We like life easy, so when following Jesus brings bumps instead of the smoother path we expected, we wonder what went wrong. Luke 9 reminds us that Jesus never promised following him would meet that expectation.
Rather than seeking to be known as impressive or indispensable, Christians are called to be known as servants of Jesus. Every person is made in the image of God, and the only credential that truly matters on our “resume” before Him is knowing Him.
We know a lot about God’s truth and what He calls us to do. But, do we do it towards those around us with love?
When life feels unpredictable, we reach for security blankets of money, health, and plans that promise safety. Jesus opens the Sermon on the Mount by telling us we’re seeking security in the wrong places: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Most of us carry a ready answer to “I’ll be happy if…”—the promotion, the healed relationship, the life that finally settles into place. That hunger is exactly what Jesus addresses when he sits down on a hillside in Matthew 5 and declares blessed the poor in spirit, the mourning, the meek, and the persecuted—people whose lives look nothing like what we’d put in that blank.
As we wrap up our series tonight, we look at two faithful colleagues of Paul and how their lives point us to what God calls us to show in our own as part of the Church.
How do we empower more and more people to serve in the church? How do we do God’s work with trust? Pastor Tim looks at that in tonight’s journey in Philippians.
We are all called to pour into others, even when we don’t have all the answers, but as you are becoming like Jesus, naturally, you will help others encounter Him.
Jeff and Kathy Landis light the fourth candle as we continue through a special #52Verses52Books52Weeks journey through Advent. How does our excitement about the coming of the Savior impact others?