We’ll never get what we really want until we discover what is most valuable. But choosing what’s valuable isn’t natural. We’ve all had the experience of getting what we naturally want, only to discover it's not what is most valuable—it’s not what we ultimately want. But how do we avoid being deceived by our short-term desires?

We all have wants. But actually getting what we want can be tricky . . . and even dangerous. It usually leaves us wanting more. If what we want leads to a cycle of wanting more and more, maybe we want the wrong things. Ultimately, we’ll never get what we really want until we discover what we really value.

Not only is scripture a mirror, but we ourselves are a mirror to those around us. We are called to be "Salt and Light" to the world.

There is a conventional wisdom that says “me first.” It’s common sense in our world: Take care of yourself. But what if conventional wisdom isn’t working? What if instead of conventional wisdom, we ask God to give us real wisdom? It will change us and it will change the world around us.

We can talk about our faith all day long. We can have the t-shirts, bumper stickers and perfect social media posts, but until we live out our faith by caring for those on the margins, our faith is hollow. Real faith isn’t talked about, it’s lived out loud.

Our words are more powerful and carry far more weight than we realize. That’s why it is so important for us to tame our tongues. The problem is that our tongues tend to be untamable. It is only when we surrender to the power of Christ that our words can become a source of life rather than a tool for death.

None of us likes to go out looking like we have never seen a mirror. When we're going out, we look in a mirror and change what needs to be changed. James compares the scriptures to a mirror that shows us the truth about ourselves. And when it comes to the mirror of scripture, when see something, I need to do something.

Most of the time we focus on the gift. We like presents. But when God gave us the gifts of HOPE, LOVE, PEACE, and JOY, the package was better than all of the gifts combined. The truth is we need God's presence more than we need His presents. God with us is more powerful than the things God does for us.

Our circumstances change, and with them, our happiness comes and goes. But joy is an attitude we choose based on our hope in God's love and promises. When you choose Joy, the weary world takes note.