Bethlehem Lutheran Church River Grove, IL

In grateful response to God's grace and empowered by the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacraments, the mission of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is vigorously to make known the love of Christ by word and deed within our churches, communities and the world. 

Devotion on Deuteronomy 30:15–20 - “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.”

Moses’ words to Israel stand as a timeless call: God places before His people a choice—life with Him or death apart from Him. Life comes through loving the Lord, walking in His ways, and holding fast to Him. Death comes when we turn our hearts to idols and trust in ourselves.

At first, this sounds like a heavy burden. Who among us has loved the Lord with all our heart? Who has perfectly obeyed His commandments? If our eternal destiny depended on our strength, we would all fall under the curse of death.

But the Gospel reveals something deeper. Christ Jesus chose life for us by entering death on our behalf. On the cross, He bore the curse our disobedience deserved. Through His resurrection, He opened the way of true life—life eternal in fellowship with God. Now, as baptized children of God, the Spirit empowers us to love, follow, and cling to Him.

Moses urged the people, “Choose life, that you and your offspring may live.” In Christ, God has already chosen life for us. Our calling now is to daily turn away from sin and cling to Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Life and death are still set before us. But in Christ, life is not merely an option—it is God’s gift, secured for you by His promise. Hold fast to Him today, for He is your life and your length of days.

Prayer: Lord, You have set life before me in Christ. Keep me steadfast in Him, that I may cling to You in faith and live in Your promises. Amen.

This Sunday - THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Deuteronomy 30:15–20

Philemon 1–21

Luke 14:25–35

Christ Jesus Has Paid the Cost of Discipleship for You

A disciple of Jesus Christ will “bear his own cross” (Luke 14:27) and follow the Lord through death into life. Discipleship is costly because it crucifies the old man with “all that he has” (Luke 14:33), in order to raise up the new man in Christ. The disciple disavows “his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life” (Luke 14:26), in deference to Christ. That way of the cross is impossible, except that Christ Jesus has already paid the cost. His cross is set before you as “life and good, death and evil” (Deut. 30:15). Taking up His cross is to “choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him” (Deut. 30:19–20). To live that life in Christ is also to bear His cross in love, “that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord” (Philemon 14).

Jesus rose from the dead on the third day and opened the gates of heaven to all who trust in him.

God accepts all who believe in Jesus even though there is no merit or worthiness in us.

So that we might believe in Jesus, God has given us the ministry, which is the preaching of Christ and the

Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Through these, God also gives us the forgiveness of sins.

When God brings people to faith, He also produces many good works in our lives. These are done, not to earn

grace, but to do God’s will and please him. We love him because he first loved us.

God has given every man, woman and child a calling in life. Within that calling He directs us, and through

His Word, strengthens us to live for Him.

The Bible is the inspired Word of God. The Bible is free from all error and contradiction in all that it says.

The Word of God brings us to Jesus our Lord.