Lutheran Devotional 29 July 2026, Wednesday Message
TOPIC: Those We Love
[Paul says:] “I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.” (Romans 9:1-5)
I’m guessing you have someone you love who is not a believer in Jesus. And, just like Paul, you grieve for that person, because you want them to have what you have.
What do you have? Well, for starters there’s the love, joy, and peace with God that Jesus has given us as a free gift. You know that you don’t have to earn God’s love or kindness—God came looking for you. God became a human being for love of us—because He saw that we were in trouble, broken people living in a broken world. And so He came to us—Jesus, who never turned away a person in need—who gave Himself away freely to heal the sick, feed the hungry, and teach people what God’s own heart is like, both in words and in actions. And Jesus loved us to the end, when He went to the cross to break the power of evil over all of us through His death—and when He rose from the dead, to share that everlasting life with everyone who trusts in Him.
If you’ve been a Christian for very long, you know many other good gifts God gives us through Jesus—the gift of the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us in Jesus and makes us to grow more and more like Him. The gift of help and hope and comfort during hard times. The gift of ongoing forgiveness which we need every day of our lives. The gift of hope for the future, when Christ returns and puts a final end to all evil.
You have these gifts. And you want them for the people you love.
But you cannot force a gift on anyone. If you try, you’ll almost certainly turn them away from the Lord—away from the One who loves them as much as He loves you.
So what can we do? It’s not nothing. Like Paul, we can pray. We can ask the Lord to send His Holy Spirit to them as well, so that they, too, can believe. We pray for the ability to behave with the gentleness and loving-kindness of Jesus Himself whenever we around them. When we disagree, we can ask the Lord to work through us, so that we do nothing to drive them further away from Him, but rather do what Peter says: be ready to explain “to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15b). And we can show our love for them in actions—meeting their needs through practical acts of caring.
WE PRAY: Dear Lord, You know I wish so much that _________ would come to know You and trust in You. Please bless them this way, and use me however You want. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
- Did Jesus ever twist anyone’s arm to get them to follow Him?
- Can we? Should we? Why not?
- Can the Lord do what we cannot do? Let’s ask Him.
Today’s Readings:
Psalms 106, 111-112
1 Thessalonians 2
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
