As Christians we often want the blessings of God, but we are reluctant to accept the lessons that must come with them. We want the comfort, but we forget that a power like God's can be overwhelming, even a little scary. Do we value our safety over godly growth?

Do we save our serious praying for emergencies only? Do we think it is not worth God's time to go to him for mundane things?

Following God's will often means avoiding the conventional and obvious practices of the world. Like a secret passage, Jesus said most people will miss it altogether.

Rather than living for God's approval, some Christians define their success by comparing themselves to others or by trying to produce a response in others. Today's Scripture warns about measuring our spirituality against the standards of other people.

Just in time for the start of 2021, today's beautiful Scripture gives Jesus's perfect prescription for conquering the worry that plagues us all.

As you serve God, do you sometimes feel like there is a "second you" that is observing your own performance at times, and that is constantly evaluating how you are doing? Today's Scripture speaks to eliminating that self-conscious feeling of "performing" our faith in God.

Sometimes, even when we have made a decision to follow and serve God, we have a hard time making our walk about God, and not about ourselves. Our every decision and action seems dictated by our needs and perspectives. Today's Scripture reminds us that being a servant of God means giving up our claim to ourselves.

What does it mean to be a good person? Is it possible for a person to actually please God, and if so what standard of behavior do we need to adopt?

What is your personal brand? When people think of you, what qualities do you bring to mind for them? What qualities do you want to be known for?

We all want to be happy, but are there any surefire techniques we can follow to produce lasting happiness? As Jesus begins his Sermon on the Mount, we learn that the path to happiness can seem counterintuitive.