I've read lots of definitions of humility, but John Piper's is one of my favorites. He says, "Humility is the exact opposite of the "You owe me," mentality. Think about the application of this verse with this one mindset shift: "Others don't owe me. I owe them." I owe them grace. I owe them love. I owe them service. I owe them kindness. I owe them gentleness. I owe them respect.   Our world has an entitlement problem. Too often, we get wrapped up in the, "What's in it for me?" question instead of asking, "How can I give in abundance what has been given to me by God?" As for selfish ambition, we'll be digging into this soon in the membership portal, but for now, let's just leave it at this: We can recognize selfish ambition in our hearts when feel jealousy over what He's doing through someone else vs. praising Him for Kingdom results. As we memorize this verse this week, use the prayer guide below to specifically lift up how God might ask us to live out these verses in our lives. Prayer Guide: Sunday: Jesus (How would God have me to sacrificially use my talents for His [...]

Reflect on the security precautions we take in life. I mean, I lock and set the alarm of my car doors with the garage door down, then head inside, deadbolt the door, and set the alarm on my house. I have two-factor authentication set up on as many websites as will allow it. My online passwords are so insane (and different for every site) that I don't even know what they are without looking them up. We go through so much effort - but for what? To protect things that belong to us. But I bet if I asked you what is most precious to you, most of you wouldn't list any item that could be found in your car or your house. Most of you would say your personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Hands down, right? So let's ask this question - do we take as many great lengths to protect our walk with Christ as we do our "stuff?" And if we don't...what are our real priorities? It hurts me to think that I often go through more cautious measures to protect my stuff than I do to protect the royal position I have inherited as an adopted child of God. Instead of placing [...]