(Jude 1-4; 14-25)

If you have breath in your lungs, Jesus is calling to you. You are invited to spend eternity with Him. It's up to each of us to answer the call and accept His invitation of life. It's up to us to repent and run from sin and fall into the arms of our loving Savior. We are each responsible for the choice of RSVPing to God's invitation to become a part of His family and sit with Him forever at His family table.

In Hebrews 5 & 6, we learn the Lord is our High Priest who relates to us personally. During times of suffering, we learn to lean into the Lord deeper and stronger. The vastness of His love for us becomes more real and we are drawn closer and closer to Him as we fall more and more in love with Him. Suffering is going to happen this side of heaven. The difference is whether we suffer with Jesus holding us tightly in His mighty arms or if we suffer on our own and in our own strength. I prefer to suffer in the safe grip of our loving Father. He will carry the burden and ease the pains that come. He offers eternal hope and is our Anchor for life. His hope is safe and secure. The Lord promises His strength and His presence and His faithful love. You can choose to cling to Him with all of your guts and know that He has you through anything and everything that comes. When you are anchored to Jesus, you cannot be moved or shaken. His grip on us is tighter than our grip on Him and He'll never let us go.

In Hebrews 3 & 4, the author reminds us of all the amazing things Jesus poured out for us through His sacrifice - His death - on the cross that we all deserve. We need to encourage each other every single day in our faith and trust in Jesus. Jesus is better than anything this world will ever offer. He offers a better hope, a better Covenant, a better promise, a better sacrifice, better provisions, and an eternal glorious home that cannot begin to compare this this temporary world. Jesus is greater and better than anything and everything. As we choose to repent and receive His offer of eternal salvation, we also receive His divine peace and rest. We rest in Jesus, in His truth, and in His promises. We know that He is God and stand firm in the victory that comes only in and through Jesus. We need to be intentional about spending time with Jesus every day and resting in his goodness - in His presence - as we lay in the wildflowers and surrender all to Him.

Hebrews 1 & 2 reveals that Jesus is the heir of all things. He is the Creator of the universe. He lived on earth as the human flesh of God. He shines with God's glory and holds all things together by His command. Jesus died to cleans and purify us of all sin. He rose from death and sat down at the right hand of God in heaven. He is our High Priest and Mediator. Jesus holds all things together. He holds us together. He sustains us by His powerful Word. He knows every detail of our lives and every burden we carry. He wants us to sit with Him, talk with Him, and pour our hearts out to Him. He wants us to read the Word He wrote to us. He holds us, sustains us, comforts us, and strengthens us. We are precious in His sight. You are a child of the Most High God and He loves you more than you can comprehend.

In Philemon, we see a beautiful story of redemption and forgiveness. We see what Jesus has done for us and what He does in us and through us in these verses. Jesus doesn't want to lose a single soul. He has commissioned us to make disciples to the ends of the earth, sharing with everyone we know that Jesus came to earth - 100% God and 100% human - to serve us with His life as the perfect sacrifice to abolish any and all sin from our lives. He took our sins upon Himself so He could cover us with His righteousness instead. When we choose to accept His invitation and RSVP to His eternal Kingdom by repenting from sin and surrendering to His glorious Majesty, we are redeemed. We are His children. We are set free. We are no longer slaves to sin and death. We are free from the bondages of evil. We are free to dance in the grace and victory that is only found in and through Jesus, now and for all eternity.

In Titus 1, 2, & 3, Paul encouraged Titus to stay true to the Word of God - the truth of the Gospel of Jesus. Jesus + Nothing = Everything. When we surrender our hearts and lives to Jesus, our lives look different. Our works don't earn salvation or our way into heaven. We work different and live different because of the powerful grace of Jesus working in and through our lives. The Lord will strengthen us as we pursue Him and worship Him authentically, with all our guts. His power gives us strength when our flesh is weak. His power gives hope when our spirits are down. His power provides for us when we are desperate for Him. It's only by the powerful grace and overwhelming mercies of the Lord that we are saved, redeemed, and cleansed by Jesus. Pray, read God's Word, and rest in His glorious grace. Share the story of the power of Jesus working in your life. It will encourage others on their journeys as well as defeat the enemy. Jesus is returning - sooner today than yesterday - and we need to stay laser focused on Jesus and the mission of making disciples to the ends of the earth and saving souls for eternity. Nothing matters more.

(1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11)

Everyone will know and see when Jesus returns. Now is the time to choose Jesus. Now is the time to tell everyone you know about Jesus and His offer of saving grace. Now is the time to stay mission minded and laser focused on Jesus, pursuing Him desperately with all our guts. We should live every second of every day as though Jesus could return in the next 10 seconds, because He could and He might.

In 2 Timothy 3 & 4, Paul warned of difficult times ahead: growth of deception and self-love, increasing lack of godliness, and the certainty of persecution. Paul reminds us we are fully equipped for these difficult days. We have all we need in the Word of God and His Spirit within us. As we press into the Lord, He will equip and empower us to be ready for anything and everything He brings us to. Stand firm in Jesus and do not waiver. Cling to Him with all your guts. Fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith. The Lord stands with us through thick and thin, He strengthens us, and He rescues us. It's up to us to reach up and trust Him for every outcome.

2 Timothy is Paul's final letter to Timothy. In chapters 1 & 2, he encourages Timothy to continue sharing the Gospel of Jesus boldly relying on the Holy Spirit's power within him. Paul was in chains, in the bottom of a dark, cold cell, and he still wrote letters of encouragement to others. He remained mission minded and laser focused on Jesus regardless of his circumstances. Jesus commissioned each of us to spread the Gospel message of salvation, making disciples to the ends of the earth. He has given us gifts and talents that He wants us to use for this very purpose right where He has placed us. God moves in moving parts. We need to boldly step out in faith and let God lead. When we step out in faith, trusting in the Lord, God will move mightily through us.

In 1 Timothy 5 & 6, we see the caring and nurturing heart of our Almighty Father. He looks after His children and calls us to care for each other as well. Jesus pours out His incomprehensible love for us and we are to unselfishly love and care for others as well. So many things in this world fight for our attention. We need to flee from these distractions and stay laser focused on Jesus and the mission He has set before us. Run from the worldly things that will all burn away and pursue Jesus with all your guts. The enemy is fighting for our first love. We need to fight back and be intentional about pressing in deeper and further with Jesus. Stand firm in faith. Victory comes as you stand firm in Jesus and cling to Him with all your guts.