https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260507dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10 You Belong Everyone wants to belong. We want to know that we matter, that we are wanted, and that we have a purpose. It does not take much to make us feel like we don’t. You walk into a room and scan the space, wondering if anyone sees you. You scroll through your phone and compare, and everyone else seems to have a place, a purpose, a people—but not you. So, we keep asking the question: Where do I fit? We ask it because something in us broke. God created us to belong to him. But sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, severing that relationship and cutting off the connection. The apostle Peter states it plainly: “Once you were not a people.” But that is no longer true. Through Jesus Christ, you have received mercy. Jesus lived the life you could not live. He died the death you deserved. He rose from the grave and brought you back to God. You are no longer an outsider. You belong. God has already given you your identity: You are chosen. You are royal. You are holy. You are God’s own possession. What others say does not change that. How you feel does not change that. What you have done or failed to do does not change that. This is who you are in Christ. And with that identity, God gives you a purpose. He has called you out of darkness into his light so that you may declare his praises. Your new life in Christ now flows from his mercy. Not to earn a place, but because you already have one. So, live as someone who belongs, because you do. Prayer: Gracious Father, thank you for bringing me into your family through Jesus. Help me live as your child and share the light of your mercy with others. 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/20260506dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” 1 Peter 2:4-6 The Stone That Matters Most In construction, everything rises or collapses on the first stone. Set that stone wrong and the whole structure tilts. Walls crack. The building falls. But set it right and every wall lines up and the whole building stands. The Bible says that, spiritually, that stone is Jesus Christ. It might surprise us when we stop and think about it. When Jesus came, people did not honor him. They did not welcome him. They rejected him and pushed him aside. In the end, they nailed him to a cross. The spiritual leaders of Jesus’ day looked at the stone and threw it away. But God took that rejected stone and made it the cornerstone. God built his saving plan on the very one the world cast aside. Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, God builds his church—not a building of brick and stone, but a people joined together by faith in Christ, the Cornerstone. Now this promise includes us. The apostle Peter says that those who trust in Christ are like living stones. They are not like rubble or leftovers; each stone is placed in its proper position by the master builder. He builds each one into the structure he is raising—his church. And Peter gives this promise that holds it all together: Whoever trusts in Christ will never be put to shame. The cornerstone holds. So those who rest on him stand secure. Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are the cornerstone of my life. Keep my faith firmly built on you and help me live as part of your people. 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/20260505dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion “Know this: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:10-12 One Name That Saves Some people say that all spiritual paths lead to the same place. The idea sounds appealing, kind, and welcoming. It sounds peaceful. But is it true? When Simon Peter spoke to the religious council in Jerusalem, he refused to soften his message. He did not hold back. He declared that salvation—rescue from sin, death, and judgment—comes through one name: Jesus Christ. Peter did not offer Jesus as one option among many teachers. He did not portray Jesus as a guide who points the way toward truth or salvation. He proclaimed that no other name saves. Jesus is not an option. He is the only Savior. People sometimes resist hearing that only one name saves. It challenges our pride. We want to be able to prove ourselves, to showcase our effort, and proclaim, “See! I did it myself.” But if rescue rested on us, one question would always haunt us: Have I done enough? As our substitute, Jesus did enough. He lived the life we fail to live. He suffered our curse. He died our death. And he rose from the grave to prove that he has finished the work to save us. In Jesus, your doubt, fear, and worry—are silenced! And not just for you. Jesus solves the problem of sin for the whole world. Which means salvation does not depend on our performance. It rests in Christ. So, forgiveness is not something we earn. Life is not something we must win. Salvation is not something we secure for ourselves. It is a gift God gives to all who trust in Jesus Christ. Guaranteed. Certain. Secure. Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for being the Savior the world needs. Strengthen my faith in you and help me share your saving name with others. 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.