We need to stay focused on God's word for our lives. It shines light on where we are going and tells us when we are in the right place. We also need to aim high while trusting God. When we worry, the things we worry about become much bigger; worry is useless! Jesus tells us to seek God's kingdom and righteousness first, and he will take care of the things we worry about. We need to pray in faith, not out of unbelief. We need to seek our 'well done!' from Jesus.

Jesus' love for the church is seen in John 17, in his name for it (his bride) and in his sacrifice for it. Jesus helps us love the church, and the church helps us love Jesus. The devil tries to separate us from the church so that we are vulnerable to his attacks. Jesus sees all those who serve in his church in any way, and rewards them. We can take 4 actions to help make the church function as Jesus intended: 1) keep our eyes on Jesus and not on people; 2) when in conflict, go to the Word; 3) always give people the benefit of the doubt, believing the best of them; 4) when in conflict, speak only to the person involved (to stop infection spreading). The church is a gift from God.

When the Psalmist looks at his world, he sees that the ungodly have health, wealth and happiness, while he has trouble, and he wonders why he should be godly. But then he spends time with God and his people and sees the eternal reality. A life without problems is not proof that God is present. Jesus is all the abundance we need (life, truth and love), and at the end he will sit in judgement.

When we are born again, we become a child in God’s family. Children have fun and trust, but they are vulnerable. We need this first stage of our Christian walk to prepare us for the next stage of growth. Young people want to take risks, but want to do things their own way; facts and adventure are important. In this stage, we talk about what God is doing, not just what he has done. In maturity, we want to know God, not just about God. At this stage, we have confidence, security, humility and strength because we know God. We know how to love, because the Father is love.

Rahab’s story represents the promises of God when we come to Christ: our past no longer matters. As a Canaanite prostitute and idol worshipper, Rahab was not an ideal candidate to be a hero of faith. Yet, through faith and grace, she was grafted into God’s family. She demonstrated her faith by obeying the instructions she was given. God chose to include her, not only in his people, but also in the lineage of Jesus. God has grafted us into his family, too. Through faith in Him, we can approach God with freedom and confidence. And we demonstrate our faith through what we do. Additional scriptures: Hebrews 11:30-31; James 2:24-26; Ephesians 3:4-6; Romans 11:17-18; Ephesians 3:12; Hebrews 4:15-16.