“Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?”

Jesus’s presence in our lives has brought with it a celebration of new life in Him. When hard times come, we should be reliant on Him with the freedom to pray, to fast, and to mourn as necessary, but we should celebrate Jesus Christ and what he has done for us. For He did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Let us renew our hearts and minds to receive what He has for each of us.

Joshua Vasquez

The Gospels record stories of Jesus’s healing as central to his ministry. They show us that Christ is intimately concerned with every aspect of our lives. He does not merely come to do a work on us spiritually, while leaving our bodies to decay. We can pray to God for our healing and have faith that he hears us. And while we may not always receive it as we like, we know that he is working all things for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28).

Michael Riggins

With many things in life, especially building a home, it is important to start with a strong foundation. Without one, our constructs are weak and frail. Often times we neglect the foundation and when storms come or difficulties in our life blind-side us, the house falls and we crumble and are left with rubble. Let us listen to the words of Jesus and build our house and our lives on a firm foundation.

Joshua Vasquez

Today’s verses begin with “therefore.” These verses come right after Christ’s injunction that no man can serve two masters — we must ultimately choose between Christ and money. We can read that and think to ourselves “that sounds fine if only I never had to worry about things like clothes or food for the rest of my life.” This is Christ’s response. Having faith in Christ means we need to have faith in his provision when we are following him, even if following him means choosing a less profitable path.

Michael Riggins

As followers of Christ, we are called to love our neighbors. This includes giving to our brothers and sister when they are in need. But when we do this, we must ask ourselves, what are we doing this for? For whom are we doing this for? Here in this passage, Jesus tells us how we are to give and why. Let us approach obedience with humility and love.

Joshua Vasquez