She woke up this morning, excited, because she was going to church. She didn't go to church all that often, just a couple times a month, but she loved going. In this day and age where you can connect online and do your "church" through your phone, she still appreciated being among people. There was something about the camaraderie or community of it, everyone together for a similar purpose.
If you are a Christian who needs to lose weight, you face a dilemma. You are unhappy with your weight. Perhaps you've hit a rock bottom moment of recognizing that your health and quality of life are suffering.
The Gospel for the day is our focus and our devotion comes from Luther’s Works, Volume 23 (Sermons on the Gospel of St. John Chapters 6–8).
Today we remember Joanna, Mary, and Salome, the women who went to Jesus’ grave to anoint His body with spices. Our devotion is from Concordia Bible Story Book.
When we sit in the dirt feeling the effects of our shame and guilt, sometimes we wrongfully feel that our sin is bigger than our Savior. We sometimes become afraid that the accusation is too awful and there’s no coming back from our spot in the dirt. It is then, that our Savior stoops down into the dirt and lifts us out of our shame and guilt. It was for this very purpose that He came.
Our devotion today is about the Old Testament Reading, which records God establishing the rainbow as a sign to never flood the entire earth again. The devotion is an excerpt from Luther’s Works, Volume 2 (Lectures on Genesis Chapters 6–14).
On July 28, the Church remembers the life of Johann Sebastian Bach. Today's reading is an excerpt from Hero of Faith: Johann S. Bach.
The Epistle is the focus of our devotion today. The devotional text is from Concordia Commentary: Ephesians.
The apostle John wrote the book of the Bible by his same name to address the false teachings of a man named Cerinthus, who argued that Jesus was not the divine Son of God. John’s purpose for this book is succinctly summed up in 20:31, “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.”
As we commemorate Ruth today, we read an excerpt from Ruth: More Than a Love Story about Ruth’s devotion to Naomi and her faith in God.