WELS Military Devotions

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Based on Romans 13:1-7

A couple of weeks ago I was running through the canyon near our home here in San Diego and out of nowhere an aircraft came screaming over the treetops. I looked up and saw the recognizable bright blue paint and the words “US NAVY” underneath. It was the Blue Angels, rehearsing for the two-day airshow at Miramar Marine Corps Air Base near our house. I wondered, “How much does it cost to put on a two-day airshow like that? And who pays for it?” It’s probably your taxes and my taxes that pay for that airshow.   

How do you feel about paying your taxes? Before you answer that question, let’s first listen to what God has to say through the apostle Paul:   

“This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes” (Romans 13:6-7). 

The apostle Paul makes the point that God has established the authority of the government for the purpose of protecting our property and bodies. One of the ways the government does that is by collecting taxes. They use tax dollars to establish a standing Army and Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, Air Force and Space Force. Paul explains that you who are warfighters, carry out your vocation for this purpose: “For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer” (Romans 13:4). 

You may not always agree with the orders you receive while you serve in the military. You may not always be happy with the way our government uses our taxes. But God uses it for his good purposes.  

It’s good for us to remember that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, paid his taxes faithfully and willingly. He honored those in authority over him in the state. He was the perfect citizen. And even though that same government that he respected and to which he paid taxes used his taxes to crucify him. God used it for good, to forgive your sins. For all the times that you complained about paying your taxes, or were less than honest in submitting your taxes, or those times you disrespected your government, Jesus’ righteous life covers over it all. His death pays the penalty for those sins.  

And so, he has set you free from complaining, set you free from dishonesty, and set you free to go and be a faithful citizen, to be a faithful warfighter, to carry out your vocations, to serve your neighbor and to share the gospel with your neighbors and to pay your taxes willingly and gladly.  

It is not always easy to be a citizen of two kingdoms—the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the State —but God has shown us the way, and he shows us his Son, Jesus, the perfect citizen, who lived and died and rose so that we might live in his perfect kingdom forever. Let us keep our eyes fixed on these truths as we live in two kingdoms.

Prayer:

O Lord our God, so govern the nations on earth and direct the affairs of this world that your church may worship you in peace and joy; may we live such faithful lives in both kingdoms that others see Christ through us and make Christ known to them. Keep our warfighters faithful in their vocations. Give them the strength to carry out their missions and training to the best of their ability, so that your name is honored, and we may live in peace. In Jesus’ name I pray it. Amen.  

Written and recorded by Rev. Paul Horn, WELS National Civilian Chaplain to the Military, San Diego, California.

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. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

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Based on Romans 1:16,17

I’m going to apologize in advance. If I see you in a restaurant or at the store or out in our community or at an airport and you’re wearing your uniform, I will probably stop and talk to you.  Not because it’s my job, but because I care very deeply for those who serve in our nation’s military. And your uniform says something about you. It’s going to tell me which branch you serve; your rank insignia will tell me whether you’re enlisted or officer and maybe how long you’ve been serving. The patches on your arm will tell me a little bit about your MOS or your rate, your job in in the military. Your uniform says something about you. 

The apostle Paul talks about this when he writes, “I am not ashamed of the gospel” (Romans 1:16). The gospel is the good news about Jesus. Paul is not ashamed of that good news about Jesus. He wears it like a uniform. Anybody that came into contact with the apostle Paul knew that he was a Christian because of the way he carried himself, the way he answered questions, the way he forgave people, the way he loved them, the way he was so selfless; he wasn’t so much concerned about what people thought about him but that people knew about Jesus. 

When you put on your uniform and go to work, you work alongside people in a religiously pluralistic environment. There are people that work alongside you who come from all sorts of different faiths and beliefs, even people who say they don’t believe anything about God. Sometimes this can make sharing your faith a little uncomfortable. Senior NCO and officers have shared with me that this is hard for them to do because they don’t want to project that their faith is the faith of their command or unit.They have to be very careful about that. There are war fighters who have shared that they are a little bit shy about sharing the gospel because they want to fit in with those around them.  

Paul says, “I am unashamed. I am honored to wear the gospel as a uniform.” Why? He goes on to say, “I’m not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). Paul wanted everyone to know that he wore the uniform of the gospel so that other people might know Jesus.  

When you wear the gospel as your uniform people will know that you are a Christian. They will know it because of the way you talk to people, the way that you are service-minded and not self-centered, the way that you forgive and are patient and loving. Wearing that uniform builds bridges with people. As you build those bridges, God is going to open doors so that you can build a bridge to Jesus. Jesus is what they need. 

Paul goes on to say in the very next verse that this righteousness that they need to know is not a righteousness of their own. They are righteous before God, not because of things that they have done, but because of what Jesus has done for them. Behonored to wear that righteousness which God has given you, for righteous is what he has declared you to be in Christ Jesus.   

Be honored to wear the uniform of the gospel, that good news of Jesus, so that others may wear this uniform, too.   

Prayer:

Jesus, you have called us to serve others and to live as your people wherever you place us. Give our military members courage to be unashamed of your gospel. Help them reflect your love in the way they speak, serve, forgive, and care for those around them. When they work alongside people of different beliefs or no faith at all, give them wisdom and humility. Let their lives point others to you without fear or embarrassment. May their uniforms identify whom they serve in this world, while their words and actions show whom they serve eternally. Amen. 

Written and recorded by Rev. Paul Horn, WELS National Civilian Chaplain to the Military, San Diego, California.

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. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

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Based on Philippians 3:12-21

How will this end? What will this look like? How do I know we will be ok?  A lingering war in Iran, uncertainty with China, and all of the other “unofficial” places we’re involved militarily. . . and then here in the States, families are concerned about affordability and thinking ahead to the mid-terms next month. How will this end?  

Anxieties are the “what ifs” that race through our brains and hearts.  Now, I’m not going to tell you, “Don’t be anxious.” Anxiety is an emotion and sometimes we feel anxious. But I do want to talk about what you do about anxiety. If it’s three or four glasses of bourbon, or binging on food that’s not good for you, or raging about things that haven’t even happened yet, or grabbing every ear that will listen to your “what ifs,” those aren’t healthy, and they are sinful. If you continue down that path, they will be the heavy burden that weighs on your heart and soul and mind, and your body will feel the effects. Do you feel that weight?   

God doesn’t want this for you. In fact, he wants you to take your “what ifs” to him in prayer and then leave them there. He’ll take care of them in his time and in his way. He promises. But then he wants you to linger near him for a while longer, and to listen to him after he’s listened to you. Listen now.  

Through his Apostle Paul who knew anxiety and who had experience with some big sized “what ifs,” he tells you how this will end: “God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. . . Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Philippians 3:14b, 20-21).  

Take a deep breath and let it out. It’s going to be ok. Your Savior has everything under his control. He died and rose from the dead and ascended to heaven where he sits at the right hand of the Father with all power and authority. He’s got this. He shows you his end game. He’s coming back for you. You, my friend, are going to heaven. He will take your body and mind and soul and make them new again, with a brain that won’t be able to run laps with “what if,” with a body that won’t feel the effects of stress, with a soul that is perfectly calm and at rest, all the time.      

You know how this ends, because Jesus just told you so.  

Prayer:

Father in heaven, I ask that you be present and listen to our warfighters, those who are single and feel anxious and alone, those who are married, those who have children, their parents and spouses and children who are anxious for them. Move them to bring their “what ifs” to you in prayer first. Then, move them to listen carefully to you say to them, “Everything is ok. You can rest now. For I am your peace. I am your future. I got this.” In Jesus’ name I pray it. Amen. 

Written and recorded by Rev. Paul Horn, WELS National Civilian Chaplain to the Military, San Diego, California.

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. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

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Based on Ezekiel 18:30-32

There he was, a grown man sitting in my office, and he was sobbing. He was a veteran of our nation’s military and was successful with his career. He was now serving as a civilian and was doing well there, too, but that day, he sat in my office sobbing. He said, “Pastor Horn, I am embarrassed. I’m ashamed to even be sitting here talking to you, but I don’t know who else to talk to because I’m just stuck. I have sinned and I don’t know what to do, but I know something needs to change.” 

It was his computer and the Internet and pornography. . . and he realized how much it consumed his time, how it turned him into a liar and someone who would sneak away and hide so he could watch. It was affecting his marriage with his wife and his relationship with his children and the way that he interacted with his coworkers and his neighbors. He knew something needed to change. What was he to do? 

The LORD said through his prophet Ezekiel:  

Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD (Ezekiel 18:30-32).  

This man did what the Lord has called us to do, to repent. The way the Bible describes repentance is like receiving an order for an “about face,” to completely turn around. Repentance is recognizing sin for what it is—an offense against God—and to be sincerely sorry for that offensive thing and to turn away from it. If you do an “about face” away from sin, you need to turn toward something else. 

I helped this man who sat in my office sobbing to do an “about face” from his sin and guilt to Christ, and helped him see Christ’s cross, and said to him, “My brother, your sin is forgiven for Christ has put it to death. And look! See in the waters of your baptism that Jesus has drowned that sin. He has washed you. He has cleansed you. And look here! I have bread and wine through which Christ makes his body and blood truly present for the forgiveness of your sins!” And right there we celebrated the Lord’s supper together. We laughed and we cried and did this “about face” together.  

If you’re going to do this “about face,” then it also means living with the new heart and the new life Jesus has created in you. So, we put a plan together for that new life. We set boundaries. We found resources to help him and people he could call so that when he struggled and fought against the lie of pornography, he had a solid foundation to help him walk the way that God would have a man and a husband and a father and a coworker and a friend to walk.  

What is it for you? What thing have you done that you are embarrassed or ashamed to talk about? My friend, repent so that you might not die but live. Talk to a chaplain, a pastor, a friend, and confess your sin and then be ashamed no more. Do that “about face” and turn to Christ and his cross and see, my friend, that you are forgiven! No matter what it is that you have done, go to the waters of your baptism and see there that your sin has been drowned. See that Christ has created in you a new heart and given you a new life!  

So go now and do that “about face” and walk in the life that is truly life, life in Christ.  

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, you call us to turn away from our sinful ways and live. Give us the courage to make an “about face” when we have wandered from you. Turn our hearts away from pride, bitterness, lust, greed, and selfishness, and turn them toward you. For our military members, give strength to those facing difficult missions, lonely nights, and demanding orders. Remind us that true life is found not in ourselves, but in you. Create in us repentant hearts and help us to rest in the forgiveness won at the cross. Then, may we walk with new hearts in the new life you give to us. Amen.

Written and recorded by Rev. Paul Horn, WELS National Civilian Chaplain to the Military, San Diego, California.

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. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

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Based on Romans 9:19; Jonah 4:11

I don’t know about you but every time I read the story of Jonah in the Bible, I am amazed. It’s not so much that part where the giant fish swallows Jonah to preserve his life. . . And I apologize, if you’re totally lost right now. Go and read the book of Jonah before you continue reading this devotion. It’s only four chapters long. It really won’t take you long. Ok, now. . . what amazes me about that story is that God spared the entire city of Nineveh. This was the seat of power for the Assyrian kingdom. It was also the seat of wickedness and witchcraft and all sorts of godlessness.  

The LORD sent Jonah to the city of Nineveh to call them to repentance. God wanted to teach Jonah a lesson about his mercy and grace. And Jonah was actually upset about this—that God would spare the Assyrians. Not only were they godless and wicked, but they were mortal enemies of the people of Israel! The amazing part about this story is that the people listened to Jonah’s call to repentance. God listened to their genuine repentance, and he spared the people.  

The city of Nineveh was eventually destroyed by the Babylonians 150 years later. The region changed political hands over the years but about 500 years later St. Thomas, one of Jesus’ own apostles, traveled to Nineveh and proclaimed the message of God’s grace. That seed of the gospel was planted and remained there for about 2,000 years. Because of your military service and deployments some of you have been there—the city of Mosul in northern Iraq, on the eastern bank of the Tigris River.  

Christianity has been there up until about 2014 when ISIS came in and either drove all the Christians away or slaughtered them. Some reports say that less than 70 Christian families reside in Mosul. Maybe it’s time to go back? That would be a little bit tricky wouldn’t it, to send a pastor as a missionary to Iraq? It wouldn’t be safe. What about you? Would you go?  

The amazing thing about this story of Jonah is that God still works this way. He sends people with his radical grace and mercy to others who clearly don’t deserve it. They listen and they believe and God saves them from themselves and from destruction, from death and hell and all of it, and he gathers them into his house—people from all over the world with different skin colors and languages and cultures. Amazing!  

What’s amazing about this story is that it involves you! You are one of those to whom God sent someone to pour water on your head. In your baptism he gathered you into his home. You are one to whom God sent someone to speak his words: “You are forgiven in Christ.” He caused his Word to be planted in your heart, and he caused faith to grow in your heart to trust that Word so that you know—as unworthy as you and I are, and we know that we are unworthy because of the things that we have done and the things that we have left undone—we know the amazing impossible thing is that God causes us to believe and to trust that this is for us.   

The apostle Paul put it this way: “It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy” (Romans 9:16). The Father is generous with his grace and mercy. He told Jonah, “Should I not be concerned about that great city?” (Jonah 4:11). The amazing thing about this story is that God is concerned about our cities, too. 

I don’t need to go over to Iraq. There are Iraqis living right here in San Diego. You should meet my neighbors who live in my little part of San Diego. All the different nationalities and cultures they represent; it’s incredible. I’m sure the same is true for you and the important city where God has placed you. What’s incredible is that he calls you and me to be dispensers of this same amazing grace.  

Prayer:

Lord, ‘tis not that I did choose you that I know could never be, for this heart would still refuse you had your grace not chosen me. You removed the sin that stained me, cleansing me to be your own; for this purpose you ordained me, that I live for you alone. (CW581:1) O Holy Spirit, work in the hearts of our nation’s warfighters the joy that comes from knowing your grace and mercy is for them, unworthy though they be. Then open their lips to speak your Word of grace and mercy to those in their homes, in their barracks and apartments, and then make them so bold as to share that grace and mercy with those who do not feel worthy or undeserving of your love on their ships and boats, downrange and in the field, underway and overseas, so that all nations may be gathered to you. In your name I pray it. Amen.   

Written and recorded by Rev. Paul Horn, WELS National Civilian Chaplain to the Military, San Diego, California.

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. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

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It’s at this time of year where we hear that word “remember” or the words “don’t forget,” and they immediately tie our minds and hearts to the awful events that happened 25 years ago. Those of us who are old enough remember exactly where we were and what we were doing and how we reacted when we first heard the awful news.  

There’s some of you who were (and still are) on active duty and cannot forget where you were or what you were doing because you knew what this meant for you in your vocation as a war fighter. Some of you were in high school, and you will not forget because those events moved something in you to join the fight and defend our nation so that something like this would never happen again. For some of you who went over there, you wish you could forget some of the things that happened over there.   

There is a lot wrapped up in that word “remember.” Why would I want to remember? Part of us doesn’t want to remember because of how awful it was. We don’t want to remember because of people we lost to the war, people whose minds and bodies have been lost because of the war. And then we get to the deeper spiritual question, “God, do you remember where you were? What were you doing on that day?” And those who suffer may ask, “Lord, do you remember me in my grief and sorrow?”   

What are we to do when remembering is difficult on the heart and soul? The only thing that we can do is to remember who our God is, who never forgets and always remembers – ah, with one exception. “I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more” (Hebrews 8:12). The most important thing God forgets is your sin, for he has hidden it in his Son’s death on the cross.   

When God looks back at the cross, he remembers. God remembers the pain and trauma and grief and death for God suffered it all for you and me to redeem us from it. God remembers why it was necessary for him to suffer. For God remembers the garden where we brought destruction and trauma and war and death—all the consequences of sin—into the world. God remembers he made a promise right there in the garden and kept that promise by going to the cross and grave for the world. God remembers what happened three days later, because it was on that day he guaranteed, “I redeem all things. I make all things right. I remember that I came to save you.”        

Since our God is a God who does not forget, let us hold him to those things he remembers.  

“Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath” (Job 7:7).

“Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old” (Psalm 25:6).

“Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope” (Psalm 119:49).

God remembers you. He remembers when he put his name on you, on your baptism day, when he claimed you as his own child, and tied you so intimately to his Son’s death and resurrection. He doesn’t forget you. He will not forget the awful things that have happened to you, your friends, your family, our country, because you are his.   

He will remember to be your strength when you are weak, to be your peace when there is chaos, to be your joy when there is sadness, to be your life in death.  

So do not forget 9/11. But do not forget your God. Remember him. Remember his promises. Because he doesn’t forget them. And he doesn’t forget about you.  

Prayer:

Father in heaven, remember your great mercy and love for your people. Remember what happened 25 years ago today and bring comfort and hope and healing to those who still suffer. Bring justice on those who harmed us. Curb the evil intentions of those who seek to bring harm on us again. Keep our police officers, firefighters and first responders diligent in their work. Keep watch over those who keep watch over us to keep us from the wolves. Defend us from enemies foreign and domestic so that we may live in peace. Do this, Father, for you are our loving Father, and we are your children, bought by the blood of your Son Jesus. In his name I pray it. Amen.   

Written and recorded by Rev. Paul Horn, WELS National Civilian Chaplain to the Military, San Diego, California.

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. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

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Based on Psalm 32

“The one thing you do not want to do as the captain of a Navy ship is to run into another ship.” This struck me as I sat in the captain’s chair and listened to the docent on the USS Midway museum here in San Diego. That one mistake will cost you command of that ship. Somone else will take your place. It will make national headlines. In that moment, what words would you need to hear?  

King David was commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the nation of Israel. He did the one thing a leader should not do. He had an affair with a married man’s wife. He impregnated her. Then he added to the crime. He murdered her husband through a strategic placement in combat operations to cover it up.   

And it eventually made national headlines. But before it did, a trusted friend to the king lovingly, but firmly, pointed out his guilt. Ultimately David’s sin was against his God. David believed the lie that his desires were of greater importance than God’s will for him to practice self-control and be above reproach. His friend wanted David to know this, that he had sinned against God and that David deserved to die. In that moment, what words would David need to hear?  

David wrote about his emotional and spiritual rollercoaster ride in Psalm 32. He described how troubled he was by what he had done. It affected him physically and mentally. It grieved his soul. Then he wrote, “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD” (Psalm 32:5). And what was the LORD’s response? “And you forgave the guilt of my sin.” David knew this through the words of his trusted friend Nathan. The most powerful words a friend could say.  

My friends, I know that you have good Christian friends who have made mistakes, some big and some small—at least in the eyes of the world. Have you called them to repent? I would encourage you to do so, because this is what Jesus would have us do. Out of love for their soul, give them that safe, confidential place to confess their sin to you. So that you, with a smile on your face, might say to them the most powerful words you can say to anyone, “My friend, your sin is forgiven. For Jesus has become your guilt. And you have become his righteousness. You will not die but live.”  

And then together recite the words of King David, “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against him” (Psalm 32:1).

Prayer:

Dear Lord, you know every sin we try to hide and every guilt that troubles our hearts. Give us honest and repentant hearts that confess our sins to you without excuse or denial. Forgive us for the sake of Jesus, who became our guilt and gave us his righteousness. Give us courage to call our friends to repentance, not in judgment, but out of concern for their souls. Then let us speak the most powerful words we could ever say to our friends: “In Jesus, your sins are forgiven!” So that we might share in the joy of pardon proclaimed. Amen.   

Written and recorded by Rev. Paul Horn, WELS National Civilian Chaplain to the Military, San Diego, California.

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. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

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Based on Matthew 16:21-26

They’ve cut off all your hair and the only personal possessions you have are your Bible and a notebook? Embrace the suck. Deployment has been extended again? Embrace the suck. PCS orders have been delayed? Embrace the suck. Oh, our household goods won’t arrive on time and when they do some of them will be broken? Embrace the suck.  

Whether you are new to the military community or you’re counting down the days and weeks to retirement, you know that there are circumstances beyond your control, ones that are unique to a life that is scripted by the Department of War. And when an event happens today that is beyond your control you have learned to say, “Embrace the suck,” and to do just that.  

I know that most of the time this is said tongue in cheek, but sometimes that event, those circumstances that are beyond your control, can be miserable, painful, they weigh on your heart and mind and soul. There are different ways you can respond. You can accept it and move on with resiliency. Easier said than done. . . Or. . . you can run away from it, ignore it, as if it didn’t happen, but you’ll eventually have to deal with it. Or. . . you can sit and wallow in your self-pity. Or. . . you can ask Jesus, “What did you do, when you had to embrace the suck?” Because Jesus, too, had to embrace the suck.   

Jesus addresses all of those times in life when we as Christians have to do things we don’t want to do, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).

When Jesus tells you to deny yourself, he means that you learn to say, “Not my will, but yours be done.” God does have your best interests in mind. He promises it, “I will make all things work out for your benefit” (Romans 8:28). And so you have to trust him even when that thing you are going through seems to challenge his word.  

When Jesus tells you to take up your cross and follow me, it means that you must deny your own doubts and fears, and say, “No matter how great my pain, how horrible my suffering, my God remains my God and Savior because he has promised to be my God and Savior. I will embrace his promises even when they seem to contradict his promise of grace and help in every need.”  

Christ doesn’t just tell us to do these things without showing us that he did them for us. Christ embraced the suck, but more than that! He embraced the good and gracious will of his Father, even when it was difficult, even when it meant he suffered, even when it meant he endured the separation of hell and death and grave for us. He grasped the cross for you so that one day, you will set it down and rest forever.  

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you know the unique hardships that our war fighters and their dependents must endure. Teach them to embrace their crosses with joy, keeping your promises ever before their eyes, so that they may always know that you love them, that you will be their strength and their hope until life eternal. Use us to remind those who are deployed or separated from their loved ones of your promises. Preserve their faith in you until you bring them home again. In your name we pray it. Amen.  

Written and recorded by Rev. Paul Horn, WELS National Civilian Chaplain to the Military, San Diego, California.

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. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

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Based on Matthew 16:13-20

Who is Jesus? That was the topic of discussion I had with a young US Army Soldier. He had studied the world religions—Islam, Christianity, Hinduism—and concluded that Jesus was a good teacher, a moral example, but not Savior. 

“Who do people say I am?” Jesus asked his disciples. They shared the whisperings they heard as they mingled with the crowds and listened in the marketplaces, “One of the prophets from old, raised from the dead.” This was nothing new. Jesus dealt with false assumptions about his identity since he walked this earth.  

For some, Jesus is a cheerleader who will affirm whatever it is they want to do in life. For others, he is the “giver of bling,” a genie who will grant them whatever their heart desires. For some, he is a teacher, a moral guide to follow and somehow earn their way to heaven. And others will look at the pluralistic religious environment in which they live and determine, “He is one of many ways to heaven.” But if that’s all Jesus is, why follow him at all?  

This is the question you and I and everyone needs to answer, “Who is Jesus?”   

When the disciples answered as they had heard from crowds, he asked them, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of living God” (Matthew 16:16). How did he come to that conclusion? He listened, he watched, he read the Old Testament promises and compared them with this man before him and concluded—and believed—“This is the Son of God, the Savior for the world, but more importantly, for me.”  

Yes, my friend, Jesus is more than just a good teacher, for his teachings give life, because they are living words, life-giving words. Jesus’ words give rescue from death. He is more than an example, for we could never perfectly follow it. But the life he lived, he lived for us, for you. Who is Jesus? He is the life, the truth, the way, the one upon whom the Church is built. His is the name which saves you. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).

When you have those spiritual and religious conversations, please redirect the convo back to the question, “Who is Jesus?” And then listen. Be patient. Seek to understand. And then confess, “Can I share with you what I know to be true about Jesus? He is the eternal Son of God, who lived for me, died for me, and rose from the dead for me, to give me life eternal, and he has for you, too.”

Prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, you are the eternal Son of God, our promised Messiah, and our only Savior. Thank you for living the perfect life we could not live, dying for our sins, and rising again to give us eternal life. Strengthen the faith of Christian war fighters to confess you boldly and lovingly whenever opportunities arise. Give them patient hearts to listen, compassionate words to speak, and confidence that your life-giving gospel is the power that saves. Keep us all steadfast in the truth that you are our Lord, now and forever. Amen. 

Written and recorded by Rev. Paul Horn, WELS National Civilian Chaplain to the Military, San Diego, California.

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. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

Watch the Devotion

Based on Ephesians 2:13-22

When have you felt like an outsider? Some of you have shared with me stories about the times you’ve been embedded with locals, in a country on the other side of the world. Or times when you’ve sat down with tribal leaders. Veterans have shared stories about their transition from active duty to the civilian side and while working and living among civilians, they look around and say, “These aren’t my people. I don’t feel like I belong.” As a civilian, I’ve often felt that way when giving an invocation at a military ceremony or leading a Bible study or worship service surrounded by people in uniform, I say to myself, “I do not belong here.”  

But the place I most often feel that way is in the presence of my almighty, holy God. Do you ever feel that way? Whether you are sitting in the pew at church or at home in prayer and devotion, it happens often that I do not feel that I belong there. As I reflect on his Word that I hear and read, his Word convicts my conscience. At times I have been lax in my vocations in the way I fail to love and serve others. I do not belong around them or my God.     

Then Jesus reminds me and you, “Yes, you do belong here. For you are a sinner in desperate need of forgiveness, but that does not exclude you from belonging to me and with me.” The one before whom we stand provides just that: belonging. He brings us in. Listen to his Word from the apostle Paul:

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. . . .Consequently, you are no longer   foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.  In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:13,19-22)   

My friend, when you sit in church, or at your kitchen table, or lie in bed with folded hands, know this: you belong. Christ has given his blood, the guiltless to make the guilty innocent, the holy one to make the unclean blameless, the priceless one makes us mortals immortal. We who were outsiders, foreigners, aliens, strangers, he makes you and me his friends, his brother and sister, a son and daughter to his Father in heaven, now and forever. Yes, you belong because of Christ Jesus.   

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we confess that because of our sins we deserve to be strangers to you and unworthy to stand in your presence. Yet in your great mercy you sent your Son, Jesus Christ, whose holy life and precious blood have brought us near to you. Thank you for making us members of your family, citizens of your kingdom, and heirs of eternal life. When guilt or loneliness makes our nation’s war fighters and veterans feel like outsiders, remind them that they belong to you because of Christ alone. In his name we pray. Amen. 

Written and recorded by Rev. Paul Horn, WELS National Civilian Chaplain to the Military, San Diego, California.

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. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.