What is God’s plan for me? Have you ever found yourself asking that? The prophet Isaiah actually thought that he already had this question answered as he casually followed God and lived his life. What he later found was that God’s plan was for Isaiah to see the enormity of God and allow that to move him from nominal Christianity to radical Christianity.

How often do you think of honor as a verb? Usually when we think of honor, it’s the honor bestowed upon others; God, Jesus, rulers, judges, etc. This week we looked at honor in contrast to shame and honor in the way we treat others, more specifically, parents.

What does God think about hustle culture? God loves work and even commanded Adam and Eve to work before the fall. But he also showed the example of rest on the seventh day. A restful rhythm is one of the ways that God reminds us and the people around us that we trust God is the one in control, not us.

What does it mean to not use the Lord’s name in vain? You might be surprised to find out that the original Hebrew shows us that it’s all about how we carry the name of God. This helps us to realize that the people of God carry the name of God with them and be aware of how they are carrying that name.

What is an idol? You might be surprised to find out that it’s more than a statue representing than a false god. There are many things that creep into our lives and attempt to take the place of God and lower the God of the Bible to a lesser status. The key to being the human you were created to be is keeping God where he should be in your life.

What does loving God look like? This week marked the first installment of our new series in the 10 commandments. Though these may seem like ancient laws, they are actually considered the 10 “words” of God and they are made in order to teach God’s covenant people how to love him and others the right way.

What does it mean to follow Jesus? In one of the very last things that Jesus says to his followers he tells them that he is the true vine and that they are to abide in him. He tells them this 10 times in just 11 verses. Without Jesus we have no life, we have no purpose, we have no salvation, we have nothing. Jesus realizes that life is incredibly difficult and that is the reason he calls us to abide in him.

Is Jesus the only way to heaven? There are a lot of different religions and a lot of ideas about heaven and eternal life. It seems rather arrogant to claim that Jesus is the only way. But Jesus is the only one who did what it took to redeem the relationship between God and man. Jesus understood that truth is not subjective and he himself is the truth.

Have you ever wondered why Jesus let his friend die? Lazarus was one of Jesus’ friends and when someone came to request Jesus because Lazarus was sick Jesus idled and did not arrive in the city until Lazarus had already been dead for four days. Jesus needed those around him to understand that he is the resurrection. He is life. There is no resurrection or life outside of Jesus. Even if his timing seems strange, you can always trust Jesus.

What did Jesus mean by calling himself the good shepherd? Jesus wanted to teach his followers that he is the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. He is not just willing to lay his life down, but he actually did and then he that he triumphed over sin. There are many false shepherds who are looking to take our attention, but Jesus calls us to closely follow him and recognize his voice.