by WELS (WELS Through my Bible in Three Years) on February 10, 2026 at 7:00 am

Through My Bible Yr 03 – February 10Luke 4:14-30 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – February 10 Luke 4:14-30 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/03-0210db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Luke 4 A Prophet in His Hometown 14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through all the surrounding area. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues and being honored by everyone. 16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. As was his custom, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18 The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, 19 and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. [1] 20 He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began to tell them, “Today, this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 They all spoke well of him and were impressed by the words of grace that came from his mouth. And they kept saying, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” 23 He told them, “Certainly you will quote this proverb to me, ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ Do here in your hometown everything we heard you did in Capernaum.” 24 And he said, “Amen [2] I tell you: No prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25 But truly I tell you: There were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three years and six months, while a great famine came over all the land. 26 Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow of Zarephath, in Sidon. 27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was healed except Naaman the Syrian.” 28 All those who were in the synagogue were filled with rage when they heard these things. 29 They got up and drove him out of the town. They led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. 30 But he passed through the middle of them and went on his way. Footnotes Luke 4:19 Isaiah 61:1-2 Luke 4:24 Usually people say Amen at the end of a prayer, but Jesus used this Hebrew word at the beginning of a statement, which was unique. The inspired writer simply transliterated the Hebrew word that Jesus spoke, instead of using a Greek term. This translation does the same in English. The basic meaning is I solemnly tell you the truth. The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Share this entryShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare by MailLink to FlickrLink to InstagramLink to Vimeo

by WELS (WELS Daily Devotions) on February 10, 2026 at 6:30 am

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260210dev.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. 1 Peter 2:9 Who Are You? Have you found yourself yet? Many of us are on a quest to find ourselves, or at least were at one time in our lives. We live in a world so full of people, groups, and ideas that we wonder where we fit. And so, we spend much of our lives searching for an identity—looking for a way to define ourselves. There is no shortage of possible answers to the question. Perhaps we define ourselves through our athletic or musical abilities. As our skill and prowess grow, so does our self-esteem. Or maybe we define ourselves by our level of popularity. As our reputation with others increases, so does our own feeling of self-worth. We may define ourselves through our careers. As we climb the ladder of success, we also climb the ladder of value in our own eyes. Have you discovered the problem with all these methods of finding or defining ourselves? Eventually, (hopefully before it is too late), we discover the emptiness of all these things. We will inevitably find others who are more athletically or musically gifted than we are. There will no doubt be something we do or say that will harm our reputation with others. And we will likely have one business failure or another. When all these things happen, our sense of value, identity, and self-worth will be shattered. Then what? Thankfully, God has provided the answer to the question, “Who are you?” Through the work of Jesus as our Savior, God has made us his chosen people. He says that we are his “special possession.” This happened because Jesus came to live and die in our place to take our sins away and to make us right with God. Through faith in Jesus, we now have a new identity. We are God’s people. And that is an identity that can never be taken away from us. Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, thank you for making me yours through faith in Jesus. Help me to always and only find my identity as your child. 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.

by Pam Johnson (WELS Family Devotions) on February 9, 2026 at 10:00 am

Let’s pretend for a moment. A loud bell rings and you have to leave your house right away....

by WELS (WELS Through my Bible in Three Years) on February 9, 2026 at 7:00 am

Through My Bible Yr 03 – February 09Luke 3:23 – 4:13 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – February 09 Luke 3:23 – 4:13 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/03-0209db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Luke 3 23 Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. The Genealogy of Jesus Christ Jesus was the son (so it was thought) of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, [1] the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, [2] the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Malaleel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. The Devil Tempts Jesus Luke 4 1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where he was tempted by the Devil for forty days. He did not eat anything during those days. When they came to an end, he was hungry. 3 The Devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered him, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’” [3] 5 The Devil led him up to a high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 The Devil told him, “I will give you all this power and the glory of these kingdoms, because it has been entrusted to me, and I can give it to anyone I want. 7 So, if you worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” [4] 9 The Devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here, 10 because it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you. 11 And, they will lift you up with their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” [5] 12 Jesus answered him, “It says: ‘You shall not test the Lord your God.’” [6] 13 When the Devil had finished every temptation, he left him until an opportune time. Footnotes Luke 3:33 Some witnesses to the text read Admin; a few also add Arni. Luke 3:36 This name is not found in the Hebrew Old Testament, but it is in the Septuagint (Genesis 10:24; 11:12). Luke 4:4 Deuteronomy 8:3. A few older witnesses omit but by every word of God. Luke 4:8 Deuteronomy 6:13 Luke 4:11 Psalm 91:11-12 Luke 4:12 Deuteronomy 6:16 The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Share this entryShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare by MailLink to FlickrLink to InstagramLink to Vimeo

by WELS (WELS Daily Devotions) on February 9, 2026 at 6:30 am

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260209dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion The people all responded together, “We will do everything the LORD has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the LORD. Exodus 19:8 Don’t Worry About the Fine Print “Sign here, here, and here, and write your initials here, and here, and here.” If you have ever signed a contract, you have heard those words. Whether putting a downpayment on a house, buying a car, or adopting a life insurance policy, you are asked to sign your name and agree to all the fine print. So much fine print! With such documents there are pages and pages of legal expectations and ramifications. It is all overwhelming at the moment and the best we can do in a few minutes is to briefly skim the headings to get a vague idea of what it is we are agreeing to. Names are signed in the hope that this will not come back to bite us. Agreeing to keep God’s law is similar. On the surface, God’s law might look simple. I mean, there are only ten commandments, right? But the more we dig into the fine print; we realize that there is much more than meets the eye. Even a quick perusal of God’s law to us in the Bible shows that we are held accountable for even our thoughts, in addition to our words and actions. Things like doubt and worry leave us just as culpable as theft or murder. It soon becomes evident that there is no way we can perfectly hold up our end of the bargain. Thankfully, we have someone who did it for us. Jesus knew all the demands of God’s law, and he signed his name on the dotted line of our contract. And then he was born into this world to take our place and to do the work of holding up our end of the bargain. He even did it perfectly! He never once sinned. He also gave his life in our place to pay the price that was demanded of us for the times we had broken the contract. Because of Jesus’ work in our place, God held up his end of the deal and has forgiven our sins and given us the free gift of heaven! Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for signing your name and holding up my end of the deal. Thank you for saving 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.

by WELS (WELS Through my Bible in Three Years) on February 8, 2026 at 7:00 am

Through My Bible Yr 03 – February 08Luke 3:1-22 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – February 08 Luke 3:1-22 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/03-0208db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Luke 3 John the Baptist Prepares the Way 1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene— 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. 3 He went into the whole region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 Just as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: A voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the Lord! Make his paths straight. 5 Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be     made low. The crooked will become straight, and the rough ways smooth. 6 And everyone [1] will see the salvation of God.” [2] 7 So John kept saying to the crowds who came out to be baptized by him, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore produce fruits in keeping with repentance! Do not even think of saying to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ because I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. 9 Even now the ax is ready to strike [3] the root of the trees. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is going to be cut down and thrown into the fire.” 10 The crowds began to ask him, “What should we do then?” 11 He answered them, “Whoever has two shirts should share with the person who has none, and whoever has food should do the same.” 12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized. They said, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13 To them he said, “Collect no more than what you were authorized to.” 14 Soldiers were also asking him, “And what should we do?” He told them, “Do not extort money from anyone by force or false accusation. Be satisfied with your wages.” 15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might be the Christ. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But someone mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will thoroughly clean out his threshing floor. He will gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 18 Then with many other words, he appealed to them and was preaching good news to the people. 19 But after John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil things he had done— 20 Herod added this to them all: He locked John in prison. John Baptizes Jesus 21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. While he was praying, heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love. I am well pleased with you.” Footnotes Luke 3:6 Or all flesh Luke 3:6 Isaiah 40:3-5 Luke 3:9 Literally is placed against The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Share this entryShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare by MailLink to FlickrLink to InstagramLink to Vimeo

by WELS (WELS Daily Devotions) on February 8, 2026 at 6:30 am

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260208dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion [Jesus said] “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 Shining Faith One way you can share the precious love of God with others is to simply live your faith. Love others as God loves you. Let your Christian joy be evident to all. You may be trying to reach a lost spouse, a straying college student, or a rebellious teenager. You may be trying to raise young children, reach a spiritually indifferent neighbor, coworker, or bowling buddy. Jesus says that the sincere and authentic way that you live your faith will influence others. Oh yes, we know that some will reject Jesus. But others will be led to find out what makes us tick. Then we can tell them what we have been showing them with our lives—the love of Jesus. The real story of our Savior is such a powerful message that it leads people to put their faith in the heavenly Father and glorify him. There certainly are many reasons to live our faith. We love because Christ first loved us. Sadly, we have given Christ many reasons to forsake us, but he has remained faithful to his promises and to us. In obedience and love to his Father and in love for us, he willingly walked to the cross and gave his holy blood as a complete sacrifice for our sins. The Father has declared us perfect in his sight through Jesus. By living our faith, we show thankfulness to our loving God. We have another reason to live our faith. Jesus died not only for us but for all people. When we live our faith, others will be attracted to learn about God and his love. Therefore, our Christian lives give thanks to God and are directed toward the salvation of all people. What glorious purpose for our lives! So let your faith shine brightly. Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to let my light shine wherever I am and whatever I do. 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.

by WELS (WELS Through my Bible in Three Years) on February 7, 2026 at 7:00 am

Through My Bible Yr 03 – February 07Luke 2:41-52 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – February 07 Luke 2:41-52 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/03-0207db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Luke 2 The Boy Jesus in the Temple Courts 41 Every year his parents traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up according to the custom of the Festival. 43 When the days had ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it. 44 Since they thought he was in their group, they went a day’s journey. Then they began to look for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us this way? See, your father and I have been anxiously looking for you.” 49 He said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be taking care of my Father’s business?” 50 They did not understand what he was telling them. 51 He went down with them and came to Nazareth. He was always obedient to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. 52 Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with people. The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Share this entryShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare by MailLink to FlickrLink to InstagramLink to Vimeo

by WELS (WELS Daily Devotions) on February 7, 2026 at 6:30 am

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260207dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” 1 Kings 18:36-37 Praying with Purpose If you are like me, there is a good chance that at some time in your life, you prayed for millions of dollars. Especially when I was a child, I had a long list of things that I would do with those million dollars. Of course, I would give some of it to church, but the main point of asking was to get something for myself. Maybe things change when you grow up a little. Perhaps you no longer say as many self-centered prayers. Yet, because we are sinful human beings, our prayers can still be tainted with improper motivation: selfishness, greed, and pride. When Elijah prayed, he prayed with a purpose that displayed Godly motivation. When he confronted the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel, he wasn’t there to bring glory to himself. He didn’t pray ‘Lord, if this doesn’t work, I’m really going to look stupid!’ Elijah had but one reason for asking God to consume the altar he had built with fire: “…so these people will know that you, “LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” When we pray for ministries, job opportunities, and any blessing from God, we may be tempted to pray with all kinds of selfish motives. But remember that what matters in this world is not so much WHAT we accomplish, but FOR WHOM we accomplish it. Like Elijah, we too can pray with this one purpose in mind: that people may know that the Lord is God. Then, however God chooses to answer our prayers, we will continue to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. Prayer: Heavenly Father, move my heart to utter prayers that are pleasing in your sight. 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.