Today is Easter Sunday.

And so, this week’s passage is from Matthew 28:6:

Enough said.

Enjoy celebrating the Resurrection today!

When life starts to get crazy, we need assurance that God is in control.

With our upcoming move to Florida a month away, this week’s passage helps me to keep things in perspective.

You can find it in Psalm 121:1-2:

I know the psalmist is most likely speaking about God’s protection from his enemies.

I get that.

But in my life right now, one of my biggest enemies is stress.

Knowing that God is in control is an incredible stability factor.

In what areas of your life do you need God’s help right now? You can share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Our lives are in a pretty significant state of upheaval right now. We are moving from the south-central part of Missouri to the Gulf coast of Florida.

This isn’t a move we really sought out. The opportunity just fell into our laps, and God worked out the details.

And we are convinced he is leading in this.

That makes this week’s passage seem especially poignant. Take a look at it in 1 Corinthians 2:9, from the NLT:

God does things so much bigger and more magnificent than I, or any of us, can even possibly imagine.

And there are layers here that we can uncover one at a time.

From this verse I can see that God’s provision for me is huge:

• He loves me.
• He saved me.
• He has provided my family.
• He has worked continually in my life in so many ways.
• He has orchestrated this transition to Florida and has displayed his involvement in the tiniest details.
• He has prepared a place for me that is better than Florida, or Missouri… Heaven.

Watching as he unfolds his story in my life is an incredible experience! I am continually surprised and amazed!

What is God doing in your life right now that defies the imagination? You can share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Last week, I stated that if I had to choose a favorite book in the New Testament, Philippians would place very high on the list.

This week’s passage is also from this short letter, in the very next chapter.

Take a look at Philippians 3:14:

It’s too easy to take our eyes off of the goal.

When I learned to play baseball as a kid, one of the main things my coach, Rocky, kept saying was “Keep your eye on the ball.”

The same is true with golf. You have to keep your eye on the goal.

This is a necessity for so many things in life: you have to keep your focus on the end result.

Paul says that this is a crucial part of the Christian life as well. Keep your eye on the goal.

Don’t be distracted.

The world will throw everything it can at you to distract you. And if you lose your focus on the destination, you’ll drift off course very quickly.

So, keep your focus on the prize. Press on.

What do you do to help keep focused in your faith? You can share your thoughts in the comments section below.

If I had to choose a favorite book in the New Testament, Philippians would be pretty close to the top of the list. I simply love this little letter written by Paul somewhere around 60-61 AD.

Our verse to memorize is a short one, but it’s something of a smack in the face.

Don’t just read it and move on. Stop and think abut what Paul is telling you to do. And then take a look at your life and see just where this needs to be applied.

Philippians 2:14. Take a look:

I think we complain too much.

Watch this video.

While humorous, the point is well taken. We complain.

Paul says don’t. It’s that simple.

What have you complained about today? What can you do to eliminate this habit from your life? You can share your thoughts in the comments section below.

This week’s passage is the classic Christian Church text on baptism.

I believe Peter’s message here is pretty clear: baptism is extremely important.

Acts 2:38 is this week’s passage:

This comes in the middle of Peter’s sermon in Acts 2, which resulted in thousands of people turning to Christ.

Pretty amazing day any way you look at it. What would we do in our churches if 3000 people responded at once?

What would we do?

How would we react?

I think we would be in awe of God’s incredible power, just like the believers in Acts were.

Read through the book of Acts and take note of just how many times you see that God was adding to their numbers.

I think the point is this: When we preach the word with boldness and without compromise, God does mighty things through it. He brings people to himself. He rescues. He saves.

So, why do we fear?

Peter shared the gospel with boldness. Do you? What helps you to do this? You can share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Do you ever get the feeling that you aren’t in control?

I don’t know about you, but I hate that feeling.

However, that is something that I’m just going to have to learn to live with. Take a look at Proverbs 16:9:

I can make my plans, but God’s plan supersedes mine. I can direct my life in the directions I want to go, but what God wants is what will occur.

The key, is to develop such a heart for God, and a heart like his, that my wants reflect his wants, that my desires are what he desires, that my plans are set because I’m in tune with his plan.

How does one go about achieving that?

Prayer. Studying the Word.

Consistently.

Continually.

Completely.

What plans do you have in your life that you need to seek God’s counsel on? You can share your thoughts in the comments section below.