Have you ever experienced something difficult and wondered why it was happening? Perhaps you thought you had done something to deserve it or worried that God had somehow forgotten or abandoned you. Don't worry, you're not alone. It's hard to see the bigger picture when we're in the thick of it, and it's easier to assume the worst. Yet our God has promised to not only be with us wherever we go and whatever we face, He promised to use it for His glory and for our good. The best part is that His promises don't just end with us. They live on to the generations who will come behind us.

The word covenant may not mean much to most people these days. It can sound like an antiquated church word that lost its meaning over the years. The truth is that covenants play a pivotal role in Scripture and in our relationship with God. Simply put, when we do life God’s ways, we receive His blessings. The reason is because God chose covenants to be the way He shows His love, His plans, and His commitment to us, even if we fail. That’s what makes it so important. Without God’s commitment and God’s ways, we are left insecure in our relationship and our path through life.

The illustration of sowing and reaping is one of almost infinite parallels with life in Christ. Discipleship begins with God’s Word being the seed that is planted in our souls and bearing the fruit of salvation. The great news is that it doesn’t stop there. Being a disciple means that we are becoming more like the one we’re following. The problem is that we are incapable of doing that on our own. Our hearts are often hard and inhospitable to the upside down Kingdom of Jesus. How then can we be “successful” as disciples, becoming more like Jesus and doing the work He’s giving us to do? It may not be as complicated as we often think.

Have you ever wrestled with God, or have you simply resolved to figure it out on your own? Life isn’t always easy, and it isn’t always clear. There are a lot of “good” things we can do in this life. But is it what God has asked you to do?

If we say we are surrendered to Jesus, we should do what He is asking us to do, not what we think is best, and not what someone else thinks. The answer to leading a directed, intentional, and power-filled life is to remain connected to Him always. Jesus doesn’t tell us to remain connected to Him only on Sundays. The call is to remain connected to Him always. When we are disconnected, we can do nothing. The good news is that when we remain connected, our definition of success shifts to God’s Presence rather than what we can produce.

Many of us have an understanding, however deep or shallow, of priests. It’s a term that paints a specific picture in our modern understanding, but one that has a very deep and important meaning that goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden, Melchizedek, Aaron, and eventually Jesus. But what value does “priesthood” have on the other side of Jesus’ death and resurrection?
In the book of 1 Peter, we are called “a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9),” which suggests that the idea of priests, who have access to God and represent Him to the people, was God’s idea from the beginning and is still important today. The truth is that access to God is no longer reserved for a specific group of people, socio-economic demographic, age, or gender. Access to God is now open to all people, and we can now go out into all the world and be salt and light. And today, church isn’t just something we attend, it’s part of who we are. We all now have a calling whether it’s in your job, your family, your marriage, your church, or wherever the Lord tells you to go, and that calling determines how we live.

If you’ve ever wondered what we’re here for, you’re not alone. Discovering your purpose in life is a universal experience. We all go through it at one time or another. The world is going to try and define it in a number of ways. It might sound like career success, financial abundance, material possessions, popularity, or any other number of circumstances that, on the surface, look good. Certainly those might be blessings from the Lord, but it’s not the ultimate goal. If that’s what our eyes are set on, we will go through life sorely unfulfilled.
Jesus made it very clear that we are to go into all the world and make disciples and to baptize. No matter who you are, what your life experiences are, or what your level of education is, God has a purpose for your life that has eternal significance. Are you willing to pursue it and say “no” to the empty promises of the world?

What’s love got to do with it? Quite a bit. The truth is that love has everything to do with it. It’s the central theme of some of our favorite fairy tales and cultural bedrock. Throw a stone at any rom-com, and you’ll see that it’s all about finding true love. As young adults, we’re obsessed to the point of anxiety about finding “the one.” Love is a big deal for us.

Our world is more confused than ever about what true love really is, whether we want to admit it or not. Sadly, we are more morally bankrupt than we realize. Proverbs 27:7 says, “to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.” When we live in a continuously love-starved state, we’ll accept anything that even remotely resembles true love. Yet the very reason Jesus came was to show us what true love really is. He did it in the most unexpected way possible.
He came as a vulnerable baby, not as a conqueror. He served instead of subdued. In fact, He served the Father by dying as a criminal instead of reigning like a king. It was all because of a Father’s love. Jesus did conquer our most deadly of enemies. He turned slaves into children. He gave life instead of death and mercy instead of judgment all because of love, not because we deserved it. That’s the power of true love, and it’s found in a humble manger, a criminal’s cross, and an empty grave.