Lutheran Devotional 7th August 2025, Thursday Message
TOPIC: Difficult
SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 12:22-33a, 34
22 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
23 The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.
24 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
TODAY’S MESSAGE
It can be really hard to do what Jesus says here, at least at first. We are so conditioned to worry about the future. And why? Because we think we can control and make it come out right—if only we worry enough. But that’s not true, is it?
Jesus urges us to focus on the one thing that really matters—God’s kingdom, God’s wishes. Do that, He says, and God will handle the other stuff for us. We can trust Him.
But this can’t be realistic, can it? Actually, it can, as you find out when you lose all the personal plans you were holding on to, and have nothing left to do but ask God what He wants from you! And you take your first tiny steps in obedience. And you see Him keep His promises, and finally (after maybe 20 years or so!) you start to relax. And it gets to be an adventure. What in the world will God do next?
Why try this? Because the One we love most of all is inviting us to this lifestyle—Jesus Himself, who came down from heaven to give us the real, satisfying life that lasts forever. You know that He gave us this gift at the cost of His own life—when He suffered and died on the cross, and then, three days later, rose from the dead. Now all of us who trust in Him have real life, life that cannot be taken away from us, whatever disaster may strike us. We can take the risk of trusting Him with that life, because He has shown us how much He loves us—and He will never drop us or decide He’s tired of us.
WE PRAY: Dear Jesus, help me learn to trust You, with the everyday worries as well as with the big things like eternal life. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
- Do you worry a lot? About what?
- Tell about a time when God provided for you.
- Ask the Lord to show you some tiny baby step of obedience you can try as you learn to trust Him more.
Today’s Readings:
Psalms 133-135
1 Corinthians 2
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.