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Written by the Theodyssey, an organization that helps people encounter God and be radically changed by the truth of His love. This is an excerpt from their study “When We Pray.”

Whether we realize it or not, we all live under the influence of a kingdom. Something – or someone – shapes our choices, directs our desires, and governs what we pursue. Everybody worships . . . the only choice is what to worship.Even those who love God can still find their hearts pulled toward other allegiances – success, comfort, approval, control. These desires may begin as good things, but they can quietly become ultimate things. And they start to rule us – and without realizing it, we’ve built our own cage. Dallas Willard stated:  “There is no avoiding the fact that we live at the mercy of our ideas. This is never more true than with our ideas about God.” Our inner world governs our outer life. What we believe about God and ourselves — and about what makes life worthwhile — shapes the kind of people we become. The Kingdom of God reorders our loyalties. It is radically upside-down. Jesus redefines greatness as servanthood, blessedness as spiritual poverty, and wholeness as dependence. His Kingdom isn’t built on striving or status, but on surrender. That’s why this can’t just be about trying harder — we must ask God to change our hearts. It’s why we must repent and change the way we think. Every day, we choose — and we live according to what we believe matters most….Many of us long for the fruit of the Kingdom – justice, peace, mercy – but struggle with the cost of surrendering to the King. But we cannot have the Kingdom without the King…To say, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done” is to choose surrender over self-rule. It is to step into a story that is bigger, truer, and more beautiful than the one we could write for ourselves. It is inviting God to change us, so we become the people who bring the Kingdom into our unique contexts. It’s believing that God’s Kingdom is worth giving up everything to grab hold of it.

No one can serve two masters. . . You cannot serve both God and money. [Matthew 6:24]

Written by Lori Wildenberg, a contemporary speaker, educator, and coach.

What do defying the law, performing secret weddings, healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, conversation attempts, and martyrdom have in common? They are all attributed to the multiple legends surrounding Saint Valentine, a Roman priest who was beheaded in the third century on February 14th. Narratives tell of Valentine being jailed because he practiced Christianity in a pagan world and even attempted to convert the Emperor. Additional stories tell of Valentine healing the sick and restoring sight to his jailer’s blind daughter. The legend ends with Valentine writing the young woman a letter signing it Your Valentine, just before he was executed. The origin of Valentine’s Day is rooted in strong faith and great love. A love that courageously chooses God’s law over man’s. Love that speaks life to the staunchest unbeliever. Love that is powerful enough to heal. Love that is demonstrated in action and conviction, not just words. This is the love that caused St. Valentine to lay his life down for what he believed. Love, plus obedience, was the force the brought Jesus to the cross. Valentine’s Day has come to be a day where we show affection and appreciation for family and friends. This day has the potential to be so much more than flowers, chocolate, and warm fuzzy feelings. It can be an opportunity to reflect God’s big supernatural love; a love full of grace, mercy, justice, truth, forgiveness, joy, and commitment. Love that is patient, kind, content, humble, unselfish, self-controlled, forgiving, protective, enduring, hopeful, and everlasting. In our homes we can celebrate the amazing love God has for us on Valentine’s Day and beyond.

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. [1 John 4:8]

Written by Jennifer Waddle, a contemporary author.

Why did God provide only one way to heaven? Wouldn’t it have been more “user-friendly” to create many paths leading to eternity with Him? In an attempt to illustrate God’s perfect plan, I picture a kingdom on a mountain. There is one road to the summit, leading right to the kingdom’s gates. A free map is offered to anyone who asks. Yet, most people do not follow the map. For the road to the kingdom is narrow and not always easy to navigate. Instead, the travelers choose other roads. Wide and easy, with beautiful scenery on the way, they convince themselves that the road they’re on must lead to the kingdom! However, those paths never reach the summit. At some point, they either take a detour or simply dead-end. As people continue to trek up the mountain, I picture the Savior calling to all travelers, “Come, this is the way. Follow Me.” Yet, many go their own way, forging other paths and avoiding the One True Road at all cost. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. His way is sure and His path is open to all. There is no guesswork! There is no “re-calculating” the journey. Jesus paved the way once and for all without mistake. God didn’t provide only one way to heaven out of a sense of arrogance or control, as some might believe. He lovingly and painfully carved out the only path that would reach. Across the chasm of man’s sin and up the mountain of life’s journey, God gave His Son—the perfect Way. Every other road that man travels will fall short of His glory. It will dead-end. But, there is One who calls… “Come and follow Me.

Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” [John 14:5-6]

Written by Josh Moody, a contemporary pastor.  This is an excerpt from his work “5 Ways You Can Make a Difference to Change the World.”

Jesus tells us that we are the salt of the earth, and we are the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-14). He does not tell us that we need to become change agents (salt or light); he tells us we are change agents. In ancient times, salt was primarily used not as an aid to taste but as a preservative. Jesus is saying that we are the global moral preservatives. And then, as now, light shone in dark places to show us the way to go. He is saying that we are the global spiritual illuminators. He also tells us it’s possible to hide our light under a bowl, and while chemically salt cannot lose its saltiness, salt then (and now) could get ruined by having other elements to it. So, our saltiness and our light-i-ness can get ruined by either hiding and not speaking out (light under a bowl) or being corrupted by non-Christian behavior and thoughts (losing our saltiness)… It’s very easy in our days of political correctness to keep our light under a bowl. Certainly, prudence is sensible. Jesus also tells his followers to be shrewd. A whole book of the Bible is devoted to the importance of wisdom (the book of Proverbs). There is seldom any advantage to be gained for acting in foolhardy and unnecessarily risky ways. But, that said, it is a temptation for many of us – when speaking out on simple Biblical truths can get us into hot water – to hide… Salt will not be salty if it is corrupted by morally tarnished attitudes, doctrines drawn from current philosophies, not from the Bible, and spiritually pluralistic tendencies. That kind of salt is not really good for anything. It will need to be thrown on the trash heap. Let us not be like that! Stay distinct.

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. [Matthew 5:13]

Written by Ken Boa, a contemporary author and founder of Reflections Ministry. This is an excerpt from his book “Transforming Prayers.”

God of redemption, You have given me the inexpressible grace of being justified before You through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. You have overcome my enmity and given me the gift of peace with You and the hope of Your glory. But You have also taught me in Your Word that I will encounter tribulation in this world, especially as I seek to live a godly life in Christ Jesus. In spite of my natural disposition to the contrary, please make it more evident to me that affliction can be redemptive, because it can forge proven character and draw me away from misplaced and ill-defined hopes. I want to hope only in You and not in the goods and benefits of this passing world. My experience of suffering will be brief in light of eternity, and I know that You will perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish me in Christ. Amen.

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ [Romans 5:1]

This is an excerpt from “The Bible in a Year: A 52-Week Journey Through God’s Word,” written by the Spiral Bible team.

God’s love forms the foundation of His relationship with humanity and is demonstrated most powerfully through the sacrifice of His Son. This divine love is not merely emotional but active and transformative, calling us to both receive and reflect this love to others…God’s love isn’t just something God does; it flows from who He is. His love isn’t a response to our worthiness but an expression of His character…Love isn’t just one of God’s many attributes among many—it’s His very essence. Every action He takes, every boundary He sets, every promise He makes flows from this core reality…This is love that acts, love that sacrifices, love that pursues even when rejected. It’s love that saw us at our worst and chose us anyway…His love remains steadfast…God’s love should transform how we view ourselves, how we treat others, and how we approach life’s challenges. When we truly begin to grasp that we are deeply loved by the Creator of the universe, it changes everything – our identity, our purpose, and our response to both blessing and difficulties.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. [1 John 4:7-8]

Written by Janice Mayo Mathers (1951-2026), an author and speaker.  This is an excerpt from her book “Following Jesus Through Mark.”

Agnes was just a teenager when she felt God calling her to become a missionary. It was a God-fueled passion that burned within her, never dimming until the day she died. For 50 years, she worked determinedly among the poorest of the poor in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) India. To the world she eventually became known as Mother Teresa, a tiny woman whose contribution to humanity was so great she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. But in the beginning, before anyone had heard of her, when she was still just Agnes, she approached the superiors of her church and told them of her desire to be a missionary. “I have three pennies and a dream from God to build an orphanage,” she said. “You can’t build an orphanage with three pennies,” they reasoned.  “With three pennies you can’t do anything.” Agnes just smiled at them. “I know. But with God and three pennies I can do anything.” It is easy to think our tiny efforts can’t make a difference, that we don’t have the talent or the money to really help. What Agnes understood, however, is that it is not our talent or money that makes a difference—it is our willingness to be used by God. The truth is—with God and three pennies we can do anything.

 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” [Matthew 19:26]

Written by David Briones, a contemporary professor and author.

Self-sufficiency (autarkeia) was considered by ancient Stoic philosophers to be the essence of all the virtues. The ideal wise person was entirely independent. To be dependent on someone else expressed one’s subordination. The wise person must rely on oneself through his inward ability—the power of the will—to resist the force of external circumstances and prevent those circumstances from causing inner anxiety or distress. Put simply, the power to become self-sufficient came from within. But for Paul, the power to become self-sufficient comes from without…We are not the source of our contentment. We are always dependent on Christ…Paul redefines “self-sufficiency” into “Christ-sufficiency.” Through our union with Christ, we receive the ability to do “all things.” The meaning of “all things,” however, is determined by the economic extremes of “abound,” “plenty,” and “abundance,” as well as “low,” “hunger,” and “need.” Whether in material lack or abundance, believers can experience contentment in Christ and avoid the temptations that attend both doubting the love of God in low times or forgetting the God of love in high times. 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessingin the heavenly places. [Ephesians 1:3]

Written by Oswald Chambers (1874-1917), an evangelist and teacher aligned with the Holiness Movement.  This is an excerpt from his book “My Utmost for His Highest.”

The greatest spiritual blessing we receive is when we come to the knowledge that we are destitute. Until we get there, our Lord is powerless. He can do nothing for us as long as we think we are sufficient in and of ourselves. We must enter into His kingdom through the door of destitution. As long as we are “rich,” particularly in the area of pride or independence, God can do nothing for us. It is only when we get hungry spiritually that we receive the Holy Spirit. The gift of the essential nature of God is placed and made effective in us by the Holy Spirit. He imparts to us the quickening life of Jesus, making us truly alive. He takes that which was “beyond” us and places it “within” us. And immediately, once “the beyond” has come “within,” it rises up to “the above,” and we are lifted into the kingdom where Jesus lives and reign.

He has responded to the prayer of the destitute and has not despised their prayer. [Psalm 102:7]

Written by Paul David Tripp, a contemporary pastor, author, and speaker.

[The truth is], none of us likes the prospect of being physically weak. None of us likes our lives being put on hold. But it does force you to face the reality that your life is in the hands of another. It reminds you that you are small and dependent, that whatever little pits of power and control you have can be taken away in an instant. Independence is a delusion that is quickly exposed during times of weakness. I found what I went through to be deeply humbling. My weakness enabled me to see and admit to things I have never faced in myself before.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. [2 Corinthians 12:9-10]