Reflecting on that, we should ask ourselves who we are, are we like Zechariah? Knowing God but questioning his motives and his plan. Or are we like Mary? Where everything around us seems incorrect, it can’t be or seems wrong, but nevertheless, we decide to accept and trust God’s promise.

I was reminded today of how hectic life can get and how far we can drift from true rest. Sure, we sleep each night, take breaks and go on vacations but is this truly RESTING? We can do all the self-care strategies and still not find that constant and peaceful rest. The kind of rest that comes from God.

Have you ever noticed whenever you go somewhere you always come back from your trip with more stuff than you bring? That’s excess baggage. Just like as we go through our lives as Christians. We pick up things as we go along, some good and some bad.

Self Reflection is a by-product of the diligent pursuit of God. I know that is a bold statement, but it is true. How can we self-reflect if we have ourselves in the center and as the focus?

When we think of fasting it is often with dread. No one likes to feel hunger pangs. And yes, that is part of fasting---denying our flesh, the pleasure that comes from consuming food. We think of fasting as what we are giving up.

Have you thought about that, being Holy in all that we do? When we talk, when we work, when we run errands. Are we being Holy? Are we set-apart? Would people notice that there was a difference in us if they saw the way we interact with others?

Generally, humility tends to be misunderstood. We think we are talking about financial poverty, lowering our heads, or weakness of character. So what is humility?

When I was younger, I used to write songs, poems, stories, etc. I really enjoyed writing. Throughout my faith journey, I’ve had seasons of another form of writing- journaling. Journal writing can mean many different things.

It is so important to have quiet time with God. When we decide to give that time to him, we are completely vulnerable to him. It’s our way of telling him that he is worthy of our time. We take that time to learn from him and to listen to him.

Jesus says that “….whatever you did for the least of these you did for me.” Serving in ministry doesn’t always look glamorous or have you in the spot light. But that should never be the goal.

We have all done harmful things to other people and have made bad choices. Amid our sins, a decision must be made: Will we confess sinful actions, or will we pretend that we have done nothing wrong?

Have you ever heard good news after everyone else, and felt that you were too late to benefit from it? How did you feel? Unfortunately, people do not feel bad about missing out on the Gospel.

Jesus in His wisdom sums up the 10 commandments into 2, which He calls the greatest commandments for all true believers to follow. The first is to LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength. The second commandment is to LOVE your neighbor as yourself.

When we keep it simple, we can see there is always something to be thankful for, life, breath, salvation, family, our church home, our loved ones etc...

So many of us believe that by not forgiving those who hurt us, we have power over them and are putting them in a jail cell of what they did wrong. Little do we know, we are the ones putting ourselves into a jail cell.

What is your testimony? How has God worked in your life to bring you to where you are? And how can your story inspire others on their own journey of faith? And who can you share it with this week?

The feast of the firstfruits required that the first crop harvested be offered to God. The Israelites could not eat food from their harvest until they had made this offering. Today God still expects us to set aside his portion first, not last.

When you think about Praise and Worship, what comes to mind? You may think about the “Praise and Worship Team” at church leading the congregation into the presence of God through songs. But let’s take a deeper look at what this truly means.

One of the hallmarks of God’s people is that God’s Word will be written on the tablets of our hearts. This is a promise to be fulfilled in its entirety at the glorification of our bodies.

Often we come to God with a prayer list of things that have been on our hearts but we haven’t considered what is the state of our hearts.