Kind Awakening

“Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (KJV) Sometimes we make serving God more complicated than it needs to be. We think we need to know the Bible from beginning to end before we can help someone. We think we need the perfect words. A powerful testimony. A great message. An answer to every question. And because we don't feel qualified, sometimes we say nothing at all. But what if serving God today is much simpler than that? What if it's calling someone who has been on your mind? What if it's sitting beside someone who's hurting? What if it's telling somebody, "I'm praying for you, and I mean it"? Sometimes the most meaningful thing we can do for another person isn't giving them an answer. It's reminding them they don't have to carry everything alone. Everybody Is Carrying Something One thing I've come to realize is that we rarely know everything another person is going t...

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.” John 14:27 (KJV) Sometimes you'll hear someone say: “The Kingdom of God is backwards from the world.” But perhaps we've been looking at it from the wrong direction. The Kingdom isn't backwards. The world is backwards from the Kingdom. Jesus didn't come to adjust Himself to the values of this world. He came revealing the truth about God, about us, and about what life under God's rule actually looks like. And when you listen to Jesus, His way often sounds completely opposite from everything the world teaches us. The world says: Hold tightly to what you have. Jesus teaches generosity. The world says: Promote yourself. Jesus says: Humble yourself. The world says: Get ahead of everyone else. Jesus says: “But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.” Matthew 19:30 (KJV) The world says: If you want to be great, make sure people serve you. Jesus says: “But he that is ...