Blaze Church

“A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices; for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.” Could you describe your world as weary right now? On the holy night that Jesus was born, the world was weary, the moment was chaotic, but a thrill of hope entered the scene. A man named Jeremiah found hope in God, even though his world was weary. We discover that a new day with Christ brings exactly what we need, gives us the hope to keep on going, and brings us the help that we are seeking.

It is so easy to forget to give thanks for what we have. Why? Because too often we are focused on what we don’t have. We trade our attitude of gratitude away for just an attitude. When we stop celebrating and start complaining, we go from being thankFULL to being thankLESS. Jesus came to give us a new way to live. Followers of Jesus are marked by gratitude because we know God has given us all we need in His Son. Are you chasing something that will end? Recognize the limits of that thing and live a thankFULL life in Jesus!

Joy is a theme we see repeated over and over during the holidays. But can joy come to YOUR world? Can you have joy even when you suffer? The holidays can remind us of how our lives aren’t the way we want. In those moments, followers of Jesus have a beautiful inheritance that can never be taken away. Our joy comes from knowing “there is more for me than what I see.” We can enjoy things that attempt to give us joy by remembering that our true joy is found in Jesus! 

Black Friday has become a major holiday. It’s purpose is to push us towards getting more money so we can buy more things. Have you ever wondered what God thinks about money? Does He hate it? Does He love it? Are Christians supposed to be rich or poor? Discover a way to avoid financial regret this holiday season by looking at the advice the apostle Paul gave to a young pastor named Timothy. You can follow Jesus and have money; you cannot follow money and have Jesus.

The story of Samson is a story of God's grace and faithfulness. Samson was set apart to deliver Israel. He continued to fail over and over, but God never failed Him. Faith overrides failure when we believe what God has said, and we forget what God has forgotten. We do not live with shame or guilt. We have been set free!

Are you good at bargaining? Maybe you know someone you’d call “a smooth-talker”. Many of us have attempted to talk God into giving us what we believe we most need. Too often though, when we think we’ve won and convinced God to do what we want, we actually lose. God knows what’s best for us. You cannot talk yourself into what God wants to give you. What you and I most need is God Himself; His Son Jesus, and His Holy Spirit. Trusting God is the greatest way for us to fulfill our calling. 

Everyday is filled with moments where we attempt to prove our worth and strength to others. Living this way makes us very aware of our limits and weaknesses. To compensate for our weakness, we try harder or deny they exist. But what if we could embrace our weakness? Could good come from being weak? God called a man named Gideon when he was at his weakest. God displayed his strength through Gideon. Your weakness is a stage for God to perform on. Like Paul, we boast in our weakness knowing that God’s power is on full display!

We can accomplish way more together than we can on our own. Too often though, we allow insecurity, independence, and invincibility to stop us from investing what we have to help others. The life-changing message of Jesus will reach more people as more Jesus-followers decide to play their part in the body of Christ. The vertical team impacts the horizontal team! You have a gift that people need you to invest! 

Forgiveness is not easy. Especially when someone has a history of hurting you. Is it even possible to continue forgiving someone? One of Jesus’ followers asked him how often he should forgive others. Jesus’ answers was: “Don’t keep track. Keep on forgiving.” The only way we can continue to forgive people is to daily remember how much God has forgiven us. Forgiveness means you pay the debt, and the debtor lives free. The greatest person you can be is a forgiving person.

Hurt people hurt people. How do you react when another Jesus follower sins against you? The fourth principle Jesus gave us to being the greatest is all about how we treat other believers when they hurt us. He specifically outlines the who, the when, the what and the why behind His principle. When we embrace commitment, we become truly great. The greatest people are the greatest fighters. But they don’t fight WITH others, they fight FOR others!