November 11, 2025

Today's Reading: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, 13-17

Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 23:21-40; Matthew 25:31-46

“To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 2:14)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

God has made a decision for you. Do you realize that? God has made a choice for you and has called you to Himself. Do you slow down to stop and take time to think about that? You are a miracle of God’s divine grace. God came to you through his Word and by his Spirit. He spoke to you, and you listened. He called you, and you came. He gave you a promise, and you believed. God chose to set his love on you; you are a miracle of God’s saving grace. 

Not by the Law did God call you, but through His gospel. What does that mean? It means His decision for you is not based on your performance but upon His promise. God’s decision for you is not conditional but unconditional. God didn’t call you and say, “Come here, I've got a deal for you. I’ll wipe the slate of your sin clean, I’ll raise you from the dead, and I’ll give you a permanent place in my incredible kingdom if you…” Nope! The law works that way, but not the gospel. You have been called by the gospel. You are a walking miracle of God’s grace. 

God chose you in Christ. That means it has pleased him to give you everything Jesus won for you through his life, death, and resurrection as pure gift. No conditions. No checklist. No performance test. It’s all yours in Jesus: complete forgiveness, God fully pleased with you, a life where he is working his good works through you, and everlasting life in his eternal kingdom. That’s the decision God made for you. That’s what Jesus accomplished for you. You have been called to simply receive it by faith – trusting in God’s wonderful promises to you, and even your faith is His miraculous gift. 

God still calls you every day. When you wake up and open your eyes to a new day, God is calling you to rise and embrace the day, walking in His promises. He is at work in you and is keeping you in the very faith He has given you, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ! All gift; all for you. You are a miracle of God’s amazing grace.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.” (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)

Author: Rev. Darrin Sheek, pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Anaheim, CA.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.

This new devotional resource by Carl Fickenscher walks you through each week’s readings, revealing thematic connections and helping you better understand what is to come in worship each Sunday.