Palm Sunday

Mark 11 tells of a group of people who were so excited to see Jesus entering Jerusalem, that they ran to meet him shouting and showing reverence by laying down palm leaves and clothing. The sad twist to this story is that a few days later the same group is found demanding that Jesus be killed. How consistently excited are you at the idea of seeing Jesus?

judges seek to make us timid

• We live in a world that judges others in order to find self-worth. As Christians, we are to live above this norm, by simply trusting in God's great love for us. Faith in God's love for us frees us from the timidity that world tries to enforce through its harsh criticism. Do you bind others with your judgments, or do you free them by demonstrating God's love? 1 John 4:16-18

Those who are hard to love

Those around us have every right to expect us to be the first to show love. I John 4:9-13 reminds us that Christ loved us first, and following Christ's example, we too should love first. Are you willing to extend love to those who are not lovable? Are you willing to be Christ-like in this way?

Are you a truth snob?

The Bible breaks with popular belief by declaring some things as absolutely true. In 1 John 4, God teaches that Jesus Christ's identity as the Son of God is one of those truths. While we might be afraid of declaring such a thing, we can take comfort in idea that some things can be relied up as truth. How discriminating is your palate for truth?

Cain or Christ?

John uses Cain's violent response (1 John 3:11-14) to his failure to love, as a way for us to think about how we respond when we've been caught doing bad things. Do we take our failures or sins to Christ and ask him to apply his forgiveness, or do we attack those who have noticed our failures?

Really - I'm not this way, I just act this way

Christians are called to bear resemblance to God the Father and to His son, Jesus. Our actions define our character and our character drives our actions. Who do you resemble in your daily behaviors?
1 John 2

We need more than an example

Although we often think of Jesus as our great example, this thinking does not not fully recognize our great need, or his great sacrifice. While it's great to try to be like Jesus, we can never really live up to his perfect standard. The book of 1 John tells us that we Jesus to act supernaturally on our behalf, or save us from our sins. Have you asked Jesus Christ to be your savior or are you trying to be Jesus on your own?