I hope you had a restful weekend. And you are fully ready for the new week.

There is a natural tendency to fear. It is a part of the human experience. However, as God's chosen people, we are not to be bound to fear. We walk in love, self control, and with discipline. This is the reminder we all need. God pours His Spirit onto us, giving us the ability to be disciplined, to love others well, and to control ourselves. It is not our own doing, but God works in us to do what He has called us to do. Let us remind ourselves, through the Holy Spirit, we are able to love well, have power, and discipline ourselves.

Let us seek the Lord while He may be found. Seeking the Lord doesn't mean going to church every Sunday with a suit on. It doesn't mean we have to "be ready" to have a relationship with God. It does mean personal Bible study, prayer, repentance, surrendering our lives to Jesus, and surrounding ourselves with believers who can build us up. God doesn't ask us to be perfect, just willing. So, let us be willing to seek the Lord and to learn more about Him each day.

“Imagine taking the blame for something your friend did… even when you didn’t have to. Now imagine doing that for everyone. That’s what Jesus did— but on a level way bigger than we can fully grasp.”

We need to be on guard at all times. Our behavior patterns, our thoughts, words from our mouths, the way that we treat others, how we take care of our bodies, how we use our time.... Are all things we need to be aware of. We don't know when our time is up or when Jesus comes back. So, we need to make the most of our days as much as we can. We do this by loving God and loving others, following the example of Jesus. So, let us not get caught up in the cares of this world. But let us be found building God's Kingdom by the way that we love God and serve others.