Even in our afflictions God wants to satisfy us with his love.  In God’s love we can always find satisfaction, if we choose, because his love for us never fades away. He proved his unfailing love for us through Jesus who laid down his life so that we could take up ours and experience an everlasting satisfaction in Him.

In a similar way,  Jesus used gentleness. He knew the law inside and out - he came up with it - and had full power to execute it. But many times we see him restrain his power and instead enact forgiveness, like when He forgives an adulterous woman in John 8:1-11. The teachers of the law are ready to stone her. But Jesus says, "If anyone is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Not surprisingly, they all disperse.

There is a famous parable Jesus tells in Matthew 20:1-16 about the owner of a vineyard, who hires workers early in the morning, again at nine, again at noon, again at three, and again at five. When the work day comes to an end, the owner pays them all the same: one denarius. The workers who worked a full day complain about the unfairness of the situation, but the owner of the vineyard answers them…

Is Jesus the light of your life, or are you walking in darkness? Apart from Jesus Christ, we are blind people being led by blind people, and a blind world cannot come to have any light but in Christ alone.

In John 6:35 Jesus says, "I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me shall not hunger and whoever believes in me will never thirst." We all hunger for something more than just food. We are hungry for life – true spiritual life. The life we hunger for can only be satisfied by something outside of us, someone much greater than us: Jesus Christ.

God doesn't just love you. As a bonus - He likes you! The Bible says He delights in those who fear Him. He created you and placed you on this earth for a purpose, and He loves nothing more than spending time with you. One of my favorite places this occurs in the Bible is Psalm 18:19 - "He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me."

For those who have His word planted within themselves, we are already made clean and pruned to produce every good work that is pleasing to God. Not that our works save us from our sin or grant us any special favor with God, but rather God our Father–who is also the gardener in this parable–has saved us by His grace and made us “His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we might walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10).

If today you hear your Shepherd’s voice, respond in your heart and mind. Turn back to your Shepherd. When you pray, pray that Jesus would shepherd your family and protect you from all kinds of harm, whether physical or spiritual. When you trust in Him, He promises to be with you always.

The Lord is slowly working in my heart to change my need to be recognized, rewarded and repaid, and replacing it with a desire to fellowship more deeply with Christ and experience gratitude in all circumstances. I pray you find encouragement today in the all encompassing lifelong journey of following Jesus.

As we grow older, we tend to become jaded. Inevitably we are hurt by others and we become guarded. We are burdened by life's many responsibilities and forget how to play. We lose our desire to explore and get outside of our "norm", so we settle for a lifestyle of complacency. There is so much out there that God still has for you if you would come to Him with child-like faith.

I had gone into the woods hoping to hear from God, but I think He was delighted for the opportunity I had to simply be with Him. The best kinds of relationships in life are not transactional. Sadly, I have a tendency to treat my relationship with God as if it was. The best and most intimate relationships are ones that don't require an agenda, or an outcome. God keeps gently reminding me that he didn't save me just so that I could serve him (although that is part of it). He saved me simply because He loves me and He wants me to be with him...Today, tomorrow and for the rest of eternity.

The human heart is prone to wander which is why it is so important to remind ourselves of the truths of Jesus every day, every hour, every moment if need be. The gospel reminds us that Jesus is the only thing worth putting all faith and trust in. His love for us was proven at the cross, and for those who believe, it is not only what we fall back on, but the very thing on which we stand.

I believe God, in his grace, allows us to fall so that we are reminded that we don't have it all together and we still need His grace, forgiveness, healing, and instruction. This reminder makes me thankful for Jesus, who took the fall for me when he was beaten, mocked, and scorned while he hung on a cross for my sins.

As we head into this new year, let us remember the birth of Christ and consider it in whatever circumstance we find ourselves. God is with us. We do not need to understand the mystery. We just need to give thanks & trust.

Jesus was willing to courageously leave the ultimate comfort zone(heaven) and endure the hardships of humanity and ultimately death, all because he loves you...Let that sink in...The gospel of Jesus is not a message of fear or avoidance of pain, it's one of love and sacrifice. I encourage you to live in light of that gospel. How is God calling you to sacrifice your comfort for the love of others this week?

Stories are the most powerful form of communication we have. They captivate our emotions, imaginations and intellect. They build community and have the power to impact our very soul. This isn't just a coincidence... It's by design. We were made by a great Storyteller to take part in and share the greatest story ever told.

God wants to be in a relationship with you, so He sent His one and Only Son Jesus to die for you, to remove the barrier of sin between you and Him. Then Jesus rose, giving us eternal hope and opportunity for a relationship with God in Heaven forever. He is waiting and wanting you to turn to Him. God loves you, to the cross and back. Happy Easter! Now let's keep celebrating this truth year round!

All of Christ' sufferings, every part displays part of our salvation. It is all steeped in meaning and purpose. In addition, as we look in Scripture, we also see many different things fulfilled from the Old Testament. My prayer this week as we celebrate and remember Jesus' death and resurrection is that God would bring us all into a deeper understanding of what was accomplished for us by Jesus, not just in His death and resurrection but through His sufferings on our behalf as well - through that, I pray we would be led to worship, praise and thanks to our one and only Savior, Jesus Christ.

Whether you're the goal-setter or the goal-forgoer - keep this truth in mind. In every fleeting day, hour, minute, second - God has not changed. Take this verse, Hebrews 13:8, scribble it on a notecard and place it somewhere you'll see. Maybe on your bathroom mirror or the bedside table. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).

Our greater need is always spiritual. God is not concerned with the things we often are. In fact, He says not to worry about earthly things, like what we will eat or drink or wear (Matthew 6). God is most concerned about the eternal.