WELS Early Childhood Ministry Educator’s Devotions

About WELS Early Childhood Ministry Educator’s Devotions

Early Childhood Ministry Educator’s (ECME) Devotions are brought to you by WELS Commission on Lutheran Schools.

Publisher

WELS

Category

kids & family · kids & family · religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

26 Feb 2024

Latest episode

19 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

57 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   19 Oct 2026

   God’s Authority is Good – Week of October 19

   https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/ece-devotions/20261019ECME.mp3 (https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/ece-devotions/20261019ECME.mp3) Listen to Devotion (https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/ece-devotions/20261019ECME.mp3) Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. Romans 13:1 & 6 God’s Authority is Good I have heard these words from my 2-year-old before: “To infiddy—and yon!!!” Let me translate that for you. It’s how my child says Buzz Lightyear’s famous motto, “To infinity—and beyond!” Those words made me drop whatever else I was doing and run toward the child. He was always poised to jump off of the table, the bookshelf, the top bunk, or whichever piece of furniture he was standing on. Thankfully he never sustained any great injury. This scenario led to many conversations about rules and authority. I’m sure you can imagine how those conversations with a 2-year-old would go. After reminding him about the rule not to jump off the furniture, I’d have to answer the follow-up “why, why, whys.” I explained, “Because you could get hurt. Because I love you. Because I’m your mom. Because God put me in charge of you. Because God’s in charge of everything. Because I said so!” Romans 13:1 says, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” God created all things and rules over all things. He delegates his authority to many different representatives on earth including parents, teachers, bosses, and governing authorities. Why does he do this? For the same reason we set boundaries and rules for children: because God wants to bless us with safety, peace, and order. As parents or teachers, instilling in children a proper respect for us will lead them also to respect bosses and governing authorities. When we Christians rightly view our government as God’s representatives whom God puts in place to carry out God’s will, our consciences lead us to honor the government. We honor the government when we pay taxes, speak respectfully, and obey laws. (Though, of course, if government requires things against God’s will, Christians will “obey God rather than man,” as Acts 5:29 command.) We do these things not just for fear of punishment, but because we trust in God who put the system in place. He is the one who created us and loved us so much that even when we were poor, wretched sinners, he sent his own Son to die for us. If he loves us that much, of course he set government up for our good. You have the privilege of modeling this for your students, day in and day out. Children will see that you love and care for them and that your rules and boundaries bring safety, peace, and order. You can help them connect this to Jesus’ love for them and how he puts authorities in their lives for their good. May God give you strength and wisdom for this important work. Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for blessing me through the authorities you put in place on earth. I trust your authority. Please help me to show the proper respect for those you put over me and to teach your little ones to do the same. Amen. Early Childhood Ministry Educator’s (ECME) Devotions are brought to you by WELS Commission on Lutheran Schools. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/) 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.

2. 

   12 Oct 2026

   This is My Teacher! This is My God! – Week of October 12

   https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/ece-devotions/20261012ECME.mp3 (https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/ece-devotions/20261012ECME.mp3) Listen to Devotion (https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/ece-devotions/20261012ECME.mp3) On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken. In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.” Isaiah 25:6-9 This is My Teacher! This is My God! Do you ever run into one of your students outside of school? Perhaps it’s at the grocery store or at a park. You may say “hello” and wait the quick second it takes the child to recognize you out of the context of the classroom. Then the child connects your face with the art projects, the songs, and the games he remembers. If he is the outgoing sort, he exclaims, “This is my teacher!” You’ve done many things for this child and his classmates. You’ve prepared lessons and Bible stories. You’ve bandaged knees and kissed boo boos. You’ve helped to resolve arguments, forgiving when they’ve done something wrong. You’ve comforted them when they’re sad. And now they are excited to tell their mom or grandpa or friend, “This is my teacher!” In Isaiah 25:9, we see believers saying “This is my God!” They recognize him as their God, and what do they say? “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.” We are part of that group of believers. We know that we’re sinners who should be on our way to hell, but we trust in Jesus who paid our way to heaven because he shed his own blood for us. The verses leading up to this declaration tell about many things that our God does for us. He prepares a feast of rich food for us; this symbolizes great spiritual blessings. God destroys the shroud that enfolds all peoples because he swallows up death forever! He wipes away the tears from all faces. He removes his people’s disgrace from all the earth. Wow! Let’s say it again! “Surely this is our God; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.” Your students may get a kick out of seeing you at McDonald’s and exclaiming, “This is my teacher!” But we are so much more privileged to be able to proclaim, “This is our God!” So, as you spend your work day with the students and communicate with their parents and go about your other daily business with family and friends, may the many things your God has done for you be at the forefront of your mind and, therefore, also at the tip of your tongue. May you say with all believers, “Surely, this is our God!” Prayer: Dear Savior, thank you for preparing a banquet for me, for swallowing up death, for wiping my tears, and for removing my disgrace. Surely, you are my God! Please give me the strength to proclaim that to others every day. Amen. Early Childhood Ministry Educator’s (ECME) Devotions are brought to you by WELS Commission on Lutheran Schools. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/) 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.

3. 

   5 Oct 2026

   Think About Heaven (and Hell) – Week of October 5

   https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/ece-devotions/20261005ECME.mp3 (https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/ece-devotions/20261005ECME.mp3) Listen to Devotion (https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/ece-devotions/20261005ECME.mp3) Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power, that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies, so that they will be like his glorious body. Philippians 3:12-14, 18-21 Think About Heaven (and Hell) Do you ever have moments when your mind is filled with thoughts of heaven? It may be when you’ve just woken up from 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Your body is refreshed, your mind is mentally clear, and you are saying a prayer of thanks to God for a bright new day. In that moment you think how wonderful it will be to be with Jesus in heaven and have a perfect version of this peaceful feeling. It may be when you are experiencing the intense earthly beauty of a sunset over the ocean or a mountain framed by a bright blue sky. Or perhaps it’s when you are sitting in a church pew, drinking in the very words of God that your weary soul needs to hear and longing for the day when you are in heaven where there is no more death or mourning or crying or pain. It’s good to think about heaven! Heaven is the goal! It’s the prize that Christ won for us through his death and resurrection! In Philippians 3:12-14, Paul is talking about how our lives as Christians are lived. We believe that Christ saved us from our sins and we press on toward the goal of heaven. In verse 18, Paul’s thoughts turn from heaven to hell. Through tears, he tells of the many unbelievers who live their lives as enemies of the cross of Christ: “Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.” Maybe you’ve shed tears for the lost as well—a family member, a neighbor, or even a student or their parent. Hell is real, and it’s terrible. It’s a place of punishment that we all deserve because we sin against God every day. But God has made heaven our home, and it’s wonderful! Jesus made sure that we won’t get what our sins deserve. He lived a perfect life here on earth and sacrificed himself in our place so that we can live in heaven with him. So, “we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” As you enter your classroom today and when you are home, at your church, or out in the many places that life takes you, think about heaven (and hell). Be careful not to let the things of this world take up the room in your heart that is meant for Jesus! Remember to what great lengths Jesus went to win heaven for you. Reflect his love and share his word so that as many as possible can share in the joy of heaven! Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for heaven! Though I don’t deserve it, you saved me from hell and won heaven for me. Through your power that is in me, help me to live my life reflecting your love to others and pressing on toward heaven. Early Childhood Ministry Educator’s (ECME) Devotions are brought to you by WELS Commission on Lutheran Schools. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/) 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.

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