https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260906dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion [Jesus said] “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.” Matthew 18:15 Forgiving and Forgetting When Jesus lived in this world, he demonstrated again and again his great love for people. He helped them with their physical needs, but more importantly he shared with them the message which satisfied their spiritual needs. He stated that he had come to seek and save the lost. The lost sometimes included people with whom he was well acquainted. Recall, for example, how Jesus went to Peter who had disgracefully denied his Lord and reminded Peter of his sin and then lovingly restored his apostle. In today’s Bible passage, Jesus is speaking about the personal ministry we have with and for other Christians. When we see a Christian slip into sin and continue to live impenitently in that sin, Jesus wants us to do something about it. Jesus’ concern is not that we try to reform a fellow Christian’s irritating habits or change his personality quirks. He is speaking about living impenitently in a particular sin which defies the Word of God. Can we dare to become apathetic about a person who is in danger of eternal separation from God? Hardly! Jesus says, “Go and show him his fault, just between the two of you.” Take the initiative. Don’t wait for the person to come to you. And go alone first. Keep the matter as private as possible. Jesus doesn’t want sin spread around. When you have pointed out someone’s sin, and he listens to you and agrees, then assure him that God forgives him and so do you. Then be sure to leave the sin behind. If not letting go of someone else’s past and forgiven sins is something you struggle with, take this to God in prayer. Ask your heavenly Father to help you forgive and forget the sin of others just as he has dealt with your sin through Christ. God declares, “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31:34). Prayer: Heavenly Father, as you have forgiven me through Jesus, so help me to forgive others from the heart and gladly do good to those who sin against me. 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/20260905dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Romans 8:18 Worth it? Is it worth it? We ask ourselves this question many times every day. Is it worth it to drive out of our way to save a few pennies on gas? Is it worth it getting the kids out of the car, or should we just use the drive-through? Is it worth it paying for next-day shipping, or can we wait a few extra days? Thankfully, there is one decision that is so clear we have no need to wonder, “Is it worth it?” God tells us that our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us. In other words, if you piled all your sufferings on one side of a scale and on the other side the glory that awaits you in heaven, the scale would tip fast to the side of glory. In fact, the answer would be so obvious you would wonder why you even bothered to weigh them at all. Is it worth it to go through suffering on your way to heaven? Is it worth it to continue to fight against sin? Is it worth it to be made fun of and looked down on for your faith? Is it worth it to go through loneliness, poverty, disease, trusting in God’s power to save? Is it worth it to suffer things like these? God says that it will be so worth it that it isn’t even worth comparing. Think about your worst day. No matter how bad it was or what happened, a time is coming when you will be so happy, content, perfect, and at peace that your worst day won’t even be remembered. No matter how bad things get, God promises you that the good coming in your eternal future will far outweigh any bad you go through now. Is it worth the suffering to be with Jesus? God’s Word tells you not even to compare the present with the future. The glory God has in store for you is better by far. Prayer: Father in heaven, keep my eyes focused on the glory you promise me that I may not despair of my sufferings. 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/20260904dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Romans 8:25 Waiting Patiently How many times did you wait today? Wait in line. Wait at a red light. Wait for a text. We spend a surprising amount of life waiting. Are you patient when it comes to waiting? The Christian life is a life of waiting. We wait for Christ to return. We wait for the resurrection of our bodies. We wait for the day when sin is gone, and every promise God has made is fulfilled before our eyes. Yet notice how the apostle Paul describes that waiting: “We wait for it patiently.” Patience doesn’t come naturally. There’s a reason it’s called a virtue. By nature, we want God to work according to our timetable. In a world where instant information is at our fingertips, this has only been magnified. But biblical patience is the quiet confidence that rests in God’s promises even when his timing remains hidden. Think of a farmer. After planting his seed, he cannot make it grow by worrying. He cannot rush the harvest by checking the field every hour. He waits because he trusts that, in the proper season, the crop will come. So, too, our heavenly Father has already planted every promise in the death and resurrection of his Son. The harvest is certain. The only thing left is God’s appointed day. That changes how we carry today’s crosses. We do not endure suffering to prove our strength. Rather, we trust that it is often through waiting that the Lord strengthens us through his Word. We wait because we know our Savior keeps every promise. One day the waiting will end. The trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised. The crown that Jesus won will be a joyful reality, and every cross will be behind you. But until that glorious day, keep waiting, not with anxious uncertainty, but with joyful confidence. It will be worth the wait because no cross compares with the crown of glory that awaits. Prayer: Lord Jesus, you have promised that you will come again to take your people home. Keep me faithful as I wait for that glorious day. Give me patience that rests in your promises, courage to bear the crosses of this life, and confidence that nothing can separate me from your love. 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.