Most of us know what itR17;s like to mean every word of a commitment to God and then watch ourselves fail it just the same. Peter, the disciple who promised to die for Jesus and then denied him three times, knew that feeling better than anyone. John 21 is for all of us who find ourselves in that failed committer camp.
It is easy to want Jesus for the healing, peace, and confidence he gives while keeping the rest of life safely under our control. In Matthew 8, however, the One who heals the sick also tells would-be disciples that the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. What does it mean to follow him rather than merely watch?
We long for fresh starts, yet even after coming to Christ we can feel the pull to return to the same old sins and familiar ways. Romans 6:6–9 says our old self was crucified with Christ and that death no longer rules him—so what does that new standing mean for believers still facing temptation, failure, and the daily work of living for him?
When fear turns fierce and foundations feel destroyed, the counsel comes easy: flee like a bird to your mountain. In Psalm 11 David meets that advice head-on, asking how anyone can say it to his soul when he already takes refuge in the Lord.
Join Pastor Tim as we explore PeterR17;s loving guidance at the end of his life to believers on how we grow and experience GodR17;s grace. Tonight we consider who is “worth̶1; growing.
In the Book of Ruth, Boaz finds a vulnerable widow gleaning in his field and he has to decide if heR17;ll do more than what the law requires. We, like Boaz have to answer the question Will love dictate we give more than the bare minimum? ThatR17;s much easier to tell others to do than for us to do ourselves.
We've all tried to manage our relationship with God on our own terms—keeping up appearances, going through the motions, assuming good effort is good enough. Isaiah 1:18 cuts through that with a direct invitation: “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord̶1;—and the question it presses is whether we'll actually stop and think about what he's offering.
Most of us are quicker to panic over a dying phone battery than over a dying spiritual one—we coast along, confident weR17;re fine, while the indicator drops lower than weR17;d ever admit. As Jesus calls a written-off man in Jericho, He challenges all of us on this: “Do we know how much we need Him?̶1;
There's always one thing we'd rather not put on the table when God asks us to give something up—and we usually know exactly what it is. In Luke 18, a rich man walks away from Jesus grieving because that one thing is precisely what Jesus names, and the disciples' stunned question in response—̶1;then who can be saved?̶1;—turns out to be our question too.
We know what often happens when people gain power: sooner or later, they start asking how it can benefit them. Ephesians 1:22–23 says everything is under Jesus’ feet and presents Him as head of the church, but heR17;s not seeking to use power the same way as those others. Just what kind of King is He? What does His reign mean for those who belong to Him?
