Do you know someone that professes to be a Christian, but seems to lack an active faith? John's tests concerning obedience, love, and belief provide warnings for the unfaithful as well as assurance for genuine believers. To be sure that we know God, we must keep His commandments. If we lack love for others, it indicates we do not now the love of God in our hearts. Foundationally, we must believe rightly about Jesus Christ. He is the Christ, the Son of God, who has come in the flesh. This important triad calls the contemporary church to a strong, balanced faith. We must grow stronger and stronger in all areas of our Christian life.

After equipping his followers and demonstrating his power over this world, Jesus demonstrates his kingship by continuing in his ministry: fixing the brokenness. Matthew includes this in his Gospel to show us something unique about God while also pointing towards a unique calling for his followers.

While all wrongdoing is sin and ultimately leads to death, God makes a distinction in 1 John 5 between “sin not leading to death” and “sin that leads to death”. Consequently, we can conclude that there is such a sin that causes the Lord to end a believer’s life. What do you suppose the difference is between a sin that leads to death and a sin that doesn’t? And, maybe the bigger question going on in all of our minds, do I harbor such sin(s) in my own life?

What does it mean to pray in accordance with God's will? More importantly, why even pray if God's will is already determined?

After showing his followers that he is more than capable of using them to accomplish the impossible, he sends them on ahead of him. In the midst of the chaos and fear that ensues, they see a new side of their Rabbi and it leads them to fall down in worship.

Throughout our reading this week, we will meet men whose hunger for the Lord far surpassed their pride. We will meet a man named Apollos who graciously responded to correction. We will meet twelve disciples of John the Baptist who welcomed further revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. We will meet magicians and sorcerers willing to leave their ways for the opportunity to know the God of real power. They were willing to submit their lives to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. They were anxious for a more complete encounter with the Living God. My heart yearns to be that humble. Though my instinct is to fight against it, something deeper longs to be willing to bend graciously under the weight of the Truth of God, to embrace Him even when it means forsaking me. Will you join me this week in imploring our Mighty God to break our prides and soften our hearts – that we might more fully and fervently hunger after Him?

Throughout our reading this week, we will meet men whose hunger for the Lord far surpassed their pride. We will meet a man named Apollos who graciously responded to correction. We will meet twelve disciples of John the Baptist who welcomed further revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. We will meet magicians and sorcerers willing to leave their ways for the opportunity to know the God of real power. They were willing to submit their lives to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. They were anxious for a more complete encounter with the Living God. My heart yearns to be that humble. Though my instinct is to fight against it, something deeper longs to be willing to bend graciously under the weight of the Truth of God, to embrace Him even when it means forsaking me. Will you join me this week in imploring our Mighty God to break our prides and soften our hearts – that we might more fully and fervently hunger after Him?

The King, in his compassion, provides for the needs of his flock. A flock of desperate, hungry people have followed him. While the disciples want to send them away, Jesus models a God who stoops low to meet the needs of humanity.

What an incredible assurance we have in today's passage - that eternal life is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God!

Paul’s second missionary journey began with a disagreement. From there, Paul, Silas and Timothy, went on to meet with rejection, beatings and imprisonment. Sprinkled throughout their struggles, though, were beacons of hope – moments of rejoicing as the Lord’s Spirit came in power, and men and women received the truth of the gospel. Things won’t get much easier for Paul and company as their journey continues, but they will continue to find moments of joy in the midst of their trials.

One such moment comes in their reception at Berea, where the Jews “received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things [the message of the gospel] were so” (Acts 17:11). You can almost see Paul smiling as they pulled out the scrolls to check his claims. As you open up the ancient words of Scripture to seek His presence and His truth for yourself, I hope you can feel the Lord’s pleasure. He loves to be sought. Our Father delights to be found!