Have you stopped to consider the astounding reality that the God who created all things desires to have a relationship with His creation?  With you?

The word of God to us in scripture  exhorts us to be thankful over 150 times.  Thankfulness, expressed in different ways, should be a part of who we are as disciples of Jesus.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ changed everything.  Jesus being raised is the central moment, the most critical event for all the world and every human being.  

Palm Sunday commemorates the day that King Jesus, Messiah, entered Jerusalem to the cheers of "hosanna" - that is, "LORD save us".  

You may have heard the aphorism,"Forgive and Forget".  Well, that's not exactly in the Bible.  It doesn't match our human experience either.  Sure, for small offenses, we forget.

As disciples of Jesus, we need to be reminded of the basics on a regular basis.  As Paul says in Romans 12, "do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."  

Colossians is one of the last letters Paul ever wrote before his execution in Rome.  God provided him the strength, despite those circumstances, to write an astonishingly powerful letter to the church in Colossae.

In the gospel of John, chapter 7, Jesus stands up and yells, he cries aloud, that any who believe in him will receive 'rivers of living water'.  He was talking about the person of the Holy Spirit!

Imagine if you were given a gift - something useful and needful for your life. Perhaps a vehicle so you can travel faster and farther or a new coat that protects you from the elements. Imagine you never use them.

We don't make decisions without outside influences.  No matter how objective we strive to be there are underlying assumptions and beliefs from which our decisions are derived.

Relationships change over time.  However, how they change isn't a given.  They don't always improve by default.  Having the "standing" of a son in a family doesn't mean automatically that a son and a father spend time together.  

We all need a reminder from time to time that God is at work - especially when it seems things are falling apart all around us.  

So what does it mean to live under the authority of Christ when believers still sin? Can we live "above reproach" for Jesus?