Have you ever looked around and thought, “What is happening to the world?” Things feel upside down. Right looks wrong. Wrong looks right. In the middle of all this confusion, how are we supposed to live with hope? That’s the same question Peter was answering in his letter to early Christians. These believers were scattered, facing trials, and struggling to stay strong. But Peter gives them—and us—a powerful reminder: Because of God’s grace, we’ve been set apart for a different kind of life. Get Your Mind Ready Peter starts with this challenge: “With minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you…” (1 Peter 1:13) In other words: Stay sharp. Stay focused. Don’t let the chaos around you pull you away from God’s truth. Life throws a lot of distractions our way. News headlines, social media, personal stress—these things can cloud…
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Have you ever felt out of place, like you didn’t quite fit in? Maybe it was at school, at work, or even in your own family. The people Peter was writing to in the book of 1 Peter knew that feeling well. They were called “exiles,” scattered far from home, living in places where following Jesus wasn’t always welcomed. But Peter reminds them—and us—that even when life is hard, we have something powerful: a living hope. We May Feel Like Outsiders, But We Are Chosen by God Peter begins his letter with a message of comfort. He calls his readers “God’s elect,” chosen by God—even while they were living as strangers in the world. “To God’s elect, exiles… who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father…” (1 Peter 1:1-2) They were facing persecution and suffering, but they weren’t forgotten. God had His eye on them. The…
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A 2018 study from the University of California - Berkeley found something fascinating: humans are biologically wired for generosity. In other words, we’re born to give. But if that’s true, why do so many of us struggle with selfishness? Simple answer: we grow up. And somewhere along the way, that generous instinct gets drowned out by a culture screaming, “Get more. Keep more. Be more.” As someone who follows Jesus, I love it when modern science catches up to ancient truth. Because long before Berkeley ran a study, God already knew this: Generosity changes lives — starting with your own. God’s Wisdom on Generosity In 1 Timothy 6, the apostle Paul is coaching a younger leader named Timothy. And he begins by reminding him of something that sounds almost countercultural today: “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1 Timothy 6:6) Translation: you won’t find real wealth in a bank account.…
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Someone once asked me if I played baseball growing up. The short answer: yes. The longer version? Let’s just say my dream of playing for the Cubs ended in 9th grade — thanks to an indoor tryout because the baseball field was covered in snow. The same tryout may have involved a bad throw shattering a window. While I don't completely blame Coach Birdrose for ending my dream of playing for the Cubs, he did make the right call cutting me from the team. It hurt at the time, but looking back, I get it. In sports, if you want to improve, the motivation is clear: win. Beat the competition. Get better or get cut. That’s how the system works. But when it comes to our spiritual lives, it’s completely different. In fact, one of the most powerful lessons I’ve learned is this: God’s grace is the best motivation for…
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What difference does Jesus actually make? What does it really mean to think and act like a Christian? To be like Jesus ... not just on Sundays or in a small group, but in the grind of everyday life? Malcolm X used to ask people coming out of church, “What difference does your Jesus make in your everyday life and in this world?” It’s a powerful question. And it’s one that the book of James answers head-on. James doesn’t give us a bunch of vague religious jargon. He asks pointed questions that hit us where we live. And in James 1, we find three big questions every Jesus-follower has to wrestle with: 1. How do I deal with people who offend me? James 1:19–21 says: “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires…”…
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