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03/24/24

  10:35:00 pm, by Pastor Plagenz   , 320 words  
Categories: Devotions

Your King Comes to You

Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Zechariah 9:9,10

Your King Comes to You

Think of the traffic slowly snaking its way to a sold-out concert or opening day baseball game. Crowds of people inch their way closer to the stadium.

Compare that to the crowds who sang praises to Jesus riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Except Jesus wasn’t stationary. He wasn’t waiting for them to move. Zechariah said it well in his prophecy, “See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation” (Zechariah 9:9).

Jesus, a King, comes to those who cannot come to him because of sin’s power to hold them down. He takes the initiative. He gets caught in the traffic jam of insults and beatings. He gives up a dark afternoon. He breaks through death’s doors to bring us new life. Now, he bids us to follow. Where?

Heaven, of course! But on the way, won’t we come to others still stuck in sin? As Jesus has already come to us who were waiting for hope, watching for rescue, many are still waiting and watching who need us to come to them.

Prayer:
King Jesus, you came to my heart’s home and set up your throne there. As causes cry for my allegiance, let it always be given to you first before them. Hear my praises that bless and honor you, and in the midst of my joy, direct a portion of my zeal to those still without your love. Amen.

(This devotion comes from wels.net)

03/18/24

  01:42:00 am, by Pastor Plagenz   , 449 words  
Categories: Devotions

God's Timing Is Always on Time

“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.”
John 12:27

 

God’s timing is always on time

Have you ever wondered, “God what are you waiting for?” You’re not the first:

  • Jesus’ mother said, “They have no more wine.” … “My hour has not yet come.” Jesus replied. (John 2:4)
  • Jesus said, “You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.” (John 7:8)
  • Now there were some Greeks… with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” … Jesus said, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. (John 12:20-23)

It seems like just the right time to see the miracle or at the very least experience something good. But then you wait, and wait, and wait. Trusting God and waiting is not always easy. Sometimes you wonder, “God, what are you waiting for?”

There is a promise that believers had been waiting on for a long time, literally from the beginning. God promised someone who would be struck on the heel but would in turn crush the devil’s head. The pages of the Old Testament provide more and more detail on this promised Messiah. Generation after generation longed for his arrival but never saw that promise fulfilled in their lifetime. After so much time, people must have wondered, “God, what are you waiting for? Will you come to save your people?”

Thousands of years passed. More and more detailed prophecy was shared. Finally, when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son to redeem those under the law. Jesus the Messiah came. Early in Jesus’ ministry it is odd to hear him say, “My time has not yet come.” So many had already waited for so long. But Jesus waited a little bit longer. Until… some Greeks wanted to see Jesus. Now is the Son of Man glorified. This is a great example of God’s love and his timing. Jesus wanted his message to reach not just the people of Israel, but every nation, and in time, to come to you with this message. Our Lord has meticulous planning and enduring patience to save us. God’s commitment to his people is solid and trustworthy.

 

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for always listening and always providing what is best for my soul and those around me. I’m sorry when doubts creep into my heart. I know that no promise from you will ever fail. Thank you for sticking to your plan and your purpose which meant going to the cross for me. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.

(This devotion comes from wels.net)

 

 

03/10/24

  10:23:00 pm, by Pastor Plagenz   , 366 words  
Categories: Devotions

Keep On Looking at Jesus

The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.
Numbers 21:7-9

Keep On Looking at Jesus

To get healed from a snakebite, you look to … a snake? It seems crazy. But it worked because God had promised that it would. God didn’t take away the poisonous snakes; instead, he dealt with the poison.

And that is what he’s done for you and for me regarding the “poisonous snake” called “sin.” Has that snake bitten you this week? A better question would be: How horribly has sin bitten you this week? That’s more accurate, right.

God gives help for the poison of sin. Jesus talked about it in John chapter three, when he said to Nicodemus, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14,15). God’s answer to sin was to charge Jesus with all of those sins, and put Jesus on a cross to pay for them. When Jesus died, he paid for sin in full. Everyone who looks to Jesus and trust in him for forgiveness is healed of their sin, just as everyone who looked at that bronze snake in Moses’ day were healed of their snakebite. So, keep your eyes on Jesus and trust that through him, you really are healed of your sin.

Prayer:
O Savior, forgive me for underestimating the horror of sin. Lead me back to your cross over and over, that you might continue to assure me that I’ve been healed by your work, that indeed I’ve been healed forever. Lead me to live in the confidence of forgiveness, and to reflect your joy to those around me. Amen.

(This devotion comes from wels.net)

03/03/24

  11:37:00 pm, by Pastor Plagenz   , 326 words  
Categories: Devotions

Beyond Cynicism

The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
1 Corinthians 1:25

Beyond Cynicism

If you were to ask people to say one word to describe our society’s attitude for the last twenty years or so, many might say the word “cynical.” A pure cynic is distrustful of everything. A pure cynic takes pleasure in mocking someone instead of listening and learning. A pure cynic always looks for the next punch line at someone else’s expense.

Recently, however, some observers of our culture have suggested that we have begun to enter what they call “post cynicism.” This is simply their way of saying that maybe, just maybe, our society is getting tired of assuming that everything is a big joke. After all, if you spend your life only making fun of other people and their ideas, when the day is done, you still have no answers.

How about you? Over the years, how much time and energy have you spent in figuring out ways to dismiss Jesus, to dismiss his promises, to dismiss the specific things he did to rescue your soul?

One thing is certain. As long as you keep embracing cynicism as if it were some great philosophy of the age and keep dismissing the promises that Jesus has made to you, nothing will change. You’ll remain in the same old mess, the same old bitterness, the same old despair.

Cynicism is not the answer. Jesus is. He will displace your buried guilt with full forgiveness. He will fill your darkness with light. He will fill your emptiness with himself. That’s why he came to live a holy life on your behalf. That’s why he died in your place. And that’s why he lives.

Come and see.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, speak to me in your gospel. Fill me with your Spirit. Wash me in your blood. Renew my mind and heart. Amen.

(This devotion comes from wels.net.)

02/25/24

  04:30:00 pm, by Pastor Plagenz   , 346 words  
Categories: Devotions

Certain Hope

Hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Romans 5:5

Certain Hope

“I hope we have decent weather for our trip this weekend.” “I hope the wait at the restaurant isn’t too long tonight.” “I hope I get a raise this year.” “I hope the test results come back negative.”

There are many things we hope for in our lives. Sometimes, our hopes and dreams are realized. When they aren’t, disappointment, ranging from mild to heart-wrenching, is the result.

We have become accustomed to our plans giving way to disappointment. We are all too familiar with the fact that things don’t always turn out the way that we hope they will. So the gift of hope that does not disappoint us sounds pretty wonderful.

That’s the gift God gives—hope that never disappoints. It’s a hope better described with the word certainty.

“I hope God still loves me after what I have done.” “I hope God is in control because I sure am not.” “I hope to go to heaven when I die.”

These “hopes” will not end in disappointment. There is no uncertainty. They are guaranteed by God’s love.

The amazing love that sent his Son to be born into our world, the sacrificial love that sent him to the cross to be punished for all sins—this love guarantees that your hope is certain. You have forgiveness! You have life! You have God’s love! Through the faith that the Holy Spirit has worked in your heart, you know it to be true.

In a world filled with disappointment, it is wonderful to know that we have a God who is faithful. It is comforting to know we have been given the gift of sure and certain hope.

Prayer:
Gracious Lord, you know all my hopes and dreams that have resulted in disappointment and heartbreak. Send me your Holy Spirit to comfort my heart and give me joy in the certain hope that comes from you. Amen.

(This devotion comes from wels.net)

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