We are guilty, but not condemned. Our guilt can remind us of something, but not define us.

Our emotions don’t have to be the boss. In fact, Christians already have a boss—a better boss than anger, envy, insecurity, guilt, fear, or greed.

The unity and diversity of the early church shocked and intrigued the ancient world. Ours should as well. 

Our political views are shaped by a number of variables: our backgrounds, education, and personal experiences to name a few. It’s easy to feel like our view is the right one, but the person beside you is more precious to God than your political view. 

Your favorite candidate will win or lose based on how our country votes this November. However, the church will win or lose based on our behavior between now and then. 

Becoming a Christian is easy. It won't cost you anything. But Jesus never invited anyone to become a Christian. He invites us to follow. 

The reason we often struggle to love “those” people is that we don’t agree with them. That’s problematic when “those” people are over there, but it gets infinitely more difficult when “those” people become “that” person—in our families, our neighborhoods, or even our workplaces. Paul had lots of “those” people, and he gives us some great advice on dealing with them.

“Those” people are the worst. In most cases, we believe we can keep “those” people over there, and when they are over there, we can avoid dealing with them and relating to them. But what if being over there doesn’t actually keep them out of our relationships? And what if what’s “over there” is hurting us?

Those people can be the worst. You know who “those people” are, right? We all have them, and they are difficult to like, much less love. So it’s helpful to know that Jesus had “those people” too, and his love for them drove him to understand them.

There is more to your circumstances than meets the eye. Your current circumstances are a chapter. They are not the full story.