"To another he said, ‘Follow me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’" - Luke 9:59-60 There is a difference between saying yes and actually surrendering. There was a point in Luke 9 where Jesus was calling people to follow Him, and one man replied with a sentence...  Read More

"And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’" - Matthew 9:11 When Jesus called Matthew, in Matthew 11, it did not sit well with the religious crowd. The Pharisees could not understand why someone claiming to be from God would choose to associate with the likes of a tax collector. From their view, Jesus was crossing a lin...  Read More

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account." - Matthew 5:10-11 No one enjoys being misunderstood, singled out, or pushed aside. Most of us spend years trying to fit in, blend in, or go unnoticed. But according to Jesus, stan...  Read More

"And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding." - Colossians 1:9 Some days it feels like everyone else has the answers, and you are just trying to keep up. The path ahead can feel blurry, the pressure to make the right moves can weigh heavy, and deep down you may wonder if y...  Read More

"So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." - Colossians 1:10 There are a lot of voices trying to tell you who to impress and how to do it. But as a follower of Jesus, the aim of your life is not to impress a crowd. It's to please your Creator. That does not mean perfection. It means pursuit. A life...  Read More

"If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. If you abide in me and my words abide in you ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples." - John 15:6-8 At first glance, the disciple Judas looked like the rest. He...  Read More

"And as Jesus reclined at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples." - Matthew 9:10 Sometimes we believe the lie that we need more before we can make an impact. More time, more money, more experience, more influence. But when Jesus called Matthew, one of the first things Matthew did was open his home. He used what he alrea...  Read More

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men." - Colossians 3:23 It is easy to assume that purpose only applies to certain people. The ones on a stage. The ones with a title. The ones who seem like they were born for ministry. But what if you have been called, too? What if the very place you wake up to each day is part of God’s plan to reach others? Colossians 3:23 isn’t just a...  Read More

"I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." – John 15:5 There is a kind of pressure that sneaks into your life when you believe everything depends on you. Maybe you’ve felt it. That need to perform, to achieve, to prove yourself to others or even to God. But this kind of pressure doesn’t produce fru...  Read More

"…He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." – Colossians 1:13-14 Some people spend their whole lives trying to earn what God has already given. Others keep living like prisoners even after the cell has been unlocked. If you’ve ever carried guilt like a chain around your soul or tried t...  Read More

"When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem." - Luke 9:51 Jesus didn’t drift. He didn’t meander from place to place, hoping life would eventually make sense. He lived with clarity, conviction, and purpose. And as His follower, you’re called to do the same. Luke 9:51 marks a turning point in Jesus’ ministry. Up until that moment, He had traveled through towns...  Read More

"Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, 'Follow me.' And he rose and followed him." - Matthew 9:9 You don’t have to clean yourself up before God can use you. He isn’t waiting on you to become impressive. He’s just waiting for you to follow. That might sound simple, but for a lot of us, it's hard to believe. Especially when you’ve been ...  Read More