Psalm 27:4, Matthew 6:33, 6:10 "Seeking"

            “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”

            “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

            Once we accept the free gift of grace purchased by Christ’s blood and begin following after God, there is one thing we ought to be seeking above anything else. The kingdom of God may often seem like some far off end goal in our lives, something attainable after we have lived out our lives, but the Lord’s prayer teaches us to pray for, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” If we are constantly seeking His kingdom, to dwell with Him and desire His will in everything we do, delighting in His power and glory, everything else will fall into place as we become more like Him. The more we spend time with Him desiring what He desires for our lives, the more we begin to reflect Him in our actions and speech. When we seek God’s kingdom, we are seeking Him and His will.

John 15:19, Isaiah 66:17-23 "New"

            “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”

            “The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind…”

            We do not belong to this world. Like the rest of God’s creation, we were made for His glory, so that He could love us and we could love Him. Our earthly home is imperfect and the people in it sinful. Because we have God’s love living in us, all the pain and suffering around us should break our hearts on a daily basis. Children die before they even have a chance to live. Cancer often takes people much sooner than the family they leave behind could wish. People lose their jobs and families go through divorce. People lie, cheat, and steal from others. But we still have hope! “Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.” Though this world may break our heart, and life seems unfair, though we cry now for the people we have lost, the Lord says, “I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.”

Hosea 13:14, Matthew 28:5-6, 1 Corinthians 15:26 "Resurrection"

            “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?”

            “The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.”

            “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

            …but He has risen from the grave, having conquered death.

Isaiah 53:4-6, Matthew 27:51, Romans 5:25 a "Death"

            “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has gone his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

            “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.”

            “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood…”

            …taking our sins upon Himself, being separated from God so that we could have access to Him…

Psalm 22:16, Mark 15:25-26, Romans 5:8 "Crucifixion"

“Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.”

“It was the third hour when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Christ died for every single person…

Acts 2:4 "Not Our Words"

            “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”

            When we witness, we often times put so much pressure and stress on ourselves that witnessing becomes a chore instead of our genuine desire to tell others about the person who gave His life to save each and every one of us. The truth is that we are not the ones speaking anyway, but the Holy Spirit speaking through us. Our job is to tell others about Christ, to boldly share what He has done in our lives, but He will supply us with the words. We just have to be willing to share. Yes, we might be scorned, we might be mocked, or laughed at, or spit upon. But Christ was first scorned. Christ was mocked, laughed at, and spit upon. When we trust the Holy Spirit to give us the words to say, we know when they reject what we say, they reject Christ. Our responsibility is not to force them to believe, but to plant the seed. God will help it grow, as long as we are willing to simply step out in faith and boldly share.