Chapter 14 of "The Story" begins to look at the divided kingdom of Israel and the lineage of kings both in the northern and southern kingdoms, categorizing them as good and bad kings. Each king is addressed based on their faithfulness to God – not their worldly success or wealth. What determined whether they were a good or bad king rested squarely on their faithfulness to God.

We often push faith to the background, and push our goals for success to the forefront. What does this do to our relationship with God? Are we serving other gods?

Time set aside to reset our lives is valuable. Resetting life is challenging. Sometimes it’s easier to limp along with life as it is instead of making changes. Isaiah 65 promises a cosmic reset – a new heaven and a new earth without sorrow. Through Christ, God offers each of us forgiveness, a reset, and a new life. What are your goals for the new year? What would you like to leave in the past?

King Solomon realizes that the gifts he has are not his own but were given by God. When God offered Solomon “anything he might want,” Solomon asked for wisdom. Following a life of success, Solomon gets lost; he forgets the source of his success, and worships other gods. We get lost, too, and forget that our talents and abilities come from God and begin seeing ourselves and the source of our success. But, the good news is that there is a way home…

Sin has consequences that impact the rest of life. King David sinned by using his God-given power and position to feed his own desire. The rippling consequences of David’s faithlessness resulted in faithlessness in the lives of those around him including his own son and personal advisors.

What can we do about sin in our personal lives? How can we move from pain and destruction to a place of healing and freedom?

Chapter 10 of "The Story" is about being called and being different. Samuel hears God’s call and acts on it and has a deep connection with God. When Israel rejects God’s leadership and asks for a king, God calls Saul. Eventually Saul disobeys God’s instructions, serves himself and loses connection with God.

We are called to be different. God is calling us to wake up and see God’s presence among us. Advent is a time to anticipate the coming of return of Christ. Advent is a time to take up our calling and be different.

This week we continue the series on "The Story" during the days of the Judges. The Israelites had a character flaw; they constantly forgot who they were, abandoned God and worshipped idols. Character flaws sometimes require painful correction, so God allowed the Israelites to endure defeat at the hands of their enemies. Yet, God never abandoned his people. God called a man from the weakness of the Israelite clans to defeat their enemies with trumpets, clay jars and torches.

When we forgot who we are and whose we are, we can end up in fear-filled places. God is with us; even in the darkest of nights or the hardest of circumstances, we have nothing to fear. True peace comes from trust in God.

God promised the Israelites land as an inheritance – a gift. Yet the gift required action, strength, and courage from the Israelites. The Israelites did not receive the land because of their righteousness but because of the faithfulness of God.

Being a follower of Jesus takes sweat, and you may encounter pain and discomfort, but God is faithful.

Despite God’s many miraculous interventions, his people are ungrateful and refuse to trust him. Every moment of our lives, God presents us with two choices: Choosing life or choosing death. Christ has demonstrated God’s great desire for us to choose life in every moment.