Stone Evangelical Lutheran Church

08/29/2026

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law.

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:22-23‬

Fruit of the Spirit Devotional

Salvation is just the start of a new believer’s beginning. God places his Holy Spirit in the heart of the believer at the moment of conversion and the transformation begins. The Holy Spirit is meant to continually help and guide the believer through this life as he or she makes decisions every single day. When faced with a choice, the new believer will now have the direction of the Holy Spirit and can pray and ask for help at any time. Not only does the Spirit offer His wisdom, but He also produces fruit that will bloom throughout the believer’s life. So the old way of living vanishes and is replaced by a new life with the Lord. What is the fruit you may ask? This verse tells us the fruit the Spirit produces within us is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And the wonderful part of it all is that there is no law and no limit to these fruits which are constantly being produced.

Take heart that whether you are a new believer such as the one described here, or a seasoned believer, you have the Holy Spirit living and breathing inside of you, working to produce a life that pleases the Lord. The Holy Spirit never leaves, is always interceding on your behalf, and never stops producing well within you.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
Thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to work inside of me. Thank you for never leaving me and always working to make me someone who is pleasing to you. May my life be a sweet aroma before you.
Amen!

08/28/2026

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

Hebrews 11:6

Without Faith

There are many different beliefs in this world when it comes to God. Not all beliefs require a faith in God. This verse tells us very plainly that it is impossible to please God without faith. Most religions do not require this type of faith. However, the author here tells us very clearly that in order to know God, you first must believe that He exists. This takes faith. You must believe that He is the creator of the world and all authority in this world belongs to Him. You also must believe that He sent His Son to die for the sins of the world. The last part of faith is seeking Him. In order to truly please God you must seek Him everyday. Pray earnestly, read your Bible and fellowship with other believers. All of these lead to a faith that pleases God.

Spend some time today praying and meditating on how you can strengthen your faith and please God.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
May my faith be pleasing to you. May I seek you every single day. You, Oh Lord, are my strength and my shield. I delight in you. Amen.

08/27/2026

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭28:7‬

Trust Devotional

David knew what it meant to trust in the Lord. He trusted in his God the moment he stood across from the giant Goliath as a little boy, fighting to save the people. He continued to trust in God as he hid for his life from King Saul. He trusted in the Lord as he took the throne and reigned as king. Even when he committed acts of sin, he trusted that God would forgive him and continue to walk with him. Maybe this is why God calls him a “man after his own heart” in 1 Samuel 13:14. In Psalm 28:7, David declares his trust and love for the Lord. He says that the Lord is his strength and shield and helps him. This is why he trusted God and was incredibly thankful for all of the things He had done throughout his life.

Do you live your life trusting God? Just like David’s life, our trust isn’t about what we have or haven’t done, but about what God can do and is doing to bring us closer to Him. It focuses on Him and how He works, not on us, and how we fail. Although David did not always stay faithful to the Lord, He continued to trust and knew that His life was better with God than without Him. Do you understand these truths as well? Praise Him and thank Him for working in your life, and continue to trust in Him every single day.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
You are trustworthy. You have never given me one reason to doubt in your faithfulness and love for me. May I trust in you every day and know the power of walking with you. Amen

08/26/2026

Today’s Truth: Becoming Foolish

As humans we rely on our own wisdom all the time. From the moment Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, we started craving wisdom. Paul says in Romans 1:21-23, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.”

When you rely on your own wisdom, your thinking will become futile. These verses say that your heart can even become darkened when you rely on your wisdom instead of God’s. The people that Paul describes even claim to be wise while being fools all along. Anyone who thinks he is wiser than the Lord is incredibly mistaken. He says these people exchanged the glory of God for human (man-made) images.

We do this all the time in society. We exchange the truth of God and His glory for man-made reasons or a lie. Sometimes we even do this on a daily basis when we trust ourselves and our own wisdom over the Lord.

08/25/2026

We are so excited for our new playground where our youngest church family members can play and rejoice! Please join us for PRAISE IN THE PAVILION this Sunday, 8/30 at 10:15! Enjoy our potluck picnic and watching our littles enjoy their play time on their playground!

08/25/2026

Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.

Hebrews 11:19

Life Again

When we first read the account of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis, we see Abraham’s faith but we do not get a picture of what was going through his head as God asked him to sacrifice the son of the promise. It is not until this verse that we see how deep his faith was. He knew that if God asked him to sacrifice his beloved son, He could bring him back to life again. He knew God was the living God who gives and takes away.

This is a picture of the sacrifice God made when He gave His only Son to be led like a lamb to the slaughter. He sacrificed Jesus knowing that He would bring Him back to life again, and that is exactly what He did. He brought Him back to life. He is the living God of salvation.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
Thank you for sacrificing your only Son Jesus for my sins. You loved me so much that you demonstrated that love on the cross. Amen.

08/24/2026

By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.

Hebrews 11:3

A Work of Art

The first thing in this chapter that the author wants us to understand is that God is the author of all life. He spoke and the universe was formed. At His command birds inhabited the sky and beasts the sea. He gave every animal, including humans, life. God, who is unseen, created everything we see. Look up at the sky each morning and night and see evidence of His artistry. Hold a newborn baby and see the evidence of His crafting. In order to have faith, you must believe in the Author of life. It is impossible to have faith without believing this foundational truth.

Take some time to pray and thank God for all of the evidence of life. Thank Him for the work of His hands. He is truly the Creator God.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
Thank you for the sunrise and the sunset. Thank you for painting a different picture every day. You truly are the Author of life. Amen.

08/23/2026

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08/21/2026

And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

2 Peter 1:4

His Great Promises

God has given us great and precious promises! Since the world began He has been lavishing His people with His grace, mercy, love, and promises. He is not like man. He keeps His promises, Man is notorious for making promises and then breaking them. God is always faithful. He does not know how to be unfaithful.

Do you know the faithfulness of God? Have you basked in His love and promises recently? Or thanked Him for who He is, His glory and excellence? Spend some time in prayer today, asking God to help you recognize His goodness.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
Thank you for the promises that you give everyday. Thank you for your blessings and who you are. Amen.

08/20/2026

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.

2 Peter 1:3

A Godly Life

We have been given everything we need to be able to lead a godly life. There are no expectations other than following Christ. When we came to know Him as Savior, He gave us everything we needed through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us what we need to live a life that pleases the Lord.

The Holy Spirit teaches and guides us through the Word of God. When we read the Bible, the Holy Spirit interprets His words and instructs us in the way we should live. So there is nothing we need to add to this Christian life to make it easier to follow Him. We do not need self-help books or the advice of others; we only need Him. Can the words of others help us, sure! We need to always go to Him first.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
Thank you for the Holy Spirit. May I allow Him to lead and guide me to be more like you. Amen.