The Porch (Video)

The world offers a lot of advice when it comes to dating and marriage, but has a terrible track record in those areas. Instead, follow the advice of the One who created marriage: God. Use your time as a single person to prepare for marriage. Above all, remember that marriage is not ultimate; Jesus is.

What am I going to do with my life? What would God have me do? According to Colossians 3, God would have us work at whatever we are currently doing with all our heart, as if we were working for the Lord. And we are working for the Lord, since it goes on to say that we will receive an inheritance from Him as a reward.

Where you are in life is a result of the decisions you have made. To make good decisions, you need to trust in God's wisdom rather than your own understanding. Submit to God in every area of life, and turn to the Bible for wisdom and advice.

It is easy for us to see the mistakes made by others, but we are often blind to our own bad decisions. Eventually, our sin becomes a habit and our hearts become hardened to the truth. That is why we need people around us on a daily basis who are looking out for our best interests, and are willing to call us out and spur us on to the full life God desires for us.

We are created for community: to live life in intimate relationship with God and other believers, as parts of a single body. Community Director Luke Friesen explains why we need community, what community looks like, and how you can get into community.

When you belong to the world, you live for the temporary things of the world. When you belong to Jesus, you are changed and live for eternal things. This change in behavior comes from a change in your beliefs, because you will always pursue what you believe brings life and joy. If your behavior does not reflect your stated faith, you should examine what you truly believe and determine Who or what you really belong to.

You reap what you sow. If you sow to please only yourself, you will harvest the earthly consequences of your actions. If you sow to please the Spirit, you will harvest eternal rewards. Believers are called to sow well by bearing one another's burdens in community, loving the lost, and not growing weary of doing good.

In John 21, we see Jesus' response to Peter's failings. Jesus went to great lengths to show Peter that he did not need to feel ashamed, and that he was not disqualified from service. God would still do great things through Peter's life. Similarly, God calls us to live in relationship with Him regardless of what we have done or how we may have strayed from Him.