“There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” So Jesus went with them.” – Luke 7: 2-6. 

The Bible has a story about a Roman centurion who had a sick slave. Luke does not tell us the name of the centurion, but a centurion was a Roman military officer who had 100 soldiers in his charge. Roman centurions were powerful people and were respected because of their position and title. 

This particular centurion was compassionate. Slaves were disposable, so if one fell ill, you simply replaced them with another slave. While we don’t know the reason, the centurion valued this slave. The connection was such that the centurion used his power and influence to help the slave. The centurion was also resourceful. The centurion probably heard about Jesus healing the sick. So Jesus became the answer to helping the sick slave.  So some ancient networking starts. Just like today, personal connections go a long way. The centurion sent some Jewish elders to Jesus requesting to come and heal the slave.  That itself is odd. Roman soldiers and Jewish elders don’t mix. 

Then he sent a group of his friends.  They conveyed a message from the centurion.  Basically, the centurion said, “thanks for all you are doing. I am not worthy of a person of your stature to come to my house. Simply say the word and my servant will be healed. That’s how it happens in my world; people come when I tell them to come, and people go where I tell them and do what I tell them.” When he gave orders, individuals listened. (Luke 7:6-8) The centurion trusted Jesus with the same authority. 

“When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” And when the officer’s friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed.” (Luke 7:9-10)

The compassion for his sick slave speaks volumes about the character of the centurion. Do we want to be known for our compassion for the least of these? Can others talk about our compassion? Like the centurion, do we have the type of connection/relationships with people that enable us to truly know them?  Do we have the kind of faith that inspires us to action for the needs of our neighbors? Or do we remain complacent and unmoved by the needs of those around us? James 2:17 says, “So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.” 

As the world continues to navigate life during this global pandemic, ask yourself what you want to be known for when this crisis is finally behind us. When the news or uncertainty sparks fear, turn to God. Let the Holy Spirit be your guide in every decision – no matter how big or small.  In this way, Jesus followers around the world will be known as people who connected in love with others during this uncertain time.  

Discussion Questions:

1. What is one takeaway from the story of the Roman centurion?
2. What will you be known for? 
3. What can we do this week to connect to others? 

“As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick….I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” – Matthew 9:9-13..  

Matthew was a tax collector. That means he’s a Jewish person who decided to sell out to the Roman government and collect taxes from his people. In those days, the way they collected taxes was Rome said, you go collect this much tax and whatever you get above and beyond that is yours. It was completely illegitimate. Tax collectors were basically stealing. They would put up a gate with a booth or tent, and say, “You can’t cross here until you pay the tax.” They were hated..despised may be a better word. 

There is a parable of the Pharisee and tax collector found in Luke 18: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’“But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ (Luke 18:10-13) 

That would have been the only way that a tax collector could have ever felt about himself because at the end of the day he knew that he was a crook, he knew that he was a sell-out to Rome, he knew that he was a bad guy, so the only thing he could do was say, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” That’s all he could do. In Verse 14, Jesus says, “ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” 

The tax collector knew he needed God.  The reason we need to connect with people who are outside of the church is that they know deep down that they need God. We all have self-doubt. We all know that we’re not all that good. The farther a person is away from God, the more they need Him.  

That’s what should make Matthew 9 so incredible to us. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. Now, imagine you’re the disciples and you’re walking along the road and all of a sudden you see this tax booth and you’re thinking, “I hate those guys. I can’t believe we’ve got to pay more taxes.” But instead, you hear Jesus say, “Follow me.” It’s the last two words you would expect Jesus to say to a tax collector. 

Jesus was a friend of sinners not because He ignored sin, or enjoyed having a little fun with sinners. Jesus was a friend of sinners in that he came to save sinners and was very pleased to welcome sinners who were open to the gospel, sorry for their sins, and on their way to putting their faith in Him. 

By doing the same, you will give great meaning to your own life, and help many others in the process.

 Discussion Questions:

1. What can we learn from the story of Matthew? 
2. Since God is gracious to undeserving sinners, what can we do this week to do the same?  

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” – Philippians 2:5-7. 

It’s human nature to connect and hang out with like-minded people, isn’t it? As a result, all too often in our Christian lives, we find ourselves connecting and hanging out only with other Christians. It’s our comfortable place. We can pray together, support each other and talk about things on a personal level. Jesus did that but He also was constantly surrounded and connecting with people who didn’t believe in Him.  

What do we mean by “connecting”?  Connecting with others means more than a superficial relationship. It’s more than just saying “hi” to your neighbor when you pull out your trash cans or walk to your mailbox. It’s more than just chatting for a few seconds with other parents at your child’s soccer game. Connecting means inviting them into your home, having dinner with them, making a deliberate effort to get to know them and connect on a more personal level, asking them questions about how they are doing, listening to their answers, and interacting with them. Over time you will get to know them more deeply. 

When was the last time you had dinner with some non-Christians that you know? Or go for an outing with them? Even went away with them camping or on a holiday? For many of us, it happens rarely if at all. So when you next see a neighbor or friend who you know doesn’t know the Lord, take a moment to ask the Lord for guidance and make a point of beginning to draw that person into your life. Help them see the difference that Jesus has made to you. Our love for God is measured by our everyday fellowship with others and the love it displays.  

Connecting with people in this way convinces you to get involved in their lives as a witness, because you feel their need for Jesus so much more deeply. That’s exactly what happened when Jesus connected with people. The Bible says, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” (Matthew 9:36-38). Jesus was all about connecting with those far from God.

Paul says, “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…” Christ gave up His glory in heaven and humbled himself to become a human being. As a result, we have a Savior who“understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do…” (Hebrews 4:15).  Our goal is to be like Jesus in connecting with others. 

Discussion Questions

1. When you think of connecting with others what is the first thing that comes to mind?   
2. What can we do this week to be more intentional in pursuing relationships and scheduling time with unbelievers?

“And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.” – Revelation 21:5-7. 

Before the advent of cars full of TV screens and mobile devices abundant with app options, kids passed the time on long rides playing games like “I Spy,” and “License Plate Scavenger Hunt.” If the kids were lucky their parents would occasionally buy them a fill-in-the-blank book like Mad Libs, which were booklets of stories containing strategically placed blanks to be filled with a designated word like a noun, verb, etc of choice. One person prompts another for words to fill each line of the story. Mad Lib often resulted in very entertaining outcomes especially when the one filling in the blanks becomes creative.   

When we consider our spiritual mission, there seems to be any number of blanks that need to be filled by the believer. God commanded us to love Him with our entire heart. Jesus mandated that we love others the same way. The Spirit guides us in discerning opportunities to fulfill our spiritual obligations. God allows us to make choices. We have an opportunity to decide what fills and impacts our life. 

Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. “Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit.” (John 19:28-30) Those were defining words. Suddenly our life had meaning all over again. We could reach God and have a relationship with our Father in heaven. It was a light at the end of a tunnel and all we have to do is make a break for it never looking back but always moving forward. Your life is not defined by your past but is in the future. Jesus Christ has made a way that your sin will never define who you are but righteousness will always prevail by grace.

Your future has been secured by Jesus Christ. Your destination is definite. Your life is no longer defined by poor choices and bad decisions. Jesus has determined your future in the statement, “It is finished.”   Author and pastor Paul Tripp says, we are all searching for life, and there are only two places to look. You can look to the Creator for life or you can search for life in what He created.

Take a hard look at your thoughts, the motivations of your heart, and how you spend your time and resources.  Follow the trail and it will reveal the truth of what life really is to you. Is it the Creator or His creation?

How do you fill in the blank?  

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you look to the Creator for life or do you search for life in what He created?
2. How does life on mission for God change our daily lives? 

“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’  In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”” – Luke 15:8-10.  

How well do you know Jesus? We think we know Jesus. We’re involved in church. We participate in a small group. We have a daily quiet time. We can list many things Jesus did, and we can recite any number of Bible verses. But do we really know Jesus because there is a difference between head-based, knowledge of who God is versus a heart-based, life-changing faith that comes from walking with God.

In Jesus’ day, the pharisees were know-it-alls. They knew the Bible, the religious rules, and even the proper prayers. They believed they knew God. Then Jesus showed up and started breaking all these religious, manmade rules and traditions. Jesus even spent time with thieves, prostitutes, and tax collectors – society’s outcasts. The pharisees didn’t believe in spending time with known sinners.  

When confronted by these religious leaders, Jesus responded with a story: A woman lost one of only ten coins. In a desperate search, she combed through her home from top to bottom in search of this valuable coin. Finally, when she found it, she called her friends and neighbors over for a celebratory feast because what was once lost was found. 

This parable illustrates the fundamental truth that throughout our lives, God has pursued us. So great is God’s desire for a restored relationship with us that the One, true God, the King of kings and Lord of lords came down off His throne to die an unjustified and sacrificial death. We don’t deserve it, nor can we fathom His grace and love.

I hope the reality of that truth has sunk in fully. Do you fully grasp the depth of God’s love that He is pursuing us? You were the coin that was so valuable God worked and searched until he had it back in His possession. You are of such value to the only One who truly decides the worth of things that He pursued you. Don’t let that truth pass you by today. Instead, make it the foundation for every decision, thought, and action in your life.

Pursuing goes both ways. We need to pursue God in the same way He pursues us. No part of our lives should be off-limits to God. In Psalm 27:8 David says, “My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.” God is calling out to you, saying, “come talk to me.”  Psalm 34:10 promises us that “…but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.” God will always respond to your pursuit because He wants a relationship with you.  He’s already promised that to you. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

Discussion Questions:

1. Take a few minutes and think of a time when you were lost or when you lost something or someone. Describe the feelings of lost. Describe the feelings of being found.

2. What can we do this week to better pursue God?  

“Then they went from town to town, instructing the believers to follow the decisions made by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. 5 So the churches were strengthened in their faith and grew larger every day.” – Acts 16:4-5

God had a mission for Jeremiah. It was not a fun mission. Nor was it a mission that would garner him any fame and fortune. God told Jeremiah to go to his brothers and sisters in Israel and demand they repent and return to God.

Jeremiah knew it would make a lot of people angry. He figured that he might be killed by an irate mob. Therefore, he made many excuses to God for why he wasn’t the right man for the job. “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”

“O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!” The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said, “Look, I have put my words in your mouth!” (Jeremiah 1:6-9) Even though Jeremiah was making excuses why he couldn’t serve the Lord, God didn’t give up on him. He encouraged him by saying, “I will be with you and will protect you.”

It’s natural for the Christian today to do the same thing. We come up with clever excuses why we shouldn’t follow the mission the Lord has given us to “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” (Mark 16:15) We say to ourselves and God, “I don’t know enough about the Bible. What will they think of me? I don’t want them talking behind my back. I might lose my job! Let somebody else do it.”

Fear will inhibit our ability to fulfill our mission. God immediately saw the fear in Jeremiah’s heart and said, “don’t be afraid of the people.” The Bible teaches that “fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.” (Proverbs 9:10) On the other hand, faith will overcome your fears. God will be with you if you are obedient to His calling.  

God never calls us to do something for Him that He doesn’t empower us to do if we are willing to do the work and time. Take the time to get to know God in an intimate way. As your relationship with Him grows, so will your mission for Him. Your purpose on earth is to shine God’s love to a lost, dying world.  Open your ears and your heart to the Lord and be excited about your new future serving Him in truth and spirit.

“That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (John 20:19-23)

Discussion Questions:

1. What can we learn from the story of Jeremiah? 
2. What can we do this week to fulfill our mission?

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.” – Ephesians 3:20-21. 

Have you ever wished to be a part of something far bigger than your own small existence? Have you wanted to invest yourself in something truly worthwhile? As Christians, we all long to live transcendent lives.  

But we live in a culture that has institutionalized self-focus and personal entitlement. Often times that means we need to be rescued from ourselves. Things like debt, addiction, etc. are the results of an inward focus for meaning in our lives.  But God wants so much more for us. He wants us to live transcendent lives. 

Living a transcendent life means that what you think, desire, say, and do is driven by something bigger than personal wants, needs, and feelings. God’s purpose for our lives is to transcend our self-oriented existence and to be part of something bigger than our definition of happiness. Transcendence begins by determining a purpose for our lives. At the most basic level, transcendence means I am choosing what I’m choosing, doing what I’m doing, and saying what I am saying, not for my purposes, but for the sake of God’s eternal agenda for this world.  In other words, it means living for the glory of God and for furthering His kingdom.  

To accomplish that, we need to be aware that we tend to shrink our life down to the size of our own wants, needs, and feelings. The immediate, mundane details of life can tempt us to settle for less than God’s glory by leading our focus away from God’s kingdom and God’s glory toward our own kingdoms. Living for God’s gloy does not mean abandoning the immediate, mundane details of life, but rather living where He has placed us in the immediate, mundane details of life. It is in this way that our lives will have purpose.

In a “reach for the stars, be anything you can be” culture, the idea that pursuing any dream could ruin my life seems foreign. The more I think about it, though, the more I see that living outside God’s purpose – no matter how good the intent – is a recipe for failure.  

Yet, when we give up our dreams for something greater – for Someone greater than ourselves – we begin to see we can trust God no matter what. We find comfort in the incredible peace that comes with knowing that even if life here includes sorrow or dreams unfulfilled, there is a God that transcends not only all that’s missing in this life, but also all the good this life has to offer.

God is inviting us to set aside all the busyness, distractions and pleasures that we have become accustomed to, and instead live the transcendent life He has planned for us. 

Discussion Questions:

1. What does living a transcendent life mean to you? 
2. How is it possible to live a “Christian life” while settling for “below and less” instead of living for “above and more”?

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.””- Matthew 9:36-38.  

Sometime in your life, you are going to ask the question, what am I here for? You will wonder what your mission is. It is not always an easy thing to figure out. Rick Warren asks the question, “Why doesn’t God take you to heaven the minute you become a believer?” Why doesn’t He? I mean there’s no reason not to be in heaven, right? We all want to be there, it’s going to be perfect. Heaven is perfect. What do we still have on earth? There are only two things Rick says that you can’t do in heaven that you can do on earth. Sin and tell people the good news about Jesus. Everybody’s going to know Jesus then and there won’t be any sin. Then he asks a rhetorical question, “What do you think God left you here to do? Why are you alive?” To be on mission with God, that’s why you’re alive. 

You are saved from something for something. You’re saved from something for something, the mission. Every day you have to ask yourself two questions, what business are we in and how’s business? Really, it’s that simple. What business are we in and how’s business? God has something that He’s prepared in advance for you to do. Being on mission with God, finding your purpose in doing what God wants you to do is going to be the most rewarding thing that you’ve ever done.

Our mission is to love God. This is to be the driving purpose in life. No matter where life takes us or what obstacles we face, we are to love the “…Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind… ” (Luke 10:27) We are to worship God. Worship can be broken into two parts: daily personal worship and corporate worship with other believers. Both are vitally important for growing in our relationship with Christ. Both help us understand and pursue God’s call for our lives – our life’s mission. We are to share the Gospel. When we love and worship God, we are better able to share Christ with others. This can mean starting a faith conversation with a neighbor or family member. It can mean sharing part of your faith journey or testimony with a co-worker. It can even mean deciding to take part in a short-term mission trip. Finally, we are to walk with new believers. “Discipling” is the term for how Jesus walked with, taught, and encouraged His disciples. As we share the Gospel with others and take part in the same mission that Jesus’ own disciples embarked upon, we, too, are called to disciple new believers in how to walk with Jesus. This means teaching new believers how to live out God’s written Word in their everyday life.

We need to be open to opportunities that God gives us. God is going to open some doors. He’s going to nudge you a little bit. He’s going to say that person right there that neighbor, that guy in that cubicle, that person right there that’s your mission. Be open to it because God knows what’s going on and God is going to prepare the way.

 Discussion Questions:

1. Do you have a mission, a vision for your life? 
2. How can defining that mission in life dramatically improve your chances of getting where you want it to go? 
3. How do you see your everyday life as a part of God’s mission to bless the world? In what ways can this truth be something you are constantly aware of?

“As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and told them what was going to happen to him. “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” – Matthew 20:17-19.

Easter is another season of the year that presents an opportunity for all of us to reflect on the life of Christ. Easter also represents an opportunity to remember the heavy price that Jesus paid in order for us to have a relationship with God.   

Jesus was betrayed by one of the disciples, publicly humiliated and mocked, beaten beyond recognition, and hung on a cross to die. He gave His body for us and poured out His blood as a sacrifice for us. As a result, we can experience, love, peace, hope, joy, forgiveness, and eternal life. At least those are the words that come to mind first. 

But that is not the complete list. If I attempted to add all the words that come to mind when I think of the resurrection, there may not be enough room in this devotional server to contain them all. Because of Jesus, I know that Someone understands, that Someone always cares. Because He is alive we have love, peace, hope, joy, forgiveness, and eternal life.   

Easter symbolizes the complete verification of all that Jesus preached and taught during His three-year ministry. If He had not risen from the dead, if He had merely died and not been resurrected, He would have been considered just another teacher or rabbi. However, His resurrection changed all that and gave final and irrefutable proof that He was really the Son of God and that He had conquered death once and for all.

Easter also helps me appreciate how much Jesus loved people and got involved in their lives; He ate with them, drank with them, laughed with them, and cried with them. He was compassionate. He provided for, healed and encouraged. He literally touched a man with leprosy and allowed a woman of the night to anoint His feet in public. He wasn’t concerned with what the people thought about Him, His primary concern was doing the mission of His Father in Heaven.

Take a few moments this week and every week and reflect on Easter and the impact of Jesus dying and rising again on your life. 

Discussion Questions:

1. How does Easter change everything for you? How does Easter give meaning to all of our days?
2. The proper response to Easter is not warm and fuzzies, but awe. Agree or disagree?
3. How would Christianity be different if there was no resurrection?

“You [God] have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You” – St Augustine

 USA Today conducted a survey that asked people an interesting question: What would you ask God or some other supreme being if you could ask one question? After the results were in, the number one question people would ask is: what is my purpose in life? The results are both predictable and thought provoking. Most of us have thought about what our purpose is at one time or another. As Socrates said, “the unexamined life is not worth living.”

 Each of us must wrestle with this question because we are always looking to someone or something for life.  By “life,” I mean more than just our physical existence; I mean that which brings vitality to our spirit. The truth? The resounding message of the Bible says “Jesus is Life.”  

Jesus gives an open invitation to come to Him as the source of satisfying, overflowing, eternal life. “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.” (Ephesians 2:1). When we turn to Jesus, we experience life according to His original design: a life lived in fellowship with God. Intimacy with the Father, Son, and Spirit is the essence of abundant life: “And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.” (John 17:3). And life is abundant, not because of material prosperity or minimal suffering, but because we have been reconciled to God. 

Here’s the problem: While we are free to enjoy the blessings of life, we must keep them from becoming the center of our life. Each day, we are bombarded by messages telling us that life is found everywhere except in Jesus. We are all searching for life, and there are only two places to look. You can look to the Creator for life or you can search for life in what He created.

The meaning of life, according to the Christian faith, is ultimately found in Jesus Christ. In Him, the questions about identity, origin, meaning, purpose, and destiny are answered with profound hope. We are the beloved children of God, created by our Heavenly Father to reflect His glory, walk in His love, and do His will in our lives. 

Life on earth is a journey of our transformation to become more like Jesus, who has delivered us from evil, sin, and death, until the glorious day when we spend eternity with Him.

Take a hard look at your thoughts, the motivations of your heart, and how you spend your time and resources.  Follow the trail and it will reveal the truth of what life really is to you. Is it the Creator or His creation?

Discussion Questions:

1. What does living for God mean to you? 
2. How does living for God change our daily lives?