Your life matters because your life is eternal. Our bodies are like tents that are temporary or momentary. But God has put eternity in our hearts, and He calls us to fix our eyes not on what is seen, or on what is temporary, but on what is unseen and eternal. Either death will destroy us eternally, or Jesus will destroy death for us eternally. When we believe in Jesus, trust Him with our lives, and commit to follow Him in complete surrender, He forgives our past, empowers our present, and secures our future. Are we ready for that day? Are we ready for eternity?

Stress no more comes from exceptional living. Exceptional living means walking the narrow road that few choose to walk on, wisely building our house on the rock and not the sand. Those who choose the narrow road allow God, not money, to give them purpose and direction. They faithfully pursue generosity while planning for the unexpected. And they intentionally live within their means, using debt sparingly and carefully budgeting their finances and resources.

God provides as we live generously. Generosity is the foundation of healthy finances, and healthy finances lead to less stress. It begins with the tithe, which means giving the first 10% of our income to the work of God. From there, we grow in generosity beyond our tithe (what Scripture calls offering), declaring in faith that everything comes from God and that we can live better on less when we generously give as He leads.

To not stress about money requires a change of heart more than a change in our financial condition. Money is not the problem; we are the problem. Because the human heart gravitates towards idolatry, we tend to trust money to give us satisfaction, security, and significance. But if we follow the model of the early churches in Macedonia, who gave themselves first to the Lord, there is a special grace to navigate financial issues without stress or worry.

Our primary purpose in life is to love. Our lives begin to matter when we actively learn to love, when we embrace the idea that life is not about us. We have to learn to love God, laying down all that we are and inviting Him into every area of our lives. And we have to learn to love the people around us without reservations or conditions. There is exponential power to see lives (and our city) transformed when we irrationally love God and love people better.

Often in life we struggle to see our greater purpose or worth. We can quickly doubt or compare ourselves to others. But Scripture tells us something different, that we were made to matter. In Ephesians 2:10, Paul speaks of our creation through Jesus Christ in which we were made ‘for good works’. At the core of us all is a realization that within us there is a purpose to make a difference and God is calling us to walk in such a way. No matter your past or present situation, God’s kindness and willingness to reveal to you your purpose allows us all to be difference makers.

Greater riches for all are coming as Jewish people awaken to Jesus. The future of countless generations is intricately tied to God’s purposes for the Jewish people. God has not abandoned them, nor has the church become the new Israel. Instead, God’s covenant with the Jewish people is everlasting. A day is coming when so many Jewish men and women will come to believe in Jesus that it will be as if all Israel is saved. When that happens, greater riches and blessing will be poured out on all humanity.

God answers prayer and this is worth celebrating! Throughout this CIRCLE series, we as a church have positioned ourselves in a posture of consistent prayer. Because of our journey to seek the Lord’s will and ask boldly for God to move in our lives, we have seen incredible Kingdom work in our church body and are excited to celebrate His goodness! Celebration increases joy and joy brings strength, so let’s praise the Lord!

There are numerous tools available to help us engage in prayer. One of those tools is rejoicing always, or songs of worship expressed from the heart. Other tools – that help us pray without ceasing – include having a regular time and place to meet with God in prayer and using the Bible as a prayer guide. Being quiet and listening to the Lord, writing down our prayers, offering up short prayers throughout the day, and giving thanks in all circumstances are also useful.

Persevering in prayer is core to a life of faith in Jesus. That which is of true significance and value is most often obtained through unrelenting persistence. Unfortunately, we too easily interpret unanswered prayer as a no from God and abandon the prayer altogether. Often what seems like a no from God is really a not yet. If we persevere in prayer, continually seeking and knocking, the heart of our Heavenly Father is to do abundantly more than we could ever ask or imagine.