Here's a follow-up to our conversation this past Sunday together. Each day we'll continue the conversation and move toward a deeper understanding and application of what we're learning together.

Today we lean a little more into the concept of building our "own kingdom". On Sunday we touched briefly on how in Jesus' resisting the devil with this first temptation, He shows the inevitable collapse of 2 kingdoms: the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of self. One of the biggest ways the enemy attempts to sidetrack us and derail our faithfulness to Jesus is by deceiving us into thinking when we are busy building our "own kingdom", we are actually participating in the building of God's Kingdom.

Here's a follow-up to our conversation this past Sunday together. Each day we'll continue the conversation and move toward a deeper understanding and application of what we're learning together.

This week's verse for memory: Matthew 4.4

New Thought: Where am I settling when God has more?

Sunday, March 23, 2025

Today we take a look at Matthew 4.2-4 and the first temptation that Jesus faces after spending 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness without any food. How do Jesus' actions connect with the greater story arch of Scripture and how do they provide an example and guiding principle for our lives as we journey beyond the wilderness?

Today's Discussion Questions:

1. How does Jesus’ time here being tempted in the wilderness speak to our souls?
2. How might Jesus’ quoting challenge the temptation of believing one’s spiritual discipline is enough to sustain them?
3. How does the temptation to seek immediate satisfaction mirror the temptation to believe we’ve "arrived" spiritually?

Here's a follow-up to our conversation this past Sunday together. Each day we'll continue the conversation and move toward a deeper understanding and application of what we're learning together.

Today we take time to reflect on where we've been together this week, and think of some ways we can begin to put it into practice as we allow the lessons of Jesus permeate all of our being.

Here's a follow-up to our conversation this past Sunday together. Each day we'll continue the conversation and move toward a deeper understanding and application of what we're learning together.

Today we take a look at one other New Testament passage and read an excerpt from a Lewis Smedes classic "Shame & Grace", and shed some light of the deceitful strategy of our enemy to lure us into focusing more on our failures (resulting in shame) rather than our identity (resulting in loving faithfulness).

Here's a follow-up to our conversation this past Sunday together. Each day we'll continue the conversation and move toward a deeper understanding and application of what we're learning together.

Today we take up the challenge of digging deeper to hear what God truly thinks about us, and to look a little at why understanding and experiencing the love of God is the highest form of motivation to have behind doing something.

Here's a follow-up to our conversation this past Sunday together. Each day we'll continue the conversation and move toward a deeper understanding and application of what we're learning together.

Today we lean a little more into our identity. On Sunday we talked majorly about our individual identity being rooted in the love of God. We also need to know that we have an equally as important communal identity that we live out of as disciples of Jesus.

Here's a follow-up to our conversation this past Sunday together. Each day we'll continue the conversation and move toward a deeper understanding and application of what we're learning together.

This week's verse for memory: Matthew 3.17

New Thought: God's love surpasses knowledge

Sunday, March 16, 2025

Today we take a look at Matthew 3.1-4.1 and learn from the significant moment of Jesus' life and what it means for us who follow Him. Prior to His entry into the wilderness, Jesus' identity if affirmed, setting the stage and preparing Him for what lies ahead both in and beyond the wilderness.

Here's a follow-up to our conversation this past Sunday together. Each day we'll continue the conversation and move toward a deeper understanding and application of what we're learning together.

Today we take time to reflect on where we've been together this week, and think of some ways we can begin to put it into practice as we allow the lessons of Jesus permeate all of our beings.