Give Up-Week 7 Give Up Death April 14-18
Jesus rising on Easter morning was more than a showy miracle to shock and awe His attackers and followers. When Jesus rose, He turned the entire order of the universe on its head. The Resurrection shows us that death does not have the last word. God has the last word, and His word is Life….
Give Up-Week 6: Give Up Popularity April 7-11
Our desire to be popular, even as adults, is normal. This desire emerges from our longing to be in community and feel like we belong. Rather than seeking to be popular, Jesus sought to be unpopular. Popularity and acclaim in the eyes of others are fleeting. If we put all our faith in them, we…
Give Up-Week 5 Give Up Our Lives March 31- April 4
The concept of giving up our lives isn’t foreign to us. It happens most often when we embark upon new relationships. When we exchange vows with our spouse, we give up our old lives for a new one. When parents welcome a child into the home, they give up their old lives for a new…
Give Up-Week 4: Give Up Enemies March 24-28
Loving our enemies can sometimes feel as idealistic as instantaneous world peace. Still, Jesus showed that caring even for those who persecute us is a real, actionable mandate we can carry out by following His example. The paradoxical kingdom truth is that the way to deal with an enemy is to do him good, which…
Give Up-Week 3: Give Up Superiority March 17-21
God doesn’t care about the artificial lines we draw to make ourselves feel superior to others. In God’s eyes, we are all equal. God’s Word and His message of salvation are far more important than and superior to any lines we draw in the sand, any distinctions we make among us. We need to give…