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Not everyone in Jesus’ world gave him a warm welcome. Not everyone received him with grace. And many didn’t just ignore him, they rejected him.

Scripture tells us that love is the very essence of who God is (1 John 4:7). So if you don't believe that He loves you unconditionally, you'll never really know Him or have genuine peace about your relationship with Him.

Love and pride cannot coexist, they are mutually exclusive in their motives. Pride is concerned first about getting its own way, while love looks out first for the needs of another. Love is not proud and loves the proud, but pride perceives those who live by love as weak and easily overcome. Love walks in humble dependence on the Lord, while pride walks in arrogant dependence on self. The flesh makes fools out of pride, but the wise rise out of humble love.

Though the world is full of disorder, confusion, and uncertainty, believers in Christ have the wonderful assurance that God is in absolute control of every situation. When He created the heavens and the earth, He had a purpose and a plan, which He carried out with precision and order.

Patience is a natural expression of love, as people who are loved are shown patience. However, some relationships are harder to patiently love. An unprovoked patience requires a small capacity for love, but a provoked patience requires a greater grace.

Those who are comfortable in their own skin are content in how the Lord has made them. However, those who strive to be someone they’re not end up frustrated, failing to enjoy authentic living. Saul desired to honor David by giving him his armor that worked well in past battles, but what Saul found effective was not the best plan for David. Yes, wise followers of Christ focus on what aligns with the unique. Therefore, those who know themselves can be themselves.

When my sister found out she had cancer, I asked my friends to pray. When she had surgery, we prayed that the surgeon would be able to remove all of the cancer and that she wouldn’t have to undergo chemotherapy or radiation. And God answered yes!

The worst kind of rejection may be the rejection of a friend. You expect it from an enemy, but not from a friend. It doesn’t make sense that someone you communed with around Christ would come back and crush you with rejection.

God seeks out men and women who are sensitive to His heart. Saul motivated by pride and fear did not keep the Lord’s command, so God appointed David as the next King. A leader risks losing the Lord’s respect when he disrespects the Lord’s commands.

Jesus expects His followers to see greater things than they have already experienced. The life of Christ is full of greater graces that come with bolder faith and surrender to the Spirit’s control. Greater things could be children who surpass their parents by influencing the globe with the gospel.

Christ in Christmas is like memorial in Memorial Day, mother in Mother’s Day, father in Father’s Day, labor in Labor Day, independence in Independence Day, and thanksgiving in Thanksgiving Day. However, in our attempt to not offend other religions and to become politically correct, we have diluted and desecrated the true meaning of Christmas.

Sometimes the Lord gives His children a promise or assurance that is not fulfilled until later in life. It’s in this process of time that trust needs to stand firmly vigilant over a soul, like the ever present Queen’s Guard at the gates of Buckingham Palace.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. — 2 Timothy 4:3-4

Life is normally lived waiting. We wait in lines; a teenager waits for his or her next birthday; we wait for job promotions; we wait for news from the doctor; we wait for the next meal; we wait for our future spouse; we wait for a lawsuit to be settled; we wait for a meeting to conclude; we wait for those who have yet to keep their commitment.

He is “our God” in the sense that He owns us. We do not own the Almighty. Our actions sometimes dictate to God. We make decisions and then ask Him to bless our mess. Or we don’t make decisions and we ask Him to bless our irresponsibility. Either way, we sometimes try to manage our Master. This is not healthy. It doesn’t work. Our role is not to change God and others so our lives will be better. Our role is to surrender to our Savior Jesus, asking Him to change us.

Self-control is the temperate fruit that blossoms on the vine of the Spirit. It uses the gasoline of grace to govern the engine of a disciple’s activity. Proper self-control is Spirit control, since the flesh can be determined and disciplined without the horsepower of the Holy Spirit. Spirit-led self-control bows to no ego—it only surrenders to Christ. It is free from the desires and whims of the flesh. The body is a good servant, but a poor master.

Sorrow is the fruit of sin in a fallen world; it has the liberty to inflict pain. No one is immune from sorrow. Sorrow is created by sin, death, divorce, selfishness, poverty, rejection, loss, and fear. Sorrow is all around, circling its prey like vultures around a carcass, ready to pick away at the meat of your soul.

We all have a limited amount of time and energy. Wisdom says to spend them both on productive people, not destructive ones. Verbal sparring with a proud person only invites insult. It is better to ignore their venomous venting than try to reason with them. Do your best, stay focused on the task, and trust your reputation with the giver of reputations—your Savior Jesus.

God’s favor is the fruit of friends who find wisdom. They seek wisdom by first watching at the doors of heaven, waiting patiently at the feet of their Savior Jesus. It is humbling to think each day Almighty God is available to commission our cause for Christ. The wisdom of Jesus is what we pursue, because His is pure and profound.

Am I an affectionate father? Like the geyser “Old Faithful,” do I spontaneously spew out love and affection on my children? Am I faithful to fill my daughter or son’s emotional tank with a warm embrace or a kiss on the head? Or, am I so caught up in my own career and needs that I have no emotional capacity to show affection? Affection must be displayed.

Jesus deserves my undivided attention, yet I struggle with distractions. My mind is drawn to musing over pressing issues at work that never seem to go away. My heart engages in emotional cares for others in crisis that I am unable to control. My eyes look ahead in worry or behind in regret.

Creating an economic structure around passion and purpose can be a prayerful and godly goal. It could be converting informal free advice into a formalized fee for coaching, consulting, or counseling.

1537 - Geneva's first Protestant catechism was published. Based on Calvin's "Institutes," it was compiled by John Calvin, 27, and/or by fellow French reformer, Guillaume Farel, 48.

If you were in a battle with a very strong enemy all by yourself, do you think you could win? No! However, if you were in a battle with that same enemy and had the biggest and the strongest helper, could you win? Yes!

God gives strength and peace to those surrendered to Him. The benefits of being a dedicated believer in Jesus Christ include heaven’s infinite resources. Sin sucks life from the soul and replaces it with fear, while faith compounds calm and offers energy. Man’s methods may manipulate a false feeling of security, but God gives eternal security. Strength in the Lord replaces worry with hope—it’s what gets us through demanding days.