If I could give my adult children only two pieces of advice, I would say: be humble and be kind, echoing Tim McGraw’s song. In a world that promotes entitlement, these virtues run counter to our culture.

BE HUMBLE: The Bible provides counsel for living humbly in Philippians 2:3. Here we are instructed to value others above self.

BE KIND: While Ephesians 4:32 commands kindness, tender heartedness, and forgiveness. Practicing humility and kindness requires intentionally shaping our attitudes and actions.

First, avoid selfish ambition that comes at the expense of others. Instead, look for opportunities to honor and serve others.

Second, nurture kindness and tender heartedness. A kind spirit builds people up rather than tearing them down – while a tender heart (caring and compassionate) opens our eyes to the needs of others.

Third, forgive those who have hurt you. Holding grudges feeds pride while forgiveness cultivates humility.

Finally, put others first. Laying down our own interests to serve others intentionally reorientates our priorities.

Friend, in an age of chaotic entitlement, the path to orderly contentment is one of humility and kindness.

I stood at the base of the tree and looked up to see the top.  I was unable to wrap my arms around the trunk even with the help of my wife and two (2) children.  The tree was a giant.  Near this tree stood another one through which you could drive a car.   The Time-Life western series book, The Loggers, has a picture of a stump in which the logger and his family had made a house.

The Redwood (SEQUOIA SEMPERVIRENS) is an evergreen of the Cypress family.  They are very large and words cannot properly describe them.  If you have ever stood at the base of one of these trees, you understand.  The tallest known is 367 feet high and 14 feet in diameter.  It is located in Muir Woods some 14 miles north of San Francisco.  The oldest known dates from the time Abraham started his wanderings.  Redwoods begin as a seed the size of a tomato seed; a seed so small yields a tree magnificent in size. 

These trees grow to be giants over a long period of time.  The main reasons for their longevity are: (1) they contain tannic acid, which insects do not like, (2) they lack resin, making them more resistant to fire, and (3) they grow in groves and their roots spread out and intertwine with the other trees around them allowing them to sustain high winds.

Jeremiah wrote this about those who trust in the Lord and place their confidence in him:

They will be like a tree planted by the water

that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought

and never fails to bear fruit.” (17:8)

David wrote these words about the righteous man in Psalm 1:

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither—

whatever they do prospers.

Be like a Redwood tree; resistant to evil and the fires of life.  Develop roots that intertwine deeply with brethren to provide strength and stability during stormy times.   We start out small and insignificant, but we can and should grow to be that giant tree planted by the Lord God Almighty.

Wading through shifting values and confusing ideologies, Christians can find a clear path to navigate their families and lives by anchoring their faith in Jesus Christ, the universal CURE.

C – Christ’s presence is the ANTIDOTE to LONELINESS. Isaiah 41:10 reminds us that in Christ’s presence, we find solace and strength. He says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

U – Unshakable peace, found only in Jesus, is the CURE for ANXIETY. In Jesus, we find unshakable peace. Mark 4:39 tells us that He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

R – Raising responsible children finds its SOLUTION in Ephesians 6:4 that guides PARENTS to bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

E – Embracing harmony in MARRIAGE requires continuous NURTURING. Ephesians 5:25 teaches us that husbands are to love their wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

Friend, is Jesus your answer and cure?

A couple of weeks ago I attended the Men’s Retreat where our guest speaker, Noah Icenhour, challenged us with the theme of “Forged: The Strength of Living in Weakness”. The weakness Noah was referring to was both external, since humanity as a whole has fallen short of God’s calling, and internal, in that we as individuals must get rid of our own low expectations for ourselves.

To help overcome our own low expectations, one of our lessons focused on “Embracing Our Purpose” as Christians.

Ephesians 4:22-24 (NIV) “²²You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off you old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Living the Christian life is a process. When we become new Christians, although we have a new nature, we don’t automatically think all good thoughts, or express all of the right attitudes, or do all the right things. But, if we keep listening to God, we will be changing all the time. Taking on Christ is both a once-for-all decision we made when we decided to accept Christ’s gift of salvation and is also a daily conscious commitment. We are not to be driven by our deceitful desires and impulses anymore. We must put on the new role, head in the new direction, and have a new way of
thinking to “Embrace our Purpose” as Christians.

To help “Embrace our Purpose”, another lesson was focused on “Embracing our Weakness” as Christians.  To illustrate this idea, we reviewed the account of Saul of Tarsus’ conversion to Paul, the Apostle, found in Acts 9.

Acts 9: 3-6 (NIV) “³As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” ⁵”Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” He replied. ⁶”Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

As Saul traveled to Damascus, pursuing Christians, he was confronted face-to-face by the risen Christ and brought to weakness. He became blind and did not eat or drink for three days. Saul came to Damascus pursuing Christians and he fled Damascus by being lowered in a basket through an opening in a wall to escape the Jews.

The main point was, Saul has this “life moment” where he realized that he is not living “his life’s purpose”, but after Saul encountered Christ, he began living for Christ, and began living “his purpose”.

Sometimes God breaks into a life in a spectacular manner like this, but most conversions are a personal, quiet experience. In either case, you first must become “weak” and recognize you are in need of Christ to become “Forged” in Him and have “The Strength of Living in Weakness” by Embracing your Purpose In Him. 

I have come to agree with Dorothy’s statement in the Wizard of Oz that “There’s no place like home!” As most know, Sheryl and I spent 10 days in Greece.  We got to visit Athens where 3.8 million people live and drive the narrow streets! People drive fast while scooters zoom in and out of traffic. We got to visit the Acropolis and the Parthenon where many of the ancient ruins are still standing. While there, I could visualize Paul telling the crowd “To worship the true God the maker of heaven and earth” not the altar to “The unknown God.”

We went to Thessaloniki, a beautiful place with many of the buildings, which were built in 315 BC, still standing. I can visualize Paul encouraging the church there to pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks to the Lord!

Then we went to Ephesus where we got to see the marketplace where Paul may have sold his tents and we got to walk where Paul may have walked. I could visualize Paul in the amphitheater preaching against the Roman goddess Diana, setting the people in an uproar.

While in Turkey (which is in Asia) we got to see how silk is taken from a cocoon and made into rugs.  We watched as these beautiful rugs were made by hand, some taking over a year to complete.  Of course, we had to bring one home with us to show everyone. 

Brothers and Sisters, we spent 10 days on vacation, and got to see some inspiring sights.  We walked where Paul walked, we saw where the mother of Jesus lived, and where John was buried. We enjoyed the adventure, assured that we had a safe and welcoming home and family to return to at the end of our trip.  No matter how long you have been gone, home will be waiting for you.  We have a new understanding of the past, thankfulness for the present and a renewed appreciation for our future home in heaven.

If you have been away from God, remember that He is preparing a place for you and wants to welcome you home to your church family as we prepare for our Heavenly Home.

Do not let your hearts be troubled, you believe in God, believe in me.  In my Father’s house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:1.

It will be great to get home!!!!

Wading through shifting values and confusing ideologies, Christians can find a clear path to navigate their families and lives by anchoring their faith in Jesus Christ, the universal CURE.

C – Christ’s presence is the ANTIDOTE to LONELINESS. Isaiah 41:10 reminds us that in Christ’s presence, we find solace and strength. He says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

U – Unshakable peace, found only in Jesus, is the CURE for ANXIETY. In Jesus, we find unshakable peace. Mark 4:39 tells us that He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

R – Raising responsible children finds its SOLUTION in Ephesians 6:4 that guides PARENTS to bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

E – Embracing harmony in MARRIAGE requires continuous NURTURING. Ephesians 5:25 teaches us that husbands are to love their wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

Friend, is Jesus your answer and cure?

Parents, what protective walls can you set up to prevent a gushing sewer line of threats from emptying into the lives of your children? As parents, we want to shield our teens from these threats, but how?

1. Walls that Guard Hearts to Protect Thoughts and Emotions

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

Between bullying and social media, teens need hearts that can remain steadfast in faith. In the United States, about 1 in 5 teens has an anxiety disorder, approximately 1 in 12 experiences a major depressive episode, and around 1 in 20 teens has seriously considered suicide. Additionally, about 1 in 3 teens become a victim of violence or bullying.

2. Walls that Guard Compassion and Promote Peacemaking
Matthew 5:9 says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

Teach teens to be compassionate. About 1.5 million teens are homeless in the United States, with approximately 17% living in poverty, and around 1 in 7 facing daily abuse or neglect. Therefore, encourage them to be kind not merely in response to others’ kindness but because they possess kindness within.

3. Walls that Preserve Self-Control and Purity

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 says, “For this is the will of God, your
sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you knows how to control his own body in holiness and
honor.”

Teens need walls to maintain purity until marriage. About 1 in 4 teens engage in premarital sex before graduating from high school. Furthermore, in the United States, roughly 1 in 4 teens have sent or received criminally chargeable sexually explicit images and/or have contracted sexually transmitted infections (STIs) like chlamydia, gonorrhea, and HPV, which can lead to infertility, chronic health problems, and even death.

4. Walls that Safeguard God’s Plan and Promote Sobriety

Psalm 139:13-16 says, “For you formed my inward parts; you
knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

Knowing they are God’s creation, that He has a plan for them, and that He is always watching over them can prevent them from jeopardizing their future. In terms of statistics, teen drug use in 2020 revealed that about 20.1% reported using an illicit drug in the past month, while alcohol use among teens in 2020 showed that approximately 29.3% of high school students reported drinking
alcohol in the past 30 days.

Friend, are you constructing these walls in the lives of your children?

One of the more frightening things to me is to be awakened during the middle of the night by tornado sirens. The realization that something in a matter of minutes could flatten my house is unbearable. There are many things in life that frighten us. These vary from individual and the way we respond does as well. The way a person perseveres from this is known as courage. J.R.R Tolkien was once quoted saying “Courage is found in unlikely places.” This simple quote got my mind racing about the accounts of courage in the Bible.

In 1 Samuel 17, there is one of the many examples of courage displayed throughout the Bible. It is one that is often used as a metaphor in sports. Young David up against an unlikely opponent, one not many believed he could defeat, Goliath, the Philistine giant.

In verse 45, we see the courage David has. ⁴⁵ “Then David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.” Continuing down in verse 49:  ^“And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.”

David stood up to the Philistine. He was an unlikely person to defeat an opponent that overpowered him in every way possible. There was one thing David had on his side, and that was the Lord. David displayed true courage standing up to the Philistine. When we think there isn’t a way to overcome a fear or frightening situation, confront it knowing the Lord is with us.

Today, Summit’s Daily Devotional centered on finding healing in times of loss through God’s word. Amidst the depths of grief, the Bible offers comfort and hope. These verses serve as poignant reminders of God’s unwavering love and His abiding presence, even in the shadow of
sorrow.

• “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27). Within Jesus’ peace, you discover a refuge that transcends human understanding. Allow it to be a soothing balm, calming your troubled heart and granting strength to face the days ahead.

• “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6). Amidst the tempest of grief, God remains your unwavering guide. Approach Jesus, weary soul, for He extends an offer to bear the weight of your sorrows (Matthew 11:28-30).

• “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). God intimately comprehends your anguish and offers comfort. His reassuring presence is your steadfast companion (Matthew 28:20), bringing healing to your shattered spirit (Isaiah 53).

• “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26). Amidst the vulnerability of grief, recognize that God’s strength remains an eternal wellspring of hope, sustaining through the shadows of death.

• “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Grieve for your beloved but grieve with the hope anchored in the promise of resurrection. The embrace of eternal reunion awaits, illuminating the path ahead with rays of assuring hope.

Dear friend, on your darkest day, be aware that your church family stands beside you. More significantly, embrace the blessed assurance that God’s unwavering presence walks with you, offering strength, healing, and the promise of brighter days ahead.