https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260117dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. Matthew 3:13-15 Baptism Connects Here is an interesting question: If Jesus never sinned, why did he need to be baptized? The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus endured temptations but never succumbed to them. He never sinned—not once. Not a stray thought, not a rash word, not a single misdeed. So, why did he need to be baptized? Jesus needed to be baptized “to fulfill all righteousness.” Not his righteousness—ours. Every one of us needs to be baptized into Jesus, and his baptism connects us to him. We are washed just as he was. But the water that washes us is not just water, it is water connected with Jesus’ very words—”the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Martin Luther explained: “It is certainly not the water that does such great things, but God’s Word which is in and with the water and faith which trusts this Word used with the water. For without God’s Word, the water is just plain water, and not baptism. But with this Word it is baptism, that is, a gracious water of life and a washing of rebirth by the Holy Spirit.” The little words at the end of today’s Bible passage should tell us something about our life of faith: “Then John consented.” We do nothing to initiate our contact with God, but he invites us to receive faith as a gift. Our humble “consent” is not something we do actively, but something God gives us to do in response to his grace. What a great God we have! He has connected himself to us by becoming human like us. And he has connected us to him through this simple faith-creating act of baptism. Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of baptism that connects me to you, my perfect Savior, and makes me a member of God’s family. Guard and protect me, body and soul, that I may experience your love and goodness always. Amen.   Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260116dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:16-17 He Opens Heaven Have you ever been locked out? You get locked out of your house. You panic. What a relief when someone comes to the rescue. A friend with a key lets you in. What a dreadful thought to be locked out forever. When humanity first fell into sin, the door to paradise was slammed shut. Access to God was cut off because of sin. Do you sense it still today? Does it seem like the door to heaven is still closed? Do you ever wonder and even worry, “Will God be pleased with me? Will he let me in?” What a relief when the one who holds the keys to eternal life comes to the rescue and opens heaven. This is exactly what Jesus was sent to do: open heaven and unlock eternity for you and all who believe. These verses from Matthew chapter 3, mark the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry. When Jesus was baptized, something amazing happened—heaven opened! God the Holy Spirit came down in the form of a dove, and God the Father spoke words of affirmation, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Jesus’ work on earth had one goal in mind: to undo sin and reverse its deadly grip on you. On the cross where he died, all debts for your sins were paid. At his empty tomb, when he rose from the dead, he declared that nothing now stands between you and God. Jesus gives these gifts in a personal way through baptism. When anyone is baptized, something amazing happens—heaven is opened! God gives his Spirit to comfort and strengthen. All sin is washed away. What God the Father declared about Jesus, he declares about everyone who is baptized, “This is my child! With this child of mine, I am well pleased!” This is what Jesus, your Savior, does for you. He opens heaven. Access to God, the loving Father, is granted now and forever. Prayer: God, our loving Father, thank you for sending your Son to be my eternal rescue. Amen.   Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 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.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260115dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope. Isaiah 42:3-4 He Follows Through Those working in environments where there is a great deal of brokenness can easily become discouraged. Those in a caretaker role can easily become drained as they try to meet the needs of the ones they serve. Often, we strive to serve and accomplish a task with high ambitions, but over time, we run out of energy and become discouraged. The Servant of the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ, came down to ground zero to serve souls in dire need of saving and nurturing. He doesn’t get discouraged and give up. He follows through until the mission is accomplished. Before Jesus, the Lord sent many servants in the form of prophets, kings, and others who were to serve people. Some started strong but easily got discouraged. Some accomplished great things, but they had their limitations. Others served only themselves. They were only human, and none was able to follow through perfectly as servants of the Lord. Jesus is different. He’s not only human. He is truly God from eternity. Making a promise is one thing. Keeping it is an entirely different thing. There are likely times in your life when you have been the victim of a broken promise, big or small. There are times when you promised something with every intention of keeping it, but for whatever reason, you couldn’t or didn’t follow through. Jesus has the divine authority to make promises, and he has the divine authority to keep promises. God’s greatest promise was to save you from the brokenness and destruction of sin by declaring you not guilty. He promises to care for your soul for time and for eternity. Jesus followed through until his mission was accomplished and God’s promise was kept. This promise still stands today. It has endured thousands of years and has traveled thousands of miles. It has reached our distant shores and our troubled hearts and gives hope of life now and forever with the Lord. Prayer: Thank you, Lord Jesus, for following through on the greatest promise ever. Sustain me each day by your sure promises. Amen.   Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 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.