Jesus desires to call us to Himself and offer us mercy. Then as Bartimaeus did, may we joyfully throw aside everything we have and join Jesus on this road of discipleship as we daily ask Him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

Jesus demonstrated true greatness by coming to serve us, save us, and be our Substitute. The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for us. Then let us humbly receive His life-giving service as we learn to serve others in a way that will point them to the beauty of Christ.

Jesus reminds us that the marriage covenant was established by God in creation, and He designed it to be a permanent union between a man and a woman for their joy and His glory. On the other hand, divorce is contrary to God’s original design for marriage and has come into the world because of human sin.

Jesus is calling us to surrender all things and follow Him because of His love for us. He is the ultimate treasure for our souls and the only way to eternal life. Then let us endeavor together in making Christ known to others as we learn to joyfully and generously love one another.

Jesus lovingly warns us of the seriousness of sin knowing how destructive it is. Then we must make every effort to eliminate all sins in our lives as we aim to stay salty – passionately pursuing holiness as we help others to know this life-giving message of the gospel.

Jesus redefines true greatness by calling us to humbly value service over status, graciously welcome the least and the forgotten, and joyfully celebrate the unity we have with other believers. We must live for His glory and the joy of others. Let us serve knowing that this is what Christ has done for us. 

Jesus invites us to rely on Him and rest in Him. Then as we fix our eyes on Him, let’s pray – not just for the forgiveness of our sins but for everything in life. Let us be a praying people.

The Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like little children – those who are poor in spirit. In other words, it’s His grace that enables us to enter His Kingdom. Then as recipients of this great love, may we continue to give this love to others – especially to the children He has placed in our community. 

Jesus Christ is the glory of God in the flesh who is worthy of our worship and He’s also the bridge that makes it possible for sinners like us to experience the fullness of God’s glory and be safe. Then knowing that He guarantees our future glory, let His transfiguration give us hope and strength today.

Jesus Christ calls us to anchor ourselves in His grace as we help others experience the same grace. Then with unwavering devotion to Christ, integrity, and diligence, we must live out the gospel as we proclaim it to the world. This is the kind of discipleship that we are to engage in. 

Jesus Christ had to suffer, be rejected, be killed, and rise again so that our sins can be forgiven, and we can have life. Then following Jesus means that we too must take up our cross and die to ourselves.

Jesus desires to open our eyes so that we might see the magnitude of who He really is. He is the promised Messiah, the compassionate King, who came to save us from sin and death and give us life and life to the full. Then let us come to Him with confidence knowing that He is willing and powerful to heal us.

Jesus is a compassionate King who also calls us to serve others on behalf of Him. This is not easy because we often focus so much on our inadequacy – but He’s inviting us today to remember what He did and what He’s able to do in our lives. He is calling us to trust Him.

Jesus does all things well – He opened the door of salvation to all of us as He overwhelms us with His extravagant mercy and shows us incredible honor that we don’t deserve. Through Christ, we’re no longer outsiders, but insiders welcomed to enter the presence of God and enjoy the feast that He has prepared for us.

Jesus teaches us that what defiles us is not outside of us – it’s inside us; it’s the sin-saturated, sin-stained heart. And the only way to get a clean heart is through Jesus Christ, who offers His heart to us on the cross. Then let us receive with humility, with joy, and live to tell others about this wonderful news.

Jesus will at times send us into a storm because He loves us. He will use it to expose our weakness and reveal who He is – reminding us once again that He alone is worthy of our trust. But even still, He doesn’t leave us to weather through the storm on our own; He promises that He will be in the boat with us.

Jesus Christ is our Good Shepherd and the Bread of life. In Him, we find rest. In Him, we are embraced. In Him, we lack nothing. And in Him, we receive life. Then let us confess our needs and embrace His grace as we run to this compassionate Savior.

Following Jesus in this world can be extremely costly but the reward that awaits us cannot be compared with anything of this world – we’ll have Christ Himself. He’s the only One who can truly give them life and freedom. Then let us look to Christ and go out with urgency – proclaiming the gospel truth in love.

John 3:16 tells us of the great message of the gospel – that this holy God loves these unlovable sinners by sending His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, and that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. This is what’s at the heart of the Christian faith.

We must be born again because this is the only way we’ll get into the Kingdom of God. The good news is that we can be born again because Jesus has been lifted up. Then the invitation is available to all of us: look to Him, believe in Him, and receive life in Him.