“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?”  – Matthew 6:25-26.

The 2024 results of the American Psychiatric Association’s annual mental health poll show that U.S. adults are feeling increasingly anxious. In 2024, 43% of adults say they feel more anxious than the previous year, up from 37% in 2023 to 32% in 2022. Adults are particularly anxious about current events (70%) — especially the economy (77%), the 2024 U.S. election (73%), and, in general, the future.

Maybe you’re lying in bed trying to sleep, but all you can do is worry. Maybe it’s over your bank account, the details of a mistake you made that day, a week ago, years ago, or the next day’s challenges. Anxiety is a real thing. It is prevalent in our culture, especially in the times we have been in the last two years.

The solution is to stop worrying. Many have tried. But every time we try to stop worrying about one thing, something else seems to rise to tempt us to worry anew. When we worry, our minds get an unnecessary workout. We run through all the possible outcomes of our situation. We jump to conclusions before getting all the facts. We weigh ourselves down with all the “what-ifs.” But worrying is a pretty pointless exercise when you stop to think about it.  Jesus put worry in perspective when He asked, “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” (Matthew 6:27). If we do all we can and entrust the outcome to God, worrying is pointless.

Worrying will not improve our situation, but sometimes, we trick ourselves into thinking that we’re achieving something by worrying. The Biblical view is to pray and trust in God, which is an active thing to do and not simply a way of denying there’s a problem. Peter writes, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” (1 Peter 5:7). This view neither denies nor ignores the problem but places our focus on our heavenly Father. Trusting God and praying will make a difference since it releases faith. This allows God to move in the circumstances.

As Jesus discussed worry, He redirected our focus to God. Perhaps the most poignant phrase Jesus said to those who worry is, ” Your heavenly Father already knows” (Matthew 6:32).

Paul adds, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” (Philippians 4:6).

Discussion Questions:

1. What are you worried about right now?
2. What do you need this week to worry less and trust God more?

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. – Romans 12:1-2.

Worship is more than singing songs to the Lord. It is living a life filled with adoration that prompts us to honor and obey Him. Romans 12:1-2 reveals the how-to of living a life of worship. But how do emotions fit in with our worship? Emotions play a significant role in our lives. They motivate us, connect us, and add meaning to our experiences. But emotions can also rise and fall like a roller-coaster ride.

When we study Samson’s life, we quickly see how his emotions often got the best of him. Samson was a man of great potential but often made self-destructive decisions. In Samson’s story, we find a riddle. Samson has a competition with a bunch of other guys around a riddle. But he doesn’t leave it at a competition. He adds a bet. Here’s the riddle: “Out of the one who eats came something to eat; out of the strong came something sweet.” (Judges 14:14)

The answer to this riddle is a lion and honey. Samson killed a lion, returned later, and found a bunch of bees and honey in its corpse. The Philistine men can’t figure it out, so they threaten Samson’s Philistine wife, and she cries to Samson and gets the answer. He tells her, and she tells them. They solve the riddle, and Samson is furious.  He says: “If you hadn’t plowed with my heifer, you wouldn’t have solved my riddle.” (Judges 14:18)

Samson takes the lives of 30 men to pay his bet. Samson returns several weeks later and finds that his wife has been given to someone else.  So he takes 300 foxes, ties them together, lights their tails on fire, and sets them loose in the Philistine grain fields. Anger leads to a destructive cycle of violence in Samson’s life.

Allowing our emotions to control us is a bad idea. Denying our feelings is not a good idea either. Controlling and stewarding our emotions is the idea. The management of our emotions is critical to our spiritual life.

One way we can worship God with our emotions is by bringing every emotion to Him. He cares for us and welcomes our emotions. We bring our hearts, with all their contents, to Him. We pour out our hearts, pause, and cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. Our emotions are a gift that opens the door to an intimate relationship with Him.

As our relationship with Him deepens, our worship does, too.

Discussion Questions:

1. Are emotions essential to worship? If so, why?
2. What can we do this week to control our emotions?

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” – Matthew 6:34 (MSG).

Have you ever been telling a story, recalling events, expressing an opinion, or asking for advice when you notice that the person across from you is not paying attention? Maybe they are watching somebody walk by or glancing at their phone in response to a text alert. Or maybe they simply have that glazed-over look accompanied by that pretending-to-listen head nod.

We’ve all been there. It’s hard, even at times, to give our full attention to something or someone for an extended period of time. There are so many things in this world that steal our focus. Our jobs, relationships, and worries are all aspects of our lives that try to take center stage.

If you look at Jesus’ life,  it becomes obvious He was present in all He did. Can you imagine Jesus sitting down with you at a meal and constantly looking out the window or asking you to repeat what you said, distracted and distant as if wishing He was somewhere else? When He went away to be alone with God, He listened fully to His Father’s guiding voice. And on the eve of His crucifixion, knowing full well that He would be tortured and killed the next day, He remained perfectly present to His disciples, to His friends. He ate with them. He prayed with them. He washed their feet in a spirit of humility and love.

Jesus gave us His full attention, but do we reciprocate? Or do we meditate on His Word while scrolling down our to-do list? Our prayers are interrupted by random thoughts and other pauses to take care of this or remember to do that. Our intentions are good, but it is a challenge to spend time alone with God. No phones. No television. Just you and God. No stray thoughts. No agendas. No to-do lists.

God deserves that when we spend time with Him, we shut everything else out and “focus completely on Him.” The living God doesn’t want just some of us when we spend time with Him; He wants all of us. Just like we need full attention in a heart-to-heart conversation, God wants the same from us.

Matthew 6:33 tells us that our attention should be on God first and foremost. “Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” The best way to ensure that God always has our full, undivided attention is to stay connected with and focused on Him throughout the day.

With all our distractions, it takes intentionality and commitment to stay connected to Christ.  If you want to become more like Christ, we need to give God our full attention.

Discussion Questions:

1. What types of things are competing with God for your attention? 
2. How can we better give our time and attention to God this week? 

“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

There are things we need to do over and over again. One example is doing the laundry. The laundry doesn’t do itself, so on a regular basis, especially when it starts piling up, we wash the clothes, dry them, fold them, and put them away, only to repeat the process when the need arises again. Unless you and the family want to spend your day in dirty clothes, the process needs to be repeated over and over again: wash clothes, dry, fold, repeat.

What are the things we need to repeat in our spiritual lives? The 1 Thessalonians passage is a brief series of commands that covers the basics of Christian living. These general commands are useful to the church in Thessalonica and today. If you understand and follow these commands, your life and faith will grow, and you will be able to experience the joy that God has for you.  He invites us to choose joy, to pray continually, and to give thanks in all circumstances. It’s a call to live differently, to anchor our hearts in the unchanging character of God. In other words, “Be joyful. Pray. Give thanks. Repeat.”

 When should we be joyful?  Paul tells us that we should always be joyful, not just when things are going great. It is not just when we feel like all is well with the world; we should be joyful in all circumstances, good and bad.  Psalm 28:7 gives us insight: “The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.” We can be joyful in the bad times because God is our strength and shield.

When should we pray? 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says that we should never stop praying. Acts 1:14 tells us, “They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.” Paul tells us in Colossians 4:2 that we should “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.”

And when should we give thanks? When we’ve received what we seek from God in prayer. When we are completely satisfied? Yes, we should be thankful in those times. But, as Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, we must be thankful in all circumstances, good or bad. Why? Because giving thanks in all circumstances is God’s will for every one of us who belongs to Christ. A thankful heart is also a heart of worship. Psalm 50:23 says “…giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.”

Be joyful. Pray. Give thanks. Repeat.

Discussion Questions:

1. Find things you can rejoice in daily.
2. Practice small prayers throughout your day.
3. Find time every day to thank God.

“The inner essence of worship is to know God truly and then respond from the heart to that knowledge by valuing God, treasuring God, prizing God, enjoying God, being satisfied with God above all earthly things. And then that deep, restful, joyful satisfaction in God overflows in demonstrable acts of praise from the lips and demonstrable acts of love in serving others for the sake of Christ.” – John Piper

Have you ever found yourself leaving a Sunday worship service saying to yourself, “The worship was awesome.” Or maybe you’ve had the opposite reaction: “The worship was dragging a little today.” No matter how you view worship, it was most likely predicated on the music portion of the Sunday service.

That is why when most Christians hear the word “worship,” they immediately think of music, which is understandable. Music is a very common way to worship in church and our communities. However, worship is more than just the music you hear on Sunday mornings. We are called to worship as Christians every day in everything we do. It is the most fundamental function of being a Christian.

The bottom line is that worship is a lifestyle. It is characterized by devotion, obedience, and love for God and others. Additionally, it is a conscious action. Worship requires effort. It can be expressed in numerous ways; one way is music. Worship can include praying, reading God’s Word with an open heart, participating in communion, and serving others. It is not limited to one act or one way.

To worship is to admire something or someone so profoundly that your only response is extravagant love and incredible submission to that thing or person. That is what God desires of us. To know Him well, to love Him dearly, and respect Him so much that our only response is to live in honor of Him every day in all we do.

Psalm 73:25 says, “Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth.” This verse expresses the psalmist’s recognition of God’s unique value and a passionate desire for God.  True worship acknowledges God and all His power and glory in everything we do. The highest praise and worship is obedience to Him and His Word.  Worship is to glorify and exalt God.

So, how do we worship as a lifestyle? We live a life of sacrifice. We devote every day to God. We worship in Spirit and in truth in a manner that is holy and pleasing to God. The music we sing moves us and allows us to express praise in a unique and creative way. But music isn’t the main avenue of worship—our lives are our ultimate worship vehicle to our Savior. How do you worship? How are you devoting your life to surrendering to God?

“Worship is the proper response of all moral, sentient beings to God, ascribing all honor and worth to their Creator-God precisely because he is worthy, delightfully so.”  — D. A. Carson.

Discussion Questions:

1. What is the purpose of worship?
2. Giving thanks is one way we worship. How do you regularly express thanks, gratitude, and praise of God?
3. How could worshiping God (re)order your schedule, priorities, and values?

“since the imago Dei [Image of God] is true, then you as a woman should view yourself as extremely valuable and should never treat yourself cheaply because you have been made in the image of God.” – Matt Chandler.

If you asked a group of women believers if they wanted to be women who have an impact on others, their answer would be, “Yes, of course, I want to be a woman of impact.” If asked why, they would say: “Because having an impact means we’re helping others and making a difference in the world around us.” So, how do you become a woman of impact?

Being a woman of impact means allowing God to use who you are, your talents, gifts, strengths, experiences, trials, struggles, and hurts to further the message of Jesus Christ. A woman of impact loves, gives, and serves within her talents, gifts, environment, and abilities.

The Bible is full of inspiring stories of biblical women who invite us to experience God in ways that will transform our lives. One is the story of the woman with an issue of blood found in Mark 5:2-24. This woman had a faith that couldn’t be stopped. She didn’t let any obstacle or excuse keep her from reaching her goal of touching Jesus. It is easy to use excuses for why we can’t receive all that God has for us, but if you want your life to make a difference in this world, be a woman with a faith that cannot be stopped. Be a woman who wants to be touched by Jesus.

You can be an impact woman by realizing God has a purpose and a plan for your life, instilling faith in those around you, and pressing toward your goals in God. If you are a mother, teacher, nurse, secretary, businesswoman, salesperson, cashier, etc., God can maximize your impact exponentially.

Ask God if there are places you aren’t considering where He can maximize you for His kingdom. Are there needs in your church you can fill with your talents? Are there relationships you can begin with other women who need to experience God’s love? Is there an opportunity that intimidates you but you’re feeling called to? Emulate Jesus in your compassion, care, and concern for others. Spend time being still, listening to God’s heart. The more you learn Scripture and apply it to your life, the more you are impacted by God and will impact others.

We are called to make a difference. We can’t do everything. But we can do something. And what we can do, we ought to do. Never downplay the impact you can make. It is God who is working through you, so never underestimate the ability you have to make extraordinary things happen.

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you believe you have the opportunity and the ability to impact the lives of others significantly?
2. What are some ways you can impact others this week?

“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.” – 1 Timothy 2:1-4.

Politics has always been somewhat divisive within our country and our relationships with others.  But despite that, God calls us to pray for our country, current political leaders, and the candidates for office. As followers of Christ, we need to pray for our leaders both in and out of the election season. With the election a matter of a few weeks away, we want to take the Scriptures seriously and pray for the leadership of our country, no matter how easy or challenging that may feel.

There is no better time to renew our commitment to pray for our leaders. After a divisive campaign, the next president will face enormous challenges and problems. Whoever wins the election needs our prayers and we should give them freely and eagerly no matter how we may have voted.

How should we pray for those in authority? First, we should pray for wisdom and discernment for those who lead. Solomon prayed exactly in that way. He asked: “How can I judge this great people?” He prayed to the Lord, “Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?” (1 Kings 3:9).

Solomon recognized the enormity of the task. He wisely understood that he didn’t have all the answers but that God gave wisdom liberally to those who ask. Whoever governs our divided nation will need wisdom. That person will also need an understanding of how to deal with hostile powers worldwide. We should pray that God grants our leaders a good understanding of the problems and fixes for our country’s issues.  We should also pray that whoever is elected president will be surrounded by godly, thoughtful, and wise people. Every elected official needs the encouragement and direction of Godly people.

Our next president has a difficult job. Let us be faithful to pray as God directs. But our hope for our nation’s future—as always—remains in Christ alone.

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you pray for our elected officials?

“Why don’t people ask us about our hope? The answer is probably that we look as if we hope in the same things they do. Our lives don’t look like they are on the Calvary road, stripped down for sacrificial love, serving others with the sweet assurance that we don’t need to be rewarded in this life.” – John Piper.

We are immersed in a culture that believes love feels right in the moment but is difficult to sustain or enjoy in the long run. This view is a far cry from the Biblical view of sacrificial love. 

The word sacrifice implies giving something that costs the giver in terms of talent, time, treasure, or even ourselves. It isn’t popular, and it promises to be painful, but it is the foundation of the Christian faith. God demonstrated the ultimate example of love in the sacrificial death of Jesus on our behalf so that we might have life. This new life allows us to establish and build relationships built upon a lasting quality not found in any other source.

If Jesus sacrificed for us, shouldn’t we sacrifice for others? The bottom line for us is that love is sacrifice—sacrifice for the benefit of another. Because our culture is all about self, sacrifice is not a popular word. Jesus reminds us that love is more than a word. It is an act, an attitude, part of the will.  Reflecting Christ’s sacrificial love in our relationships requires a willingness to step out of our comfort zones, to extend grace to those who may not deserve it, and to seek reconciliation and restoration in broken relationships. It means being patient, kind, and compassionate, even when faced with difficult circumstances or challenging individuals. 

Sacrificial love means putting aside our selfish desires and putting the needs of others first. Sacrificial love seems daunting as it goes against our natural inclinations. No matter how intentional and mindful we try to be, the truth is we are incapable of living like this on our own. Because Jesus knew this, in yet another act of love, He sent the Holy Spirit to help us. He enables and empowers us to take up our cross daily, follow Him, and sacrifice our love to others, just as He did for us.

As we rely on God’s strength and offer our love, let’s not lose sight of the eternal impact our sacrifice can have. He sacrificed so we could be with Him for all of eternity. Could our sacrifice lead others to join Him in eternity as well? This is certainly worth the sacrifice. 

God demonstrated the ultimate example of love in the sacrificial death of Jesus on our behalf so that we might have life. This new life allows us to establish and build relationships built upon a lasting quality not found in any other source. The unconditional love of God—Christ in us—is the source of how we are to love and serve others sacrificially.

Discussion Questions:

1. What does it cost to love others sacrificially?
2. Why is it worth it?

“Agape love is selfless love . . . the love God wants us to have isn’t just an emotion but a conscious act of the will—a deliberate decision on our part to put others ahead of ourselves. This is the kind of love God has for us.”~Billy Graham,

What motivates us as believers?  What is my main motive for all the good that I do? What distinguishes us from everyone else? Is what we believe what makes us different? The obvious answer is yes. But what we believe in and of itself does not set us apart from the world. If we want to see a visible and tangible difference, we have to turn to Jesus Christ because He is agape love. Agape love is a selfless, unconditional, and sacrificial form of love that is seen as the highest form of Christian love:

Agape marked Jesus’s life. It troubled the Pharisees and scribes, who couldn’t understand Jesus having a friendly relationship with sinners, actually going into their homes and eating with them. They tried to discredit Him. After all, why should a religious person waste his or her time on bad people? Doesn’t God love good people and hate bad people? They didn’t understand.

His love is not based on who you are, how you have behaved, your income level, what others think about you, or what promises you make to reform your life. It is not merely the fact that He loves us unconditionally that overwhelms us, but He will never stop loving us.  He loves you because He loves you – no strings attached. You may be someone everyone knows and respects, or you may be someone nobody knows. You could be someone who has never seen the inside of a church or attends church regularly. Regardless, He loves you.

In John 13:35, Jesus tells His disciples, “ Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” Jesus knows that our actions reveal our true beliefs and motivations, and He encourages His followers to live out their faith by loving one another well. Jesus understands that it doesn’t do any good to preach a gospel of grace but to have a critical spirit toward the people around us. Nor does it help people to tell them that God loves them but to ignore their various needs. We are called to truly show the love of Jesus to the people around us; by that, they will know we are followers of Jesus.

Agape love is God’s love for us and the love He asks us to show Him and others. Christian Agape love is about loving others because they are children of God like ourselves. This means we love a person despite his or her flaws or shortcomings. Agape love is about giving to others and sacrificing our time, energy, and resources for someone else without expecting anything in return.

Agape love is difficult and does not come naturally to most of us. We choose to serve others with humility without expecting anything in return. This type of love enables us to love the unlovable and serve people at their deepest need, whether they deserve it or not. It will not be easy. It requires us to set aside our desires and treat the needs of others as more important than our own. It requires a lot of patience, and we must treat people respectfully, even when they are difficult and unlovable. It requires us to serve others willingly and joyfully without complaining or resentment. It requires me to uplift someone even when I don’t think they deserve it. And doing that will require a great deal of motivation.

Discussion Questions:

1. Our purpose in loving others is to show people that we are His disciples, to be a picture of God’s love, and ultimately point people to God. What can we do today to show people an agape kind of love?

“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper ), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity — all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.” – Acts 2:42-47.

Have you ever wondered how you could impact the communities around you? On the one hand, we believe we can, but on the other hand, many of us doubt that we have the potential to make any impact at all. We doubt our gifts and talents and question if they could ever be used for anything significant.

Reading the Bible reveals story after story of how God used flawed people to make an impact all throughout the pages of the Bible. If you struggle to believe that God can and will do the same in your life, you must remember that your gifts are from God. It’s not a matter of how great we are or if we’ve earned it. Remember God’s response when Moses doubted his ability to feed God’s people? “Has my arm lost its power? Now you will see whether or not my word comes true” (Numbers 11:23). God is working through you, so never underestimate the influence you can have or the ability to do what you didn’t think you could do.

Love is the tool for influence and impact. Not the kind of car you have, not the labels on your clothes and accessories. Not your income or job title. Jesus plainly tells us that if we love the people in our circle and the other people who love us, it will be plain and clear that we are followers of Jesus. The question is, do they know us for what we’re against? Or our politics. They know us by our rules. They know us by who we accept and don’t accept. To impact our community and the world, we need to be known for our love. Jesus wants to make sure we don’t love according to our definition but according to His definition.

This love isn’t just something that suddenly appears; we have it in our toolbox. It takes time and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit fills us with His love and then it begins to work in and through us. We become a work in progress. We’re going to be learning and growing, and He’s going to be manifesting Himself in us daily. When we love like Jesus, it changes our priorities, it changes our schedule. It changes our friendships and other relationships. That’s because Jesus changes and transforms our lives as we walk with Him. And love can transform the lives of others when we love like Jesus loved.

When you are available to someone else, that’s the love of Jesus, and it begins to transform you as you let Him work in and through you. That’s what Jesus does, and that’s what we should do.

Discussion Questions:

1. What is your response to this quote? Love is transformative. Especially God’s love. How would you describe some ways that God’s love is transforming your life or has brought good changes?
2. Our purpose in loving others is to show people that we are His disciples, to be a picture of God’s love, and ultimately point people to God. Agree or disagree and why?