As Pastor Mike will explain in today’s message, the spiritual and cultural environment that Samuel grew up in and was trained for the priesthood in was not ideal. Instead of growing bitter or resentful, he had an open and malleable heart that he dedicated to God. Most of us can apply his example directly to our lives. You may be facing what you feel are much less than ideal circumstances, but don’t blame them or use them as excuses. Look at them as an opportunity to lean in and trust fully in God.

Perhaps one of the best gifts parents can give their children is just that – an awareness of their God-given purpose. For far too many kids and far too many grown-ups, that sense of meaning and value is missing. The entitlement that some have been raised with is different. It imparts the mentality that this world’s purpose is to serve you. As Pastor Mike will explain in today’s message, a sense of God’s purpose for your life instills the idea that you are here to love and serve Him and others.

God is not a cosmic Santa Claus. He’s a loving, all-knowing Father. When you pray, it’s not just time to submit your list of requests and desires. He does want to hear the longings of your heart, but even more than that, He wants to transform your heart to reflect His heart and will. As Pastor Mike will clarify in today’s message, if you’re continuously finding your prayers unanswered, it may be possible that what you’re asking doesn’t line up with God’s will for your life.

Have you ever heard a prayer that was prepared beforehand –thought through and labored over to be as flowery and wordy as possible? There are exceptions, but oftentimes, these prayers just don’t feel right. There’s something off about them. They may make for beautiful prose, but it feels like they hit the ears of the audience and just bounce off the ceiling. As Pastor Mike will explain in today’s message, God listens to your prayers, but He cares about what’s coming from your heart more than just your head.

One of the greatest gifts that God gave us is our free will. He could have created us without it – just automated beings programmed to follow certain rules and serve whatever purposes He desired. But one important thing would have been missing: love. Love requires free will. Today, Pastor Mike will draw our attention to the dark side of that free will: we can also choose to reject God. Sadly, many people will – even into eternity, where they’ll choose separation from His love.

God has created some astoundingly beautiful things in this world. And man – His most valued creation – has carried on in His creativity to create manmade wonders that reflect His glory as well. Sadly, in our fallen nature, we frequently misuse and abuse this gift He’s given, and we miss out on enjoying His Creation to the fullest. But, as Pastor Mike will explain in today’s message – that won’t be an issue in eternity. For those who believe in Christ, we’ll experience unmarred eternal wholeness.

The systems we live under in this world can sometimes feel oppressive. Debt and other financial or social obligations can become overwhelming. That won’t be an issue in Heaven. Even in this life, we can trust in our Father in Heaven to provide for our every need. And, as Pastor Mike will point out in today’s message, in Heaven, God’s presence will be tangible. He’s with us now, but we often miss it… That won’t be possible there. We’ll be constantly aware of His presence and provision.

This life can be so hard. Sin has wreaked havoc in our world. We see it on a global and national scale, and we experience it on a very deep, personal level as well. From the pain and sorrow of loss to the shame and frustration of our sin and weakness, this life leaves much to be desired. As Pastor Mike will remind us in today’s message, this is not what God wants for us. He has so much more – both in this life and the next. When we trust in Him, we can find joy in the hope He gives us for eternity.

If you leave children unattended for a little bit, then come back to find a big mess, who’s held most accountable? Those that should know better right? The younger children generally won’t face as severe consequences as the older, more mature kids. We can expect a similar thing for the judgment of mankind. As Pastor Mike will explain in today’s message, those who were given more chances and understood the Gospel, yet still chose to reject Christ, will receive a harsher judgment.

Men have had some great ideas for solving some of the problems that we’ve confronted through the years. Medicine is more advanced than ever. Human rights abuses, though sadly still a huge problem in some parts of the world, have largely been removed from developed nations. You could say we’re doing pretty good… But, then you turn on the news, and it seems like it’s all bad. Today, Pastor Mike will remind us that this is part of our nature – only Christ can eradicate the root of the problem.