All of us have customs and habits throughout the day. A morning exercise, a cup of coffee while catching up on the headlines; these customs take many different forms. But where does prayer fit into your routine? As Pastor Ray points out in today’s passage, Jesus made spending time with His Father a normal part of His day. It wasn’t just a routine. He needed that time to recharge and gather strength. If Jesus, God’s own Son, needed that time, how much more must we need that time? Spending time with God needs to be a top priority in our day to day lives.

Everyone is tempted to cut corners from time to time. The world around us tells us we can get away with it. They say it won’t hurt to stretch the rules a little bit. But, as Pastor Ray illustrates in today’s message, we need to have integrity in every element of life. It may seem entirely inconsequential at the time, but the eyes of the world are watching, and it’s not worth compromising our witness. When they see our everyday actions, will they see a reflection of Christ or our carnal nature at work?

Jesus knew what it felt like to live with the weight of dishonor. Much of His community knew the peculiar circumstances surrounding His conception and they weren’t so sure the Holy Spirit was involved. Whether it’s based in fact or fiction, there are many among us who bear the weight of a bad reputation. As Pastor Ray reminds us in today’s message, God welcomes all of us with open arms. When we are redeemed through the blood of Jesus, He only sees the Holiness of Christ when He looks at us.

Sometimes we withhold our prayers and requests out of a misconception that we will be “bugging” God with petty issues. We tell ourselves He has much more important things going on, and we can handle things on our own. As Pastor Ray points out in today’s message, even in the midst of what many would consider a stressful confrontation with the religious leaders, Jesus takes the time to stop and heal a man who was desperate for His touch. We should never withhold our prayers. God loves us deeply and He is always ready to listen to our hearts.

As we see illustrated in the account of the man born blind, as well as numerous other examples in the New Testament, Jesus is not afraid to get dirty. In fact, He makes a regular practice of it. All of us were born blind spiritually. As Pastor Ray reminds us in today’s message, Jesus alone can take a clump of lifeless dirt and bring sight to the blind. He stoops down to our level, in our deepest darkest places, and offers us light. When He speaks those words of life, there’s no room for hesitation, it’s time to get up and follow.

The blind man that Jesus heals in today’s passage was not a great speaker or evangelist. We aren’t even given his name. But how many lives have been impacted by his story? As Pastor Ray encourages us in today’s message, our story is our greatest tool for evangelism. If we have received the gift of salvation, then we have a story of healing and life to share. It doesn’t have to be dramatic or involve edge of your seat suspense. It’s a story of Jesus stooping down and bringing light where there was darkness.

The song our Father sings over us is irresistible. As Pastor Ray illustrates in today’s message, Jesus is a Good Shepherd. He cares deeply for us. Our enemy tries his best to draw us away from Him, but as Scripture tells us, He knows His flock, and we know His voice. Even when we feel like we’ve drifted far away, when we hear His voice, we will run back to Him and He will welcome and protect us from the evil that surrounds. What a beautiful, loving Father we have!

None of us are without sin. We aren’t qualified to stand in judgement over any other human being. This doesn’t mean we won’t confront sin in our fellow man; it means we should lovingly follow Jesus’ example and leave the stones on the ground. As Pastor Ray reminds us in today’s message, we have received grace in abundance, not condemnation. Instead of focusing on how great the sin is, we need to focus on how great God’s grace and love is for each and every one of us.

As Pastor Ray looks at the parallels between human shepherds and the Great Shepherd, we are reminded of just how good Our God is. He loves us and He knows what we’re capable of. Sometimes it feels like He’s called us beyond that, but when we trust in Him, He will provide and equip us for what seems impossible. The wolves may surround, but He will be there to protect us. The hill may look too steep, but He if he calls us to go up it, He will provide the strength. He’s a Good Shepherd, and we can trust in Him.

God has given all of us gifts and talents. Sometimes we think we’re doing Him a favor in striking out on our own, using those gifts to try to accomplish good things in this world. While our intentions are good, we will quickly find ourselves frustrated and tired. We were never meant to find a path on our own. As Pastor Ray explains in today’s message, we were designed to follow Him. The first step in the right direction is to realize our weakness and need for a Shepherd.