The wisdom of God is greater than any earthly treasure.  It is more valuable than gold or silver and more precious than jewels.  Do you value it?  Will you seek it?

Prov. 3:13-18 (ESV) Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding,for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed..

Proverbs is a book of comparisons between common, concrete images and life’s most profound truths. Proverbs gives us God’s will and ways on the important issues of life: family, marriage, parenting, friendship, our words and emotions, work, money, morality, ethics, politics, justice, death and our relationship with God. We are in desperate need of wisdom today. We need to be able to discern between good and evil when we live in a culture that is calling evil good and good evil.  We need to make obtaining wisdom a top priority.

How is your church doing?  What metric are you going to use to evaluate it?  Typically we look at "nickels and noses".  How big is our budget and how many people are coming?  Paul shows a better metric and a better goal than just drawing a larger crowd.  In Ephesians 4, he reminds us that the growth that God is concerned with is spiritual growth.  Are you growing...spiritually?

As Jesus reinstates Peter, He asks him an important question: Do you love Me?  Since Peter had denied knowing Jesus three times, He asked him the same question three times.  Peter affirmed his love for Jesus.  In response, Jesus affirms Peter's role in His kingdom.  He tells Peter to feed His lambs and tend His sheep.  In this story we are shown Jesus' priority for those who lead His churches: feed His sheep.  We are also confronted with the eternally important question: Do you love Jesus?

Jesus reinstates Peter even after he had denied that he knew Him 3 times.  He used a familiar miracle to remind Peter of his calling and God's power and grace.

Doubting Thomas is one of the most unfortunate nicknames in Christian history.  His stubborn refusal to believe the other disciples' eyewitness reports that Jesus was alive is infamous.  Yet Jesus dealt graciously and gently with him.  He proved that He was alive and called Thomas to exercise faith.  Jesus has grace for doubters who are sincerely looking for the truth.

Jesus shows grace for His disciples even after they abandoned Him in His greatest hour of trial.  When He was arrested, they all fled in fear.  After His resurrection, He sends a message to them through Mary Magdalene.  It is a message full of grace.  He then appears to the doubting and anxious disciples and continues to show them great grace in spite of thier struggles.  Jesus has grace for His people even when we wander away for a season.

Jesus was risen and yet Mary continued to weep.  She assumed the worst: someone has taken His body; even though the very best had actually happened: He conquered death.  Oh the grace of Jesus for His people when our fears and discouragements get the better of us.  May the Lord call our name and remind us that He is risen!

The crucifixion of Jesus is the most important event in the history of the world.  It is the foundation of Christianity – Jesus dying for the sins of His people.
Do we yawn at it?  Are we callous to what our Savior did for us?
The hymn At Calvary by William Newell 
Years I spent in vanity and pride, caring not my Lord was crucified,
knowing not it was for me He died on Calvary.
Mercy there was great and grace was free; pardon there was multiplied to me;
there my burdened soul found liberty, at Calvary.

Jesus was despised and rejected by His own people just as Isaiah had prophesied: Isaiah 53:3 (ESV) He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 
Jesus is on trial before Pilate and they are given multiple opportunities to repent.  Pilate declares Jesus innocent three times.  However, their hearts are hard and full of hate.  They have no compassion but just want Jesus to die.