It is in us all to try to fill our lives with temporary things. The world says we should look inward for what we want, but the gospel says to look upward toward what God wants. We have the opportunity to follow Jesus as Lord even when it costs us something.

If we allow self-discovery to lead to self-focus, we begin a happiness chase that will never end. But if we allow self-discovery to lead us to our part in God’s common purpose, we will discover lasting fulfillment and joy.

Our culture would have us look deeply into our hearts to discover our most authentic selves. The world says we should look inward, but the gospel challenges us to look upward. And by looking upward, we will not lose ourselves, but rather find ourselves—our true selves.

It wasn’t by accident that God messaged the shepherds first and entrusted them with the message that God is with us. Instead of trusting the angels or emperors or the religious elite, God has entrusted everyday, hard-working people like you and me with the Good News that He is with us.

First-centuries Jews expected the arrival of a messiah. Scripture had recorded God’s promise to provide them with a Savior. They believed that this messiah would be a political and military leader. He would save their culture by driving out the Roman Empire and making Israel a feared military power in the region once again. But when God orchestrated Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, he was up to something much bigger . . . and much more personal.

Maybe you wandered away from the church. Maybe the church pushed you away. You lost interest. You got busy. You got hurt. You thought you were done with God forever. But then you started to miss the peace. Despite everything you had experienced, you sensed a light out there. The doubt, the anger, the disappointment with God, the sin, and the shame didn’t put out the light. And here you are in church again. How did that happen?

The Christmas season is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. But for many people, it’s complicated. It’s a time of year that surfaces tensions in relationships, unmet expectations, and the pain of absent loved ones. What do you do when the magic and wonder of the Christmas season feels out of reach? How do you reconnect with the reason for the season?

Jude went from thinking his half-brother, Jesus, was a fraud at best and liar at worst to believing that Jesus was his Savior and Lord. It took the Resurrection to change his mind. Has the Resurrection changed your mind and changed your life?

Jude is writing in a time where Rome treated Christianity like Judaism...another distraction from

full allegiance to Rome. But something happened over decades and decades against all odds the Church outlasted Rome. So what won people over to Jesus?

The Church has always dealt with those who do something that causes them and the Church to

lose credibility. Jude faced it with leaders using Scripture out of context and bullying people with intellect. We

face it too with those who attempt to manipulate people, sell out, and desire the spotlight.