bible at home. I can pray at home. And so, I really don’t get what the difference is between my worship at home and my worship at church. Isn’t it all the same thing?” Yes. And no. Can I praise my Lord in the privacy of my home? Yes. By myself, can I let the Word of my Lord speak to me? Yes. When I am all alone, can I talk to my Lord in prayer? Absolutely. And thank God for the privilege. But if I then conclude that there is no need for me to gather with others to do what I can more conveniently do at home, then I have overlooked something; something big. Then I need to sit down for a moment and watch Abram. Abram had just completed a journey. In this journey, he left his homeland far behind. Throughout this journey, he did not know where he was going. But now God has made it clear where Abram is to live. He is to pitch his tent in the land of Canaan; a land, God says, he will give to Abram’s descendants. And so, Abram pitches his tent. He, his family, along with the families of his shepherds, herdsmen, and laborers—they all set up camp. But the episode does not end there. Surrounding Abram’s household is a Canaanite culture that is calloused and often shocking in its ungodliness. And so, what does Abram do next? He builds an altar and proclaims the name of the Lord. He proclaims the Lord. Publicly. Openly. He does not just have a quiet devotion in the privacy of his tent. He does not just meditate on God’s Word by himself. He does not just pray to the Lord when he is all alone. He builds an altar and proclaims. For all to see. For all to hear. He publicly proclaims the only Savior from sin the world is ever going to have. Like Abram, let’s take advantage of every opportunity to publicly proclaim the name of the Lord. Prayer: Lord Jesus, you’re the only Savior there is. Move me to proclaim you with my fellow believers. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260303dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion The LORD had said to Abram, “…and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:1,3 A Promise Let’s imagine the life of Abram—this famous figure from the Bible. In our imagination, it’s easy to presume God is coming down every other day to perform a dramatic miracle. It’s easy to picture Abram living a life bursting with high drama, a John Williams soundtrack swelling in the background. And because you and I already know how everything turns out, it’s easy to suppose that, somehow, Abram does too. These presumptions, of course, are wrong. Ninety-nine percent of Abram’s life had no high drama at all. It was mundane, ordinary, filled with problems, filled with headaches—those made by others and those of his own making—filled with the logistics of finding food and water for his flocks and herds, filled with the complications of caring for his not-always-happy family. And Abram did not have a crystal-clear vision on how everything was going to turn out. All he had was a promise. The Lord promised to bless him. The Lord promised to take care of him. The Lord promised to do wonderful things through him. And most of all, the Lord promised that, through Abram, he would bring the Savior into the world. And that was it. That’s what Abram had. Throughout his most ordinary life, Abram possessed an extraordinary promise from God. With few exceptions, our lives are not lives of high drama. The London Symphony does not follow us around playing a movie score. Our lives contain much that is mundane, ordinary, filled with trouble, bouts of pain, and unresolved problems that need our management. It’s part of living in a broken world—a world broken by your sin and mine. And all we have is a promise. A promise that the Lord will bless. A promise that the Lord will take care of us. A promise that the Lord will do wonderful things through us. But here’s the thing. Such a promise is more than enough. It’s more than enough because it’s a promise sealed in the blood of Jesus Christ, the very blood that has washed our sins away. Prayer: Lord Jesus, when the mundane problems of my life overwhelm me, remind me of the extraordinary promise I possess in 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260302dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” Genesis 12:1 Leaving Leaving is hard. You empty out your home until it’s nothing but vacant rooms. Once you’re on the road, the rhythms and routines of your old life cease to exist. And when you reach your destination, you know that, for a while, you and your family are going to be the new people—the people no one knows. When Abram had to leave with his family, however, his sources of stress were far worse. At that time, leaving your homeland meant more than leaving the place where you grew up. It meant leaving your sense of identity. It meant leaving those who knew you and your family through generations of shared stories, traditions, inside jokes. It meant leaving a place where you knew the people you could count on. Abram left all that—for what? Permanent camping. Living in a tent. Uncertainty. Unknowns. Always the stranger. Never fitting in. Humanly speaking, that’s what Abram had for the rest of his life. But leaving the familiar happens to you and me, too. We leave the carefree days of school, when easy laughter with friends was the norm. Many of us have had to leave a workplace where we felt appreciated. Through illness or injury or age, many of us have had to leave behind the days when our bodies were quick and strong. And when death strikes, many of us have had to leave behind those moments when we were never alone for the evening meal. Leaving is hard. Thankfully, Abram had the LORD. He had the One who would already be there, waiting for him, when his future arrived. He had the One who would be his constant. He had the One who would never change. He had the One who would keep his every promise. He had the One who would bring to Abram a kind of fulfillment and joy he could not even imagine. All this Abram possessed through faith in the promise of a Savior from sin. You and I have the same. Prayer: Lord Jesus, when I leave the familiar, remind me that you never leave. 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.