Cheating -- in any relationship -- is ultimately accompanied by guilt and shame. And before cheating ever takes place physically, it starts in the heart. We can claim to love God all we want, but the way we live will show where our heart's loyalty truly lies.

In a rideshare program like Uber, the passenger tells the driver where to go, and the driver follows those instructions. In the same way, we need to treat Jesus like the passenger in our car -- He gives us a destination, and we obey His command! He may sometimes have us go to difficult places, but it's better that we face those challenges with Him than face the same inevitable trials without Him by our side.

Jesus said that as His followers, we are the light of the world. But that means we have to shine in such a way that our brightness draws others out of the darkness and into His light. When we let go of the distractions that hold us back, we can run the race that God's set before us, "lights out" and fully focused on the eternal prize.

It's easy to criticize someone in authority! But the Bible teaches us to pray for them instead. No person who's been placed in leadership has been put there outside of God's sovereignty. Let's pray that God will work in their lives and lead their hearts and decisions as they're entrusted with leading others.

Time after time in Scripture, we read the stories of people who made some pretty "jacked up" mistakes. Yet God still used them to accomplish His work in the world! It's important for us not to continue living in sin once we've been redeemed -- but there's nothing we can do that God can't turn around and use for His glory.

When we come to Jesus and are born again, He makes us a new creation. Instead of staying on the fence and trying to hold on to both Jesus and our sin at the same time, we need to let go of our sin so we can live fully for Him. We need to be who God called us to be -- to follow Him completely, holding nothing back!

The only destination in the world that can ever truly claim, "what happens here, stays here" is at the foot of the cross. When we accept Christ's forgiveness and love, we leave our old selves behind, becoming new creations in Him. And while God is merciful, He'll allow consequences for our sins in order to ultimately bring us to Him. Let's never forget: bad seed produces bad fruit no matter where we plant it, and good seed produces good fruit no matter how long it takes to grow!

People are like onions: they have a lot of layers! And the more layers we see of every individual, the harder it can be for us to get along with some of them. But in the Church, we have a responsibility to put aside our differences and look past the "onion rings" of each person. We're called to love one another the way God first loved us.

There's a big difference between someone who's a father, and someone who fathers. God doesn't just want to adopt us into His family and then leave us to our own devices -- He wants an ongoing, ever-growing, father/child relationship with us! Jesus tells us in Scripture that when we ask our Father for all that we need, He's faithful to provide for us. Let's never forget to thank Him for the gifts He gives us out of fatherly love!

There are moments when God, in His mercy, rescues us from the destruction we've been living in. So why can it feel so tempting to look back? When we've made the decision to follow Jesus, there's no reason to look back at our past anymore. Instead, let's keep our eyes forward and press on toward the goal that's been set for us in Christ!