Listen to this devotion

Begin with God … So We Can Love Others

In the Word

May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you (1 Thessalonians 3:12a).

Of the Word

How can I show God’s love to others?

Unconditional love describes God’s love for all sinners. This love began with Adam and Eve, whose sin spoiled the perfect world God had made for them, and continues through the present day.

In love, God promised us a Savior. He renewed that promise over centuries and fulfilled it by sending His Son. Jesus demonstrated love in word and action, culminating with His death on Calvary and His resurrection three days later.

How can we as mere mortals respond to such love? Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we can demonstrate His love to others. Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love (Ephesians 4:1b–2). May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you (1 Thessalonians 3:12a). And when we fail to love, as human beings always will, God accepts our repentance, forgives us, and enables us to begin again.

Walking with my Lord

Dear Lord, You are the perfect example of love. You have spoken of love and You have demonstrated it through Your Son Jesus. Lord, I do not love You or others as I should, and I beg Your forgiveness. Give me, I pray, a greater measure of Your unconditional love so that I am able to share it with Your people. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mustard Seed: Begin with God. Authors: Marcia Gomulka, Dcs. Betty Knapp, Myrna Lou Meyer. 28/28 ©2007 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org

Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001, revised 2025 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Sign up to receive Mustard Seed Devotions by email

View a printable PDF of this devotion, Begin with God … So We Can Love Others

Listen to this devotion

Watch in ASL here.

It's a Revelation

In the Word

"Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him" (Matthew 2:2).

Of the Word

Epiphany, meaning revelation, begins on January 6. It celebrates the revelation of the Son of God to the Gentiles, reminding us that Jesus came to bring forgiveness to everyone, to make the world right with Himself.

Epiphany continues today as God reveals Himself to us through the words of Scripture and strengthens our faith through the power of His Sacraments. The Holy Spirit works in us, increasing our faith and understanding of the plan and purpose of God for our lives. Responding to His love, we share it with others in both words and deeds.

As God's Epiphany work continues in us, we become God's revelation to others of what it means to follow Him. Our Spirit-inspired words and actions have the power to draw others to ask, as the Magi did, "Where is this Jesus? We, too, want to come and worship Him."

Walking with my Lord

Lord Jesus, send Your Holy Spirit into my heart so Your life may be revealed in me. Amen.

Mustard Seed: The Joy of Christmas. 32/32 Author: Patricia Mitchell. ©2011, revised 2024 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Sign up to receive Mustard Seed Devotions by email

Listen to this devotion

Watch in ASL here.

The Face of God

In the Word

And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him (Matthew 2:11a).

Of the Word

The Magi, intelligent and educated men, put aside their own understanding to follow a star in the East. When they came to the place where the Child was, they knelt before Him, worshiped Him, and poured out their treasures at His feet. The learned men, by looking to the wisdom of God, recognized the face of God in Jesus Christ.

The Bible shows us the face of God in Jesus when we approach His Word. We come with humility, putting aside our own visions of Him and discovering what He truly does look like. We come with gratitude, love, and praise because God has given us the Good News of salvation in Christ Jesus. Finally, we come with willingness to allow God to lead us where He would have us go, confident that He is always drawing us closer to Himself.

Today, wise men (and women) are those who look for the Lord not by the light of their own understanding, but by the light of His Word.

Walking with my Lord

Lord Jesus, show Your face to me that I may see and believe. Amen.

Mustard Seed: The Joy of Christmas. 31/32 Author: Patricia Mitchell. ©2011, revised 2024 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Sign up to receive Mustard Seed Devotions by email

Listen to this devotion

Watch in ASL here.

Where to Look?

In the Word

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God (1 Corinthians 2:12).

Of the Word

Seeing the star in the East, the Magi knew a king had been born. They headed to the land of Judea, arriving at the most obvious location for such an event — the capital city, Jerusalem. To their surprise, no king had been born to the royal family living in Herod's grand palace.

The Magi are not the only ones who have looked for Jesus Christ in the wrong place. Even today, some people seek Him in secret knowledge and in personal experience, in fleeting feelings and in the forces of nature. Humanly speaking, those are reasonable places to look! But those are not the places God has promised to be found.

Referring to the prophet Micah, the chief priests told the Magi that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. The travelers left Jerusalem and found the One they were looking for. Today, Scripture provides the same reliable guidance to all who come to it asking, "Where is the Messiah? Where can I find Him, that I may go worship Him?" He has promised to be found within the pages of the Bible, God's own true words which reveal his Son to us.

Walking with my Lord

Lead me to Your manger, Lord, so I may worship and adore You in truth and love. Amen.

Mustard Seed: The Joy of Christmas. 30/32 Author: Patricia Mitchell. ©2011, revised 2024 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Sign up to receive Mustard Seed Devotions by email

Listen to this devotion

Watch in ASL here.

Remember!

In the Word

I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old (Psalm 77:11).

Of the Word

A miraculous birth … God becomes man … a star in the East … a chorus of angels from heaven. What wondrous things happened in Bethlehem so many centuries ago! Yet not everyone saw those amazing things, and not everyone believed. Some saw but went about their business as usual. Others never saw because they had no interest in looking.

Miracles today may not seem like the ones the shepherds or the Magi witnessed, but miracles still surround us. We celebrate the love of almighty God for powerless men, women, and children every Christmas. We rely on His forgiveness, mercy, and compassion every day. Despite the troubles and terrors of the world, God's church continues to grow. The Holy Spirit still inspires people to selflessly and generously serve others. At Christmas, we believe. We believe because He has given us the priceless gift of being willing to look.

Remember the miracles of long ago, and rejoice in the miracles God continues to work in our lives and in the world around us. Rejoice as we celebrate His love.

Walking with my Lord

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, so I may see You and all Your marvelous works. Amen.

Mustard Seed: The Joy of Christmas. 29/32 Author: Patricia Mitchell. ©2011, revised 2024 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Sign up to receive Mustard Seed Devotions by email

Listen to this devotion

Watch in ASL here.

A Taste of Christmas

In the Word

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! (Psalm 34:8a).

Of the Word

Christmas is surely a season of the senses. We see the lights and the evergreens, and we hear the strains of carols almost every place we go. We reach out to hug our loved ones, and from the kitchen come familiar aromas, meaning we'll soon get to taste our favorite holiday treats. 

Jesus knows what it's like to see, hear, touch, breathe, and taste because He did those things Himself. He saw suffering people, He heard their cries for help, and He reached out and healed them. He invited His disciples to taste the bread and the wine in remembrance of Him. Before ascending into heaven, Jesus breathed on them, and they received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Today, Jesus invites us to use our senses to know Him through Word and Sacrament. We listen as His Word is spoken, and we bring to our lips His body and blood. As our prayers lift up as a sweet fragrance to Him, we see, physically and spiritually, His love at work in our lives. The Lord of all invites us to come and taste, see, hear, and touch the real meaning of Christmas.

Walking with my Lord

Lord Jesus, grant that I may know You more deeply. Amen.

Mustard Seed: The Joy of Christmas. 28/32 Author: Patricia Mitchell. ©2011, revised 2024 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Sign up to receive Mustard Seed Devotions by email

Listen to this devotion

Watch in ASL here.

What’s in a Name?

In the Word

So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth (Philippians 2:10).

Of the Word

On January 1, the Church celebrates the circumcision and naming of Jesus. Both Mary and Joseph were told by an angel to name Mary’s baby Jesus, which means God saves, because He would save His people from their sin. 

Jesus fulfilled God’s Law perfectly in the place of sinners, beginning with His circumcision on the eighth day. Jesus began His earthly ministry when He was baptized by John. This was a baptism of repentance. Jesus did not need to repent, but He repented perfectly for the sake of sinful human beings. 

By His suffering and death on the cross, He paid the full penalty for the sin of the whole world, saving all who trust in Him from sin, death, and the power of the devil and reconciling us with God. At our own Baptism we received Jesus’ name and the blessings of forgiveness, life, and salvation. 

Walking with my Lord

Dear Lord Jesus, we owe our very lives to Your saving work. To You be all glory and honor forever. In Your saving name we pray. Amen.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible unless otherwise noted. (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Mustard Seed: What’s in a Name by Ruth Badciong, Winona, Minnesota.
Copyright© 2024 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League. All rights reserved.
lwml.org

Sign up to receive Mustard Seed Devotions by email