Post Category: The Connect Devotional

Good news: Jesus is the authority we can trust and we were made for....

Self-righteousness is one of the biggest competitors for your heart. ...

The prophet is rejected in his hometown--what hometown wisdom we will refuse to listen to? ...

Jesus's mission statement doesn't seem to include us, but that's a good thing....

Jesus's first sermon, he reads his mission statement from Isaiah...

Jesus goes home and hangs out at the old synagogue. ...

Memorizing Scripture helps to cut through the fog of temptation. ...

Description of why Jesus was tempted...

Lord's prayer, lead us not into temptation...

Temptation definition, overcoming it....

Jesus in the desert...

Helping to understand why Jesus got baptized when he was without sin....

New year and a new voice for the Connect Devotional ...

What do you do when people project their Messianic desires on you? ...

Forfeiting the soul doesn’t usually happen in a moment....

Some days, I want the Lord to tell me the direction he wants me to take so that I can decide whether to submit to him or not. This is not his way....

Paul pursues Jesus with all his energy: “straining” and “pressing on.” As he does so, his past has less and less influence on him. Christ comes to rule and reign in his heart....

This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God!...

The experience of redemption isn’t complete for us until we’ve responded to Jesus with gratitude....

No one is excluded because of their ethnic background or the place of their birth. We all have an opportunity to be part of Jesus’ kingdom and to thrive under his reign....

A God bigger than our imagination or comprehension will always be shrouded in mystery. He offers us a mystery; he offers us himself....

As we approach Christmas, let’s remember that the baby whose birth we celebrate on this holiday became the King over all. And this gives us cause for great rejoicing....

We aren’t told why God chose this particular place, this particular community. And this is a common experience for us....

Word studies allow us to dig deeply into the meaning of words and their usage in the broader biblical and ancient context....

There’s a fulfillment that happens in the near term and then a second fulfillment that happens down the road....

What do you think God sees when he sees you? ...

From the very start, he’s extraordinary: God who is truly with us....

Who’s going to give us the sign we need to move forward into the uncertain future with confidence?...

How does the Lord set up an eternal kingdom marked with justice and righteousness? ...

A new generation, a new king offered a new start, hope that things can take a turn for the better, that the future might be great....

Light in the darkness … that’s a powerful image for Christmas-time....

The Jesus who pushes us to love across borders did this himself and did this by design....

As we see God’s willingness to include places and people who society considers on the margins, we can feel both sobered and encouraged. ...

Christmas comes every year. In a way, Christmas feels inevitable. As we spiral out and look at history, that feeling persists....

This is a great way to let your curiosity guide you into the biblical text and to create space for the Lord to speak to you in your study of the Bible....

It’s important to pay close attention to the Lord’s engagement in this story. He seeks out the main characters. He listens to them. He responds to them. He stays, well, engaged....

Listening carefully to and believing fully in the words of God protects us and, graciously, restores us. But doubt, confusion, and distrust stand daily at our elbows....

We may not have all the resources we might want ...

We desperately need God’s grace...

We would expect to feel something positive when we’re in the sweet spot of our destiny, even if it isn’t always easy. Perhaps that’s part of the reason God wants us to do good works. ...

Paul wants to protect us from the temptation to take credit for our salvation....

God gives us something we don’t deserve, haven’t earned, and desperately need....

Years ago Alex introduced us to a phrase that offers great insight into this dilemma: “God’s ‘No’ is always in service to his larger ‘Yes.’”...

In Christ, we see God’s persistent initiative. We aren’t left to our own devices. God follows through on his promises....

As we consider God’s faithfulness to Christ as faithfulness to us, we’ll gain confidence that God can be trusted....

We’re going to invite you to meditate on a verse this morning. ...

What does Jesus tell us about God’s character and intentions?...

Generosity will change and shape you. Becoming a generous-hearted person may cost you. Some might take advantage of you. But in the long run, you’ll flourish....

The good and beautiful life is always available to us. We may find ourselves in challenging and desperate situations. We may have moments when we can’t see through the tears. But God is for thriving. And he will make a way for you to experience life and joy … if you are willing....

How can both Nebuchadnezzar and the Lord Almighty carry the people off into exile? ...

Communities frequently have to rise to challenges. They rebuild. They restructure. They forgive. And these challenges leave a mark on the community … in some cases a scar, in others a callous, and in still others a pearl....

Something had changed in Zacchaeus....

Jesus’ every word and phrase can ring in our ears....

What do you expect God to do when he sees you?...

All sorts of things motivate people to seek Jesus: a longing for meaning, a desire for community, curiosity, financial interests, peer pressure … the list goes on and on....

God desires to bless the entire cosmos with life. ...

God loving the world must have come as quite a shock to Nicodemus...

God has given a big gift and, in some ways, taken a big risk, in the hope that we will believe and, in that belief, enter into his family and receive life....

God offers us his committed loyalty and covenant faithfulness....

Take some time today to read the dramatic conclusion of Mephibosheth’s story. Commentators disagree as to what happens with him here....

The Lord’s way of lifting us out of our shame isn’t to create a fiction in which we have nothing of which to be ashamed....

When we walk in step with his Spirit, we find ourselves drawn toward holistic engagement with people in need....

When you think about God, do you think of him as kind?...

Faithfulness to the Lord overflows into kindness toward others. ...

God can make you brave...

You don’t have to be muscular to be strong. You don’t have to be intimidating to be influential. The Lord can do mighty things in and through you if you’re willing to let him guide you in the use of your voice....

What do you do when you’re disrespected?...

David found himself in the in-between part of his story: anointed but not yet ascended to the throne. And those in-between places can be so challenging....

Change and loss can be disorienting to us. We can struggle and veer out of control. These are the times when we most need friends. These are the times when we most need God....

The easy, obvious shortcut that appeared in that cave in En Gedi might not actually have been as strategic as it seemed....

That kind of respect for the office, for David, stemmed directly from his respect for the Lord. ...

Moments like these reveal what’s inside of us. What do we choose to do in the opportune moment?...

Don’t be discouraged. Complex problems are just that. And they can be overcome. ...

The desert is both a challenge and an opportunity...

We easily underestimate the influence we have on others. An idle word or comment or bit of action or inaction can carry outsized cachet. ...

Good Bible readers will float and test theories as to why things are happening in the text and why people say and do the things they do....

Food and water are almost always more than food and water....

History never repeats itself exactly. And the new thing that happens can be remarkable....

Although the Bible is intimately concerned with the highest spiritual themes, it doesn’t shy away from engaging with issues like hunger and thirst....

When we refuse to fight the giant on the giant's terms, the Lord can lead us via creative paths to a meaningful victory....

David spent his youth working as a shepherd. His experience there marked every corner of his life, from his leadership to his spirituality. ...

Faith and courage don't prevent us from experiencing fear and anxiety; instead, they help us to connect with God in the midst of our fear and move forward in the face of our anxiety....

On a day when the virtue of courage is publicly celebrated, perhaps it’s appropriate for us to look close to home for examples of courage. When we find them, we can show honor, express gratitude, and thank God....

We are better together. The Lord has hard-wired us for community, that we thrive when we have meaningful connections. And this also is the best way for us to engage the world for good....

Hope became confidence. Confidence became courage. Courage become action....

David's confidence in the Lord is so central to his identity that it comes spilling out of him even when trash-talking....

David does not let his lack of direct experience disqualify him. David does not presume future success because of his past victory. David is less focused on his qualifications than on the Lord’s presence. ...

A new person jumping into an old, stuck situation with a new perspective (and maybe a little new life) can change history....

When God wants to get us moving again, he has to reframe our relationship with our giants....

Words and speech can be cheap if they aren’t backed by action and truth. ...

Today’s passage circles back around diagnostically. If we feel no pity when faced with a brother or sister in need, something has gone wrong with our relationship with God....

Compassion is the most important action in the face of need....

As a church community, we are blessed to have some in our midst who have material possessions and others who are in need....

We need help to move toward real love. Our love-compass is broken. It spins and spins in circles because the magnetic power of our own neediness overwhelms everything in our orbit. We need Jesus to settle us so that we can love....

Proclaiming the good news about Jesus Christ completes our joy. It satisfies some need deep within us. It terrifies and blesses us. And it can change the world. ...

The purpose of proclamation is connection: connection with each other and, ultimately, with God. Fellowship. ...

Try letting the Holy Spirit guide your reading today...

A co-opted Jesus is not Jesus. He doesn’t work for our political or philosophical schemes. He stands on his own feet. Mash him together with the rest of that and you’ll lose him altogether. ...

Jesus breathes new life into us as his love invites us to live with him in a larger, clearer, brighter world. ...

The clearest picture of love isn’t buried in some corner of the future or hiding in some region of the present. You can see love as easily as you can see your own shadow … if you’ll look....

We need common ground and we need someone else to set it for us....

Our valuation of love can vary as widely as our definitions of it....

The Pharisees look at the individual behavior and not the system behind it. They ask about the disciples’ activity and not their poverty....

Sabbath often brings collisions between our values. What do we do when our values collide?...

Rest requires effort. Rest is not passive. Rest is active and rewarding. And when our restless souls find their rest in God, we thrive....

From God’s initial creative work in the universe work and rest are intertwined....

The Lord provided non-condescending support, guidance, and structure in the Sabbath...

Slaves work day-in and day-out. They have no rest from their labors. But our heavenly Father wants to give us good, good rest....

Our reasons for rest reach back to the ground of creation and the dawn of time. ...

In times of restlessness, the knowledge that the Lord is real and really loves us changes everything....

Some of our restlessness is fueled by our surprise that troubles show up in our lives....

We are at our most realistic when we realize his realness and reallocate our attention accordingly....

Fear can drive restlessness....

The same Lord who gives shelter and security and sleep also gives support to those who dream the dreams he so generously gives....

Every night when you drift off to sleep, you have a powerful reminder that you are loved by God....

There’s almost always more work to do than can ever be done....

The Lord’s will is not bound to ours as if he’s a marionette being pulled by the strings of our activity....

If we think we’re in it all on our own or that our effort is the only effort that matters, when will we ever rest?...

In reading, we experience communal relationships not only with the author but also with others who are listening to the words. ...

What do you do if your father’s instruction and your mother’s teaching don’t feel like a garland to grace your head or a chain to adorn your neck?...

One way to navigate the communications chaos in the world is to set up priority people, people to whom you’ll listen no matter what....

A humble take on our current era can help us pursue wisdom in healthy ways in our generation....

The echo of the proverbial straight path reminds us that trusting Jesus is how we get to holiness, righteousness, and life....

The easiest path isn’t always the most direct one....

How much trust does it take to walk with the Lord for a lifetime?...

The Lord knows what it’s like to experience disappointment. ...

Maybe the struggle isn’t with guidance; maybe the struggle is with trust....

The Lord cares how we live our lives. ...

Our relationship with the Lord can create space for us to have other relationships....

Wholehearted trust in the Lord looks like depending on him rather than your own understanding....

We have so many options for where to place our trust....

We don’t just pursue wisdom for our sake. When we get wisdom, everyone around us gets blessed....

You can choose who you spend time with and how you will allow them to influence you....

You’ve been entrusted with something precious....

If we want to grow in wisdom, we need to spend time with those who have wisdom. ...

What do you picture when you picture walking with the wise? ...

Don’t turn your mind off when seeking the Lord. He’s the source of all the brilliance that dwells inside you....

Wisdom and Wealth are not enemies....

You don’t have to already be wise to gain wisdom....

God’s reaching out to us makes it possible for us to reach back out to him with hope and confidence....

Wisdom will watch over, protect, and guard our hearts according to Proverbs. But what does that look like? How can we guard our hearts?...

Which path do we want to walk?...

What makes wisdom so valuable?...

Wisdom emerges from relationships: relationship with your context, with your community and with your heart....

God’s invitation to us is to receive free, healthy, wildly-alive hearts. Jesus came to give us hearts that fill our lives with life. Walking wisely with him requires us to tend thoughtfully to the condition of our spiritual and emotional lives....

All the good we do in the world in the name of this particular King must be done in love....

What if this new way of seeing the world got its light from relationships rather than from obedience to rules?...

Don’t let the commandments take the place of God....

We may want to have a different set of conversations with the people we love or a different way of engaging with our local community. But we have to start where we can start....

Ask yourself: “Of all the _______, which is the most important?” Pause for a beat and reflect on what your answer reveals about you and your perspective....

What does this prayer show me about the way I think about God and feel about this person for whom I’m praying?...

There’s something powerful that happens when we pull our affection into our awareness and communicate it to another person....

Paul feels the way about his friends in Philippi that mothers often do for their children....

The work won’t reach completion for a while. But don’t lose heart. God loves you and won’t let you go....

Joy fills our prayers and our hearts and spills out from our faces as we go to the places God sends us with the people he gives us....

Jesus doesn’t just serve; he empowers us to serve....

Learning the secret of contentment requires relationship....

Contentment always seems to be just around the corner and just out of reach....

When we rest in the security of contentment we can be available to truly see and respond to the needs of people around us....

Don’t let guilt or shame over past inaction keep you from making a difference in the future. ...

The ultimate destiny and goal and end of all strength is service....

Serving always requires strength....

There’s something special about pausing for a beat to study on your own....

The hard and joyful work of the soul that’s alive to God in Christ is to serve anyways. Where we can. When we can. And to be gentle with ourselves when we just can’t....

The example Jesus gives us lands in the midst of God’s empowering work in our lives....

Sorry to flood your inbox, but I just remembered that I wanted to add something....

When we’re included in Christ, new bonds spring into existence between us and each and every individual who is connected with God....

Human connection is an essential element for Christian social engagement. It’s what makes Christian social engagement distinctly Christian....

Love doesn’t preclude passing laws, boycotting, protesting, or engaging in activism. Love shapes the way we do all of these things. ...

This week we’re going to be studying a whole book of the Bible. Sure, it’s only one chapter. But that still counts!...

Amazing things happen when we obey God....

Ananias needed to see differently before he could do differently. ...

The reason Jesus includes Ananias has little or nothing to do with Ananias and a lot to do with Jesus....

Comfort and Challenge with Jesus...

The resurrection changes everything....

Why might there be no needy persons in a faith community?...

Our most important question in life kicks in here: What is God like? ...

When we forget the resurrection reality and treat Jesus as a dusty historical figure, our experience of connection and impetus for generosity begin to fade. We lose perspective. Our petty differences take on an exaggerated significance....

Unity precedes generosity. And generosity always follows unity....

As you read, allow the Lord to direct your attention to a word or phrase that describes this new community....

Saying “Yes” to Jesus’ challenges is our best path to peace and joy....

We’re hoping that each of us and everyone who visits a church would have a meaningful moment with Jesus this weekend. We want to experience that joy....

Use the negative image to grow your appreciation for what actually happened....

What would you expect Jesus to say to you if you met him today? Digging into that question can give you a flash of insight into a) how you see Jesus and b) how you see yourself....

Wherever you are, God can meet you there. He can meet you when no one else wants to listen to you. He can meet you even when you doubt....

One way we can lift our voices to glorify God is to talk to people about him. This could involve sharing your story of God’s work in your life, telling someone about something you’re learning about God, or directly inviting someone to connect with God....

In today’s passage, Jesus points to a very important truth: God is worthy of our praise. ...

When you’re swept into the worship of God, lifted to the heights of prayer, plunged into the depths of scripture, filled with zeal for justice … those are always the moments when the pharisaical voices begin to ring in our hearts....

This is not what the crowd expected....

Anyone can say the words. ...

What do you do when you bump into things Jesus says or does that you don’t approve of, don’t understand, or don’t enjoy? ...

We’re invited by God today to witness the friendliness of Jesus....

What we do in the face of emotional whiplash and deep disappointment makes all the difference in the world. ...

This week, as we explore Jesus’ interaction with the friends of the paralytic and the crowd that had gathered to hear him teach, we’ll have an opportunity to listen to Jesus for ourselves....

They would do whatever it takes to get their friend to Jesus....

These aren’t the only times or the only ways to bring people to Jesus. But some of us need a nudge....

When Jesus healed the paralyzed man in response to the faith of the man’s radical friends, a bunch of different people had a bunch of different decision to make....

In spiritual friendship, we connect in meaningful ways with another person and, ultimately, through that relationship, with God....

How might this influence our relationships with people with whom we might disagree? ...

Our view of who God is shapes our view of who we are and, consequently, influences all of our relationships....

Over and against bland or brutal or brief unity, Paul presents the unity of the Spirit....

A non-comprehensive yet challenging list of ways to live a life worthy of the calling we’ve received...

We’ve been invited, summoned, called into the life and mission and kingdom of God....

When we become who God invites us to become we benefit from the growth and we bless our broader community....

Rapid expansion doesn’t repudiate smallness. In fact, smallness is a necessary and significant element of the life of Christian community....

Growth brings change. Change brings challenges. Challenges bring choices....

God isn’t afraid to start small. That’s how he always does it. ...

What’s your willingness to wrestle with God as you come into this week? ...

Nothing can help us connect with difficult people quite like the presence of Jesus....

So often our hesitations about the people we distrust have as much to do with our own fears and pride as anything having to do with “them.” ...

Apart from Jesus, none of these disciples would have received an invite to Levi’s party … and none of these disciples would have had access to Levi’s social network....

Jesus packed a riot into a small group. And that small group changed the world....

Tax collectors in Judea in the days of Jesus’ earthly ministry had remarkably complex jobs....

Healthy small groups will connect us to people we wouldn’t ordinarily connect with thought means we wouldn’t ordinarily use in ways that radically challenge us to mature and grow. ...

The remarkable thing about the men was that they had been with Jesus (see Acts 4:13)....

Did Jesus and the Twelve know some secret to group dynamics and community structure?...

From the very beginning Jesus’ small group had a mission. ...

He could share more with them by living life with them than by lecturing them....

Our participation in service gives us a deeper appreciation of the salvation that Jesus bought for us. That salvation works deeper into our souls as a result. And we’re transformed....

You’re more likely to find the truly great person by looking for someone serving. You’re more likely to grow into true greatness in your own life by looking for opportunities to serve....

We have an opportunity to practice the discipline of trust. We can relax into the watchful care of our wise God....

Imagine Jesus turned to you and asked you: “What do you want me to do for you?” ...

As we pour out our hearts to him, he hears us and responds in love. That doesn’t always mean giving us what we ask for, but it always means giving us his best....

God’s invitation to “together” is the only pathway to “better.”...

There’s no sending without authority and there's no authority without sending....

We need to be “together” in our pursuit of the “better.”...

Why didn’t Jesus send them out as one big group?...

As Jesus continued to faithfully visit town after town ...

Following Jesus does, at times, come with a cost. He doesn’t offer us cheap discipleship....

Jesus’ invitation to follow him requires us time and time again to leave our nets, to leave behind even the good things that will distract us from following him....

What do you do when you come to one of Jesus’ metaphors?...

Jesus flips the script. He calls uneducated fishermen. He initiates the relationship. And that changes how the whole thing would work....

Every movement has a starting place....

Don’t miss his purpose. Don’t miss his invitation....

The dance between his Father and his friends, between solitary prayer and community life, that created an environment that was primed for Jesus to discover and rediscover his purpose....

Jesus’ decision to move on to other towns and villages to preach meant that he wouldn’t be able to stick around to enjoy the honor and gratitude of all of the people he had directly and indirectly helped....

God the Son ...

How does the tug of popularity pull on your heart? ...

Our world is thirsty for “green grass,” for places where people can sit down together and connect with each other in meaningful ways....

Don’t ever think that your small loaf of bread and your few fish aren’t enough to make a difference....

Great Bible study involves letting your imagination roam through a text, seeking understanding and insight....

Watch out for God’s great compassion! His compassion will change the course of history. His compassion can transform your life....

There’s a rest that comes from quiet and a rest that comes from depending on Jesus. We, like Jesus’ disciples, need both....

A lot of us feel the speed of time as we close out another year. Where did 2017 go? ...

A lot of us feel the speed of time as we close out another year. Where did 2017 go? ...

Anna’s story reminds us of much we already know but easily forget in the busyness of life....

Anna’s story reminds us of much we already know but easily forget in the busyness of life....

In the presence of Jesus the ordinary power structures of the world get flipped on their head. ...

Something came alive in Simeon when he met Jesus....

Listen for any part of this story that warms your heart toward God and that sparks joy in your soul....

When you connect with Jesus, joy follows....

All too often we bump right up to the threshold of joy and turn back because we see rough wood and straw and very little gold. We need to pay closer attention to find joy, to find our Savior in the manger....

The shockwave of this good news wraps great joy around the world. Can you feel it? ...

Knowing that you may encounter opportunities to be terrified on your path toward joy allows you to summon your courage and look to the Lord for strength to stay engaged....

We can look back on this ordinary night and see that any ordinary moment is a moment that could be pregnant with potential for a miracle....

Taking a word or phrase like this and reflecting on it and meditating on it (like we did right here) can be a great spiritual discipline. ...

God invites us to be his children before he invites us to anything else. ...

Don’t miss the full picture of the salvation that God has for us in Jesus Christ!...

The presence of God in our midst is good news to us....

John was going to lead an extraordinary life. But he would be eclipsed by Jesus....

God can be at work in our lives that fit the patterns we’ve seen in the lives of other. But he can also break the mold....

Mary had a deep sense that God’s new work in the world at Christmas would turn the world upside down....

God’s work doesn’t start with us. ...

Rejoicing sparked by gratitude does something powerful in our souls....

When the emotion is too great to convey in mere words, characters in a musical will sing out. ...

Presence and affection. This is what love looks like....

For us to become a people of deep faith, we need to attend carefully to the stories of God’s faithfulness in the lives of the people around us....

In the virgin birth we see the extraordinary and miraculous lengths God will go to for the sake of a relationship....

“A simple translation correction,” we think, “could clear up all this confusion.” Except that it doesn’t....

God meets us in the real world. ...

How would it change your relationship with Jesus if you came to believe in him in the midst of a feast that had been marked by this miracle: turning water into wine?...

As Vanessa Williams sang a long time ago: “Just when I thought a chance had passed, you went and saved the best for last.” And that’s just what Jesus did....

Just as God can take the ordinary and make it extraordinary, he can take the sacred and make it holy....

Jesus kept the party going....

God wants to be present in every corner of our lives....

There’s so much packed into this one tiny verse. ...

Switchtracks reveal something about the person with whom we’re speaking. What we do with these switchtracks matters....

She had such a hard time seeing beyond her thirst. And so do we....

We don’t like to be vulnerable, to expose our needs to strangers, or to be the one asking for help. We’d much rather give answers....

Jesus’ need to go through Samaria had nothing to do with logistics and travel efficiency and everything to do with his mission to seek and save the lost....

Our obsession with being right keeps us from being loving and, in effect, keeps us from experiencing full and deep and rich intimacy with Jesus....

Doing this requires courage....

All too often our conversations across religious divides devolve into petty arguments....

People feel strongly about their gods....

In our time of need, we need to know that God is at work restraining evil. He’s not absent. He isn’t on vacation or taking a nap. He’s fully engaged....

Bad stuff can tempt us to bad behavior....

Jesus doesn’t just feel sorry for us; he shares our emotional state....

Centering our hope on Jesus and holding firmly to our faith allows us to reject the unhealthy options that present themselves to us in our times of crisis....

When bad things happen, we can find our faith shaken. We trust the Lord, but that trust gets tested. And that’s okay....

Even the most rational and intellectual among us sway under the weight of our hearts....

The Bible’s glory is a reflected glory: the beauty of the moon, not the beauty of the sun. But in these dark days, we can feel grateful for a full moon shining brightly and guiding our footsteps....

On Easter Sunday, Jesus had been raised from the dead, but his followers and friends were still deciding if they were going to believe the news. How would you help these folks believe that Jesus was alive?...

Throughout the Bible we see the story of God and his people told honestly, warts and all....

As followers of Jesus, we trust the Bible and allow it to guide both our lives and our community because we believe that the Bible speaks faithfully about Jesus....

Anyone can be your neighbor....

The good news in Jesus Christ is that God’s acceptance of us doesn’t depend on our performance for him....

Stories like these have the ability slip past our defenses. They challenge us without being obnoxious. They give us space to consider a different point of view....

We’re at our worst when we put our church or our family or our politics above our connection with Jesus. ...

Jesus desires to offer relationship and not just answers. ...

When we come to Jesus with our questions, we shouldn’t be surprised when he challenges us in return....

If Jesus answered the question but not the expectations underlying it, John’s emotional turmoil might continue....

Don't keep your questions to yourself, allowing it to smolder and burn up your insides. ...

Take some time today to listen to the questions people ask about God, faith, religion, and spirituality...

The God we see revealed in Jesus is a God who can handle our questions, a God who loves being asked questions....

Throughout your life you will encounter people who in moments of foolishness mean to do you harm. Don’t wrap your life around them....

We all have times in our lives when we slip through the garden and grab for forbidden fruit and play God. ...

Many of us couldn’t forgive others from our hearts except that God is at work in and around us....

In our relationships with God we’re the recipients of his radical and surprising mercy. ...

When in your life have you been the recipient of words of blessing, of someone with authority in your life commenting on your past, your character, or your potential?...

Everyone is surprised by mercy. ...

We need someone to rescue us from our slavery to anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, and pride....

God can work in a thousand ways to transform the way we see the people who’ve hurt us....

Our past experiences of trauma can trigger strong reactions in us....

Justice doesn’t have to come at the expense of your soul....

This is a God who is worthy to be praised. ...

Don’t let anyone convince you that you have nothing to offer. And don’t let the spirit of comparison creep into your heart. Bring to the table exactly what God has given you and do so joyously....

We’ve seen time and time again how our community generously responds to neighbors in crisis and global needs. We’ve made sacrifices to help others. And it’s so worth it....

The myth of the self-made, bootstrap-pulling, hard-working, independent hero stumbles in seasons like these....

Tremendous pressures pile up to move the wheels of the world and of our lives....

Pause for a moment and thank God for putting the right people in your life in decisive moments. ...

The ongoing rumblings in Joseph’s heart foreshadow an upcoming work of God in Joseph’s life....

Joseph leaned in and was faithful to do the work God had given him to do....

Joseph wants to rely on God. And that’s what makes him extraordinary....

Don’t lose hope if you can’t chart a clear course from where you are today to where you hope to be....

Awareness of God’s activity can boost your God-confidence....

As you navigate difficult situations and relationships, God's presence can fill you with tremendous confidence....

Joseph’s past and his present collided. He had a decision to make....

All too often we get so busy doing our good work that we forget to connect with the people who God has placed in our path....

As God poured his blessings out on Joseph, the cupbearer and the baker benefitted as well. This can also happen to us in hard times....

What happens inside of us when we see people punished for showing integrity? ...

God gave blessings and God gave boundaries. Joseph knew that he couldn’t accept one without the other....

With success comes challenge....

The Lord’s blessing on the household didn’t remove Joseph’s challenges, but they did change his experience....

Your prospering doesn’t ultimately depend on your circumstances....

Though God is not mentioned once in Genesis 37, we later discover that he was at work all throughout this painful and difficult episode....

Let’s refuse to participate in the destructive practice of dehumanization....

Our dreams can reveal our areas of immaturity, as can our way of communicating them. ...

Favoritism is one of many broken relational patterns that separate us from each other....

We can’t rid ourselves of our automatic habit of capturing first impressions as we meet new people, but we can cultivate habits of attention that allow us to look beyond those initial judgements....

The Lord constantly works through communities. For every great figure in the story of our faith, we also find the Lord sending them friends....

As God’s blessings pile up in and around us, we need to share them with others. Only then will God’s blessings to us be complete....

God holds up his side of the covenant. Though his covenant purposes advance over rocky terrain, they advance nonetheless....

God's invitation stands. It’s our turn to respond. What will we do?...

The adventure of life with God gives us healing and joy and blessing, but it also stretches us. We leave familiar territory, relationships, programs, and narratives behind when we launch out into this adventure....

What if the craziness we feel when we’re crazy busy is due to having two different songs playing inside of us: the drumbeat of eternity and the roar of busyness?...

God has made everything beautiful in its time. Even us. ...

Without meaning, work becomes miserable and we lose our drive....

This burst of poetry reaches out and connects with our hearts. We’re given space to connect viscerally and emotionally with God’s truth about the seasonal nature of life....

God does huge things in our lives when we shift from Now-Or-Never Thinking to Season Thinking....

The Lord is the one who makes known to us the paths of life....

Contentment is the fruit of a soul who’s put down roots in the generosity of God....

We love hard work. We work hard. But the Lord is the one who holds our ultimate security....

Other gods make big promises if only we’ll worship them. They give us benefits in the short-term (sometimes). But over time these gods fail us. And we suffer more and more as a result of our bondage to them....

Lean more heavily on God when times get hard....

Calling out to God changes us for the better. ...

In order to pursue your God-given great work, you need to make more than just one good decision; you need to string together a series of good decisions....

Don’t give in to the temptation to compare your great work to others....

When you embark on great work in your own life, you probably won’t have people trying to get you killed. But it may feel like it....

When we live crazy busy lives, we miss out on the great work God’s given us to do....

Enter into this passage imaginatively. ...

You cannot go off by yourself and grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ....

Only love can hold us together. ...

Paul’s prayer for power which leads to strength isn’t focused on doing and achieving. Instead, Paul wants his friends to have the rich and beautiful experience of intimacy with Jesus Christ....

The special relationship you have with God gives you strong permission to open your heart to him in prayer....

The reflected glory shines brightly in the dark....

God’s choice to identify with us was, according to Paul, his way of making his wisdom known to the entire cosmos....

We don’t have to jettison our ethnic identities in order to fully participate in the body of Christ....

Paul didn’t want the Christian mysteries to be held in secret as copyrighted proprietary instruction. He wanted everyone to talk about these great mysteries....

Paul had a beautiful call from the Lord. What’s yours? ...

God has chosen to make himself know to the world through us, to meet with people through us, to identify with us....

If Jesus can stand alive on the mountain top, he can bring us there with him....

When Jesus brings us near to God and to other people, he does it in a way that challenges and changes us....

In God’s good goodness, he goes out of his way to connect with those of us who live as outsiders....

Our world is full of divides....

God pulls us into his activity....

Salvation is a gift, not a payment for services rendered....

God’s great love for us has the final say in our lives....

God changes the story of our past, but he doesn’t rewrite history. He adds new chapters. And each new chapter reshapes how we see the entire story....

A humble memory of where you came from ...

Christ will always be the highest authority. No one will topple him, surpass him, or overthrow him....

God is at the center of Paul’s vision and at the center of our lives....

Above all, Paul prioritized knowing God, so that’s what he asked God to do for his friends....

What are we missing when the focus of our prayer lives is only asking for things?...

You can’t have meaningful faith in the Lord Jesus without also having love for all God’s people; you can’t have love for all God’s people without also placing your faith in the Lord Jesus....

The Spirit is God’s very presence with us. He doesn’t just welcome us to ping him when we have a minute; he wants to spend time with us....

God’s good work in us invites us every day to both hear and believe....

Wouldn’t you love for everything that’s glorious about God to be on display in you? ...

Paul talks about something he calls “predestination” and treats it like good news....

Adoption is special. The child or person being adopted is chosen, wanted, added to a new family....

Jesus gives us access to every spiritual blessing....

God the father who welcomes you and Jesus the prince who loves you send grace and peace to you every minute of every day...

We become God’s holy people only in and with and through Christ Jesus....

God works actively, daily to shape us into the people he wants us to become....

This week we’re kicking off a new series out of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. And as we get started, it might be helpful for you to learn about Ephesus and the folks who received this letter....

God is doing amazing things in the world, unlooked for amazing things. We feel so grateful that God has taken the initiative to bless, heal, and bring about reconciliation....

The scope of the challenges that face us when we roll up our sleeve to engage the world for good can paralyze us....

For those of us who labor ...

Our tiny acts of service, performed with great love, link together into a great chain of progress. Pulled by the Lord, this chain of progress lifts our community a little bit every day, a little bit every year....

God will make all things new. He’s promised to time and time again. He didn’t promise this on a whim. He hasn’t forgotten his promise. He can do it. And he surely will....

Do you believe this is true?...

God’s cosmic new-making mission will radically change the way the world works....

Some days it feels like our sadness will last forever. But it won’t. It won’t. Our Father will stop the madness. He will make it stop. We will wipe our tears from our eyes....

Jesus has removed every reason for us to be terrified of God. So we can go searching for him without fear. And we can find him and discover that he’s been with us ...

God’s new-making mission takes place on a cosmic scale. It’s bigger than any of us. We’re so small, but so dearly loved. And this is good news....

The Christian life spills beyond Sunday morning worship, small group life, and quiet devotional emails. ...

These virtues function like clothing. They make it possible for us to be present and un-self-conscious, to feel safe and secure, to feel wanted for who we are and not just for our bodies … for what we can do....

You can’t put on your new self without also taking off your old self and being made new....

We have no life apart from Christ. We go where he goes and join him in what he’s doing. He’s not our safety net; he’s on the tightrope with us....

Right now we are called to set our hearts on things above, to shift our focus onto Jesus....

Jesus makes us new....

What have you written off as gone forever?...

Over and over again, in every situation, when Jesus reached out to touch someone who was unclean something remarkable happened. ...

Who wins? Spoiler alert: Jesus wins. Always. In the end, Jesus makes all things new....

We need to know that Jesus is no stranger to our ordinary places....

Let’s not slip into that place where we feel like our good behavior earns us a place in Jesus’ party. ...

So many people will say that they like or even admire Jesus, they just can’t stand his followers. ...

We throw our lives open in healthy and joy-filled ways and invite the people that God’s placed in our lives to join us as we connect with our Savior....

We must choose every day to follow Jesus....

Jesus changed everything for Levi, as we’ll see this week. ...

Being reconciled to God is both a once-for-all-time kind of thing and an every-day-I-live-and-breathe kind of thing....

The barriers between you and a healthy relationship with God have come down. You have no more reason to hide....

We have a role to play. God has commissioned us. What a blessing!...

Underpinning today’s passage is the story that tells us that something had gone horribly wrong between us and God....

Because the new is here, the old has gone. The old may remain for a beat or two, but it’s gone just as surely and securely as if it had already been eradicated....

Celebrate this. Sing it. Shout it. Write it on your walls. Christ has made us new....

The trickle-down effects of our relationship with Christ continue to unfold in today’s passage. ...

Death in all it’s forms ...

Love is not a finite resource, but our priorities do shape the way we express our love. ...

They knew their message would seem like nonsense. But they shared it anyways....

If Jesus can come back from the dead, what is impossible for him?...

Why doesn’t God make this extraordinary circumstance more ordinary?...

Taking time to wonder doesn’t come naturally to everyone. And it’s tough to do in our frenetic, fast-paced, get-things-done culture. But it has an impact....

What they found at the tomb didn’t align with their expectations. The tomb was opened and the body was gone....

You are dearly loved by God. And he proved it on the cross....

The place where prayer and action meet is a place where we can connect with God....

Jesus did a great deal of teaching … but his teaching wasn’t what he was known for in his lifetime, what he was remembered for by his disciples, or what from his life has had the most significant impact on the world....

Jesus’ revolution is marked by Jesus’ character. His love, patience, compassion, and mercy will come stamped on his every action. He’s delightfully and maddeningly consistent....

Reflecting on your own decision-making process might help you to connect more deeply with Jesus in this pivotal moment in his story....

The church is more than a Sunday morning gathering for music, sermonizing, and donuts. It’s bigger than us. ...

Who are the great partners that God has brought into your life ...

Barnabas’ posture had a tremendous impact on his experience and on the way others experienced him. We’re at our most healthy when we cultivate a similar posture....

It took outsiders to reach outsiders....

Ethnic segregation, socioeconomic segregation, political segregation … left to our own devices we’ll surround ourselves exclusively with people who look, spend, and think just like us....

What might God do with your faithfulness?...

The Lord of all the cosmos has chosen to treat you as a friend ...

This gap between who Jesus really is and who people perceive him to be shows up for all of us....

Jesus isn’t just alive on the other side of the cross and the empty tomb, he’s present in the lives of his people. ...

Opponents to God’s work in the world today can appear in various forms. Some come equipped with little more than snide comments and teasing. Others carry knives, bombs, and the hammer of unjust laws....

Turn away and pray and it will be okay. ...

The Lord isn’t done with our transformation at the moment of our initial conversion. Every day we follow him he works in our hearts and souls to change the way we think, love and live....

No one is too lost to be found. No one is too stuck to be freed. No one is too evil to be loved....

Every inch of ground gained by the kingdom of God has to be taken from other little imposter kingdoms....

The miracles earned him a hearing....

How do we go from being unprepared to being prepared? ...

God’s power is put on full display when his followers cross racial, ethnic and cultural lines with the news and love of Jesus....

Philip will get more instructions later in the passage. All he’s given to start with is a direction. But that was enough....

In a world that’s clearly not the way it’s supposed to be, God has intervened....

God is wildly available to us in these seasons of disruption....

The arc of the universe bends toward celebration....

Take some time today to meditate on the strength-giving joy of the Lord....

The Lord’s work in our hearts is to turn us back toward community in healthy and generous ways....

The goodness of the Lord gives us a reason to celebrate....

What do you do at the end of a great, good project? We’ve talked about building and rebuilding families, careers, homes, churches, and communities. But what happens next?...

If we were going to draw it into something like a formula, it might look like this: Committed Community + Generous God = Remarkable Results....

The whole community is blessed when someone is willing to step in and do the work no one else wants to do....

Those daughters of Shallum, those strong women, worked as hard as all of the rest of the men. And their work was noted both by Nehemiah and by God....

There is an intimate connection between your willingness to get your hands dirty and your ability to bless people....

Your particular part in God’s good work has not gone unnoticed by him....

Nehemiah’s testimony about God’s gracious hand at work for him gave the people the faith they needed to actively move into the future....

“We” creates space for “us.”...

Sometimes you need someone to tell you when you’re in trouble....

A patient due diligence process prepares us to step into the work we’ve been given to do in a knowledgeable, prepared way....

We live in an age that struggles with secrecy....

As people of faith, we don’t have to be afraid of planning. The same God who speeds and catches us when we take our leaps of faith can inspire and guide us when we plan....

The active, rough-and-tumble, dangerous phase of the Jerusalem rebuilding project was peppered with prayer. Connecting with God in prayer filled the beats between moments of action. ...

We often are only in touch with the surface of our desires. We rarely dive into their depths....

Fear is not the absence of faith. Even the faithful feel fear. Fear can serve us well, pushing us onto the path toward wisdom. But fear makes a terrible master....

We believe that the Lord still does this: he positions people perfectly to pursue their destiny. ...

You also can store up for yourself a supply of conviction about the Lord’s willingness to keep his promises....

Nehemiah’s willingness to identify himself with his broader family and community in confession positions him powerfully to lead his entire community in mission....

The Lord is present in our lives and history, whether the news is good or bad. When his people practice prayerful engagement, they discover that their activist God is already deeply engaged: bringing restoration, resisting evil, and generating hope....

One of the things we love about Nehemiah’s story is that he manages to care both for people and structures. He doesn’t just have warm and fuzzy sympathetic feelings for his fellow Jews, he also cares about the state of Jerusalem’s walls....

Choosing to care does something in our souls. The Lord works with that choice, enriches it and expands it and nourishes it. Choosing to care slips you into the center of God’s great work....

Life in the church brings our vulnerabilities to the surface. This is perhaps never more true than when a church is growing....

The Lord delights to do the seemingly impossible....

Don’t encourage people to imitate your behavior. When they’re inspired by the Lord’s work in your life, encourage them to connect with God....

When the Lord grows a community, when the Lord grows a church, when the Lord grows a person … the blessings spill beyond that the life of that community, church, or person....

The political and military machinations of the world powers look like ultimate powers, but God is also at work. God’s work continues even in seasons of difficulty and uncertainty. And God’s work is the work that matters most....

There is good soil out there, soil that’s been prepared, hearts that are ready to hear and accept that word of the Lord. ...

Jesus insightfully lists 3 things that can keep the word of God from bearing fruit in your life: worries, wealth, and distraction....

Troubles and persecutions can come as a result of our faith. If we haven’t put down deep roots, our faith won’t survive....

The soil on the path has not been prepared to receive the seed....

God’s kingdom is marked by the reckless generosity of the king. ...

How will we respond to Jesus’ great act of service? Gratitude. Shame. Joy. Confusion. Worship. So many responses are available to us....

Will you choose to serve? This is a daily choice, a choice that goes against the grain of the world, a choice that God uses to transform us....

When do you find yourself feeling grumpy about the way other people talk to or about God?...

Our prayer requests fly to God, but we can’t pretend to fully comprehend the full impact of each flap of their wings....

James and John are comically transparent in their attempt to manipulate Jesus. Aren’t we all?...

The kingdom of heaven is available to both seekers and stumblers. Some of us searched high and low looking for a place and a community where what God wants done is done. Others of us went looking for friends, free food, and a little spiritual icing on the cake we call life and stumbled into this great and wonderful kingdom that God is bringing to fruition in our midst. God...

What do you consider to be so worthwhile that you’ll rearrange your life? This question can give you insight into your priorities, your dreams, and the challenges of your current life situation....

Great engagement with the scriptures begins with good observation of the text. As you read these parables, what stands out to you?...

The Kingdom of Heaven is worth it!...

How would you fill in this blank: “The kingdom of heaven is like _________.”?...

What would happen if we all committed to seek God’s kingdom first in 2017?...

Every resolution you make in this new year can contain a kingdom component if you are willing to seek it out. Losing weight, reading more, decluttering, taking a vacation, calling your kids … each and every one of these can be used by our heavenly Father to advance his kingdom in our lives and in this world....

This time of year many of us will ponder making resolutions to live life differently in 2017. The changes that take place in our lives might have a tremendous impact on our relationships and our participation in God’s kingdom. ...

Mary’s practice of treasuring what has happened and pondering them in her heart is a practice that can serve us well in our own lives....

Rest. Rest. The weary world rejoices. ...

Who can you surprise with a Christmas invitation this year?...

Our differences don’t go away; they just cease to keep us apart....

Wouldn’t it be great if all of us had our eyes fixed on Jesus and our hearts filled with joy? ...

It doesn’t take much to see that the problems of little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world...

Because Christmas is for everyone, Christmas is for you and for everyone you love....

Going home for the holidays can be difficult....

There’s no story that God cannot join....

Don’t go to Jesus expecting to find a king like Caesar Augustus. He has his own personality, his own priorities, and his own values. The kingdom in which Jesus rules and reigns differs tremendously from the empire of the Caesars....

God is not thrown by the twists and turns life throws us. He can leverage and redeem them. He can see to it that good comes about despite them. And this can help us trust him....

The ripple effect of one small decision can be felt throughout a community or throughout a lifetime....

Blessed are you if you believe the Lord will fulfill his promises to you....

Time and time again the Lord has empowered both women and men to speak up in the power of the Spirit and testify about Jesus. And he empowers us today....

Have you ever considered this possibility: God’s faithfulness to you may be used to bolster someone else’s faith?...

Crediting the Lord is a choice that we make. And it’s a choice worth making. ...

One of the Christmas surprises we have to reckon with this season is the surprise of disappointment. We have such high hopes for God’s work and intervention. But they won’t always be fulfilled....

When Joseph found out about the pregnancy, he went and took a nap. When Mary found out, she went to visit a friend and sang a song....

God connected with history in a new way in Jesus. He connects with us in a new way through Jesus today....

Through Christmas, Mary was pulled into God’s bigger story. And we are too. Through Christmas we’re invited to participate in significant ways in God’s subversive kingdom....

You are highly favored and the Lord is with you. ...

What resources do you think are necessary for things to change for the better?...

In those early years of Jesus’ life, his adopted father sheltered him from political powers that would gladly have taken his life and obstructed his saving mission....

Once Joseph received this bigger perspective, his reason for being afraid went away. When he chose to listen and believe, his life changed....