David would become known as Israel's greatest King. His rule and reign would inspire hope, and point God's people to a future king would bring about a true kingdom of God.

But his life was plagued with war, disappointment, death, and crisis. On the other side of all that he was able to look back and point to a God who had brought him through it all. The inspiration behind Psalm 23.

After the crucifixion of Jesus on Friday, His followers went into hiding. They were isolated, afraid, and uncertain of what the future held. But, something happened that changed everything. What happened on that first Easter changed everything for them, and it changes everything for us.

Faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

It is the evidence of faith and the expression of hope. In the midst of these moments, when so much seems uncertain, what does love require us to do?

Three things the world desperately needs: Faith, hope, and love. The Church, God’s people, are meant to be carriers of these three things to a broken planet filled with broken people who need them.

Our faith, our belief in God, fuels a hope, a confidence, that the darkest circumstances can’t shake.

The world has changed. Fear, panic, and anxiety have become common in the midst of a crisis with no identifiable end.

But times of great fear require the Church to be what Jesus calls us to be: a people of great faith.

Times of great fear require people of great faith. A culture of panic desperately needs voices of hope. Love is the legacy given to us by Jesus, the church fathers, and the many Christians who have come before us. This is our opportunity to be a people of compassion, examples of faith, and voices of hope.

When Jesus gave his Sermon on the Mount, the people of His day were amazed. He challenged everything they thought they knew about being a good person. What they heard about was not an easier way to live, but it was a better way to live. And yet, Jesus promised that he would give rest to the weary and his way was an easy way, not a burden.

We all want better and easy. But in life and in most things that matter, better and easy seldom go together.

Jesus came to give us better life, and while it may not be easy, it’s worth it.

No one likes being told what to do, whether the command is from a parent, coach, boss, spouse, or even God.

Even though he had the same struggle with obedience, Peter was able to check his own propensity to disobey and follow Jesus. His story helps us learn that when we see Jesus as God and good, it helps us obey.

It’s unavoidable. Something that everyone has faced, is facing, and will face again. We’ve overcome it, and have been overcome by it. Our moments of greatest regret and some of the worst seasons of our lives are traced back to it.

Temptation. It’s always there. Watching and waiting for the perfect moment to strike and sabotage your destiny. Offering a trade: what’s most important, for what seems urgent.