All Nations Lutheran Church LCMS

06/25/2026

"Easy and Hard"
June 25, 2026
[Jesus said:] “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. … Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Whoever receives you receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:34, 37-42)

The first part of what Jesus says here is terribly hard—even excruciating. I mean, He says straight out not to expect peace as a follower of Jesus. Expect a cross instead. Expect your family to be upset, and expect people you love to reject you, and expect to face some really hard decisions—where you have to choose between Jesus and what you value most.

But then, what should we make of the second half of what Jesus says? Because He says straight out, “Whoever receives you receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me”—that is, God. If someone welcomes a Christian because they are a Christian, well, then, they are receiving Christ as well, and through Him, His Father—and they get a Christian’s reward. And what is that in the end but life, forgiveness, and salvation in Jesus, our Savior?

Right away that stirs up our sense of unfairness. How is it that a single cup of water offered to a Christian can result in such a great reward? How is it that easy?

I think the answer lies in the fact that God is gracious and merciful and shockingly generous. He wants all people to be saved, and He has no plans to make their entrance into His kingdom difficult. All the cost falls on Himself—for this wonderful “reward” isn’t earned by us, but rather a gift from Jesus, and it comes at His cost. Jesus our Lord is the One who suffers, dies, and is buried; He is the One who rises from the dead. He does all this on our behalf, for our blessing.

And the one who offers a cup of water to a Christian simply because that person is a Christian? Does that even happen? Yes, it does. In my own mission service, I’ve seen it happen again and again. Non-Christians who are meeting us for the first time offer us a ridiculously generous welcome—and it turns out to be for one reason only: “You smell like Jesus.” Somehow the Holy Spirit is working in their hearts already to bring them to faith in Jesus, and they can “smell Him” on us through what we do and say (see 2 Corinthians 2:14-16). And so they welcome us.

God takes that as a welcome to His Son as well. And follows it up with the gift of lifegiving faith and all that goes with that—forgiveness, salvation, and everlasting joy.

WE PRAY: Lord, I don’t understand the depths of Your gracious love. It’s too deep for me. Thank You. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Reflection Questions:

God wants everybody to be saved. How do you know this?
Why would God reward a cup of water so greatly?
Are you glad God is so open-handed, or does this scandalize you—or both?

06/24/2026

"Remarried to Jesus"
June 24, 2026
Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress. Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to Him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. (Romans 7:1-6)

This is a weird illustration Paul is using. He talks about the case of a woman who marries again. Whether this is wrong or right depends entirely on whether death has ended the first marriage. If not, the woman is committing adultery; but if her first husband has died, nobody would dream of questioning the second marriage.

And then Paul turns around and applies it to us! Once upon a time we were the ones who were “married” to God’s law—and it wasn’t such a great marriage, was it? Never any peace, not for a single moment—because our own sinful desires and actions were constantly fighting with God’s law. It wasn’t the law’s fault—I mean, we can all see for ourselves that the commandments are good. But we are not good—not healthy, whole, and happy, the way God made us to be. We are broken people, unable to live by the law. And God knows this.

So He solved it with a death—Jesus’ death. Jesus took our sin, our brokenness, upon Himself, even though He Himself never did anything wrong. And then He took us, the people He loved, along with Him, all the way through His own death and resurrection—so that we could become God’s own beloved children, living in freedom and joy.

And not living alone! Because as Paul says, now that we have died and risen with Jesus, we are remarried—this time, not to the law which made us miserable, but to Jesus, our Savior. He is the One who gave Himself up for us, so that we could live in freedom, serving “in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.” Today we do good, not because we “have to,” but because the Holy Spirit is living inside us, making our hearts more and more like our Savior’s. And we delight to make Him happy, because we love Him.

WE PRAY: Lord, I’m glad to belong to You. Teach me what it means to live in Your freedom and love. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Reflection Questions:

What kind of a husband do you expect Jesus to be?
What kind of a marriage do you expect this to be like?
Is it easier or harder to do good things when you know that your salvation doesn’t depend on your good works—and that Jesus has already handled that, for love of you?

06/23/2026

"Prophesying Peace"
June 23, 2026
Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to Hananiah the prophet in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord, and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord make the words that you have prophesied come true, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles. Yet hear now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.” (Jeremiah 28:5-9)

There’s a kind of dark humor in this little story. The true prophet of the Lord, Jeremiah, is facing off with a false prophet named Hananiah. And what is the problem? Hananiah is prophesying peace and victory for the people of God—even though they have deserted God. Hananiah is popular because he’s telling the people what they want to hear. And so Jeremiah warns the crowd: “All the prophets of God from olden times have prophesied disasters. If a prophet starts promising peace, well, that’s so surprising, you can’t trust it. The only way you can be sure God sent him is after it happens.”

And this is true; but why is it true? Because God really enjoys sending people bad news? No, of course not. The reason God’s true prophets warn about disaster is because God wants the people to take evasive action—to repent, change their hearts, and avoid the disaster that is coming. God hates seeing people suffer! But as long as they do evil, suffering will come, sure as the sun rises every morning. And He knows that.

There’s only one occasion I can think of when God sent messengers to prophesy peace—and that is when God’s Son Jesus was born into the world, to become our Savior. Then the priest Zechariah said to his own young son John: “And you, child, will … go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God … to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:76-78a, 79b).

Then the angels said to the shepherds, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. … Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!” (Luke 2:10b-12, 14)

Why did God’s messengers finally speak peace? Because God Himself was going to make it happen—by taking away our sins forever, through His death on a cross and His resurrection. Jesus Himself has become our peace, because He made peace for us with His own body.

WE PRAY: Dear Lord, thank You for becoming my peace! Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Reflection Questions:

Do you ever have to warn people—students, children, clients?
If so, do you enjoy it? If not, why do you do it?
How do you suppose God felt when He could finally promise us good news of peace through Jesus?

06/22/2026

"The Sum of Your Word"
June 22, 2026
I look at the faithless with disgust, because they do not keep Your commands. Consider how I love Your precepts! Give me life, O Lord, according to Your steadfast love. The sum of Your Word is truth, and every one of Your righteous rules endures forever. (Psalm 119:158-160)

“I look at the faithless with disgust.” That is not a very nice thing to say, but the psalmist has a reason for his disgust: “They do not keep Your commands.” Shouldn’t we love others, even unbelievers who reject the Lord and His Word? Yet we have to admit that sometimes we look at the world around us with disgust. We hear faithless and false teaching from those who wrongly claim the Name of Christ. The immorality so often on display in our culture shocks and dismays us. Hatred and quarrels abound among strangers and within families. There are so many people who do not keep God’s commands. We sometimes feel that same disgust!

Other saints also looked with astonishment, and perhaps disgust, on the sinful behaviors that confronted them. Moses’ anger “burned hot” when he saw the idolatry of the Israelites (Exodus 32:19b). Righteous Lot was “greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked” (2 Peter 2:7b). The apostle Paul was astonished at the immorality and arrogance found among the Christians in Corinth (see 1 Corinthians 5:1-2). We are disgusted—and then we look in the mirror of God’s Law. There our own disgusting disobedience is clearly revealed. The psalmist knows about this mirror too, and writes, “There is none who does good, not even one” (Psalm 14:3b). The apostle Paul takes up the same theme: “For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things” (Romans 2:1b).

The faithless do not keep God’s commands, and neither do we. The Holy Spirit works through God’s Law to reveal our sins and call us to honest reflection and repentance. The Spirit also works through the bright truth of the Gospel, the welcome news that God sent His Son to be our Savior. Jesus took all of our disgusting sins, the sins of the faithless and the sins of the faithful, into His sinless body on the cross. He suffered the death that we deserve. We feel disgust and grief over our own sins and turn to the Lord in repentant humility. Through faith in Jesus, we receive forgiveness for our sins and the gift of eternal life. Receiving forgiveness for Jesus’ sake, we in turn proclaim repentance and forgiveness to others in Jesus’ Name. The Holy Spirit works through the mirror of God’s Law and the glad news of the Gospel to shape a proclamation that, in the words of the psalmist, adds up just right: “The sum of Your Word is truth.”

WE PRAY: Lord God, lead me to repentance and forgive my sins for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler.

Reflection Questions:

What is your usual reaction to someone who’s committed some detestable sin(s)? Are you ever able to get past that reaction and think in love toward that person?
How does God’s Law plainly show us our sin?
What has God done through Jesus to make you and me—contemptible sinners that we are—clean and righteous in His sight?

06/21/2026

"Lord Jesus Christ, With Us Abide"
June 21, 2026
“To hope grown dim, to hearts turned cold Speak tongues of fire and make us bold To shine Your Word of saving grace Into each dark and loveless place.

“Restrain, O Lord, the human pride That seeks to thrust Your truth aside Or with some man-made thoughts or things Would dim the words Your Spirit brings.”

In these hymn verses, we pray that God would make us courageous witnesses for Christ: “Make us bold to shine Your Word of grace.” We also ask that the Lord would restrain the forces that oppose His Word: “Restrain, O Lord, the human pride that seeks to thrust Your truth aside.” News reports and daily experience show us that the world can be a very dark place of sin and opposition to the truth of God’s Word. We are called to bring the light of God’s Word to that darkness.

The Word warns us about the thoughts and things that try to dim the light of truth. The apostle Paul warned the young pastor Timothy about man-made thoughts that would arise to oppose the truth. People would develop “itching ears” and find “teachers to suit their own passions.” No longer listening to the truth, many would instead embrace myths invented by those man-made thoughts (see 2 Timothy 4:3-4). We can see the evidence of such thoughts and beliefs at work in today’s culture as Satan attempts to extinguish the light of Jesus Christ and His Word.

Surrounded by the growing darkness of human pride and the man-made thoughts and things that oppose the truth, we proclaim the light and truth of Jesus Christ. We pray that our Lord would make us bold to share His Word of saving grace with those still lost in darkness. Jesus sent His disciples into the world to proclaim the truth of His Word, to announce repentance and forgiveness in His Name. Like those first disciples, we too are witnesses for Jesus Christ. A witness in a courtroom does not seek to convince a jury of the truth. A witness simply tells what he saw and what he knows. That is what we do as witnesses for Jesus. We tell others what we know to be true. We talk about our Savior’s atoning death and triumphant resurrection. We speak of Jesus’ constant presence in our lives and of the forgiveness, hope, and peace that we have through faith in His Name. The Holy Spirit is at work in our witness as He convicts people of the truth. In our homes, in our neighborhoods and in all nations, we are witnesses for our crucified and risen Lord. Into every dark and loveless place, we shine the Word of truth!

WE PRAY: Lord, restrain human pride that seeks to hide the truth of Your Word. Make me a bold witness for You. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, “Lord Jesus Christ, With Us Abide,” which is number 585 in the Lutheran Service Book.

Reflection Questions:

Are there distractions in your life that keep you from drawing closer to God?
Can you think of examples of people with “itching ears” who are finding “teachers to suit their own passions” today?
How can you be an instrument of God’s light for others in an area where people are struggling?

06/20/2026

"Conscience and Integrity"
June 20, 2026
Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. (Romans 14:10-12)

Ministers today may refer frequently to the evidences of God’s judgment in our world—there are so many of them—but there is little danger that they will preach too much about the wrath of God and His final judgment. Yet, as the apostle Paul tells us, “We will all stand before the judgment seat of God.”

Every human being is born with a conscience. We know distinctions between good and evil without being told. If the voice of conscience is ignored, however, it can become very weak or nearly still. In fact, with persistent wrongdoing and by stifling the inner monitor of what we know to be right and wrong, the conscience can be seared, burnt to the point of malfunction through misuse (see 1 Timothy 4:1-2).

As God’s Law convicts us of our sin, so do our consciences confirm the verdict. But that is not the end of the matter for us. More than an unsettling voice within, our conscience is a gift. With stunning clarity, it reveals our attempts to hide our sins and exposes us to God’s righteous judgment, and (thanks be to God!)—it reveals our need for the mercy He offers you and me in His Son Jesus Christ.

We are sinners through and through. King David, among countless others, knew this to be true: “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be justified in Your words and blameless in Your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:3-5).

The apostle Paul felt the pricks of his conscience as he wrestled with doing right and wrong. Like David before him, Paul understood his human condition before God. “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing” (Romans 7:18-19).

Paul’s finely tuned conscience was a blessing; it informed his ministry and gave integrity to his message. “So I find it to be a law that when I do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the Law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the Law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin” (Romans 7:21-25).

WE PRAY: Holy Spirit, use my conscience to guide my actions as I seek to serve Jesus with my whole being. In His Name I pray. Amen.

Based on “Living with One’s Conscience,” a sermon by Rev. Dr. Armin Oldsen, former Speaker of The Lutheran Hour

Reflection Questions:

Is your conscience a reliable “guide” in questionable situations?
Can you identify with Paul wanting to do good but still messing up anyway?
Is there a way to train your conscience to be more Christ-like in your decision-making?

06/19/2026

"Journey Through Depression"
June 19, 2026
This devotion pairs with this weekend’s Lutheran Hour sermon, which can be found at lhm.org.

But [Elijah] went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake [of bread] baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.” (1 Kings 19:4-8)

Elijah felt stuck. Only days before, he had reached the pinnacle of professional success. But then, the harsh realities of life came crashing down around him, and for about six weeks or more, he was stuck in a depression. And he was certain he’d never get out of it. But God stuck with him.

The way God meets Elijah offers hope, whether you’re stuck in a depression, or trying to walk with someone who is. We can’t do everything God would do later, like sending gale-force winds, an earthquake, a fire before meeting Elijah on the mountain with a gentle whisper. But before all these acts of God, the Lord starts with something we could follow. He gives Elijah a snack. God knows we are physical beings who need physical sustenance. Depression can be related to the needs of the body, and God works through physical means to help, which may include a prescribed medication, a changed diet, some exercise, or rest. And sometimes just a snack is all it takes to change the mood.

We are more than our bodies, though. We are relational beings, created to relate with God and with others, and depression is often tied to relational needs. God doesn’t just sustain Elijah with a snack. He also offers him a safe relational space. Forty days later, when Elijah gets to the mountain, two times God will ask him the same concerned, curious question. It could be translated as, “What are you doing here?” or, “What is this place to you, Elijah?” Both times God asks it, Elijah gives the exact same answer, stuck on repeat. Even after six weeks, Elijah is still in a rut, but God sticks with him. God gives His servants space to be sad.

Even more than a snack and a spacious relationship, Elijah gets a place in God’s saga. What is this place to you, Elijah? The question recalls a saga. This mountain is where, hundreds of years before, God made the covenant with His people, where He married Himself to them, and through them, to all people. God promised to stick with us no matter what. That promise was fulfilled in Jesus, who came with a body like ours, so that He could share in our sadness and death, so that we could share in His resurrection, so that when you’re in a rut, or with someone who is, you would know that God is committed for the long haul, that He will sustain you for the saga that stretches into eternity, because the journey is too great for you alone, but not for you in Christ. And it’s His joy to be stuck with you.

WE PRAY: Dear Jesus, thank You for sticking with me. All the way and all the time, I need Your sustenance. Amen.

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

Reflection Questions:

Studies suggest that, over a lifetime, 1 in every 6 people struggle with depression. How does your experience fit in with that statistic?
How do you notice physical means (food, rest, diet, exercise) affecting your mood?
Read all of 1 Kings 19. How do the LORD’s dealings with Elijah speak to you?

Today's Devotion Coming Close to Us Jun 4, 2026Thursday, June 4, 2026 As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.” And he rose and followed Him. And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and s...

06/18/2026

"Extremes"
June 18, 2026
These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, … “Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for My Name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. … If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household. So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:5a, 21-24, 25b-31)

It seems odd to me that Jesus sent the twelve disciples out to preach and heal with these scary words we’ve just heard. They sound much more suitable for the end of the world, don’t they? But this isn’t the end of the world yet—it’s only the first preaching tour for the twelve, and as far as we know, it was successful! So why is Jesus saying all this scary stuff to them now?

I wonder if maybe Jesus did this because He knew that at that moment they were nervous and afraid, and also that later on they would return, overjoyed at how well everything went. And He wanted them to understand that, in a lifetime of service to Jesus, there would be both extremes: great trouble and grief, even to the point of persecution; and also great joy and happiness, as they saw God working through them to bring people to faith and grow His kingdom.

And the answer to both extremes is the same: to keep our eyes on Jesus, trusting Him to see us through whatever comes to us—whether it’s joy and success, or whether it’s trouble, persecution, and what looks like failure. Because our job is to be faithful and to let God work through us. It is God who takes responsibility for the outcomes.

After all, we’re not that good at telling the difference between a good outcome and a poor one, are we? Who would have looked at Jesus’ suffering and death on that cross, and have seen that as His victory? And yet it was—and when He rose from the dead three days later, Jesus became the Source of our life, forgiveness, and joy.

WE PRAY: Lord, whether I’m happy or discouraged in the work You have set for me to do, keep my eyes and heart on You. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Reflection Questions:

How do you serve the Lord in your own life—what work has He given you to do?
How do you feel right now about the way that work is going?
How do you find hope and comfort in Jesus when you need it most?

06/16/2026

"Choose Your Master"
June 17, 2026
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. … For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:12-18, 20-23)

Think of a slave market. Who is walking around and making choices? The masters, that’s who. The slaves have to stay in one place and put up with whatever the masters decide to do. They have no options.

But Paul gives us a different picture—a market where it’s the slaves who are choosing their masters! And their lives will be completely different, depending on which master they choose.

The first master is one that we all know very well, from our own lived experience. It’s sin—the force inside us that drives us to do what is bad and wrong and unhealthy, even when we know better. And of course, if we decide to serve that master, it’s going to end up in death. How could it not?

But the other master is one that we can only serve because Jesus Christ has set us free to do so. That master is righteousness—or maybe we could call it God Himself. Jesus set us free from the power of sin through His own suffering, death, and resurrection. And now we belong to Him, to love Him and do what is good in God’s eyes—not out of fear or obligation, but out of free love and thankfulness. How could we not want to serve the One who saved us at the cost of His own life?

WE PRAY: Dear Jesus, Your service is real freedom. Keep me Yours forever. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Reflection Questions:

If you can remember a time before you belonged to Jesus, what would you say He has set you free from?
If you cannot remember that time, look at the non-Christians around you. How does your life differ from theirs because of Jesus?
Why would Jesus buy you to be His own at the cost of His own life? What does that price tell you about how He feels about you?