Lord of Life Lutheran Church, 2481 Sunset Drive, Kamloops, BC (2026)

05/09/2026

𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗟𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀
https://www.lhm.org/dailydevotions/20260509/

"𝙂𝙤𝙙’𝙨 𝙒𝙖𝙮—𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙈𝙖𝙣’𝙨—𝙄𝙨 𝘽𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚"
May 9, 2026

[𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥] “𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶.” (𝘓𝘶𝘬𝘦 12:31)

Friends, life is more than merely meeting our physical needs. Real living, real life means to rest in the forgiving arms of the Lord Jesus Christ. Real living is knowing every hour that our blessed Heavenly Father has not treated us as we deserve because of our sin (see Psalm 103). Instead, in Jesus Christ, God has loved us. In Jesus Christ, God has forgiven us all of our sins. In Jesus Christ, God will always take complete care of us. Therefore, we must not allow the devil to chart out our future based on the love of money. It will never work. Rather, we must let the Word of God fill our hearts with the blessed assurance that Jesus will graciously provide all our needs.

It was on the cross of Calvary that Jesus made an eternal investment for you and me. This is also why the apostle Peter wants us to know “that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:18b-19).

As God calls us by His Word and Spirit, as He seeks to give us the gift of faith instead of materialism, as He desires fervently to draw us to Himself, we must not pull back, saying, “First, I have to think it over.”

The apostle Paul tells us plainly: “Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you too to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:11-12).

Yes, may God’s living Word reign over our lives. Then old worries and new anxieties will be driven away. The concerns of earning our righteousness before Him will be totally—and forever—replaced by the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. The Spirit of God will plant into our hearts a love for Christ that will totally replace our love for the illusions of this world. When Jesus died on the cross, all our sins were cleansed by His blood. This is something all the money in the whole world could never do!

There is a way out of the weeds we get so easily entangled in. Against the enticements of the world, James gives us practical advice: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). God gives us the strength to move beyond the world’s temptations to place our trust in money or materialism. As His Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see with right vision the truths of God’s love, we behold the priceless beauty of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who was crucified for our sins and raised again to guarantee each of us the hope of heaven.

May your eyes become fixed on Jesus Christ given for you today.

𝗪𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬: O Lord, please focus our hearts and minds on Your Son Jesus, our greatest Treasure. Amen.

Based on “Beware of Greed,” a sermon from Rev. Dr. Wallace Schulz, former Speaker of The Lutheran Hour

𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:

Do you have a favorite possession? What is it?
How is the blood of Christ more valuable than gold or silver?
What do you need help guarding against so that you do not lose sight of Jesus?

𝘛𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺'𝘴 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨: 2 Samuel 2-5; John 1:1-28

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Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
BRINGING CHRIST TO THE NATIONS—AND THE NATIONS TO THE CHURCH

Lutheran Hour Ministries
660 Mason Ridge Center Drive St. Louis, MO, 63141, US

05/08/2026

𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗟𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀
https://www.lhm.org/subscribe

"𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙆𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝙍𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙨"
May 8, 2026

This devotion pairs with this weekend’s Lutheran Hour sermon, which can be found at lhm.org.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘦 [𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴] 𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘉𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘏𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘏𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘏𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘏𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘑𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘫𝘰𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘰𝘥. (𝘓𝘶𝘬𝘦 24:50-53)

Too often Jesus’ ascension seems like a trivial thing in the lives of Christians today. But the ascension of a king to his throne is never a trivial thing. A ruling king has power and authority over all his kingdom. And this King Jesus has quite a large kingdom: all of creation.

In Ephesians, Paul describes it like this: “When He [the Father] raised Him [Jesus] from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things under His feet and gave Him as Head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:20b-23).

To some reading these words that may seem like a cold comfort. Especially when one looks around and sees the evil that surrounds us, the chaos and brokenness that threatens to swallow the earth whole.

But consider for a moment that you are, in fact, hearing this. All of that evil, all of that chaos, all of that brokenness has not destroyed the world. It has not even been successful in preventing you from hearing this devotion, from hearing the words of Scripture contained within it. There are limits to how far evil can go. Disease may ravage the world, but it has never devoured it. War may devastate the world, but it has never destroyed it.

There are limits to how far evil can go. And even when we cannot see those limits, we are not abandoned inside the chaos. The ascended Christ is still for us, still interceding for us, still holding His church. In the dark moments of pain those limits can be hard to see, and we often wish they were set much sooner. But Christ’s ascension teaches us that evil is not ultimate. Our King reigns, and even now He declares to evil: no further.

And one day those limits to the expansion of evil will become so restrictive that evil itself will be destroyed. One day Christ will return in all His glory and all the pain, brokenness, and even death itself will be defeated for all eternity. On that day every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is King.

On that day all eyes will truly be opened to the reality that Ascension Day is not some celebration of an earthly king being crowned, but a recognition that our King, Lord of all creation, is and always will be triumphant.

𝗪𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬: Almighty Father, we thank You that our risen Lord sits at Your right hand. Open our eyes that we might see His work as we wait for the day of His glorious return. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Rev. Dr. Jason Broge.

𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:

Who was the last person’s ascension to an earthly throne that you can recall?
Why is the ascension of Jesus such an important event for the life of the church?
What truths can we take away from Jesus’ ascension for our lives now and in the future?

𝘛𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺'𝘴 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨: 2 Samuel 1-2; Luke 24:36-53

Subscribe to this Podcast: https://www.lhm.org/subscribe
Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
BRINGING CHRIST TO THE NATIONS—AND THE NATIONS TO THE CHURCH

Lutheran Hour Ministries
660 Mason Ridge Center Drive St. Louis, MO, 63141, US

05/07/2026

𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗟𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀
https://www.lhm.org/dailydevotions/20260507/

"𝙊𝙗𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚"
May 7, 2026

[𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥:] “𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘔𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘔𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩, 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘏𝘪𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘏𝘪𝘮. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘏𝘪𝘮, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘏𝘦 𝘥𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘴; 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘠𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘔𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘔𝘦. 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘺 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘞𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘔𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘔𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘔𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘔𝘺 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮.” (𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 14:15-21)

This passage can be a hard one for us. What does Jesus mean when He says, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments”?

One thing we know for sure—He does not mean, “If you really, really love Me, you will keep My commandments perfectly, and if you don’t, I’ll reject you.” Jesus knows us through and through. He knows we are sinners and will remain so for the rest of our lives. He knows, as He reminded us, that “Apart from Me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5b).

Think of the people He’s talking to! In just a few hours, His disciples will fall asleep when Jesus needs them most, run away when He gets arrested, deny Him with curses, and fail to show up at the cross. Even after the resurrection, they will keep missing the point, having doubts, and messing up.

No, Jesus isn’t putting a guilt trip on them—or us.

What is He doing, then? He is doing something completely different—He’s telling us how we can say “I love You” to Him. He’s giving us a way to express our love and thankfulness and happiness in belonging to Him, even though we now live in the time when He is not visibly, physically available to us, and we walk by faith with the Holy Spirit giving us life.

Think about it: under our circumstances, we can’t imitate Martha and cook Him dinner. We can’t imitate Mary and pour perfume over Him. Prayer is good, but we want more than just words. And so Jesus gives us obedience as a way to go beyond words to say, “I love You.”

Today, when we obey Him, we do it as people who know that Jesus has already won for us everything we need—salvation, forgiveness, peace, and joy with God. He has done this through His own suffering, death, and resurrection. And so now we obey Him freely, out of love—not under compulsion. We do it in the same spirit as a small child gathers a handful of dandelions for someone she loves—simply to make Him happy.

And we can be sure that it does make Him happy, because nothing goes unnoticed by God. He loves us, and we love Him—and the Holy Spirit helps us grow in expressing it, more and more, throughout our lives.

𝗪𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬: Lord, You know I love You. Help me to express it. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:

Do you struggle with legalism?
How do you get out of it and back to Jesus’ freely given grace?
What kind of obedience does Jesus have in mind, here? See John 15:12-13.

𝘛𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺'𝘴 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨: 1 Samuel 30-31; Luke 24:1-35

Subscribe to this Podcast: https://www.lhm.org/subscribe
Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
BRINGING CHRIST TO THE NATIONS—AND THE NATIONS TO THE CHURCH

Lutheran Hour Ministries
660 Mason Ridge Center Drive St. Louis, MO, 63141, US

05/06/2026

𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗟𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀
https://www.lhm.org/dailydevotions/20260506/

"𝙁𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩"
May 6, 2026

𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘻𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥? 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴’ 𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥. 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶; 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵, 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘦. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘏𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 … [𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘥] 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘴, 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘪𝘮. (1 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳 3:13-18, 21𝘣-22)

I think all of us are familiar with the suffering that comes when we’ve done something wrong. But it sometimes happens that we suffer when we’ve done something right. I’m talking about the times when, through no fault of our own, we suffer because someone else is doing evil, and attacking us as a part of their wrongdoing. This is a really hard position to be in, because naturally we want to protect ourselves! We want to make sure that everyone knows we are innocent, and if we can, we want to make sure the suffering falls on the ones who truly deserve it.

But Peter calls us to a different way of life—one where we follow Jesus, who “suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous.” Jesus refused to let fear control Him. He didn’t spend His time trumpeting His innocence, though He certainly mentioned it (see Luke 22:52-53; John 18:23). Nor did He use the divine power available to Him to attack His enemies. Instead, He did what Peter says: He acted with gentleness and respect, and He entrusted Himself to God the Father. And God used His suffering, death, and resurrection to redeem us all.

It’s not always a good idea for us to go all-out when it comes to self-defense. If defending ourselves means acting in a way that harms innocents, or that dishonors Christ, it’s better for us to accept the suffering that comes to us and trust ourselves into God’s hands, just as Jesus did. We can trust that God will raise us up again, just as He did Jesus, even if we can’t see how at this moment. We share in Jesus’ suffering and also in His resurrection—for we belong to Him.

𝗪𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬: Lord, when I suffer unjustly, please live in me and through me, to Your glory. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:

Have you ever suffered for doing good?
When might you choose to accept undeserved suffering rather than defend yourself with all your might? Why?
How does God use our suffering to bless others? Ourselves?

𝘛𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺'𝘴 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨: 1 Samuel 28-29; Luke 23:26-56

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05/05/2026

𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗟𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀
https://www.lhm.org/dailydevotions/20260505/

"𝙅𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣"
May 5, 2026

𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘶𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘵 𝘈𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘴, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘴. 𝘚𝘰 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘺𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘑𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺?” 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴”—𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘴, 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨, “𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴. 𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯.” 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘸. 𝘚𝘰 𝘗𝘢𝘶𝘭, 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘴, 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 … “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵 … 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘹𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘔𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥; 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘺 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘪𝘮 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥.” (𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘴 17:16-22𝘢, 24𝘢, 30𝘣-31)

It cracks me up that some of Paul’s listeners thought he was preaching about two gods instead of one. You can see their misunderstanding in verse 18: “Others said, ‘He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities’—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.” Apparently Paul mentioned Jesus’ resurrection so often that some people thought Jesus was one god, and “Resurrection” was the name of another one!

But really, that’s almost a good problem to have. Because Paul never makes the mistake so many of us do nowadays. He tells everyone about Jesus and the cross, but he never, ever, forgets the resurrection. And that’s important for so many reasons.

The first is kind of obvious. If we tell our non-Christian friends about Jesus, they need to know He’s alive today, right? We don’t want to leave them with the impression that He’s dead and gone, out of reach—that they can’t speak to Him, trust in Him, or rely on Him for help. Jesus is alive and with us forever, just as He promised (see Matthew 28:20). And now we’re waiting for Him to return visibly from heaven at the end of the world.

But there’s so many more reasons to talk about Jesus’ resurrection! Because Jesus is alive, we know that His death was a victory, not a defeat. In fact, His suffering and death was God’s own victory over sin, death, and evil—breaking their power over the whole human race (see Luke 4:18, Hebrews 2:14). Now everyone who trusts in Jesus has life, forgiveness, and peace with God, starting now. And we will be with Him in God’s kingdom forever.

𝗪𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬: Lord, I’m so glad You’re alive. I’m trusting You to raise me from the dead too when You come back on the Last Day. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:

The next time you hear a sermon or read a devotion, check to see: Does it talk about Jesus’ resurrection?
If Jesus had stayed dead, what would that tell us about God’s opinion of His life and message?
When you face death, does it help to have a Savior who has already been through both death and resurrection? Why or why not?

𝘛𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺'𝘴 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨: 1 Samuel 24-27; Luke 23:1-25

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Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
BRINGING CHRIST TO THE NATIONS—AND THE NATIONS TO THE CHURCH

Lutheran Hour Ministries
660 Mason Ridge Center Drive St. Louis, MO, 63141, US

05/04/2026

𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗟𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀
https://www.lhm.org/dailydevotions/20260504/

"𝙏𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙋𝙪𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚"
May 4, 2026

𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘠𝘰𝘶, 𝘖 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴; 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘵; 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴; 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴; 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳; 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. (𝘗𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘮 66:10-12)

We know what it feels like to be trapped in life’s circumstances as if caught in a net, with no way out. We experience crushing burdens in daily life. Others oppress or persecute us, as if they were riding over our heads. Many of God’s people suffer through disasters of fire or water. Yet for the psalmist, these are not merely unexpected life events. There is nothing random about this. God is behind it all. The psalmist prays, “You, O God, have tested us … You have tried us … You brought us into the net; You laid a crushing burden on our backs … You let men ride over our heads.” The psalmist is not accusing God of wrong, but acknowledging the divine purpose behind these events. None of these things happen apart from God’s loving care. In the obstacle course of daily life, the Lord puts His people to the test and He does so with purpose.

As the Israelites traveled through the wilderness, God fed them with manna, bread from heaven, but He told them to gather only one day’s portion each day. It was a test. Would they walk in His ways or not? When God gave His Law on Mount Sinai, Moses told the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of Him may be before you, that you may not sin” (Exodus 20:20b). Would they remain faithful and obedient to His commands? Such testing has a purpose: “The testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (James 1:3b). The suffering and persecution we endure result in the “tested genuineness” of our faith. (1 Peter 1:7b). Through testing we share in Christ’s suffering, as God conforms us to the image of His Son (see 1 Peter 4:12; Romans 8:29).

Jesus our Lord willingly endured suffering to save us. He was caught in the net of lies and deceit that His enemies prepared for Him. He bore the crushing burden of our sins in His own body on the cross. Through the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Savior, we have been brought by God’s grace to what the psalmist calls “a place of abundance.” God will not abandon us in the trials that we experience and the crushing burdens we may bear in life. He is at work, testing us with good purpose as He keeps us steadfast in faith and faithfully shapes us in the image of His Son. Finally, the testing complete, He will bring us into the abundant peace of His eternal presence and, according to His promise, grant to us the crown of life.

𝗪𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬: Lord, when I am tested, keep me steadfast in faith and grant to me Your abundant peace. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler.

𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:

Do you recall a time when you felt like you were being tested by God? What was the outcome?
What are some of the blessings that can come to people when God tests them?
How can you support others who may find themselves being “tested”?

𝘛𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺'𝘴 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨: 1 Samuel 23; Psalms 54, 63; Luke 22:47-71

Subscribe to this Podcast: https://www.lhm.org/subscribe
Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
BRINGING CHRIST TO THE NATIONS—AND THE NATIONS TO THE CHURCH

Lutheran Hour Ministries
660 Mason Ridge Center Drive St. Louis, MO, 63141, US

05/03/2026

𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗟𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀
https://www.lhm.org/dailydevotions/20260503/

"𝘼𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙖𝙢𝙗’𝙨 𝙃𝙞𝙜𝙝 𝙁𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙒𝙚 𝙎𝙞𝙣𝙜"
May 3, 2026

“𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩’𝘴 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥; 𝘐𝘴𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘭’𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘨𝘰 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘦. 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘭𝘶𝘪𝘢!

“𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭; 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦. 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘭𝘶𝘪𝘢!”

Blood saves lives. The Red Cross and other organizations remind us of that fact as they ask for donations of the life-saving gift. On the night God set the people of Israel free from slavery in Egypt, it was different blood—and the promise of God—that saved them. The Lord told the Israelites to mark the lintels and doorposts of their homes with the lamb’s blood. In an act of judgment, God destroyed the firstborn of Egypt, but He passed over the blood-marked Israelite homes. According to God’s promise, death did not harm them. Leaving Egypt, the host of Israel passed in triumph through the parted waters of the Red Sea as the waves returned to drown the pursuing Egyptian forces.

According to the promise of God, we are saved from death through the blood of the Lamb. On the night before He died on the cross, Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples. As they remembered the miraculous deliverance of the Israelites, Jesus gave to them, as He still gives to us today, the gift of His body and blood, given and shed for the forgiveness of our sins. The just penalty for sin is death and, as Scripture says, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22b). Jesus, the Lamb of God, died on the cross, suffering the penalty of death in our place, for our sins. It is not our doors but our lives that are marked by the blood of Jesus. Just as Israel passed safely through the waters of the Red Sea, when the Lord calls us home to Himself, we will pass safely through death into eternal life in the presence of our Savior.

“Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7b). In Holy Communion we receive the body and blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God who shed His blood to deliver us from sin and death. As our hymn proclaims, death is no longer an appalling, unconquered foe. The grave can no longer enthrall, that is, enslave us. The ancient Israelites were delivered from slavery in Egypt. Jesus suffered and died to destroy the devil “and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (Hebrews 2:15). Jesus has opened the doors of paradise to us. Death is defeated! When Jesus returns, His saints will rise in triumph over death to live forever in the presence of the Lamb who was slain to save us.

𝗪𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬: Jesus, Lamb of God, You saved me. Keep me strong in faith as I cling to Your promises. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, “At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing,” which is number 633 in the Lutheran Service Book.

𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:

Have you ever given your blood for a blood drive or, perhaps, when someone needed it?
What is important about the blood Jesus shed on the cross? Why was it necessary for the forgiveness of our sins?
How can we celebrate the gift of Jesus’ body and blood for our salvation?

𝘛𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺'𝘴 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨: Psalms 52, 57, 142; Luke 22:24-46

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Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
BRINGING CHRIST TO THE NATIONS—AND THE NATIONS TO THE CHURCH

Lutheran Hour Ministries
660 Mason Ridge Center Drive St. Louis, MO, 63141, US

05/02/2026

𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗟𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀
https://www.lhm.org/dailydevotions/20260502/

"𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚"
May 2, 2026

[𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥] “𝘞𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘦, 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, ‘𝘖𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳.’” 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘏𝘪𝘮 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦 …. (𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 7:38-39𝘢)

It seems every time I go to the doctor lately he says things like, “Everything looks okay, but you could lose a little weight.” Thanks, doc, like I didn’t see that myself. And, of course, then I tell him about the aches and pains that come with getting back in shape, then he gives me the old chorus line: “That’s what comes with getting older.” Oh, yes, and there’s one more thing he tells me: “If you want some help with that working out thing—running, lifting weights—then remember to drink lots of water!”

Drink deeply a half hour before you work out or run. Why? You are going to need it.

There is power in being satisfied with the spiritual blessings that come from Jesus Christ alone. He said it, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:7b). Yes, how bold, yes, but how clear and to the point! Some might call it “arrogance” to say such a thing. But, if you can deliver what you offer, if you offer it as a gift, and you offer it to all who ask—that’s not arrogance, that’s grace. And that is the forgiveness, life, and salvation that Jesus is offering to you and to me today.

He knows what it is like to be parched in this sinful world. Even though He was sinless, even though He had a perfect harmony with the Heavenly Father by His own righteousness, He entered our brokenness. He took on our pain. He entered the dark places of our sin and rebellion. Why? It was in order to give us living water to drink, living water to empower our new life with Him, living water to satisfy our thirst for God’s righteousness, justice, and peace. He knows the water He gives can quench that thirst: it’s faith in Him as your Savior.

Have you ever been on a long run or a strenuous hike where you pushed yourself beyond what your body was capable of doing? I’ve had those days when I barely made it back from the run or when I went out to exercise in heat and humidity that was overwhelming. At the end of that kind of exercise, it would be crazy to even consider coffee or soft drinks or alcohol. What tastes best then? It’s lots of water. Wow! There are times in life when you know it’s true: it’s back to the basics with everything.

So, if you are struggling at the moment, kind of lost in life, or feeling emotionally parched, it’s time to get connected to Jesus through the truth of the Bible. There’s a message of grace, love, and life that will quench your ultimate thirst. Keep listening with me, and we’ll drink this living water of life together.

𝗪𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬: Dear Lord Jesus, give me the kind of faith, hope, and love that flows out of my life because I know and trust You as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

From “Drink Deeply; You are Going to Need It!” a message by Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz, former Speaker of The Lutheran Hour

𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:

When was the last time you worked up a sweat enough to crave water?
How can “rivers of living water” flow from a Christian’s heart to others?
Sometimes a quick sip of water is all we need. How do you tap into God’s Word in brief, rewarding ways?

𝘛𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺'𝘴 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨: 1 Samuel 22; Psalms 56; Luke 22:1-23

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Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
BRINGING CHRIST TO THE NATIONS—AND THE NATIONS TO THE CHURCH

Lutheran Hour Ministries
660 Mason Ridge Center Drive St. Louis, MO, 63141, US

05/01/2026

𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗟𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀
https://www.lhm.org/dailydevotions/20260501/

"𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙄𝙨 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜"
May 1, 2026

This devotion pairs with this weekend’s Lutheran Hour sermon, which can be found at lhm.org.

𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦; 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘗𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘢𝘯, 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴, 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩; 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩. 𝘉𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘣, 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘎𝘰𝘥. (𝘗𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘮 146:2-5)

President Eisenhower once told a group of military planners that “Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.” The activity of planning is vital. But the result of that activity, the plans themselves, those are useless, because, when you’re planning, especially when planning for emergencies, you must start with this one thing: the definition of “emergency” is that it is unexpected, which means, it’s not going to happen the way you planned. Or, as Mike Tyson put it, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

Plans are worthless, but planning is vital because it keeps you engaged with the problem. Part of the problem is that there are forces beyond your control. We can’t control nature—neither our own nor the world’s. But the deeper problem is not that there are forces beyond our control. The problem is that we believe we can control them. The problem is not our plans, but the faith we put in them.

In the psalm, the word translated as “princes,” is less about a position, and more of a character trait. It describes someone who is eager and influential. And even if we lack this trait, but we have the backing of a man with a plan (or a woman with a plan), that can feel solid, reliable. The psalm, however, says it’s a mirage, because that influential person is mortal just like you. They cannot save you. So, the problem for each of us is not that our plans come to nothing, but that we trusted in them in the first place.

The psalm offers a solution: put your trust in the God of Israel, the God and Father of Jesus, the King, who was crucified by the schemes of influential people, but raised from the dead in the bigger plan of God. In other words: turn your plans into prayers, giving way to praise. The plans themselves aren’t the problem. Go ahead, make plans. But then let your plans become prayers. Talk with God about your plans. And listen. Read the Bible. Listen to God’s plan. And let this bring you back to praise Him.

Artist Eleanor Dickinson once produced a set of drawings she titled “Crucifixions.” She used bold colors on black velvet to depict various people in cruciform, cross-shaped postures. The people who modeled for Eleanor’s drawings weren’t professionals. They were people she knew personally, Christians who were suffering from chronic or terminal illnesses. By drawing them, she wanted to understand them, to feel what they were feeling as she told their story, depicting their pain and hope. Later, Eleanor noticed how the “bodily posture of crucifixion with arms outstretched was also the posture of praise.” Now, she wasn’t trying to redefine their pain as something good on its own. No, even Jesus once asked God that the pain not be part of the plan (see Mark 14:36). But since He entrusted Himself into His loving Father’s will, we also can surrender our plans, fall into the outstretched arms of Jesus, and let praise emerge even from our pain, because God’s plan doesn’t end in crucifixion, but in resurrection and new creation.

𝗪𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬: Dear Father, not my will, but Your will be done. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler, Speaker for The Lutheran Hour.

𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:

In what situations do you enjoy making plans?
What helps you “roll with the punches” when things don’t go according to plan?
When has God worked out something better than what you (or others) had planned?

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝗕𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴: 1 Samuel 20-21; Psalms 34; Luke 21:20-38

Subscribe to this Podcast: https://www.lhm.org/subscribe
Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
BRINGING CHRIST TO THE NATIONS—AND THE NATIONS TO THE CHURCH

Lutheran Hour Ministries
660 Mason Ridge Center Drive St. Louis, MO, 63141, US

Lord of Life Lutheran Church

05/09/2026

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