Viewing entries tagged
joy
Christmas can stir up worry and insecurity, driving us to fight for what we fear losing. This message looks at King Herod’s story and how God’s love can heal the fear that often fuels tension in our relationships.
Matthew 2:1-16
We all worship something, whether spiritual or physical; today's text helps us examine what is true and authentic worship, and how we can live in it every day.
Romans 1:18-25
The Christian life is a lifelong marathon with plenty of ups and downs. The opening of the Letter of James offers us instruction for running and finishing this race.
James 1:2-12
In a world convulsing with violence, corruption, disaster, and bitter divisions, what’s the value of spending an hour or so in church? Multiplied millions of Christians worldwide do so, and this week we’ll explore why in this Psalm.
Psalm 122:1-9
When life is a battle, you want to know that God is on your side. The promise that God is with His people brought confidence and security to the people of God in Scripture and should do the same to us today. This message looks at that promise and how we can apply it in our lives.
Psalm 46:1-11
We all face trials, and it can be frustrating when God doesn’t take them away. This message looks at how God uses suffering in our lives and what we can do to partner with Him.
James 1:1-18
Everyone has a picture in their mind of what it means to be blessed by God. That picture, if it’s wrong, can discourage and oppress us and even distort how we understand God and where we stand with Him. This message looks at Jesus’ picture of the blessed life and how it’s at odds with how we typically envision it.
Luke 6:20-26
Regret is a common feeling people confront at the end of their lives. How do we live today so that we don’t experience regret tomorrow? This message looks at how it’s possible to seize life’s opportunities and the joy that God can give.
God has made us partners of the gospel, and He uses mutual relationships in order to reach His goal to make us like Christ, and build His church. As we look at Philippians 1, we’ll see how God uses other people in our lives to help us grow and bring joy and thankfulness.
We can work hard and get a promotion only to learn that our company is facing bankruptcy or moving offshore. The randomness of life’s circumstances can leave us discouraged and frustrated. This message looks at how we can experience joy even when life seems to be out of our control.
We all long to be happy, but often happiness feels beyond our reach. This message looks at a person who made the pursuit of happiness an extended research project and considers the wrong paths and ultimate direction of the joy that we all seek.
The goal, motivation, and power of Christian ministry are radically transformed by Jesus. This message considers how.
Many people find the Bible’s teachings about the Holy Spirit confusing. The command to be filled with the Holy Spirit is at the heart of how we are to live the Christian life, but it is a command that is often misunderstood. This message looks at how to be filled with the Holy Spirit and what you can expect to see when you are.
Christmas can be a hard time for many people. It’s hard to be alone when we’re told we’re supposed to be together. It’s hard to face the holidays when there are loved ones we’re still grieving. Expectations, stress and conflict can all hit us at this time of year. But joy can be a reality when we hold the Christmas promises. This message looks at a dark period in Israel’s past where they were given promises of the arrival of Jesus, intended to stir their joy. Those same promises can stir up ours today.
It’s easy to be weighed down by bad news and disappointment. We can complain about the bad stuff and be complacent about the good stuff. This psalm teaches us how to find our joy in God no matter what we’re facing.
As people take steps in the Christian life, they can be tempted to think that ‘the secret’ is in some new teaching or experience. But growth in the Christian life comes by returning to the starting point and deepening our understanding and response to the foundation. This message looks at that foundation and the most common ways people misunderstand and stray from it.
Death is like cement to our disappointments. But Easter gives a promise of life. This message looks at the first person Jesus revealed Himself to after He was resurrected – a grieving woman – and shows how Easter can turn our tears into joy.
We live at a time when we have more than ever but feel more dissatisfied just the same. Satisfaction can seem like it’s always just around the corner. This message looks at the secret of contentment and some of the lies that keep us from it.
Discontentment affects different people in different ways. Sometimes our frustration is with the world. People and circumstances feed our complaints. But sometimes, our biggest complaints are against ourselves. We’re not content with who we are or what we’ve done. We never measure up. This message looks at how to harness the power God gives us to change and move from discontentment to joy.
