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In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.

Perhaps you have known someone like my grandmother. No guest ever left her table hungry. She did not measure food by the serving; she filled the table until it groaned, and when the meal was over, she loaded you down with leftovers to take home. For her, feeding people was not a duty to calculate. It was a joy to share.

The apostle Paul says that is how God deals with us. He writes that God “lavished” the riches of his grace on us. God does not ration his undeserved love for sinners or count it out in careful portions. He is no miser. He gives by the basketful.

Consider what he has given. Paul calls it “redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.” To redeem something means to buy it back, to set it free by paying a price. That is what we needed. Our sins had made us prisoners, guilty before God and unable to purchase our own release. No amount of good behavior could cover what we owed.

So, God paid the price himself. The cost was not silver or gold, but the holy, precious blood of his own Son. On the cross, Jesus gave everything to set you free, and now every sin you have ever committed stands forgiven. God did not forgive you reluctantly, the way we sometimes pardon others while quietly keeping score. He forgave you gladly, fully, lavishly, because that is who he is.

This is what Christians trust in most of all. God’s greatest provision is not found on our tables or in our bank accounts, but at the cross. And if God has already lavished such riches on you there, you can be certain his grace will never run short.

Gracious Father, you lavished the riches of your grace on me through the blood of your Son. Let me live each day in the joy and freedom of your full forgiveness. 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.

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Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

The Bible tells us that Jesus once fed a crowd of more than five thousand people with just five loaves of bread and two fish. He multiplied that little lunch until everyone ate and was satisfied. It was a marvelous gift. But consider this: the next morning, every one of those people woke up hungry again.

That is the nature of earthly blessings. Food fills us for a few hours. Paychecks are spent. Health, as we all eventually learn, fades. Even the happiest earthly gifts—family, friendships, home—are ours for a lifetime at most. We thank God for all of them, but none of them lasts forever.

That is what makes the apostle Paul’s words so remarkable. He praises God for blessing us “in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Notice what he says. Not some blessings, but every blessing. Not stored far away, but already given to us. And these gifts are not kept in a pantry or a bank account, where moths destroy and markets crash. They are kept in the heavenly realms, beyond the reach of anything that could take them away.

What blessings are these? Through faith in Jesus, you have the forgiveness of all your sins. You have peace with God. You are adopted as his dear child. The Holy Spirit lives in you and there is an inheritance in heaven with your name on it. Nothing on earth—not inflation, not illness, not even death itself—can drain that account. Christ earned every bit of it for you, and God has signed it all over to you in your baptism.

So enjoy your daily bread with thanksgiving; it is a gift from your Father’s hand, new every morning. But your greatest treasures are not on the table or in the bank. They are in Christ—forgiveness, peace, and life that never ends. The child of God is rich beyond counting, today and eternally.

Praise to you, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for blessing me with every spiritual blessing in your Son. Keep my heart treasuring what can never be taken away. 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.

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Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Imagine a family of five gathered around the table for dinner. The problem is, there is hardly anything on it—one slice of bread, a bit of fish, nowhere near enough for everyone. Now imagine the father folding his hands and praying, “Thank you, Lord, for this abundant feast.” Wouldn’t that strike you as strange? We give thanks for what we have received, not for what is missing.

Yet that is very nearly what Jesus did. Before more than five thousand hungry people, he took five small loaves and two fish—a meal for maybe a couple of people—looked up to heaven and gave thanks. He gave thanks before anyone had eaten. He gave thanks before there was enough to go around. Then he began to break the bread, and it did not run out. Everyone ate until they were satisfied, and twelve baskets of leftovers remained.

How could Jesus give thanks over such a small supply? Because he was not measuring the food. He was trusting his heavenly Father, whose love and generosity have no limit.

Our prayers often run in the opposite direction. We wait to see the provision before offering thanksgiving. When the account balance is low, or the diagnosis is uncertain, gratitude may be the last thing on our minds—as if God’s goodness depended on what we can see on the table in front of us.

Look instead at what God has already graciously given. He did not spare his own Son but gave him up to die for your sins and rise again. If God has already given you his greatest treasure, will he fail to give you your daily bread? Jesus’ thanksgiving was not wishful thinking but confidence in his Father’s promises. Through Jesus, that same confidence belongs to you.

Heavenly Father, teach me to thank you before I see your answer, trusting that you will provide all that I need. 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.

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As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Bring them here to me,” he said.

Have you ever sat down with your monthly budget and found that the numbers refuse to cooperate? No matter how many times you add them up, there is more month than money. It’s a helpless feeling to be staring at a problem too large for the available resources.

Jesus’ disciples knew that feeling. Thousands of hungry people had followed Jesus to a remote place, and evening was coming. The disciples did the math and proposed the only sensible solution: send everyone away to fend for themselves. Instead, Jesus gave them an impossible assignment: “You give them something to eat.” All they could find among the crowd were five small loaves of bread and two fish. The numbers didn’t add up.

But Jesus never intended for his disciples to solve this problem out of their own pockets. He was inviting them to bring their “not enough” to him. When they did, he took that little lunch, gave thanks, and multiplied it until everyone ate their fill—with twelve baskets left over.

You and I often do the same math the disciples did. We look at our resources—our money, our time, our strength, our goodness—and conclude they will never be enough. They won’t be. That is especially true of our standing before God. We owe him a debt of perfect obedience that we could never begin to pay.

That is why Jesus came. He did not send us away to fend for ourselves. In his compassion, he supplied what we could not—his perfect life and his innocent death—to pay for our sins completely. The Savior who satisfied a hungry crowd with bread has satisfied God’s justice for you.

So, bring him your little. Bring him your “not enough.” His supply never runs out.

Lord Jesus, when my resources run out, teach me to trust your compassion and power to provide everything I need for my body and soul. 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.

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Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.

Many, if not most, psalms in the Bible were designed to be sung or spoken antiphonally—that is, the first half of each verse is sung by a leader or choir followed by the congregation responding with the second half. If you open your Bible to Psalm 136, you’ll notice that the second half of each of the 26 verses is exactly the same: “His love endures forever.” The entire psalm encourages us to give thanks to the Lord, the one true God, who powerfully created all things and who mercifully provides for his people. And with every mention of the Lord’s many mighty acts, the people interject the refrain: “His love endures forever.”

And it’s not just in this psalm. The first time this phrase is found in the Bible is in 1 Chronicles 16, when King David is bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. The people sang and praised God with a psalm that included these same words. “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” A generation later, in 2 Chronicles 5, when King Solomon completed construction of the temple, a great number of musicians played while the choir sang praise to the Lord: “He is good; his love endures forever.”

Someone might ask, “Why the repetition?” But consider why it is that we repeat anything. Usually, because it’s important or because we keep forgetting it—or in this case, both. The Hebrew word translated as love here calls to mind God’s loyalty and grace in dealing with us. Despite our frequent ingratitude and lack of love for God, he is unwaveringly devoted to his love for us, simply because of who he is. In everything he does—starting with the creation of the world, all the way through human history, right down to the way he watches over and provides for us today—God does it out of his commitment to love us. His promise of grace finds its fulfillment in his own Son, Jesus Christ, who came to save us from certain death by taking our punishment upon himself. It is truly a love that endures forever!

Lord God, you have been good to me in so many ways. Let me never forget your grace but always give you thanks, for your love endures forever. 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.

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Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, [Jesus] gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

With Jesus, there is always more. More than five thousand people were fed with just five loaves and two fish. And there was more food left over than they had at the beginning.

This miracle is a big deal. Other than Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, it’s the only miracle recorded in all four gospels. The repetition means Jesus really wants us to know about it. Why?

Jesus teaches us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). In other words, Christians are to trust God to provide. And what Jesus teaches, he demonstrates by feeding the five thousand. He takes care of us and provides everything we need.

This is a simple lesson to learn, but it is difficult to believe. Your sinful nature wants you to think that you take care of yourself. The devil does not want you to trust God. He wants you to trust yourself and say, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me” (Deuteronomy 8:17).

But is that true? Who gives you time to work? Who gives you the strength to work? Who gives you the skills to work? “Remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:18).

Jesus doesn’t work miracles to flaunt his power. He works miracles to show that he is God Almighty in human flesh. Jesus gives health and wealth because that is what Jesus does—he gives. He provides his life, death, and resurrection for your salvation. If he can do that, he can do something as simple as provide daily bread.

Because with Jesus, there is always more. Jesus’ compassion for you knows no bounds. No need is too impossible for Christ to meet. No sin is too big for Jesus to forgive. You can trust him with anything and everything!

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his mercy endures forever. 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.

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[Jesus said] “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

Discovering a hidden treasure is a common dream. Wouldn’t it be great to instantly be wealthy beyond anything you could have imagined?

In the first story of today’s Bible reading, Jesus tells us about someone who, finds buried treasure. In ancient times, rich people were known to divide their wealth into three parts: one for doing business, another converted to precious stones with which to flee, and, if necessary, a third part to be buried in a safe place. So, it could happen that when a rich man died, his buried wealth would remain to be found by some fortunate individual.

In the second brief story, Jesus speaks of a pearl merchant whose life’s mission was to seek out exceptional pearls and obtain them.

Some tirelessly seek treasure, and others just fortunately find it. But the most valuable treasure is that which Jesus has for us. This treasure Jesus tells us is the “kingdom of heaven.” The kingdom is Jesus’ rule in our hearts by faith. When Jesus rules our hearts, when our faith is in him, then we have the treasure of the forgiveness of sins, spiritual life, and eternal salvation—we will enjoy the glories of heaven forever.

Still, we don’t have to wait to enjoy this precious treasure. With faith in Jesus comes the peace of knowing we are God’s dear children right now, the hope of present certainty for a blessed future, and the joy of knowing God loves us today, tomorrow, and always.

So, whether you stumble upon earthly treasure or spend your life seeking after it, what really matters is that you have the treasure of Jesus. It’s worth giving up everything to make it your own.

Lord, lead us to the treasure that is Jesus and help us to treasure that treasure above all things. 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.

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[Jesus said] “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”

A man by the name of Edward Doheny [pronounced Doh-HEE-nee] has just arrived in California. The year is 1892. Doheny is a drifter. He’s worked as a mule driver, a fruit packer, and even a singing waiter. But nothing has panned out. His financial future looks grim.

One day, you’re walking through town and see a strange thing. You see Doheny digging a hole with a pick and a shovel. Turns out he’s put down all the money he can on some vacant lot just so he can dig there. You roll your eyes. You think to yourself, “I guess desperate drifters do desperate things.” You keep walking.

But desperate drifter Edward Doheny knows something you do not know. He spotted a black, thick goo seeping up into this vacant lot. He also has a hunch that people will soon pay money for this thick goo. He’s right. Here, on this lot, he strikes oil. He sets up his first oil well—the first of many. As a result, Edward Doheny becomes one of the wealthiest men in the world.

Jesus tells a similar story: A man finds a hidden treasure in a field. When he does, he sells all he has to buy that field. Think about that for a moment. Imagine what his friends and neighbors are thinking. Imagine how silly and foolish they presume he is—how skewed and confused his priorities appear. But he knows something they do not know. He knows about the treasure.

Which brings us to your life and mine. The culture around us may often smirk at us in polite contempt. In a society where pleasure, money, recognition, entertainment, and power are the stuff of life, the priorities of a Christian often seem quaint, clueless, even stupid.

But we know something others do not yet know. We know about the treasure. We know about Jesus. We know about the priceless riches of forgiveness, peace, purpose, security, and meaning we possess in him. In addition, we know this treasure lasts not only for this life; it is eternal.

Jesus, priceless treasure, keep me close to you. 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.

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…so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

For decades, Peggy Lee was a fixture in American pop culture. Called “The Queen of American Pop Music,” she performed on stage, on television, and in the movies. For example, you can hear her voice and her songs all through the Disney classic, “Lady and the Tramp.”

For all the joy she brought, however, perhaps her most memorable song is one that is not joyful at all. In 1969, she recorded a song entitled “Is That All There Is?” In it, a woman reflects on past events in her life, from the loss of her childhood home to going to the circus with her father, and her first romantic love. After each event, she asks herself, “Is that all there is?” She knows that something is missing, but she doesn’t know what. And as she looks to the end of her life, she’s convinced that, in her final moments, she’ll ask the same question: “Is that all there is?”

The song earned Peggy Lee a Grammy Award. It also reached the top of the charts. Clearly, the song had struck a nerve. It still does today.

In the closing sentences of the apostle Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he reminds us not to look to the things of this world. Don’t look to the things of this world for security, for fulfillment, for meaning, for identity. Not only are the things of this world uncertain; even if they surround us until the day we die, they offer nothing that lasts. In the end, all we will have is the question, “Is that all there is?”

Enter our Creator. Enter God the Son. Enter Jesus. On our behalf, our Savior did what he had to do to rescue us from an empty, pointless existence. His perfect life and death in our place pulled us out of our darkness and back into his light. For now, in him, not only do we bask in his forgiveness; in him, we are once again what he created us to be. We are in the family of God. And because we are, we now have the life that is truly life.

Lord, in you alone I possess the life that is truly life. Thank you. 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.

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Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant.

Max Roser does research. He researches the wide variety of living conditions that people experience around the world. He also offers some perspective. For instance, Roser has this to say about living conditions that many of us accept as ordinary. He writes: “What many people in wealthy countries regard as ordinary—electricity at the flip of a switch, clean water from a tap, refrigeration, antibiotics, hot showers, flush toilets, and abundant food—would have been luxuries unavailable not only to most people alive today, but to kings and queens for most of human history.”

Let that quote sink in for just a moment. The luxuries and conveniences many of us take for granted are not only inconceivable to millions of people around the world; these luxuries and conveniences were not available even to the richest kings and queens of the past.

It also means that when the apostle Paul was speaking about “those who are rich,” he was speaking about people who could not even imagine the kind of ordinary wealth many of us enjoy in the 21st Century. In other words, many of us are far, far, far richer than “the rich” of Paul’s day.

When God’s Word, therefore, says, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant,” you and I cannot immediately presume that this does not apply to us. In fact, in all likelihood, it does.

If I am, indeed, rich by historical standards of living, how might I slip into arrogance? I may not display arrogance like some stereotypical rich man from an old movie—smoking a big cigar while I count my money, barking out orders, looking down my nose at others. In my ordinary comforts, conveniences, and luxuries, however, I can begin to insulate myself from the desperate, constant need for Jesus in my life. Such arrogance can be lethal.

Regardless of my wealth, or lack of it, my need for Jesus is urgent and is real. I need him now and always. He came to take away the sins of the world. Even the sins of the rich. Even mine.

Lord, remove my arrogance. Empower me to grasp my constant need for you. 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.