“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.” – Exodus 20:8-11.

A couple of friends were conversing one day when one asked the other, “What did you do on your day off?” The friend detailed a seemingly endless amount of responsibilities and activities that needed to be done but did not finish because his friend interrupted by saying, “That does not sound like a day off.” The friend looked somewhat perplexed and replied with a shrug, “Well, if I don’t get them done on that day, when will it get done?”

Busyness has become an unofficial badge of honor in our society. We try to do too much in too little time and wonder why we are always exhausted. We were not made to go 24/7. Like all the devices we use to fit everything in, we need time to recharge our batteries.

Exodus 20:8-11 tells us one of the ways to recharge our battery is the Sabbath.  The Sabbath is something we rarely talk about. We think it’s an Old Testament law that isn’t for us. The idea that setting aside a day to rest completely is not just a commandment but an act of worship where we acknowledge God’s power and authority by surrendering our need to work constantly, allowing ourselves to fully enter into His rest and be renewed in His presence; reflecting on the creation story where God rested on the seventh day, demonstrating the importance of taking time to pause and appreciate His work.

When was the last time you took a real Sabbath? Not a Saturday where you didn’t work but still ran errands, not a Sunday morning at church followed by doing the week’s laundry, not five minutes of reading the verse of the day from your Bible app before launching into the workday. We know the Sabbath means rest, but what is true and real rest?

Simply put, the Sabbath is stopping and sitting with the Lord. Deciding how to Sabbath isn’t a one-size-fits-all practice, but something we each decide for ourselves. This can be reading, spending time with friends, turning your phone off, painting, driving, etc. The idea is to do something peaceful, life-giving, and resting with no agenda other than to refresh your spirit. This practice will hopefully help you feel closer to God and more rested.

But Sabbath rest goes much deeper. The Sabbath is a time to step back from daily routines and actively reflect on our relationship with God, considering how we can better align our lives with His will. Setting aside time for quiet contemplation, prayer, and fellowship with others allows us to experience spiritual renewal and be refreshed for the week ahead.

Discussion Questions:

1. How does the Sabbath represent a time to step away from our efforts and rely on God’s work? 
2. How can you intentionally create a space for rest and reflection on your Sabbath day? 
3. How can you incorporate acts of worship and service into your Sabbath?

“For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.”  – Philippians 1:21.

Most of us know of a miracle—a friend with breast cancer now cancer-free; a quadruple bypass survivor walking 5 miles every day; a baby that was given little hope for survival, alive and happy today, or cash appearing out of nowhere to keep a church from closing.

Do you believe in miracles? Maybe you feel like the conversation in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland: Alice and the Queen were talking, and Alice says, “There’s no use trying—one can’t believe impossible things.” Then the Queen replied, “I daresay you haven’t had much practice…When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!”

In 2025, with the ability of computers to do millions of calculations per second and mankind reaching farther and farther into space, people can be skeptical about miracles. But the Bible tells us of many miraculous events and happenings. But what is simply a happy coincidence, and what is a miracle? A rough definition of a miracle is a divine intervention into the regular course of the world that would not (or could not) have occurred otherwise. In other words, it is an act of God that can’t be explained conventionally. We tend to think of miracles as parting the Red Sea, feeding the 5,000, bringing Lazarus back to life, or catching so many fish that the boat was about to sink, and those types of things don’t happen anymore. Much about the Christian life is inexplicable by conventional human standards, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true or that miraculous things don’t happen in our modern age.

Our unchanging God is still in the miracle business today – not just in the dim and distant past or in some far-flung part of the world – but here, at home, in the 21st Century. He is still supernaturally performing acts that shouldn’t be able to happen according to the laws of nature or science. They may be rare, but they occur more often than we realize. These things don’t happen routinely and are impossible to predict in advance; they are always about God, never about us, and always have a purpose.

Our God is big enough to do whatever He wants—and sometimes He divinely rearranges things like trees falling everywhere but not on the house during Hurricane Michael. Or he reignites a marriage that was all but over. God can perform extraordinary acts or miracles in people’s lives. God can still intervene in seemingly impossible situations to bring about positive outcomes. God can break into our world whenever He chooses to do things we cannot explain. It is an amazing thing to see an act of God that can’t be explained any other way. It has nothing to do with luck or coincidence.

The greatest miracle of all is when someone opens their hearts to Christ, and He gives them the gift of a transformed life. What else can it be than a miracle when someone accepts Christ as Savior and you see joy and compassion where there was anger and discontentment?

God shows up in powerful ways, in ways that are inexplicable, incredible, and mysterious ways, both big and small.

Discussion Questions:

1. How can miracles demonstrate God’s love, power, and desire for a relationship with us?
2. How can we live with a “miracle mindset” even in everyday situations?
   
3. What are some ways we can be instruments of God’s miraculous work in the lives of others? 

“For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.”  – Philippians 1:21. .

Before you can make resolutions for the new year — before you start a reading plan, choose a diet, buy a journal, or step on a treadmill — you need a why worth changing for. Our resolutions often wilt because we don’t have a why big enough to weather the inevitable temptations, distractions, and setbacks. So why do you want to change, or what will your why be for 2025? For many people, our why is to live for Christ. When Paul wrote, “For to me, living means living for Christ,” he meant that his very existence, purpose, joy, and identity were found solely in Jesus Christ. It’s not just about following rules but about a complete surrender of our lives to the will of God, acknowledging that our true life is found in Him and will be to live for Christ.

Paul encouraged us to continue to live our lives in Christ. That’s good advice, but also a little bit confusing. What exactly does it mean to live a life in Christ? Thankfully, he explains it more fully in Colossians 2:6-7: “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Paul uses two metaphors to help us visualize the why and the how. As a tree finds fertile ground and drives its roots ever deeper to find water and security, so we can connect to Christ, the very source of our identity. We’re His, we’re forgiven, and we’re loved. Once we’ve found this firm foundation in our Savior, it only makes sense to start building our lives on Him.

What does that look like? Imagine the confidence you can have knowing that even the worst of your sins are wiped away. Imagine the joy you possess, even in the worst circumstances, when you know you’re living for a greater mission. Imagine the hope you know when things seem bleak because you’re confident God is working for your eternal good. It is the why.

The life lived for God is a life of achievement, goals, sacrifices, and accomplishments, with some failures and turns along the way. Living for Christ means we are focused on Him rather than overly focused on our works for God.

The best life is the life lived with God. A life with God means communion, fellowship, and intimacy with the very Creator of the universe. Life with God recognizes that we can do nothing to increase or diminish God’s love for us. We realize that God’s greatest desire is to be in a relationship with His people. Is there a better why than that?

Discussion Questions:

1. What are some of the obstacles to focusing on Christ above everything else?
2. What are some things that might happen if we lived our lives a little more for Christ in 2025? 

“Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.” – James 5:7-8.

Have you ever fast-forwarded a movie to bypass the scenes that don’t seem important to get to the scenes you think are important, only to find out you didn’t understand a big chunk of the storyline because you missed half the film? If you want to enjoy a movie, you have to watch it at the speed the writer intended. Only then will we be able to appreciate the cinematography, the cast of characters, the depths of tragedy, and the moments of joy as they unfold. It’s the same with the story of our lives. God has all the scenes in mind, each character in place. For us to enjoy and understand it, we must view our lives at the speed limit that God intended.

Most people operate at an ever-increasing speed limit. Our to-do lists seem to grow faster than we have time for. We hurry in the morning. Hurry on the road. Hurry at work. Hurry between meetings, and in meetings, and over meals. Hurry to do more on evenings and weekends than we realistically have time for. In our hurried world, we often feel pressured to rush through life, even in our spiritual journey, mistaking a frenetic pace for genuine devotion. But just like a car driving too fast on the highway can miss the beauty of the landscape, rushing through our spiritual life can prevent us from truly experiencing God’s presence and the depth of His love.

Psalm 46:10 says, ”Be still, and know that I am God!…”  This verse reminds us that genuine connection with God often requires slowing down, quieting our minds, and creating space for His voice to be heard clearly.  By consciously setting a “spiritual speed limit,” we can be more present in the moment, savoring the blessings of our daily lives and appreciating the small miracles God orchestrates around us. Slowing down allows us to cultivate deeper connections with loved ones, truly listening and engaging with them on a spiritual level. When we constantly resist the urge to chase after the next big thing, we can find greater inner peace and stability in our faith journey.  Evaluate your schedule and prioritize activities that nourish your spirit, letting go of things that drain your energy and focus.  And slowing time allows us to appreciate how God demonstrates His goodness to us.

So as we begin another year, how can we begin to practice the spiritual habit of slowing down? Bookend your day by giving God your attention. It was said of the German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer that he would begin and end his day in silence so that God would always have the first and last word.

When we want to move at a pace that is faster than His will, pause for a moment and wait on God. When life seems to be spinning out of control, ask God to help us block the noise so He can direct us and align His will with ours.  

 Discussion Questions:

1. Is your spiritual speed limit too fast? Why do you think that is?
2. What are some practical ways we can maintain the right spiritual speed?

“ I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” – Philippians 3:12-14.

Every day, we confront a wave of deadlines—assignments to be completed, due dates for bills, and worries about looming events in our families or businesses. Facing these matters, we must decide what to do. We hurry when there is no reason to hurry—just to be hurrying. What options should we consider? What should be our priorities? What do we need to know to make the right decisions? There is no question that the world seems to move faster with each passing year. One person described the current season as the age of acceleration, and as the world accelerates, so does our need to hurry.

Some of us would be miserable if things slowed down. We’d much rather things hurry up. The question is this: does hurrying truly serve us? The reality is that hurrying is often an enemy of what matters most in life. The more you do, the faster you have to work to get it all done. And the hurry cycle starts all over again.

Hurry can harm your relationship with God and others. Hurry will prohibit your ability to delve into scripture in more depth. Hurry will keep you from serving others well because it will cause you to brush over their needs. Hurry robs us of the beauty God has placed in front of us and the grace others desperately need. Hurry steals the best from us, so we must ruthlessly eliminate hurry.

Dealing with a hurry is as simple as deciding to slow down, although in reality, it is not easy. Build some margin in your life. Margin is breathing room. Margin is a little reserve that you’re not using up. You’re not stretched to the limit. You’re not going from one meeting to the next to the next with no space in between. Margin is the space between your load and your limit.

What happens if you ruthlessly eliminate hurry in your life and you begin to live with margin? You’ll have more peace in your life.  You’ll have unhurried time to spend with those that you love best. And, best of all, you’ll be available to God. You’ll be able to hear His still, small voice. You’ll be ready to live the life that He intended you to live.

We can uncover the root of our hurry, but it takes time. To start, the next time you feel the need to push the gas pedal, pause and breathe deeply. Refuse to be rushed. Decide to move at God’s pace.

 Discussion Questions:

1. What does healthy busyness look like, and what does unhealthy busyness look like? What are the symptoms of having too much hurry in your life?
2. How does hurry damage our emotional and spiritual health?

“If the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy.” –  Corrie Ten Boom.

Busyness and hurry are quiet cancers that can wreak havoc on our spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being. Corrie ten Boom, the Dutch woman who saved so many Jews from the Nazi Holocaust, once said, “If the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy.”

Hurry doesn’t just make you weary. Dallas Willard once called hurry the great enemy of spiritual life in our day, and he said, “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”  That is good advice when you consider the most significant aspects of human life cannot be rushed. Hearts can be stubbornly slow, as most people discover. Prayer is often a slow process. Spiritual growth is often slow. Love is slow, sometimes painfully so. But sometimes slow is God’s pace for our lives.

We’ve been made to believe that hurry is a virtue by the patterns and course of this world. Many of us have forgotten what slow is. We’re so used to driving, scrolling, and skimming that slow seems inefficient, impractical, and harmful. In our daily commute, we drive dozens of miles down 98 at 55 mph, driving a car that can go much faster, so why would we want to go slower? We get nervous when we miss a light, trying to spend those precious moments checking email, refreshing our Instagram feed, or listening to a podcast. It seems like a more productive use of our time.

But what if hurry was distracting, stunting, or even hurting us, especially in our spiritual life?  To live — to know, enjoy, and follow Jesus — we need to learn to ruthlessly eliminate hurry and walk with God at God’s pace. As in every aspect of life, Jesus is the perfect and enduring example of how not to be hurried.

You cannot find a single example in the Bible where Jesus was in a hurry. He was decidedly unhurried and present in whatever He was doing, not allowing even death to change His pace or focus. In every situation and teaching, Jesus knew His reason for being where He was and the work He had to do. He knew the distance He had to travel, the timing, and the outcome of every day of His life, His death, and His resurrection. He never stayed longer in one place than needed to accomplish His purpose for being there, whether to feed five or four thousand, heal an individual, or raise one from the dead. He was always in the right place at the right time according to the will of the Father.

This world moves fast, but that doesn’t mean we have to. We must move slowly enough to ensure that our eyes and hearts can catch what’s around us rather than having it pass by in a blur. No one leaves this life saying, “I’m so glad I got everything done so efficiently.” Jesus’ example of patience and presence is a powerful message that we can learn from. If we are not in a hurry, we can better complete the work God has begun in us in His timing.

Discussion Questions:

1. How does hurry damage our emotional and spiritual health?
2. The solution to hurry sickness is not more time but rather to slow down and simplify what matters. Agree or disagree and why? What factors or limitations inhibit our ability to slow down?

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.” – Romans 8:1-4.

Romans chapter 8 is often referred to as one of the most critical chapters in the entire book of Romans, as it powerfully describes the freedom and security believers have in Christ, including the concept of “no condemnation” for those who are in Christ Jesus, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit; making it a central passage for understanding Christian life and salvation.

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus…” Think about that for a minute; it’s an amazing statement. It means to be found innocent of the accusation, to have no sentence inflicted and no guilty verdict found.

This verse is a central part of Paul’s letter to the Romans, which presents the good news of Jesus Christ. This verse is a succinct statement of the gospel. It affirms that the righteousness given by God is eternal and that those who have genuinely trusted in Jesus alone will never be under the wrath of God again. It also means that there is no separation from God’s love for those in Christ Jesus. It describes the believer’s new life in relation to the Holy Spirit and His work in and through us.

One of the key themes of Romans 8 is the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life. Paul contrasts the life lived according to the flesh with the life lived according to the Spirit. In Romans 8:2, he writes, “And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.” The Spirit empowers believers to overcome sin and live in a way that pleases God by empowering us to live a new life.

The chapter also emphasizes the assurance of salvation and the believer’s security in Christ. In Romans 8:16-17, Paul states, “For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.”

Once someone has believed in Christ, he or she is in Christ and can never be separated from the love of Christ, as Paul explains in Romans 8:38–39. Nothing can separate anyone from the love of God that is in Christ. When Paul affirms that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, we can be confident of our secure position in Christ. This assurance is rooted in the redemptive work of Christ and the ongoing work of the Spirit, which affirms the believer’s identity as a child of God and an heir of eternal life.

Discussion Questions:

1. Take some time today and think about your own life. Think about the reality that there is no condemnation for you; you’re now dead to sin and made alive in Christ Jesus. You don’t walk according to the flesh—the sinful nature—but according to the Spirit. What does that life look like for you this week? How can you live as one who has been set free? What are some practical steps we can take to do that?

“Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” –  Romans 8:12-14.

What can we say to someone who asks how they can stop sinning? We very likely have asked this question of ourselves. The short answer is that we cannot stop sinning in this mortal life. If that sounds overly negative, the reality is we all struggle with sin. We prefer not to talk about it. We’d rather ignore it. But eventually, we must confront it. So, how do we deal with sin in our lives?

Before Jesus left the earth, He promised His disciples that He would send them a Helper, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is probably the least understood person of the Trinity. It is vital for the believer to know the Spirit, learn to relate to Him, and understand how He manifests Himself. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to stand firm in the fight against sin and never to give up, no matter how long the temptation continues: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

The Holy Spirit empowers believers to overcome sin through conviction, guidance, and empowerment, enabling them to resist temptation, live righteously, and grow in holiness. We may think that sin has power over us, but in reality, with God’s Spirit, we have the power over sin.

The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, prompting individuals to recognize their need for repentance and forgiveness. The Holy Spirit acts as a guiding conscience, encouraging believers to discern right and wrong and align their actions with God’s will. He helps believers become more sensitive to the presence of sin in their lives and more aware of the consequences of their actions. The Holy Spirit helps transform the mind, leading believers to adopt a new perspective and focus on righteous living. The Holy Spirit illuminates the scriptures, enabling believers to understand and apply God’s will to their lives. The Holy Spirit empowers believers with spiritual gifts that enable them to serve God and others, helping them to overcome sin and live a life pleasing to God.

By relying on the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, believers can progressively overcome sin and grow in their relationship with God. This is a power that only the Holy Spirit can give us. It’s not something we have in ourselves. That’s why we need to go to God to get help. “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (Hebrews 4:16.).

 Discussion questions:

1. How would you describe the Holy Spirit’s practical work in your life? Where does he show up? How does he impact your daily rhythm?

  “The best use of life is love. The best expression of love is time. And the best time to love is now.” – Rick Warren.

As we have changed the calendar to a new year, we face the fact that our days on earth are numbered. As the psalmist wrote, “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.” No thoughtful person can approach New Year’s Day without some introspection. We are reminded of the brevity of time. We also look back over our failures, mistakes, and missed opportunities and vow to make better use of our time during the coming year and be more Christlike. But amid all the New Year’s resolutions, what can we do this year to “Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days” (Ephesians 5:16). The answer is love.

Love is a core principle of Christianity. It is the nature of God: The Bible teaches that Jesus identified two great commandments that relate to love: love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. Love is more than just a sentiment; it’s a call to action. In other words, increasing our love for God and each other.  1 John 4:7 says, “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.”

 John tends to be direct and black-and-white in his writings. It would be difficult to be any more clear and concise than John, and that is true about 1 John 4:7. John doesn’t ask us to love based on the character or qualities of other people but urges us to love based on our relationship with God. God’s love displayed in our lives and how we act toward others marks a believer in Jesus Christ.

Love is from God. It originated with Him and is sustained by Him in us – through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. John 3:16 reminds us, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

We can’t earn His love because we already have it. And we can’t lose His love because we don’t deserve it in the first place. God saved us because He loves us. Romans 8:38-39 reveals the magnitude of God’s love for us. “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” But we can reflect that love by loving others.

Loving each other won’t be easier in 2025 than in 2024 or 2023. It requires prayer, forgiveness, self-denial, and sacrifice. While it won’t be easy, it is attainable through the finished work of Christ on our behalf. 1 John 4:19 tells us “We love each other because he loved us first.” Our goal in 2025 is to become increasingly known for our love for one another based on God’s love for us and to display it to a world that needs it.

 Discussion Questions:

1. If love is to be the defining mark of believers, what can you do more of or better to be a “display window” for the love of Christ?

“ I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” – Philippians 3:12-14.

There’s not much we can do about the past. Each of us has regrets, maybe some strong feelings of disappointment about what we failed to do in the past. But can we fix it? The answer is no, but for better or worse, how we lived in the past will most likely determine how we live in the present.  Overcoming the past can seem like a large hurdle.

Paul tells us in Philippians 3 of his desire to grow in Christ and to know Him. Paul emphasizes the importance of leaving the past behind, focusing on the future, and actively pressing on towards becoming more Christ-like, viewing our spiritual journey as a race where we strive to reach the prize of eternal life with God, achieved through our unwavering pursuit of Christ.  Paul readily admits that he has not arrived and has a way to go, and the only way to get there is to press forward toward the goal and prize set by God and not look back to the past.

“… Forgetting the past…” (v. 13). We can look at the past and learn from the past, but we can’t live in the past. We have to give our past to Jesus.  Paul’s advice to us? Forget about it. Don’t dwell on the past. Don’t fix your mind on yesterday — or even past years.  Don’t waste time reliving a past achievement. And don’t beat yourself up for a past mistake when you’ve already sought God’s forgiveness. Move ahead and pursue God. The gospel changes our view of the past, and it changes us. We can let God use our personal history as we cooperate with Him and point others to Jesus.

“…and looking forward to what lies ahead…” (v. 13). This phrase is a mental picture of a runner focused on the finish line. That’s what God wants from us, even though we may be uncomfortable sometimes. The ESV version says, “…straining forward to what lies ahead…” When we stretch ourselves out, strain, reach, fight hard, and do whatever it takes to achieve the goal, we will move forward in our faith and walk with God. Paul would do whatever he had to do to become whatever God wanted him to be.

Our relationship with God is active, not passive. We have to pursue God.  We must become more Christlike and live the life He wants us to live. To do that, we must look forward and press toward the goal of the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

 Discussion Questions:

1. What areas of your past are you still holding onto that might be preventing you from fully embracing the future God has planned for you? 
2. How can you actively “strain” towards your spiritual goals, focusing on what will bring you closer to Christ? 
3. What does it mean to you to consider your life as a race towards a heavenly prize?