TRSL

In this life, we all have pain and suffering, whether it's from an illness, an injury, or an insult. There is no end. In the midst of our suffering, we very often think or say, "God, why don't you do something?" Even those who don't believe in God seem to find the faith to believe in God. But what does God tell us in His word?

Matthew 24 gives us Jesus' teaching during His last week of ministry on Earth. In our passage for today's message, Matthew 24:1-14, Jesus describes events that precede the end times. After painting a bleak picture of life during those days, He continues by saying that the gospel will be preached and that those who stay firm (in their faith) until the end will be saved. Hard times are coming before Jesus returns to establish His kingdom on Earth, but He expects the work of sharing the gospel to continue. How does that impact us today?

A common belief among non-Christians, especially those who follow no faith system at all, is that faith in Jesus Christ is a crutch for the weak-minded. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Becoming a Christian instantly puts one at odds with the world. On the other hand, God calls His followers to do tasks that defy the odds and sometimes seem downright foolish. Nope, being a Christian ain't for sissies!

In Matthew 25, we find Jesus teaching His last messages before He was crucified. What was on Jesus' mind in these last words to His disciples? He was teaching and warning them to be ready for the Kingdom of God. Our passage for this message is Matthew 25:1-13. It is the parable of the 10 virgins waiting for the groom's call. Five were ready to meet Him, five were not. This begs the question for us: are we ready to be with Jesus in His kingdom?

Jesus' followers were looking for God's kingdom to come and drive out the Romans. They were discouraged because that wasn't what Jesus was teaching or doing. Additionally, people weren't responding to His teaching, and His close, true followers were few in number. How on earth was God's kingdom going to be established? We can get discouraged when we look around us, but Jesus' teaching can help us have the correct perspective and know that "Jesus' Kingdom Will Come!"

We have a lot of distractions, some good and some bad, that obscure our view of the cross, of God's will for our lives. Paul shows us how we can become fully aligned with Christ and let His way loom large and be complete in our sight. Will we take that step? That's what God is waiting to see.

In Psalm 44, King David of Israel recounted how God had blessed the nation. He also acknowledged that Israel had missed a blessing from God because of their wickedness and abandonment of God's principles. We can learn from David's words as we consider how God has blessed America. If we are honest, we too have missed out on God's blessings because we are abandoning His principles and ceasing to worship Him.

Using Exodus 13:17-22, we learn how God guided the Israelites out of Egypt. From those observations, we learn principles about how God guides that still apply today .

What better example for men can there be but Jesus Christ? On this Father's Day 2026, we look at the attributes of Jesus, especially how He was a kind-hearted, compassionate, patient person with the downtrodden common man or woman, but He expressed great passion against those who were oppressing the people, and how He can be an example for us today.

Our walk with God begins with Him confronting us with our need for salvation. Once we accept Him as our God through the work of Jesus Christ, He continues to confront us to instill a deeper faith in Him. Today, we look at Exodus 3:1-6, 14, and the life of Moses to glean insight into how God confronts.