Identity is a huge word in today's world. Whether it's related to your job, your gender, your economic status, or a million other things...your identity can have a huge impact on what you think about God and what you think about yourself.

Jesus is the only one who can rescue us, and while He went to the cross meekly like a lamb, He rose in victory over death and hell like a lion. His power overcomes our failures and sin.

Today we take a day to stop and acknowledge God and His amazing presence and love for us. To thank Him, worship Him, and spend time with Him.

As we grow closer to Jesus, we must learn how to love and care for each other and remember each other's value to the Father. From the cradle to the grave, it's so important to care for our own spirituality as well as those around us.

Jesus said to feed his sheep, and our call is to do the will of God. But a shepherd's job is to help sheep be healthy, and that means helping them feed themselves. But what exactly does that mean?

The devil's scheme is to lie to you and make you feel unlovable, worthless, or hopeless. He wants to turn you from God's family and make you feel like an outcast. But Jesus loves the outcast, and there is hope.

Do we find ourselves being stubborn and not trusting God? When Christ wants access to our hearts and our day to day lives, he is trying to lead us to good things, but sometimes (just like sheep) we go astray.

We all pursue happiness, whether in things, memories, or people. And happiness is good! But it requires something, and God's plan for us is to be content, lacking in nothing as we look to Him for our satisfaction.

Even as Christians our focus can be on our own sense of belonging to something, or the things we value. They can be good things or even temporary things of this world, but they all distract from this simple truth: Our lives and hope must be found in Jesus, our one and only joy.

We all could use a little encouragement. Part of what Christ wants the church to do is to lift each other up, encourage each other, and to put others above yourself. It changes the atmosphere, and helps us to bless each other.