Listen to Devotion

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

“You just gotta believe!”

When life gets hard, when no solution seems available, someone will inevitably offer up that tired phrase as encouragement. “You just gotta believe!”

Believe in what, exactly?

In governments? In myself? In money? Those things may seem capable of solving problems, but they really can’t.

Essentially, every small problem originates from one big problem for which none of us has a solution. Sin. Sin results in animosity, frustration, pain, tears, and death.

In whom, then, should I put my trust when things go wrong? The problem of sin is too big for me to solve.

Trust “Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Jesus did what we never could or would do for ourselves. Though we don’t deserve it, he provided us with the perfect solution to the problem of sin.

His perfect life and death is the “Way” God chose to pay for our sins. His powerful resurrection shows that he is our Savior. His forgiving love and peace are what we need to start over, as Paul did, and live our lives for him.

When life gets tough, when problems pile up higher than we can manage, when tears start flowing, and hope seems to fade, God calls us to believe in his Son—the solution to all of life’s problems, big and small.

Now, that is worth believing!

Eternal God, thank you for the grace and peace which are mine because you invited and brought me to believe in the solution to all my problems, Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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.