DAILY DEVOTION, Nov. 18, 2021 

And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.  (Zechariah 12:10).

Theologians like to speak of the “Christocentric principle.” This principle was clearly behind the writings of Martin Luther. He saw Jesus everywhere in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments. Zechariah is a Christocentric book. Jesus is everywhere. In the above passage, we see His crucifixion. God was pouring out His grace on Israel, but many rejected Him. Finally, others realized their error and grieved over the crucifixion. They cried out in dismay, “What shall we do?” What do you do when you have rejected the Son of God?

We learn in Acts 2 the good news that even those who participated in the crucifixion can find forgiveness and new life (See Acts 2:38). Those who turned to Jesus with repentance and faith found forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit. They openly proclaimed their faith in the baptismal waters.

When you read the Bible, the Christocentric principle means we look for Jesus everywhere. If you don’t see Jesus in your Bible reading, you are not reading the Bible correctly. He is the pearl of great price hidden everywhere in the pages of Scripture. The more we see Him, the more we grow in faith.

Father, open my spiritual eyes that I may see Jesus more clearly in the pages of Scripture. As I learn more and more about His glory and majesty, my faith grows, and as my faith grows, my service to Him increases. May my words and deeds bring glory and honor to my Savior, in whose name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY DEVOTION, Nov. 17, 2021

 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. (Isaiah 53:2).

We wonder what Jesus looked like. Artist portrayals usually show him as a handsome man. Sallman’s “head of Christ,” which hangs in our sanctuary, represents what the artist thought about Jesus’ appearance. We like to think that Jesus had an attractive, inviting appearance.

When Isaiah prophesied about the coming Messiah, he gave a rather different picture. I don’t know if Isaiah’s words mean that Jesus was ugly; he certainly gives the idea that his appearance was not especially appealing. I like to think He was rather ordinary looking—Not exceptionally handsome, not ugly, just ordinary. It is as if God wanted us to be drawn to Him, not because of His outward appearance,  but because of His words and deeds.

When Samuel selected David as king over Israel, David did not look very royal. Others in the family seemed to fit the bill better. We learn that “man looks upon the outward appearance, but God looks upon the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). We are attracted to Jesus because He has a heart of love. Whatever His outward appearance makes no difference. The important thing is His love.

Father, I thank you for sending Jesus into the world to save us. While we don’t know much about His appearance, we know He loves us, and that is enough. May we return that love to Him and serve Him gratefully. In His name, Amen.

DAILY DEVOTION, 11/15/21

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

Jesus is the eternal Word of God. He took on our human nature and lived with us as a man. Some see Jesus simply as a man. John sees things that many miss. He saw the glory of Jesus, glory unique to Him as the only begotten Son of God. Perhaps John refers to the Transfiguration when the divine nature of Jesus (His glory) startlingly shone through His humanity (see Matthew 17). This is what John saw:  “He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light” (Matthew 17:2). This is one of many things John saw that convinced Him that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God.  

What is the Son of God like? Has He come to condemn us? Has He come to reveal the anger of God against us? On the contrary, John says He appeared as one full of grace and truth. He brought the grace of God to us so we can find forgiveness and peace with God. Grace is the undeserved favor of God upon us sinners. He also came as one full of truth. He is the very truth of God (John 14:6). He brought truth into a world of confusion. If you need grace and truth Jesus is for you.

Father, I desperately need Your grace and truth. I know my life is filled with offenses against Your holy will. Like Pilate, I sometimes ask, “What is truth.” Thank You for sending Jesus, who points me to Your grace and truth. Blessed be His name forever, Amen.

23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower falls,25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

DAILY DEVOTIONAL, Nov. 14, 2021

 Daniel knelt down, prayed, and praised his God three times that day, just like he always did  (Daniel 6:10).

While Daniel’s prayer practice is not necessarily our practice, there is some wisdom in this verse. First, it is a reminder that we need to keep our priorities in order throughout the day by checking in regularly with our heavenly Father. We need to stop our various earthly activities and pray, remembering to praise God for His many blessings. This practice will help us keep on track spiritually. Daniel did not do this occasionally. It was his regular practice.

How long did Daniel pray? We don’t know. The time is not as important as the practice of checking in with God several times daily. I wonder if we will learn in heaven that so many of our earthly problems resulted from our failure to pray? God does not need us, but we need Him. Our Weight Watchers leader reminded us that we always have time to do what we want to do. Will you find a regular time throughout the day to check in with God? It might help to program reminders into your smartphone.

Father, I confess that sometimes I am so busy with other things that I forget to pray. Would you please help me to remember to pray regularly throughout each day? I thank You and praise You for Your many blessings, especially for Jesus my Savior, in whose name I PRAY, Amen.

DAILY DEVOTION, November 13, 2021

Never again will they hunger;  never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. ¹⁷ For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

The Book of Revelation gives us some glimpses of the future. Our verses today certainly make heaven very desirable. Hunger and thirst are eliminated forever. We will not have to endure radical weather changes. Jesus, the Lamb of God, will be present as our shepherd. He will see to it that our every need it met. And there will be no tears forever. Nothing will happen in heaven to make us cry.

It sounds too good to be true, but God does not lie. This glorious future awaits all who have been redeemed by the Lamb of God. Those who trust in Jesus will be with Him forever. While we don’t know all the details about heaven, we know enough to cause us to declare with Peter, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Trusting Jesus is the wisest thing any of us ever do.

Father, I thank You for the gift of life. This life on earth is good even though there are trials and tribulations. The future You have prepared for us will be wonderful beyond our imaginations. Thank You, Father. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You Holy Spirit, One God, forever. Amen.