Worship and the country

When Jesus said to give our political state what it deserves (Luke 20:19-26), He made one thing unmistakably clear: it doesn’t deserve worship. Love of country becomes idolatry the moment we refuse to tell the truth about it—when we stop holding it accountable, stop demanding justice, stop expecting better. A nation we’re unwilling to correct is a nation we’ve quietly enthroned. And once we start bowing, we’re no longer loving our country… we’re worshiping it.

Pastor Awesome sees you pain

 Jesus saw hunger as pain and moved toward it (Mark 15). His disciples saw hunger as someone else’s problem. The difference is compassion. When you see pain, do you move toward it with relief or step back and hope someone else will?

Dismissing praying people

 Eli judged Hannah before he listened (1 Samuel 1). Who are you dismissing today — especially among the women and marginalized people God may be speaking through — and what would change if you stopped assuming and started listening?

Prove Your Love

 Jesus rejected man‑made traditions used to measure devotion (Matthew 15). Our extra rules can become pride traps. Do you show love for God through performance—or through caring for the people Jesus cared for?

Ruth's Life Choices

Ruth 3 shows God’s heart for the poor and the outsider. Ruth demonstrates the same heart by risking her own security to care for someone she didn’t owe anything to. Her love wasn’t limited, convenient, or self‑protective. So what about you—does your love reach beyond your circle, or only toward the people who love you back?

Which Jesus?

In Matthew 28, they worshipped—but some still doubted. Maybe they bowed to the Jesus they imagined, not the One who stood before them. Are we doing the same?

Sorry Paul

Paul was jailed for healing because the system protected oppression. The gospel still calls us to confront injustice and push for change. Where is someone being crushed today—and what bold, Christ‑shaped action can you take? Acts 16

Knocking the scales from the eyes

 When Ananias prayed for Paul, “something like scales” fell from his eyes (Acts 9). What scales still cling to ours? Are we so absorbed in our own concerns that we fail to see the suffering, injustice, and harm unfolding around us?

My King will Beat You UP!

Pilate called Jesus “King, (Luke 23)” but Jesus rules by changing hearts, not by force. So which king do you want—one who leads through fear, or one who brings peace and justice to the hurting?

Truth Framers

Pilate’s “What is truth?” pushes back against Jesus’ claim that those who love truth hear His voice (John 18). We say we seek truth, yet we keep bending it to fit our needs. How do you reshape truth to suit your own story?

Where is Jesus?

 Jesus left Lazarus's family and friends to wonder about where He was when they needed Him most. In His absence, Lazarus died (John 11). Where do you think Jesus is when we need Him? Is He in Heaven being mysterious or is He in your heart working through your life? 

Bad things happen to...

John 9 begins with a question about blame—who sinned to cause this suffering? Jesus redirects the moment toward God’s work instead. As Christians, are we busy assigning fault, or are we bringing Christ’s love to those who hurt?

 

Crossing Boundaries

 On His way to Galilee, Jesus did what most Israelites refused to do—He went through Samaria. The “good” people of His day questioned crossing into enemy territory, but Jesus cared more about connecting with people than respecting the boundaries others insisted on. John 4

Push or Follow?

For a while, Christians asked, “What would Jesus do?” to refocus their lives around His example. We can’t heal blindness or multiply food on command, but we can still imitate the way He lived. What step could help you follow Jesus more closely this week? Matthew 4:18

Followers or not

 

While calling His apostles (Matt 4), Jesus did not ask them to argue theology, He simple asked them to follow Him. During their time with Jesus, we see them struggle to understand what He wants from them, but maybe it's just as simple as doing the things He would do. How do you follow Jesus?

Whippersnappers

 Christians often like to recall the story of Jesus cleansing the temple (John 2) but also don't want their own services or practices disrupted. What Christian practices do you think Jesus would disrupt today?

Personal Temple Brags

Jesus clears the temple in John 2 to restore it to worship, not profit. Then He calls His own body a temple, confronting us with a sharper question: are our bodies instruments of worship or tools for self‑gain and harm. In what ways do you use your temple to oppress others?

Transformations

John 2 shows Jesus turning water into wine—a sign of His power to transform. But not all change honors Him. How have you or your church drifted from being true witnesses of God's goodness?

Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, but not our teacher?

 Many Christians call Jesus a personal friend while forgetting that He came chiefly to teach (for example Matt 5-7). Do you sidestep His words by appealing to other passages, or do you let His teachings shape your life today?

Happy? New Year

 May the new year inspire us to bear witness to the love of God in our hearts, words, and deeds. John 1