Sometimes people hurt us real bad. And when that happens, the temptation to retaliate feels irresistible. But Jesus taught a better way – a way the frees us from our hatred of our tormentors and simultaneously shows them God’s generous love.

Nobody likes to be on the receiving end of a broken promise. We feel violated, betrayed, and sometimes even humiliated. But when we are the ones doing the promise-breaking, it’s a little easier to forgive ourselves. Jesus wants us to know something about the promises we make and break: It’s not merely about doing the right thing — keeping our promises leads to the common good for all people. And more urgently, we need to remember that when we keep our commitments or break them, we do so in the presence of God.

People are beginning to get antsy. Some folks are a bit on edge. And some of us are downright angry. Or maybe depressed. As more time passes, our fears are beginning to dominate our thoughts, leading us to take it out on those we love the most: our family. This week, we turn our attention specifically to marriage. What is God trying to show us about ourselves as we experience tension in our homes?

Even though it's only been a few days after Easter, we still need to be reminded of what the Gospel says about our shame, our guilt, our loneliness. If you are in Christ, God not only loves and forgives you, He likes you—a lot!