While we may not have the exact dilemma of the rich man, there are other things that keep us distant from the Kingdom…usually masked in our identity.

The older I get, the more clearly I see that I have nothing to offer God. It’s not a teamwork operation, it’s all His grace and mercy.

We’re usually happy with what we have…that is until we see something we like better. Our source of contentment, however, needs to shift.

Sometimes I not only ignore searching out these good things to do, but also ignore the opportunities as they come. My five year old does these things, I miss it. Sure, he doesn’t get it all the time, but when he does, it sure is convicting.

Rather than living in our past or so focused on the future, we need to make sure that we’re living in the now.

If we’re honest, we’ll admit that we don’t always act like the Good News is for everyone. We may not intentionally try to keep anyone out of our church….

And here’s more good news about the Good News: it’s not just something we will experience one day, far off in the distance when we are finally with God for eternity. It’s something that can be experienced right now, through a transformed life.

We have been entrusted with much more than bags of gold: as followers of Jesus, God expects us to tell everyone we can about the saving love of our Savior.

This revelation the shepherds received was truly revolutionary. Jewish people developed a belief that God’s favor was something they had to earn.

Today, we’re just going to focus on one verse, and I’m going to try not to elaborate or lead in any specific direction.