Christs primary motivation is not personnel gain, comfort, health or even victory over his enemies, it is the glory of God.  

We have hoped in wealth, or politicians, we have sought to ignore God or to approach him on our own terms. Every one of these things will fail, and when they do we will be left alone and hopeless adrift in a sea of darkness and regret. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Jesus is our great high priest, our only hope and the anchor of our wayward souls. Jesus is our great high priest, our only hope and the anchor of our wayward souls. 

Jesus wants the disciples to rest in the peace of his full and final victory over all that they will face as they struggle . In this life we will have tribulation but be at peace because Christ has overcome the world.

Year after year we promise ourselves that this year is going to be different. Every year we end up doing the same things we always did. Because we are trying to change the outside without tackling the inside. If we really want to change we must do it from the inside out. We must die to who we used to be so we can live the lives that God has for us. It is not enough just to become better versions of who we used to be if we want to become better we must become new creations. 

Matthew wants his readers to see that the birth of Jesus was marked by the same patterns of a rejection and acceptance that would play out in his life and ministry. 

Where do you abide, what do you seek for comfort and identify and security? Each of us has been called to glorify God by bearing fruit through our abiding relationship with Christ.

The yolk of Jesus is easy but the mission he has called us to is hard and at times it can feel like we are all alone. The Gospel of John reminds us that we are not. Each of us has the spirt of the living God empowering us, comforting us, and guiding us as we fulfill God's mission to the world.

When Jesus fed the 5000 he was not seeking a kingdom, he already had one . Jesus was not interested in army , he commanded legions of angels. Jesus did not want a mob he wanted a church. When the mob formed and tried to make him king by force he walked away. We need to remember this anytime anyone showes us a "savior" other than christ. We must be continually on our guard against counterfeit Kings and fake saviors.

Throughout the book of Joel God is trying to get Israel’s attention. He is moving in a great and terrible way, in order to elicit deep heartfelt repentance on the part of his people. This is an important concept for Christians in the face of a global pandemic to understand. We have faced a crisis before and if the lord does not return tomorrow, we will face a crisis again. The plague we face today should point us to the reality of God’s coming judgment against the nations and against his own people. For us as much as for Israel natural disasters exist to show us that we are not right with God and Like Israel, our pathway to restoration always leads through repentance.