by Elyn Schranz | 9. August 2026
Dawson Trotman was thrown from his friend’s speedboat during an outing. Another passenger, a woman who couldn’t swim, was also thrown overboard. Dawson rescued the woman, but the lifeboat arrived too late for him. This man sacrificed his life for a stranger. His love for others stemmed from his deep relationship with Jesus. This source of strength fueled his selfless character.
True love moves us because it never seeks self-interest. Jesus embodied this genuine love. He sacrificed his life out of unconditional love for us. Whoever accepts this forgiveness and lives with him is reconciled with God.
Here is what love is. It is not that we loved God. It is that he loved us and sent his Son to give his life to pay for our sins.
1. John 4,10
Weekly text: 1. John 4,7-21
by Elyn Schranz | 2. August 2026
“Shame on you!” Those were the words he heard most often from his mother, and they led him into the drug scene, later to prison, and nearly to his death. – Shame is a feeling that weighs us down, accuses us, hurts us, and is almost unbearable. That’s why many people retreat into emotional numbness, aggressive behavior, or self-destructive behavior. To drown out their own shame, they shame, mock, humiliate, degrade, or bully others. This is how shame survives for generations.
The Pharisees publicly shamed a woman caught in adultery and wanted to stone her. Jesus said, “Let anyone among you who is without sin cast the first stone.” Struck by these words, they ran away! Jesus gave the woman this liberating response: “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more!”
Jesus does not condemn a remorseful sinner! Through forgiveness, we regain our dignity! He wants us to live reconciled and free.
Then I don’t find you guilty either,’ Jesus said. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.
John 8,11
Weekly text: Isaiah 42,1–9
by Elyn Schranz | 26. July 2026
A farmer sowed grain. Some fell along the path, where the birds pecked it up. Some fell among the thorns, where it was soon choked by them. Some fell on rocky ground, where it grew quickly but withered because it could not take root. The rest fell on fertile soil. The harvest yielded thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold.
God’s Word is scattered everywhere like a seed. Our hearts can be compared to the condition of the soil. On the hard-packed path, the good Word is snatched away before it can have any effect. The soil on the rock absorbs the word quickly, but strong roots cannot thrive because the heart is too hard. Thorns and thistles are like worries and greed for wealth, which choke the little plants. The good soil yields varying amounts of fruit. Every person is responsible for the soil of their own heart!
The seed is the word of God.
Luke 8, 11b
Will you let God work in your heart so that His Word can take ever deeper root?
Weekly text: Mark 4,1-20
by Elyn Schranz | 19. July 2026
My alarm clock rings incessantly. Still half-asleep, I’m confronted by the cold, hard reality! I want to get back to the world of dreams as quickly as possible. Still groggy, unmotivated, and with my eyes barely open, I drag myself to the bathroom. Do scenes like this sound familiar to you?
For over two years, that was my morning routine. Every day, I fought against the negative thoughts. I wanted to defeat them.
At that time, I felt completely out of place at work. However, when I poured out my dilemma to God, I experienced His help. Looking back, I can see His wonderful plan in it.
Are you currently in a similar situation? Do you feel like you’re in the wrong place? Could this be a time when you can learn something important? Trust your Creator. He knows you inside and out.
You will come to know Him better and better and experience the full extent of His magnificent power and strength, so that you may walk your path with patience and perseverance.
colossians 1,11
At just the right moment, He will show you the next step. Remain patient in His presence. He will reward you for it every day with renewed strength.
Weekly text: Colossians 1,1-14
by Elyn Schranz | 12. July 2026
Werner drags himself laboriously into the living room. He barely manages to dial the emergency number. He’s breathing heavily and can hardly catch his breath. It feels as if a heavy weight were pressing down on his chest. He describes his symptoms over the phone. The emergency responders arrive in a few minutes.
Oxygen is administered—he is able to get back on his feet and breathe deeply again. For further evaluation, he is taken to the hospital, which he is able to leave after a few days.
That experience—not being able to breathe, not getting enough air, and the feeling of a heavy burden almost crushing him—left a lasting impression on him.
“You know,” he says, describing his experience, “it’s become a metaphor for me. How often do I carry burdens around with me? I live without forgiveness, hold a grudge against someone, worry.”
Jesus Christ’s offer is extended to all of us:
Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11,28
Give it a try; take the plunge. Bring whatever is weighing you down to Jesus. He will take your burden away and set you free.
Weekly text: Matthew 11,25-30
