In the story of the tortoise and the hare, the tortoise wins the race because he just kept going. Progress is progress, no matter how slow. People who run know the importance of pacing themselves to keep from expending all their energy and having nothing left to continue on—every step we take counts. God notices and honors every step. The people around us also notice. They notice how we keep going, even in the face of adversity and setbacks. Progress is progress. In our text, David sets out to bring the Arc of God back from Oben-Edom's home. After only six steps, he offers sacrifice to God and dances in celebration. Those six steps were an accomplishment and represented a success compared to the previous attempt to return the Arc to its home. It was only six steps, but those six steps added to the following six steps, and the next six steps after that add up to miles and a successful completion of the journey. Celebrate and thank God for the progress. Each step we take counts. Every tiny, slow step toward the goal is essential.

Today's text was written by a man struggling with contradictions he observed in life. On the one hand, he had learned of the goodness and love of God, but he also saw the wicked prospering while he struggled. He wondered if living for God was worth it when he said, "I have cleansed my heart in vain and washed my hands in innocency." This reflective psalm is written after his breakthrough, which comes in the final verse: "Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end." He went to church. The word from the original text isn’t just "attended" or "went in the door." The original wording suggests participation, engagement, and intentionality. God doesn't receive glory when we bring our body to church. He gets glory when we bring our minds and attention to church to engage Him. This man did not accidentally go to the house of God; he went there with a purpose. He was engaging, and receiving what God had to offer changed his perspective. If we go to church to encounter God, we must leave changed. It changed the way he looked at the world. The ministry of His spirit will make clear the path to take. Rather than looking at others and comparing their success to our progress, we set ourselves up for failure. Almost any act of comparison will leave us ungrateful for our blessing and success. Come to church with expectancy and hope for change.

Today's text was written by a man struggling with contradictions he observed in life. On the one hand, he had learned of the goodness and love of God, but he also saw the wicked prospering while he struggled. He wondered if living for God was worth it when he said, "I have cleansed my heart in vain and washed my hands in innocency." This reflective psalm is written after his breakthrough, which comes in the final verse: "Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end." He went to church. The word from the original text isn’t just "attended" or "went in the door." The original wording suggests participation, engagement, and intentionality. God doesn't receive glory when we bring our body to church. He gets glory when we bring our minds and attention to church to engage Him. This man did not accidentally go to the house of God; he went there with a purpose. He was engaging, and receiving what God had to offer changed his perspective. If we go to church to encounter God, we must leave changed. It changed the way he looked at the world. The ministry of His spirit will make clear the path to take. Rather than looking at others and comparing their success to our progress, we set ourselves up for failure. Almost any act of comparison will leave us ungrateful for our blessing and success. Come to church with expectancy and hope for change.

Today's text was written by a man struggling with contradictions he observed in life. On the one hand, he had learned of the goodness and love of God, but he also saw the wicked prospering while he struggled. He wondered if living for God was worth it when he said, "I have cleansed my heart in vain and washed my hands in innocency." This reflective psalm is written after his breakthrough, which comes in the final verse: "Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end." He went to church. The word from the original text isn’t just "attended" or "went in the door." The original wording suggests participation, engagement, and intentionality. God doesn't receive glory when we bring our body to church. He gets glory when we bring our minds and attention to church to engage Him. This man did not accidentally go to the house of God; he went there with a purpose. He was engaging, and receiving what God had to offer changed his perspective. If we go to church to encounter God, we must leave changed. It changed the way he looked at the world. The ministry of His spirit will make clear the path to take. Rather than looking at others and comparing their success to our progress, we set ourselves up for failure. Almost any act of comparison will leave us ungrateful for our blessing and success. Come to church with expectancy and hope for change.

The word full means to contain as much as possible, not lacking anything. It can also mean overflowing and overwhelming. Full can describe satisfaction or being uncomfortable. When Naomi left Bethlehem, she was full of expectation and promise. When she returned, she was empty of hope and future. The truth is that she was still full, but now she was full of disappointment and loss. We can all experience a season where we doubt we are enough. We may not be enough, but God is enough. In these moments, the enemy whispers that we cannot do it. That the very things that are our blessings are burdens and that we do not have enough to carry it all. All it takes is one tiny seed of doubt to disrupt our path. We must not doubt the blessing God has given us. Those blessings are not burdens. We must root out all those seeds and refocus our thoughts on how God loves us and equipped us to handle our load. The enemy wants us to think our hands are full of problems and trouble. We must open our eyes to how full our hands are with blessing.

The word full means to contain as much as possible, not lacking anything. It can also mean overflowing and overwhelming. Full can describe satisfaction or being uncomfortable. When Naomi left Bethlehem, she was full of expectation and promise. When she returned, she was empty of hope and future. The truth is that she was still full, but now she was full of disappointment and loss. We can all experience a season where we doubt we are enough. We may not be enough, but God is enough. In these moments, the enemy whispers that we cannot do it. That the very things that are our blessings are burdens and that we do not have enough to carry it all. All it takes is one tiny seed of doubt to disrupt our path. We must not doubt the blessing God has given us. Those blessings are not burdens. We must root out all those seeds and refocus our thoughts on how God loves us and equipped us to handle our load. The enemy wants us to think our hands are full of problems and trouble. We must open our eyes to how full our hands are with blessing.

The word full means to contain as much as possible, not lacking anything. It can also mean overflowing and overwhelming. Full can describe satisfaction or being uncomfortable. When Naomi left Bethlehem, she was full of expectation and promise. When she returned, she was empty of hope and future. The truth is that she was still full, but now she was full of disappointment and loss. We can all experience a season where we doubt we are enough. We may not be enough, but God is enough. In these moments, the enemy whispers that we cannot do it. That the very things that are our blessings are burdens and that we do not have enough to carry it all. All it takes is one tiny seed of doubt to disrupt our path. We must not doubt the blessing God has given us. Those blessings are not burdens. We must root out all those seeds and refocus our thoughts on how God loves us and equipped us to handle our load. The enemy wants us to think our hands are full of problems and trouble. We must open our eyes to how full our hands are with blessing.

Historians believe Rebecca was barren for almost 20 years before God answered her and Issac's prayer for children. She was undoubtedly excited about the news of the baby, but as the pregnancy went on, she began to sense something was wrong. The Bible describes her as feeling like a war was going on inside her. Soon, the joyfulness of her pregnancy gave way to fear and uncertainty as she realized she was pregnant with twins. The worry became so bad that she began to question why she had even prayed for a child in the first place. The first question we ask when facing adversity is, "Why is this happening to me?'" That gives way to "what did I do that God is punishing me?" This is a slippery slope, and then we question if we are even worthy of God's answering our prayers and finally wonder if it is even worth it to serve God. This is dangerous thinking and a tool of the enemy.

The truth is God can use any of us. However, sometimes, that involves some discomfort or struggle on our part. God answers prayers, but sometimes, that comes at the price of some chaos in our lives. Brother Hughes offers some things to remember to help us through these situations.

Historians believe Rebecca was barren for almost 20 years before God answered her and Issac's prayer for children. She was undoubtedly excited about the news of the baby, but as the pregnancy went on, she began to sense something was wrong. The Bible describes her as feeling like a war was going on inside her. Soon, the joyfulness of her pregnancy gave way to fear and uncertainty as she realized she was pregnant with twins. The worry became so bad that she began to question why she had even prayed for a child in the first place. The first question we ask when facing adversity is, "Why is this happening to me?'" That gives way to "what did I do that God is punishing me?" This is a slippery slope, and then we question if we are even worthy of God's answering our prayers and finally wonder if it is even worth it to serve God. This is dangerous thinking and a tool of the enemy.

The truth is God can use any of us. However, sometimes, that involves some discomfort or struggle on our part. God answers prayers, but sometimes, that comes at the price of some chaos in our lives. Brother Hughes offers some things to remember to help us through these situations.

Historians believe Rebecca was barren for almost 20 years before God answered her and Issac's prayer for children. She was undoubtedly excited about the news of the baby, but as the pregnancy went on, she began to sense something was wrong. The Bible describes her as feeling like a war was going on inside her. Soon, the joyfulness of her pregnancy gave way to fear and uncertainty as she realized she was pregnant with twins. The worry became so bad that she began to question why she had even prayed for a child in the first place. The first question we ask when facing adversity is, "Why is this happening to me?'" That gives way to "what did I do that God is punishing me?" This is a slippery slope, and then we question if we are even worthy of God's answering our prayers and finally wonder if it is even worth it to serve God. This is dangerous thinking and a tool of the enemy.

The truth is God can use any of us. However, sometimes, that involves some discomfort or struggle on our part. God answers prayers, but sometimes, that comes at the price of some chaos in our lives. Brother Hughes offers some things to remember to help us through these situations.