Here in Northern Illinois, we are deep in the heart of winter. The days are short and the sunlight can be nearly impossible to find some days. It seems as if it is dark when I wake up and go to school, and somehow it’s nearly dark when I leave school as well.

For a book about wandering in a desert for forty years, the Book of Exodus sure has a lot of excitement.

Today we hear from Luther about the Epistle, specifically verse 20. The excerpt is from Luther’s Works, Volume 28 (Selected Pauline Epistles).

Today we consider Paul’s Letter to Philemon about Philemon’s conflict with his slave Onesimus, who had run away. Paul encourages Philemon to reconcile with Onesimus because God has forgiven our sin and reconciled us to Himself. Our devotion comes from Concordia Commentary: Philemon.

Ever wondered how Valentine’s Day came about? It actually started off as the remembrance of a Christian martyr named Valentine. Gradually, it developed into the secular holiday we know today. In the theme of love, our devotion today discusses the truest, deepest love possible: God’s love. We take our devotional excerpt from A Year in the Old Testament.

We take a closer look at today’s Old Testament Reading, Isaiah 6:1–13. Our devotion is from Concordia Pulpit Resources.

There is big lie that Satan works hard to get you to believe. He wants you to think that you are not enough. He wants you to see those around you and what they are doing and compare yourself, your life, your family, your friends, and your job to them. The more aspects of your life that he can convince you to scrutinize, the better. The start of a new year is an especially easy time to make this lie seem real. Before you even realize it, a well-intentioned New Year's resolution, for example, can become a toxic reminder of who you are not.

February is already upon us.  My children are suddenly experts on groundhogs, and are counting down to Valentine’s day. Children like Valentine’s Day. Probably in the same way they enjoy all holidays where they receive candy.

For today’s devotion, we look at the significance of God changing Jacob’s name to Israel.

I am an absolute sucker for second chances, new beginnings, and fresh starts. It should come as no surprise then when I say that the beginning of a new year is most certainly my favorite part of each year. Sure, I enjoy birthdays, holidays, and summer just like everyone else, but there is something truly magical about the first of three hundred and sixty-five new days. It’s like the first page in a wonderful new book. I tend to start each new year wide-eyed and excited for all the possibilities of ahead.