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Every year, elder fraud in America costs older adults more than $7 billion. What’s even more shameful is that some of the people swindling them are religious conmen who claim to speak for God. Sometimes the greatest threat to our faith lies inside the church, not outside its walls. Jesus warned His followers to beware of anyone who uses religion for personal enrichment by preying on the vulnerable. There are many of these false teachers in churches today. Do you know how to spot them?
What comes to mind when you hear the word glory? Maybe fame, or a throne, or a crown. But when Jesus spoke of being glorified, He was speaking of His death. True glory is found in sacrifice, not in strength or triumph as the world defines it. When we fight to protect our honor, our reputation, our plans, we may find our hands full, but our lives will be empty. Real life begins as we surrender our will to God and seek His honor above our own. Jesus laid down His life to give us life, and He calls us to follow His example by living with open hands and surrendered hearts.
One of the saddest moments in Scripture is when Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem, knowing the very people He’d come to save would reject Him. They wanted a Savior who would deliver them from the Romans, not one who would deliver them from their sin. And people today aren’t so different. Many want Jesus to grant their wishes and fix their problems, but they don’t want Him to rule over their heart. They come with a list of demands, not a life laid down. Have you accepted Jesus for who He truly is — Savior and Lord of all?
During the most stressful week of His life, just days before the cross, Jesus stopped to spend time with the most hated man in town and brought him to salvation. He wasn’t focused on Himself; He was committed to seeking and saving the lost right to the very end. And Jesus is still seeking people today—the lost, the broken, the hurting, and the overlooked. He comes to us with mercy, not condemnation, and no one is beyond His reach. He knows us, loves us, and calls us by name. The question is, when He calls, will you respond?
You know what it’s like to pray with urgency and hear nothing but silence in return. You know the ache of wondering if God even heard you and if an answer will ever come. Those delays do not mean you’re forgotten. God is working on a timeline you cannot see—not just to fix what was broken, but so that He will be glorified through the process. There will be times in life for all of us when we simply have to say, “Lord, I don’t understand, but I still trust You.” He will prove, in His own time, that He was never far away, and that His timing was perfect after all.
When you think of “sinners” who might be excluded from God’s kingdom, does anyone come to mind? If so, you may be entering dangerous territory. The Pharisees were certain of their own seat at God’s table, convinced that the tax collectors and prostitutes had no such place. But Jesus came precisely for the people the religious crowd wrote off. He welcomes the broken, the fallen, the forgotten with open arms the moment they repent and turn to Him. God’s grace reaches farther than our judgments, and we may be surprised by those who are on heaven’s guest list!
We live in a world crowded with voices, each promising a shortcut or easy path that too often leads us into dangers we cannot face alone. Because we are prone to wander, it is vital that we listen to the one voice we can fully trust. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, does not merely tell us which way to go; He walks ahead of us, drives back our enemies, and keeps us safe in His loving care. Do you know this Shepherd? Are you listening for His voice and following Him home?
Someone once said, “There are none so blind as those who will not see.” It’s easy to agree with that until it turns and points directly at us. Most of us walk through life convinced we can see things clearly, but everyone has blind spots—places where pride, traditions, or assumptions keep us in the dark. Having our spiritual eyes opened requires a work of the Holy Spirit, humbly asking God to shine the light of His truth into our hidden corners. Only He can open blind eyes. So the question isn’t whether we can see. It’s where we might be refusing to.
If we measure our goodness against the sins of others, it’s easy to pass judgment. But if we measure ourselves against the holiness of God, we’re not the judges we imagined ourselves to be. We’re the accused! When a sinful woman was brought to Jesus, He refused to condemn her, because her sentence would be paid in full on the cross. Since we’ve all been shown that same mercy, shouldn’t we be just as quick to extend it to others? Only the one without sin has the right to throw stones, and none of us qualify.
When we’re physically thirsty, we know that a cool glass of water will quench that need. But when we’re spiritually dry, we often look in all the wrong places, trying one thing after another to quiet the longing inside us. Eventually, we realize that the things we pursue simply cannot fill the ache within. Then we hear Jesus speak these life-giving words: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.” Have you ever laid aside everything else and come honestly to the One who alone can satisfy your deepest yearning? Jesus offers more than temporary relief; He offers the living water of forgiveness, peace, and eternal life. Come to Him today, and let Him refresh your soul.
We’ve all had mountaintop encounters with God where the world fades away and His presence is so real that we want to stay there forever. Those are moments of sheer glory, but if we’re not careful, we can spend our lives chasing the next spiritual peak instead of learning to trust and worship Him in the valley. The truth is, faithfulness isn’t formed on the mountaintop. It is forged in the ordinary routine of daily life. So keep your eyes fixed on Him, your ears attentive to His voice, and your feet committed to following Him through the highs and the lows.
Everyone has an opinion about Jesus. Some dismiss Him as a myth. Others see Him as nothing more than a great teacher, a humanitarian, or a revolutionary. Still others place Him alongside figures like Gandhi, Confucius, or Socrates. But Jesus asks a far more personal question: “Who do you say that I am?” It is the most important question you will ever answer, because your response shapes not only how you live today, but where you will spend eternity. Have you confessed Him as your personal Savior and Lord, or are you still delaying life’s most important decision?
