Lutheran Daily Devotional 17 September 2022: Faithful Households

Lutheran Daily Devotional 17 September 2022 || Saturday Message By Lutheran Hour Ministries

Read Lutheran Daily Devotional 17 September 2022

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TOPIC: Faithful Households

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Galatians 5:22-23 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

There are a lot of qualities that make for a good family life, but the greatest of these is love. Without love, any attempt to shore up a crumbling family is sure to fail. Here, St. Paul reminds us in the above passage that love rules. It is to be put first in our lives and in our families (see 1 Corinthians 13).

To accomplish the act of living in a healthy and productive way with others under one roof, love has to be shown and practiced daily. When love is evident in a home as a fruit of the Spirit of God, family members will grow in their concern for and service to one another.

But love has to be practiced. It has to be our go-to choice, even when it is not what we want to do. In this the love of Jesus is our best guide. His patience, His longsuffering with people, His willingness to love us and even die for us is the best example we have. It is God’s example—shown to us in the life, death, and resurrection of His beloved Son who “came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10b).

But showing love can be difficult, can’t it? And this is often true of how we live together as families. Like a healing balm, love has to be applied to the circumstances in our lives—many of which may test our ability to love or our desire to show love. Here again, Jesus is the One we are to follow. This is the way God wants it to be in our families.

We all need the fresh renewal that comes from knowing Christ, from being close to Him, from seeking the truth that He alone has to give. The love and forgiveness God offers us through Jesus refreshes us and empowers us to demonstrate these traits toward others, beginning with those in our own family.

Therefore, let Christ enter into your heart and fill your home. Remember that our Savior was born into a human household. He—better than anyone—understands the frustrations of dealing with people. He is our Friend, our Brother, He will help us in our time of need, especially when we seek Him out in God’s Word and fervently in prayer.

As you relate to others in your home, ask God’s Holy Spirit to give you wisdom in difficult situations, mercy in abundance when forgiveness is needed, and love to cover all your family’s interactions.

WE PRAY: Heavenly Father, in love and thankfulness let me serve my family as You would have me do. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

From “Living Under the Same Roof,” a sermon excerpt from Rev. Dr. Oswald Hoffmann, former Speaker of The Lutheran Hour

Reflection Questions:

1. What’s your favorite fruit, and why?

2. How does God refresh you throughout the day?

3. Which “fruit of the Spirit” would you like to see practiced under your roof more? Is this something you can set an example in?

Today’s Bible Readings: Isaiah 17-19    Ephesians 4

Lutheran Daily Devotional 17 September 2022 from LHM will help strengthen and encourage your faith as you do the same for others. Have them delivered right to your inbox, podcast the audio devotional, access them on your mobile device through the FREE app, or listen with Spotify, iHeart Radio, Alexa, or Google Home. Seasonal Devotions for Advent and Lent are also available in both English and Spanish. Perfect for personal reflection or to share with family, friends and congregations, these seasonal meditations will help prepare you to celebrate the true meaning of these seasons. Lutheran Daily Devotional 17 September 2022