Jesus makes it plain. Loving God is not optional, and loving people is not negotiable. The two are inseparable. We cannot claim deep devotion to God while dismissing our responsibility to one another.
More
I am no gardener, but I do enjoy being outside in the spring—hands in the soil, surrounded by color, spending more money and time on plants than I probably should.
I love this verse, even in the seasons where I question whether the work God began in me will ever feel complete.
Grace is not given in bulk or by accident. It is not random or generic.
God’s call to Abram comes without a map. There is no destination named, no timeline given—only a command and a promise: Go.
John has been arrested. This would not have seemed like the right time for an announcement.
Jesus meets Simon and Andrew in the middle of their ordinary workday.
Jesus’ invitation is tender and direct. Jesus does not call the strong, the self-sufficient, or the ones who have everything figured out.
Andrew did not preach a sermon or organize a movement. He simply went to find his brother and said, “We have found the Messiah.”
Isn’t it remarkable how kind we can be to strangers? We bump into someone at the grocery store and immediately say, “Excuse me.”