Psalm 9:1–6, Matthew 10:32–11:15, Genesis 27:1–28:22

There are times in our own personal lives, church life and ministry when it feels like we are stuck and unable to move at any pace. At other times, openings begin to appear and it is ‘time to accelerate’. God is the God of acceleration. He is able to speed things up at a much faster rate than is humanly possible.

Proverbs 1:20–33, Matthew 10:1–31, Genesis 25:1–26:35

The expression ‘*do not be afraid*’ is one of the most frequent commands in the Bible. Four of the occurrences are in our passages for today.

Psalm 8:1–9, Matthew 9:14–38, Genesis 24:1–67

Success is a blessing from the Lord. Success is a good thing. However, the ministry of Jesus and the message of the Bible *redefine success*.

Psalm 7:10–17, Matthew 8:23–9:13, Genesis 21:1–23:20

Life is not easy. Abraham, David and Jesus’ disciples all faced storms in their lives. What can we learn from their example?

Psalm 7:1–9, Matthew 7:24–8:22, Genesis 19:1–20:18

Each of today’s passages tells us something about the fact that, in the end, *God will put things right*.

Proverbs 1:8–19, Matthew 6:25–7:23, Genesis 17:1–18:33

In each of the three great challenges we see in today’s passages we need to remember that *nothing is too hard for the Lord*.

Psalm 6:1–10, Matthew 5:43–6:24, Genesis 14:1–16:16

You are blessed when you receive mercy and you are blessed when you are merciful to others.

Psalm 5:1–12, Matthew 5:21–42, Genesis 11:10–13:18

If you follow God’s directions for life, you will enjoy his blessing and bring blessing to others.

Psalm 4:1–8, Matthew 4:23–5:20, Genesis 9:18–11:9

God is the source of *all good things*.

Proverbs 1:1–7, Matthew 4:1–22, Genesis 7:1–9:17

Pastor Rick Warren says that he used to think that the Christian life was a succession of battles and blessings, whereas now he thinks of life as being on two tracks. At any given moment in life there are usually blessings, but also battles to face.