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The Least of These

In the Word

[Jesus says,] “‘For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me’” (Matthew 25:35–36).

Of the Word

“‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did to me’” (Matthew 25:40b).

Who did Jesus mean by the least of these? When you work at the community pantry, feed the hungry, or bake cookies for vacation Bible school, you are serving the least of these. When you pour cold water for your toddler, aged parent, or nursing home resident, you are serving the least of these. When you donate time and money at the homeless shelter or the pregnancy center, you are serving the least of these.

When you volunteer your time at the local thrift shop or when you make warm quilts for the needy, you are serving the least of these. When you send a card, make a hospital call, or sit with a dying friend, you are serving the least of these. When you mark Bibles for prisoners or pray for those who are incarcerated, you are serving the least of these.

Serving the least of these may be no more than lending a hand, giving a smile, or sharing a burden. The service is a heartfelt response to the love Jesus has poured on us.

Walking with my Lord

Lord, help me to look for opportunities to serve others. Help me to remember that my service is actually a gift to You and a response to the love You have given to me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mustard Seed: Living as a Woman in Mission. Author: Myrna Lou Meyer. 6/32 ©2009 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 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Mentor

In the Word

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).

Of the Word

A mentor is defined as a trusted teacher or wise counselor. For me, being a mentor means to positively encourage someone in even a small way.

Mentoring preteen girls as they move from childhood into Christian womanhood is full of challenges. Sometimes weeks pass and I see little change in attitude or behavior. My warnings of danger go unheeded. When that happens I ask God to help me walk with them through the consequences. I pray that the final outcome will be that the young women will honor God with their bodies and lives.

What benefit is there to investing so deeply in another person’s life? I grow in faith. I learn to lean on Jesus. I learn to trust His Word. I learn to pray constantly. I learn to thank Him again and again! Finally, I can say along with the Apostle John: I rejoice greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father (2 John 4). 

Walking with my Lord

Thank You for opening my eyes and heart to see the work that You have entrusted to me for the advancement of Your kingdom. Father, I know that apart from You I can do nothing. Strengthen my faith, for in You I trust. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mustard Seed: Living as a Woman in Mission. Author: Mary Smith. 5/32 ©2009 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 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Vocation

A devotion for Katharina von Bora Luther’s Birthday
 

In the Word

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness (Romans 12:6–8).

Of the Word

We all have vocations in life into which God has placed us. Katharina von Bora Luther is a great example of the variety of vocations God may give us throughout our lives. Katharina was a nun, who later became a wife and a mother. In each of these vocations (as well as others such as daughter, citizen, and friend), Katharina served God by using the gifts and skills He had equipped her with to do the tasks He had placed before her.

We, too, serve God in the vocations in which He has placed us. None are more significant than another, though the responsibilities given to us may vary. A church worker is not more important than a layperson, but the responsibilities of each are different. Similarly, a parent is not more important than a child, though their responsibilities are different. Every vocation is a way to serve God. Remember this and go joyfully to your work. 

Walking with my Lord

Dear Jesus, Your death on the cross freed us from striving to please You. Thank You for delighting in the small tasks we do for You every day. In Your 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: Vocation by Deaconess Joanna Lee, McDonald, Pennsylvania
Copyright© 2024 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League. All rights reserved.
lwml.org

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What Goes Around, Comes Around

In the Word

Love is patient, love is kind. … It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres (1 Corinthians 13:4a, 7 NIV).

Of the Word

As my husband and I prepared for an overseas mission trip, an older woman in our congregation gave me her special cross necklace to wear on the trip.

When we returned home, I planned to present her with a gift and also return the necklace. However, with love in her eyes, she told me that the necklace was mine to keep. As time passed, our friendship grew stronger. When her health failed, I spent a good deal of time with her. It was as though I became the daughter that she’d never had.

The story of the precious necklace has been told many times, a witness to the strong friendship that grew from a loving relationship in Christ. My dear friend and I not only remembered Jesus’ words, but lived them: “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13: 34–35).

Walking with my Lord

Your love, O Lord, brings depth to my life. May this love be reflected as I reach out to others. May that love continue in an ever-widening circle as I share Your love in all of my relationships. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mustard Seed: Living as a Woman in Mission. Author: Kathy Ludwig. 4/32 ©2009 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org

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

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used with permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

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Joy in God’s Love

In the Word

We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19).

Of the Word

Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote the famous words, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways …” Yet when God looked at us, how many ways could He have counted? He saw our sins … red like crimson … (Isaiah 1:18b). And He loved us anyway!

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). When He looks at us now — through the cross of Jesus — God sees us as the people He designed us to be: forgiven, loving, serving people. Though we sin daily, God’s love and forgiveness are always available to us. His love never fails, and He never withholds forgiveness from the repentant sinner. In Him we have comfort and joy.

Walking with my Lord

Thank You, Lord, for Your unconditional love. I could not have loved You first, and I could not have brought myself to You. Help me to respond to the love You have given me by sharing it with those whose lives touch mine. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mustard Seed: Living in Joy. Authors: Dcs. Betty Knapp, Irene Mensing, Myrna Lou Meyer, Margaret White. 6/30 ©2005 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 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Joy Through Praise

In the Word

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 150:6).

Of the Word

The mockingbird’s gray plumage is rather bland. Its size, about 10 inches, is just average for a garden bird. Its nest, a bulky cup of sticks and stems, is no architectural wonder. What makes the mockingbird memorable is its amazing song which can last an hour without repetitions. What a song of praise to the Creator!

We have praises to sing to Him, too. But when times are hard, we may ask with the psalmist, Why are you downcast, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? (Psalm 42:5a). The solution: Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God (Psalm 42:5b–6a).

From God himself come reasons for praise. He gives us hope through Jesus Christ our Savior.

Walking with my Lord

Thank You, Lord, for giving me life and hope. Accept my praise for Your special gifts to me, especially for the gift of Jesus. Forgive me when I lose hope, and lead me back to a life of praise and joy. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mustard Seed: Living in Joy. Authors: Dcs. Betty Knapp, Irene Mensing, Myrna Lou Meyer, Margaret White. 5/30 ©2005 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 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Called to Obedience

A devotion for The Conversion of St. Paul (Jan. 25)
 

In the Word

And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do” (Acts 9:4–6).

Of the Word

These words are the turning point of the story of Paul’s conversion. It took a bright miraculous light to get Saul’s attention. However, God in His wisdom chose Saul to be His instrument to spread the Gospel to the Gentiles, and He wanted Paul to obey His command. Blinded by the light, Saul’s companions led him into Damascus to wait for further instructions. After his sight was restored, he was ready to obey.

God’s Word and His Spirit within us call and equip us to obey Him in specific ways. Because of our sinful nature we can fail to obey, but by God’s grace we can obey and find joy as David says in Psalm 19:6, the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart.

Walking with my Lord

Heavenly Father, thank You for the merciful forgiveness You grant when I fail to obey.  Please give me faith and strength to obey the commands that You have given me. In Jesus’ name. 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: Called to Obedience – The Conversion of St. Paul
by Ladell McWhirter, Kingsport, Tennessee.
Copyright© 2024 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League. All rights reserved.
lwml.org

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