Awake, awake, O Zion, clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem, the holy city. The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again. Shake off your dust; rise up, sit enthroned, O Jerusalem. Free yourself from the chains on your neck, O captive Daughter of Jerusalem. Isaiah 52:1-2
Keep Your Head Up
It’s not easy, is it? It’s not easy living in such a sin-filled world. All around we see theft and murder and cruelty. It’s enough to make a person hang his head in sadness and frustration. But hanging your head won’t help. Because then you’ll only be looking at yourself. And when you look at yourself, you also see cruelty, arrogance, and bitterness. You see all the ways you have failed God and failed the ones you love.
To you God says, “Awake, awake…Put on your garments of splendor… Shake off your dust; rise up, sit enthroned…Free yourself from the chains on your neck.” How can God say this? The answer is simple—Jesus. Jesus destroyed sin and death when he rose from the grave. There is no reason for us to live lives of doom and defeat. We live a victorious life! We are clothed in Jesus’ perfection. The chains of sin have been thrown aside.
So, even though the world looks awful, our lives are awesome. And, one day when God delivers us to heaven, we will experience a world that matches what we now see only by faith. So, keep your head up! Live like the victor Jesus has made you!
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you that for delivering me from my sin. Keep me from becoming despondent because of the things I see in the world around me. Instead, lift my eyes to see the cross you hung on, the tomb you left empty, and the throne from which you now rule. This day, keep my head up! Amen.
Since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 1 Thessalonians 5:8-10
Our Safe Place
Have you ever heard of “doomsday preppers?” They are people who prepare for a catastrophic event, or the collapse of civilization by storing food and other supplies in a safe place just in case. It’s good to be prepared.
Judgement day, the day when Jesus will return, is sometimes referred to as doomsday. It will be a dreadful day for those who are unprepared. However, for those who are prepared it’s not a day of doom and gloom. Being prepared makes all the difference, but we cannot prepare ourselves for that day by stockpiling the right supplies. None of the earthly things we collect will save us on that day. None of the places or possessions where we seek comfort and safety in this life will shield us. So, how does one prepare?
Everyone who trusts in Jesus is already prepared. Jesus is our safe place. In him, we are sheltered from all that seeks to harm us spiritually. God has appointed a day of judgement, but in his incredible mercy he has not appointed us to suffer his wrath against sin. He appointed Jesus to suffer wrath for the sins of the world. Jesus was sent to suffer in our place and then to be victorious in our place by rising from the dead. Jesus supplies all we need. Through faith in him, we are spared from wrath and receive salvation.
Jesus is our safe place, and not just on the last day, but every day. Today you can find refuge in him and his salvation. You need not fear when the day will come. As long as you trust in him, Jesus is your safe place. He died for all, so that you may live eternally and safely with him. The one who is truly prepared is the one who finds refuge in Jesus, now and always.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, may I daily seek refuge so that I may be kept safe until the day you return. Amen.
While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. . . So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 1 Thessalonians 5:3,6
Stay awake!
We’ve all dozed off at some point. Sitting in front of the TV is one thing, but what if you’re behind the wheel? Your eyelids start to get heavy. Everyone else in the car is sleeping. It’s taking all you have to stay awake. You nod off and hit the rumble strips. In that situation, falling asleep could be deadly. Being spiritually awake means trusting in Jesus for salvation. Spiritually dozing off means our attention and faith start to drift away from him. This can be spiritually deadly.
Another thing happens when we drift off to sleep. You start to dream and lose touch with reality. Some dream of a “peace and safety” apart from Jesus— “I’m at peace, I’m doing my best.” Some dream of a better life apart from God’s plan and design. Wake up! The rumble strips of God’s Word wake us up to reality: The day is coming and this world won’t last forever. Our lives in this world don’t last forever. It’s time to stay awake!
But how? When you’re on a road trip you need help staying awake—snacks to munch on, tunes to listen to, a friend who stays awake with you. Jesus, the one who awakens our souls to the reality of his forgiveness, keeps us awake on our way home to heaven. He puts other believers in our lives to stay awake with us and encourage us along the way. When we start to drift, we can tune our hearts to his promise of salvation and tune out the empty promises of this world. He is with us, and he neither slumbers nor sleeps.
Prayer:
Lord, when I drift, steer me back to you. When I become tired and alone, remind me that you are with me. Amen.
Martin Luther College – November 2026 update Parents bring their children every year to Martin Luther College (MLC), New Ulm, Minn., to pursue gospel ministry. These future ministers of the gospel are answers to the prayers of […]
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Women serve in world missions In the same way that women actively served in the work of the early Christian church, WELS is using women’s gifts to share the gospel with other women in situations […]
33 If a man uncovers a cistern, [1] or if a man digs a cistern and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, 34 the owner of the cistern shall pay for the loss in full. He shall give money to the owner of the animal, and the dead animal shall be his.
35 If one man’s ox injures his neighbor’s ox, so that it dies, they shall sell the live ox and divide the money they got for it, and they shall also divide the dead animal. 36 But if it was known that the ox was in the habit of goring in the past, and its owner has not kept it confined, he must pay ox for ox, and the dead animal will be his.
Laws About Property
Exodus 22
1 If a man steals an ox or a sheep and butchers it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep. [2]
2 If a thief is caught breaking in and is struck so that he dies, the one who kills him shall not be guilty of bloodshed. 3 But if this takes place after sunrise, the one who kills him shall be guilty of bloodshed.
A thief shall make restitution. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. 4 If the stolen animal found in his possession is alive, whether it is an ox, donkey, or sheep, he shall repay double.
5 If a man is grazing livestock in a field or a vineyard, and he lets his animals run loose and they graze in another man’s field, ⎣he shall make restitution from his own field on the basis of the produce that was eaten, [3] but if they have grazed over the whole field,⎦ he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and from the best of his own vineyard. [4]
6 If a fire gets out of control and spreads through the thorn bushes so that someone else’s shocks of grain, standing grain, or grain field are consumed, the one who lit the fire must certainly make restitution.
7 If a man entrusts money or other items to his neighbor for safekeeping, and they are stolen out of that man’s house, if the thief is found, he shall repay double. 8 If the thief is not found, then the owner of the house shall appear before the judges [5] to find out whether he has laid his hands on his neighbor’s goods. 9 In every such offense, whether it involves an ox, a donkey, a sheep, clothing, or any other kind of lost property about which someone claims, “This is mine,” the claims of both parties shall be presented before the judges. Whichever party the judges find guilty shall repay double to his neighbor.
10 If a man entrusts a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to his neighbor for safekeeping, and it dies or is injured or is driven off, and no one sees what happened, 11 to settle the matter between them, the man who received the property must make an oath to the Lord that he has not laid his hands on his neighbor’s goods. Its owner must accept the oath, and the man who received the property shall not be required to make restitution. 12 But if, in fact, it was stolen while in his custody, he shall make restitution to its owner. 13 If it was torn in pieces by animals, let him bring it for evidence. He is not required to make good that which was torn.
14 If a man borrows anything from his neighbor, and it is injured or dies while its owner is not with it, the borrower must certainly make restitution. 15 If its owner is with it, the borrower will not be required to make restitution. If it was rented, the rent covers the loss.
Laws About Morals in Society
16 If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged in marriage and lies down with her, he must pay a bride price for her to be his wife. 17 If her father flatly refuses to give her to him, the offender still must weigh out silver equivalent to the bride price for virgins.
18 You shall not allow a sorceress [6] to live.
19 Whoever lies down with an animal shall certainly be put to death.
20 Whoever sacrifices to any god, except to the Lord alone, shall be devoted to destruction.
21 You shall not wrong a resident alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
22 You shall not take advantage of any widow or fatherless child. 23 If you take advantage of them in any way, and they make even the faintest cry to me, I will surely hear their cry, 24 and my anger will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives will be widows, and your children fatherless.
25 If you lend money to anyone among my people who is poor, you must not act like a moneylender. You must not charge him interest. 26 If you take your neighbor’s outer garment as collateral, you must restore it to him before the sun goes down, 27 for his garment is the only cover he has for his skin. What would he sleep in? Be assured that when he cries to me, I will hear, for I am gracious.
28 You shall not malign the judges, [7] nor curse a ruler of your people.
29 You shall not delay bringing offerings from your abundant harvest and from your overflowing wine vats.
You shall present the firstborn of your sons to me. 30 You shall do the same with your cattle and with your sheep. For seven days a newborn animal shall be with its mother. Then on the eighth day you shall present it to me.
31 You are to be men set apart as holy for me. So you shall not eat any flesh that is torn by wild animals. You shall cast it to the dogs.
Exodus 23
1 You shall not spread a false report. Do not join hands with the wicked to be a malicious witness.
2 You shall not follow a crowd to do evil. Do not go along with the crowd by testifying in court to pervert justice.
3 You shall not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.
4 If you come upon your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you certainly must bring it back to him again. 5 If you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has fallen down under its load, do not pass him by. You certainly must help him with it.
6 You shall not deny justice to the poor people among you in their lawsuits.
7 Keep your distance from a false charge. Do not put those who are innocent and those who are righteous to death, for I will not acquit [8] the wicked.
8 You shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who have sight and distorts the words of the righteous.
9 You shall not oppress a resident alien, for you know how it feels to be an alien, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
Laws About Sabbaths
10 For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce, 11 but during the seventh year you are to let it rest and lie fallow, so that the needy among your people may eat, and the animals in the fields can eat what they leave. You are to deal with your vineyard and with your olive grove in the same way.
12 Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, so that your ox and your donkey will have rest, and so that the son of your female servant and the resident alien will be refreshed.
13 Be careful to do all the things that I have said to you. Do not mention the name of other gods. Do not let their names come out of your mouth.
Laws About Festivals
14 Three times a year you shall observe pilgrimage festivals for me:
15 You shall observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread. [9] For seven days you shall eat bread without yeast, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib (for during that month you came out from Egypt). No one is to appear before me empty-handed.
16 Next observe the Festival of Reaping [10] by presenting the first ripe produce of your labors, which you sow in the field.
Finally, observe the Festival of Ingathering, [11] at the end of the year, when you pick the fruits of your labors from the fields. 17 Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord God.
18 You shall not offer any bread made with yeast together with the blood of my sacrifices. None of the fat from my festival shall remain until morning. 19 The very first produce from your soil you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God.
You shall not boil a baby goat in its mother’s milk.
Footnotes
Exodus 21:33 Or pit
Exodus 22:1 In chapter 22, English verse 1 is equal to Hebrew verse 21:37. English verses 2-31 are equal to Hebrew verses 1-30.
Exodus 22:5 This seems to mean that if only part of the other field was eaten, the quality of the crops that remained in that field would be used to determine the quality of the repayment, but if the whole field was eaten, the guilty party had to repay the loss with the best of his own field.
Exodus 22:5 The words in half-brackets are not in the Hebrew text but are in the Greek Old Testament. An omission from the Hebrew text may have occurred as the Hebrew copyist’s eye skipped from one occurrence of field to another.
Exodus 22:8 Or before God. The Hebrew word is elohim, which usually means God.
Exodus 22:18 Or witch
Exodus 22:28 Or blaspheme God. The Hebrew word is elohim, which usually means God, but see John 10:35.
Exodus 23:7 Or justify
Exodus 23:15 Also called Passover, referring to the events of its first day. This festival took place in early spring at the beginning of the grain harvest.
Exodus 23:16 Also called Pentecost or the Festival of Weeks. This took place in late spring at the end of the grain harvest.
Exodus 23:16 Also called the Festival of Shelters or Tabernacles. This took place in autumn, when the fruit was picked.
1 Now these are the ordinances which you are to set before them:
Laws About Servants
2 If you purchase a Hebrew servant, he is to serve for six years, but in the seventh he may go free without paying anything. 3 If he comes in by himself, he will go out by himself. If he is married when he comes in, then his wife will go out with him. 4 If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children will belong to her master, and the servant will go out by himself. 5 But if the servant formally declares, “I love my master, my wife, and my children. I do not want to go out free,” 6 then his master shall bring him to the judges. [1] His master shall bring him to the door or to the doorpost, and he shall bore through his ear with an awl. Then he shall serve him for the rest of his life.
7 If a man sells his daughter to be a female servant, she may not be sent out of the household as the male servants may be. 8 If she does not please her master who has married her, then he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has not kept his commitment to her. 9 If he marries her to his son, he must deal with her as he would deal with a daughter. 10 If he takes a second wife for himself, he must not diminish the food, the clothing, or the marital rights [2] of the first wife. 11 If he does not do these three things for her, she may go free without paying any money.
Laws About Injuries
12 Anyone who strikes a man so that he dies must certainly be put to death. 13 However, if this was not done intentionally but rather was an act of God, for that kind of case I will appoint a place among you to which that man can flee. 14 But if a man plots and kills his neighbor deliberately, you shall take him from my altar, so that he may be put to death.
15 Anyone who strikes his father or his mother must certainly be put to death.
16 If anyone kidnaps someone and sells him, or if the kidnapped person is found in his possession, the kidnapper must certainly be put to death.
17 Anyone who curses his father or his mother must certainly be put to death.
18 If men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and the victim does not die but is confined to bed— 19 if the victim gets up and can walk around outside with his staff, then the one who struck him shall not be punished, but he must pay for the victim’s lost work time while he is recuperating, until he is completely healed.
20 If a man strikes his male or his female servant with a club, [3] and the servant dies at his hand, he must certainly be punished. 21 However, if the servant gets up after a day or two, [4] the man shall not be punished, for the servant was his property.
22 If men are fighting and they injure a pregnant woman so that the child comes out, yet no harm follows, they must certainly be fined as much as the woman’s husband demands and the judges approve. 23 But if any harm follows, then you are to take life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, and bruise for bruise.
26 If a man strikes his male or female servant’s eye and destroys it, he must let the servant go free as payment for the eye. 27 If he knocks out his male or female servant’s tooth, he must let the servant go free as payment for the tooth.
28 If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox must be stoned to death, and its flesh must not be eaten, but the owner of the ox will not be held responsible. 29 If the ox, however, had a habit of goring in the past, and its owner had been warned, but he did not keep it confined, and it then kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner shall also be put to death. 30 But if a redemption payment is imposed on the owner instead of the death penalty, he must pay whatever is imposed on him to save his life. 31 This is also the ruling that applies to him if the ox has gored someone’s son or daughter. 32 But if the ox gores a male servant or a female servant, thirty shekels of silver shall be given to the servant’s owner, and the ox is to be stoned to death.
Footnotes
Exodus 21:6 Or God. The Hebrew word is elohim, which usually means God, but see John 10:35.
Exodus 21:10 The meaning of the Hebrew word translated marital rights is uncertain.
17 But I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and offenses contrary to the teaching that you learned, and keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving Christ our Lord but their own appetites. [1] By smooth talk and flattery, they seduce the hearts of the unsuspecting.
19 Your obedience has become known to everyone, so I am very joyful about you. But I want you to continue to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Greetings From Those With Paul
21 Timothy, my coworker, greets you, along with Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my relatives.
22 I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord.
23 Gaius, my host and the host of the whole church, greets you.
Erastus, the city treasurer, greets you, and Quartus, the brother. [2]
Doxology
25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you—
according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was veiled in silence for long ages past, 26 but now has been revealed through the prophetic Scriptures and made known to all the Gentiles, in keeping with the command of the eternal God, resulting in the obedience of faith—
27 to God, who alone is wise, be glory forever through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Footnotes
Romans 16:18 Literally stomach
Romans 16:23 Some witnesses to the text add verse 24: May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. Other witnesses add these words after verse 27.
1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea. 2 Welcome her in the Lord in a manner that is worthy of saints, and assist her in whatever way she may need your help, for she has certainly been a helper for many people, including me.
3 Greet Prisca [1] and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their necks for my life. I am not the only one who is thankful to them. All the churches of the Gentiles are as well.
5 Greet also the church that meets at their house.
Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.
6 Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.
7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, [2] my relatives and fellow prisoners, who are highly regarded by the apostles. They were in Christ before I was.
8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.
9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.
10 Greet Apelles, who was tested and approved in Christ.
Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.
11 Greet Herodion, my relative.
Greet those from the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.
12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, who worked hard in the Lord.
Greet my dear friend Persis, who has worked very hard for the Lord.
13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who was a mother to me too.
14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them.
15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.
16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.
Footnotes
Romans 16:3 She is called Priscilla in Acts 18:2.
Romans 16:7 Or Junias, a masculine name. Some ancient interpreters considered Andronicus and Junia to be husband and wife.
Paul’s Goal: To Bring Christ’s Name Where It Was Not Known
14 I myself am convinced about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are also full of goodness, filled with complete knowledge, and able to instruct one another. 15 But I have written a letter to you (rather boldly at times) as a reminder to you, because of the grace God has given me 16 to be a public minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. I am to do the priestly work of proclaiming the gospel of God so that the Gentiles would be an acceptable offering, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
17 Therefore I have a reason to boast in Christ Jesus about my service to God. 18 For I will not dare to speak about anything except those things Christ accomplished through me that resulted in the Gentiles’ obedience. Christ accomplished them by word and deed, 19 along with the power of signs and wonders done by the power of God’s [1] Spirit. As a result, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum. 20 And so I consider it an honor to proclaim the gospel where Christ’s name is not known, so that I may not build on another man’s foundation. 21 Instead, as it is written:
Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand. [2]
Paul Hopes to Come to Rome on His Way to Spain
22 This is also the reason I have been prevented many times from coming to you. 23 But now I no longer have a place to work in these regions, and I have longed for many years to come to you. 24 So when I go to Spain, I hope to visit you on my way. After I have enjoyed being with you for a while, I hope that you will help me on my journey there.
25 Right now I am going to Jerusalem bringing assistance [3] to the saints. 26 For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. 27 Indeed, they were pleased to do this and, to be sure, they are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual things, then the Gentiles owe it to them to serve them with material things.
28 So, after I complete this project by delivering this fruit safely to them, I will set out for Spain and visit you on the way. 29 And I know that when I come to you, I will arrive with the full blessing of Christ. [4]
30 Now I urge you, brothers, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to struggle with me in prayers to God on my behalf. 31 Pray that I may be rescued from those in Judea who are disobedient and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 so that by God’s will I may come to you in joy and be refreshed in your company.
33 May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
Footnotes
Romans 15:19 Some witnesses read the Holy.
Romans 15:21 Isaiah 52:15
Romans 15:25 Or ministering to the saints
Romans 15:29 Some witnesses to the text read the full blessing of the gospel of Christ.
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