Culture says “Follow your dreams.” But what happens when what we do isn’t what we dreamed of? We can end up numbing our reality with a “treat yo self” lifestyle. The pillows, shiny things, and towel moments beg us to live selfishly. Paul said, “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” This is only possible because of the grace of God. We can be grateful in the grind when we remember who we are is a result of God’s grace.

Could you imagine living a radically generous life? Using your money to help others! There are three ways to look at our money. We can have a bag mindset that says, "There is never enough." The basket mindset says, "There is enough." And the barn mindset that says, "There is way more than enough." Living out the principle of the tithe means we trust God to bring back 10% of our money to Him.

Self-promotion is a normal way to live. Being the GOAT is a goal for many. Following Jesus means we are servants. Serving is not just what we do, it is who we are! What are you known for? What would someone say you are “always” doing? It would be amazing to be known for always serving! We can serve by brining a lunch, offering a ride, or carrying a towel. The road to promotion in God’s Kingdom is to put others first. Servants of the Most High God will hear Him say, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

Have you ever been afraid to share your faith? You are not alone! After following Jesus for three years, the disciples were terrified to speak about Jesus after they saw Him crucified. But when He resurrected, He gave them the gift of the Holy Spirit, and suddenly men who were frightened were bold to share their faith! We speak boldly about what we believe deeply! We grow in boldness by spending more time with Jesus and by asking God to make us bold.

“Here Comes Heaven” Why was Jesus born? Hundreds of years before Jesus came to earth, a prophet declared that He would be given the title “Immanuel: God With Us.” What does that mean today? Jesus is God; there is nothing He cannot do. Jesus is with; the glory of God is close to humanity. Us; all are invited, “us” have responded. In order to experience the glory of God, Moses had to hide in a rock. Today, we believe in Jesus who is our rock, and we experience the full glory of God!

“The little Lord Jesus.” Jesus is referred to as Lord more than 700 times in the New Testament. That word means supreme in authority and controller. It’s not easy to fully surrender our lives to the Lordship of Jesus. But Jesus is clear: He is not a part-time Lord, and He doesn’t want part-time followers. He gave up His life so that we could belong to Him. We hold back areas of our life from Jesus, because we don’t know Him in those areas. A fully satisfied life is a fully surrendered life.

“O come all ye faithful, joyful, and triumphant.” Do those words describe you? For most of us, we wouldn’t say we are any of those things. So does that mean we cannot come to Jesus? By looking at the genealogy of Jesus, Matthew shows us who it is that Jesus calls to come. It is the sinners. Jesus came so that ALL people could come to Him. When we come, we become all those things and more, because that is who Jesus is!

“A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices; for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.” Could you describe your world as weary right now? On the holy night that Jesus was born, the world was weary, the moment was chaotic, but a thrill of hope entered the scene. A man named Jeremiah found hope in God, even though his world was weary. We discover that a new day with Christ brings exactly what we need, gives us the hope to keep on going, and brings us the help that we are seeking.

It is so easy to forget to give thanks for what we have. Why? Because too often we are focused on what we don’t have. We trade our attitude of gratitude away for just an attitude. When we stop celebrating and start complaining, we go from being thankFULL to being thankLESS. Jesus came to give us a new way to live. Followers of Jesus are marked by gratitude because we know God has given us all we need in His Son. Are you chasing something that will end? Recognize the limits of that thing and live a thankFULL life in Jesus!

Joy is a theme we see repeated over and over during the holidays. But can joy come to YOUR world? Can you have joy even when you suffer? The holidays can remind us of how our lives aren’t the way we want. In those moments, followers of Jesus have a beautiful inheritance that can never be taken away. Our joy comes from knowing “there is more for me than what I see.” We can enjoy things that attempt to give us joy by remembering that our true joy is found in Jesus!