What good can come from this? You’ve asked that. When trials and troubles come, our faith is tested, and we ask, “What good can come from this?”Here’s an answer from the Bible: “God comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:4).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about how God comforts us in our troubles so that we can comfort others with the comfort we’ve received from God. God bless you!
God wants you to forever connect two things: A wedding and a funeral. At first, they might seem to have nothing to do with each other. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Each wedding gives us a taste of the wedding in heaven. Thankfully, you’re on the Jesus' guest list too! You’ve been washed in Jesus’ blood and clothed with his righteousness. Your groom, Jesus, just hasn’t come to pick you up yet. But he will, and God will wipe away every tear from your eyes. “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” (Revelation 19:9)
There’s a lot of focus on the government these days. That’s nothing new! Long ago, people came to Jesus with what they thought was a hard question: “Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not” (Matthew 22:17). Taxes? Government? What would Jesus say? His answer was brilliant: “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” As imperfect as our government is, God is using it to bring blessings to you and me. So is it right to pay taxes? Of course! “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s.” Yet, “give to God what is God’s.” Don’t ever think that the government is who provides for you or protects you or saves you. Who does all of that? The Lord. “Give to God what is God’s”—your heart. Your trust. Your confidence. Your hope. I hope you can listen to this sermon: “Is It Right to Pay Taxes?” Jesus loves you!
When will Judgment Day be? We all realize that at some point, the world is going to end. One day, Jesus will judge the living and the dead. When? When will Judgment Day be?Jesus tells us, “About that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:36).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about how no one knows when Judgment Day will be and why that’s a good thing for us and our faith in Jesus.Jesus loves you!
Why do bad things happen to good people? Have you ever wondered that? Life seems so unfair. The wrong people seem to suffer. Why do bad things happen to good people?While the Bible doesn’t explain the reason behind every suffering in life, Paul understood this about his troubles: “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself…. This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9).I hope you can listen to this short video devotion about how God uses everything–even troubles–to teach us to trust in him. God is with you!Pastor Nathan
Are you married? Are you thinking of getting married? Here are some words from God to keep in mind: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:12-14). I hope you can listen to this wedding sermon: “Jesus, Take the Wheel.” Jesus loves you!
There is hope for you in life and death! We all need to have hope. Hope for something gets you up every morning. Yet, hope so often goes unfulfilled. It doesn’t come. Things don’t change. Hope can feel hopeless. Yet, Jesus encourages you to never stop hoping in him. You never know when he will do the unexpected. He once proved that when he healed a long-suffering woman and raised a dead girl back to life on the same day. Even if you’ve been waiting for years, keep hoping in the Lord. Even if you’re facing death, keep hoping in the Lord. Learn to say, as Paul did, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:23). If you need hope in your life, I hope you can listen to this sermon: “Hope in Life and Death.” Jesus loves you!
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). As beautiful as those words are, they are a lot harder than they sound. Even in a marriage, it’s very easy for love to stop being an “is.” Do you know what it turns into? “Love is” easily turns into “Love was.” “We were in love…” That’s why every couple needs a love that comes from outside themselves–from Jesus! Jesus’ love for you always is. It’s always an “is”! I hope you can listen to this wedding sermon: “Love Is.” Jesus loves you!
Why do we want Jesus’ body and blood? When you think about it, it sounds awfully strange–maybe even wrong–to hear that Christians receive Jesus’ body and blood. Why?Because it’s the food our souls need. It was Jesus’ body and blood that won our forgiveness: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross” (1 Peter 2:24).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about how Jesus graciously gives us the very thing we need to be forgiven–his body and blood.Jesus loves you!
We can’t justify ourselves, but Jesus justifies us. Life is not about you and I looking up to heaven and saying, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people” (Luke 18:11). No. Life is about bowing our heads in repentance and saying, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13). And do you know what Jesus says? “I have!” “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24). What’s a Lutheran? A Lutheran is a Christian who has learned to trust that we are justified by grace alone. By faith alone. By Scripture alone. I hope you can listen to this sermon for the Lutheran Reformation: “Justified.” Jesus loves you!
Is the Lord’s Supper Jesus’ body and blood? A lot of Christian churches say, “No. It’s just bread and wine. It’s just a representation. Just a symbol.”But do you know what Jesus says? “Yes!” “Take and eat; this is my body” (Matthew 26:26). “This is my blood of the covenant” (Matthew 26:28).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about how Jesus gives us his true body and blood in the Lord’s Supper.God bless you!
Forgiveness is hard, isn’t it? There are people who have hurt you, sometimes over and over again. There are so many reasons not to forgive them: “They don’t deserve it!” “They are just going to sin again!” “It’s happened too many times.” So you can understand a question that Peter once asked Jesus, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive a brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” (Matthew 18:21). There has to be a limit on forgiveness! But do you know how Jesus responded? “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:22). In other words, “Forgive them every time!” God’s forgiveness to us is meant to impact our lives. The more we see Jesus’ forgiveness for our sins, the more we’ll be empowered to forgive the sins of others. I hope you can listen to this sermon about Jesus’ forgiveness: “Forgive Your Brother or Sister.” Jesus loves you!
It’s hard to believe what other people say, isn’t it? The sad reality is that we’ve learned not to trust anyone. We’ve been on the receiving end of lies and broken promises. It’s hard to believe what other people say. Thankfully, God is different! "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ" (2 Corinthians 1:20). God never lies. God never breaks his promises. Every word of God’s Word is true. We can trust in him! When God says he loves us, it’s true! When God says he forgives us, it’s true! When God says he’s with us, it’s true! I hope you can listen to this sermon about faith: “Taking Jesus at His Word.” Jesus loves you!
Am I forgiven? The devil loves to accuse us again and again of our sins. He places this constant doubt in our minds: Am I forgiven?When we look to ourselves, we don’t see anything good. But when we look outside ourselves, when we look to Jesus, we hear: “The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about how God assures us of his forgiveness through his Word and Sacraments. You are forgiven!Jesus loves you!
Can I forgive sins? Forgiveness is at the heart of Christianity. Jesus won forgiveness through his death on the cross. Can I actually tell someone that their sins are forgiven?Jesus gives a surprising answer: Yes! “If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven” (John 20:23).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about how God gives you the awesome opportunity to declare Jesus’ forgiveness to others.God bless you!
Christianity is a religion of forgiveness. If you are a sinner, then this is the place for you. Jesus graciously looks sinners in the eye and says, “Take heart; your sins are forgiven” (Matthew 9:2). Not “might be” forgiven.” Not “one day will be” forgiven. Your sins are forgiven in Jesus. I know that other people accuse you. I know that other people remember your sins and never forget them. I know that your conscience keeps attacking you. Let the voice of your Savior silence all the other voices with his forgiveness. I hope you can listen to this sermon: “Your Sins Are Forgiven.” Jesus loves you!
Why did God let that person die so young? Death always troubles us, but it’s especially troubling when a young person dies seemingly long before he or she should. Why does God let people die young?This verse helps us understand: “The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; the devout are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.” (Isaiah 57:1-2)I hope you can listen to this short devotion about how God sometimes spares his people evil and sorrow by allowing them to come home to heaven at a young age.Jesus loves you!
Why do good people die? That question arises whenever a sudden tragedy claims the life of someone we wouldn’t expect. Why does God let good people die?The answer has two parts: 1) There are no good people. 2) God has something better planned for those who believe in him! The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about how death comes to all people and how eternal life is found in Jesus.Jesus loves you!
How can I live without fear? Fear and worry and anxiety so quickly cover our hearts and minds each day. With so many things to be worried about, how can I live without fear?Because God is with you. “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about facing the darkest valleys without fear, because our God is with us.Jesus loves you!
God is able to do more than all we imagine. That’s the Bible’s promise: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory…” (Ephesians 3:20-21). Maybe your marriage seems broken and unfixable. God is able to do more than all we imagine. Maybe your sin seems too big and unforgiveable. God is able to do more than all we imagine. Look at the cross! Maybe you can’t imagine how this situation turns out well. God is able to do more than all we imagine. Maybe death seems like the inevitable end. God is able to do more than all we imagine. There’s hope for you today. I hope you can listen to this sermon: “More Than All We Imagine.” Jesus loves you!