We live in a world divided and people have drawn hard lines. You have lines, spoken or unspoken you have drawn. So how do you love those outside the lines? How do you love with no expectations? What does it look like to be merciful as God is merciful?

We all have people who test our limits. People who raise our blood pressure, frustrate us, and are not interested in our well-being. So what does it look like to love someone whose love will not be returned? How do you treat others as you wish others would treat you, not as they do?

What if everything you were running after wasn’t worth chasing? Jesus began with blessing and turns to woe. Warning us about what truly matters and warning us that we are in danger of distracting ourselves to death.

The betrayal, the trials, the crucifixion, and the tomb all remind us that by His wounds we are healed. As we reflect on the events of Good Friday we remember he meets us in our hurts, our failures, our pain, and he alone brings healing.

As Jesus enters Jerusalem the crowds swell and the people cheer. Days later the cheering turns to jeering and the week would end with Jesus on the Cross. Many who encountered Jesus heard his words but did not understand, they saw him without seeing him, they were stirred but their lives were not shaken to core. How do we keep from missing Jesus, allowing him to shake us and shape us?

When Jesus came back from a night of prayer he chose 12 ordinary men to change the world. These 12 would be enlisted by Jesus to proclaim the Kingdom of God. While we might expect the Son of God to enlist the extraordinary, we should find hope in His call to the ordinary.

Rest is something we all long for but often feel we never have enough of. In Jesus’ day, the Sabbath was weekly time to rest, but for some this routine had become just that, routine and ritual. Jesus pushes on the idea of Sabbath and in so doing reminds us He offers a better rest.

Jesus disciples did not act like other Rabbi’s pupils. The reason for this is that Jesus was and is not like other Rabbi’s.

With Jesus there are no “chance” encounters, their are no accidental run ins, and there are not happen stances callings. Deemed an enemy of his people, Matthew, would have been convinced that Jesus could not possibly be talking to him, and yet Jesus calls Matthew and in doing so Jesus makes it clear that the Kingdom is for everyone who changes direction to follow Him.

A group of fierce friends brought a paralyzed man before Jesus in the most unorthodox of ways. After breaking down barriers, social norms, and even a roof, these friends bring that man to Jesus. In turn Jesus brings renovation to the mans life. But as is often the case with Jesus, the results far exceed our own expectations.