Does the fact that God loves you still move you? God’s priority is not what we do for Him, but our relationship with Him. He values us knowing Him deeply. Out of our intimate friendship with Him, fruitfulness for His Kingdom flows. In John 15, Jesus gives a command and a promise: remain in Me, and you will bear much fruit. First comes the heart connection with Jesus, then comes the fruit. God interacts with us as a Father with His child, as a Bridegroom with His bride, and as a Shepherd with his sheep. We have one life to live and we want to make it count — but we do that by focusing on knowing Jesus first. Function flows from friendship. Additional scripture: Acts 4:13

Whether we are under spiritual attack from within (our own prideful human nature), or from without (from the devil, our enemy), or whether we are simply receiving fatherly discipline from God, the first step to take is to submit to God. This is unpopular because it is offensive to our pride. Yet the way we show real love for the Father is by obedience and submission. Submitting to God doesn’t enslave us, rather it sets us free. The devil loves it when we don’t submit to God, and we try to do things on our own terms. Submission is a form of trust. When we are under attack, full surrender to God is the first step towards victory. Additional scriptures: Ephesians 5:21-22, Colossians 2:15, 1 Peter 5:8, Ephesians 4:27, 1 Kings 19:1-5, 1 John 2:16, 2 Corinthians 12:7, Hebrews 12:5-6, Matthew 16:21-23, Hebrews 10:10, 1 John 4:4, Psalm 31:20, John 14:15

How do faith and trust interact and work together? God gives us faith as a gift, and we put in into practice, trusting Him more and more as we gain experience and knowledge of walking with Him, and as we increasingly see the evidence of His faithfulness. The Israelites in Egypt trusted that the blood would save them when they actively painted it on their door frames, and as they waited through the night while others around them were perishing. David trusted that God would help him against Goliath, as He had helped him in the past against lions and bears. We at Lift have seen God come through and provide when things were very much in doubt and a lot was hanging in the balance. Are you really actively trusting God, particularly in the area of your finances (in tithing) and in your opportunities to reach someone with the gospel and disciple them? God answers when we call on Him and trust Him. Additional scriptures: Hebrews 11:1, Exodus 12:23, Exodus 13:21, Exodus 14:10-14, 1 Samuel 17:34-36, Luke 21:1-4, Matthew 28:18-20

If anything proves the Kingship of Jesus Christ, it is His resurrection from the dead. The resurrection is a radical happening, with implications for everything Jesus claimed about Who He is. It demands a radical response from people of integrity. Both His death and His resurrection are central and crucial. Christianity is deeply miraculous and supernatural -- not a theory or a religion, but a radical lifestyle of following Christ. If you believe Jesus rose from the dead, it changes everything. Love triumphs over hatred. Suffering does not have the final word. If Jesus rose from the dead, we need to listen to Him. His radical message, that He is the only way, the only truth, the only source of true life, requires a radical response. Let us “go and tell” what Jesus has done for us, and then love and pray for the curious, that they may change from curious to convinced, and then to committed, loving the truth that transforms. Additional scriptures: Colossians 3:1, Isaiah 41:10, Mark 8:31-33, Luke 22:42-43, John 11:25-26, John 14:6, John 2:19-22, 1 Corinthians 15:17-20

The account of Mary and Martha teaches us the priority in worship: whilst we take the gospel out to others and minister to the less fortunate, we must prioritise our personal worship of Jesus, and learn from Him. All other "good acts of worship” must flow out of our worshipful relationship with Jesus. Preparations and service are good and necessary, but we must take care not to let them become distractions from our relationship with the One we are serving. Let us deal with our worries and distractions, turn them around and submit them to the Lord in faith, instead of comparing, complaining and taking offence. Only then can we, like Mary with her costly perfume, give our extravagantly loving and sacrificial Lord the extravagant worship He deserves. Additional scriptures: Joshua 4:10-11, Matthew 14:32-33, Luke 10:1-2, Luke 10:36-37, Acts 17:6, Revelation 3:15-16