Jesus came not to point to Himself, but to perfectly reveal the Father's character and love. His entire mission was to show us who God truly is, making the invisible God visible and knowable. When we look at how Jesus treated the broken, the lost, and the ashamed, we see the Father's compassionate response. He is the exact representation of the Father's being, making a relationship with God accessible and personal. [52:29]
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
John 14:6-10 (NIV)
Reflection: As you consider your current understanding of God, what aspect of His character, as revealed through Jesus’ life and actions, do you most need to embrace or rediscover this week?
There are seasons where God's presence can feel distant and His goodness can be difficult to perceive. Like Job, we may search in every direction and feel that God is hidden from our circumstances. Yet, even in the deepest valleys, we are invited to hold onto a trust that transcends our understanding. Our God is not distant; He is the suffering Savior who entered into our pain to walk with us through it. [46:18]
“But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”
Job 23:8-10 (NIV)
Reflection: Where in your life are you currently struggling to perceive God's goodness, and what would it look like to choose trust in His character over trust in your changing circumstances?
Jesus did not live on earth accessing His divinity, but instead humbled Himself to live as a man fully dependent on the Father. He got tired, hungry, and was anointed by the Spirit, showing us the pattern for a human life lived in obedience. He walked the path before us so we could see that following Him is not only possible but is our intended way of life. [59:47]
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Philippians 2:5-7 (NIV)
Reflection: In which area of your daily life do you find it most difficult to depend on God's strength rather than your own, and what is one practical step you can take to rely more on the Holy Spirit this week?
The parable of the prodigal son reveals a father who, against all cultural norms, runs to his returning son, absorbing the shame himself. He doesn't wait for a full apology or a period of probation; he immediately covers his son's shame, restores his authority, and welcomes him home. This is the heart of our Heavenly Father towards us when we turn back to Him. [26:29]
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.’”
Luke 15:20-22 (NIV)
Reflection: Is there an area in your life where you have been hesitant to approach God because you feel you need to 'clean yourself up' first? How does the father's response in this story invite you to come to Him just as you are?
Following Jesus is not about adhering to a list of rules, but about responding to a relational invitation to walk as He walked. His command was simply, "Follow me," which means our lives should be characterized by the same love, forgiveness, and obedience that flowed from His relationship with the Father. This journey requires daily attentiveness to His voice and a willingness to go where He leads. [15:46]
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
Matthew 16:24-25 (NIV)
Reflection: Where might God be inviting you to take a specific, perhaps unexpected, step of obedience that flows from your relationship with Him rather than from a sense of religious duty?
God walks into human suffering and invites trust when circumstances make faith feel impossible. The narrative opens with Job’s search for God in the darkest places, then moves to the claim that God is not distant but chooses to enter the dirt of human life—suffering with people and taking on suffering greater than any human has known. The incarnation receives careful attention: fully God yet fully man, Jesus set aside divine privilege to live in genuine dependence on the Father and the Spirit, modeling a human life of obedience, prayer, and sacrificial love. That embodiment becomes “perfect theology”—the clearest revelation of who God is and how people are meant to live.
Following Jesus clarifies identity and vocation. Rather than a list of rules, the call centers on imitation—follow the one who followed the Father—and on relational formation that issues in compassion, forgiveness, and holiness. The life of Jesus demonstrates an attainable image: he walked on the ground with people so they could follow, he was tempted as humans are yet remained sinless, and he showed that restored humanity can act in union with God through the Spirit.
Covenant history frames divine commitment. The Abraham narrative reveals God’s willingness to bind the covenant to himself, stepping into both sides of the promise so redemption could be certain even when people repeatedly failed. Israel’s cycles of devotion and betrayal underscore human unreliability and the necessity of God’s grace to secure restoration. The parable of the prodigal son exposes the Father’s posture toward both the openly rebellious and the dutifully distant—both receive the same embrace, immediate restoration, and celebration.
Practical invitations follow: cultivate intimacy with God through simple, regular practices (a breakfast-time communion example) and prioritize relationship over religious activity. The gospel stands as the sole remedy for the estrangement caused by sin: a perfect substitute pays the cost so people may be reconciled and empowered by the Spirit to live as restored image-bearers. The closing charge calls for courageous outreach—bringing the Father’s heart into everyday places so “heaven may be crowded” with those who return home.
You see, our God is not a God who's sitting up in heaven going, hey, you know, I'm God so you guys just have to listen to me. He's actually the God unlike any other religion. He's the God who came down and said, you're suffering? Let me get the dirt with you. Let me suffer right where you are. Let me take more suffering than any human has ever endured in history. I'm gonna suffer with you, because he's our suffering savior.
[00:47:35]
(32 seconds)
#SufferingSavior
John fourteen twelve, greater things than these you will do because I go to be in the father. Jesus is like, hey, you guys can do greater things than I do, which is crazy unless he's doing them as a man in right relationship with God. And he's saying, you have the opportunity to do the same thing that I'm doing and more because I'm giving you the Holy Spirit to dwell inside you. He was showing us what the human life fully surrendered to God could look like.
[01:05:23]
(36 seconds)
#GreaterInYou
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