Blaze Church

Society has a desire to understand spiritual things. We recognize that we are not just physical beings. We have emotions, desires, and a soul. God has put eternity in each of us. As we search for a satisfied soul, we will encounter different options. Jesus spent two days with a crowd of people and exposed the “bread” they were using to have a satisfied soul. He offers himself as the Bread of Life. We are invited to come and believe and be satisfied.

No one likes to share their sins and failures. We do what we can to pretty up our lives and justify our choices. The Samaritan woman attempted to evade Jesus’ probing statements. But Jesus didn’t give up on her (even though so many others had). Jesus didn’t come for behavior modification; He came for soul transformation. When we see Jesus, we come and confess.

Happy couples decide they owe each other everything but are owed nothing in return. But that requires effort. Every married person makes a choice every day. That choice feels more like a reaction, so most people don’t think they have a choice at all. But they do. Happy couples make the happy choice.

What do we do with our hopes dreams and desires? We can ignore them, stay busy, or bring them to someone else. Peter, a disciple of Jesus, invites us to CAST our cares on God. When we choose to pray honest prayers, not polite or formal prayers, we position ourselves to be under God’s mighty hand. David prayed an honest prayer. We discover that the best thing to do with our dreams is to bring them to God.

The thought of submitting to another person is terrifying. If we ease up, we fear that they won’t meet our expectations. Jesus gave a new command to love as He loves. Paul taught that in marriage this means mutual submission. Husbands and wives submit to one another our of reverence to God. If your relationship has become a tug-of-war, you need to decide to drop the rope first.

We all come in to a relationship with a box of hopes, dreams, and desires. Eventually we hand that box over to someone else, and we call it expectations. When what we expect doesn’t happen, we respond. Expectations create a debt/debtor relationship. “Owe you” eliminates “love you.” How do we keep our hopes, dreams, and desires from becoming expectations? We realize that they owe us nothing. We owe them everything, and are owed nothing in return. This is how God loves us.

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.