As we live in the kingdom into which God has brought us through his forgiveness, we too demonstrate forgiveness to others. Though we often assume that we live autonomous lives, we are interconnected with our God and with others. Everything we have is our God's - a recognition that leads us to see the debts we have owed him. Such debts have been forgiven because of God's grace In his kingdom, we are empowered and moved to freely forgive others their debts they owe us.

Some days go well and some don’t. Some days we feel like we’re on top of the world, and others like we’re on the bottom. If the value we place on our lives and ourselves is tied to how well things are going in our “everyday,” we’re going to be riding an uncomfortable roller coaster. We need something, someone we can look to for unchanging contentment no matter how our “everyday” is going. Paul had plenty of highs and lows, but learned the secret of contentment in any circumstances. His unchanging reason? Jesus. We can do everything through Him who gives us strength. If we have Jesus, we don’t need anything else. Genuine joy isn’t dictated by your changing circumstances, it is found in the unchangeable Lord.

We all have the childhood fantasies of finding buried treasure - how would we celebrate? What would we do with the wealth and the resources? How determined would we be if we knew where treasure was to be found? As Jesus speaks of faith, he describes its value as that of a buried treasure now discovered. He leads us to ask the same questions, not with our childhood fantasies but with the reality of this amazing, valuable blessing that God has given to us. How precious is the kingdom!

We've realized that the kingdom is something incredible and more valuable than anything we could ever own. It is ours freely through repenctance. We are part of the kingdom because we have been forgiven and we can extend forgiveness. God's gracious invitation to a celebration is so good, and yet when we speak about it to others it can be met with confusion, question, anger, and rejection. Why? The effects of sin go down deep into the soil of our hearts. We must rely on the Holy Spirit to cultivate hearts to be prepared for the gospel, so that God's powerful message can take root. Yet, though it may be misunderstood, or questions, or rejected, our King still calls us to recklessly scatter his words and promises. The harvest will be plentiful, and we can celebrate with him again.

Life isn’t always easy here. And it isn’t hard for friction to happen between people. If it keeps happening, it can start causing pain, and then start creating bitterness. And when bitterness has built up, a single spark can cause an explosion. There is a joy we are given as a gift through Jesus. This means we can rejoice together no matter how hard things get. This joy can help us live together with other imperfect people like us. And this is so important… because those who will spend an eternity in joyful unity might as well start living in that joy now. Life is just better that way. So let’s focus on the good gifts God has given us, and let that overflow with joy into not only our lives, but the lives of those around us.

When you’re on your way home from travelling, and have been gone a while, there’s nothing like getting close to home. You can see the familiar sights, hear familiar sounds, even smell familiar things. It keeps you going, and encourages you to finish the journey and get home! Life on earth is like that. We’re on a journey here, but our real home is with God. He’s put that home in our hearts, and the closer we come, the more we will long for it. Keeping our real home as our focus helps us through life’s journey, with all its highs and lows. It’s easy to be sidetracked along the way. This scripture passage helps us keep our home in view.

We love sharing with people the places we’ve been, things we’ve done, stuff we’ve accomplished. There are things in this world that have brought us joy that we want to share with others. But when we focus on sharing with everyone what we have done or accomplished, it can turn into a competition as to who has done or seen the most. And truth be told, all these things can only bring joy for so long. If we think things we have done have brought us joy, there is something that was done for us that brought us a greater joy than anything we’ve done or experienced. Unspeakable joy. And when we know this joy, believe it, celebrate it, it changes everything.

Have you ever felt like you really didn’t fit in or belong in the place you are? Cheering for the wrong team in the wrong stadium? All dressed up while everyone else is casual? Excited about something no one else is? We live in a post-Christian world. The viewpoints prevalent in this world are a world apart from the viewpoint God gives us in His Word. That means, in this world, we stick out. Stand out. Shine like stars in a very dark sky. As we hold onto God’s Word and hold it out for other people to see, we will shine like stars in people’s lives. Imagine what a difference it makes in a dark night sky to see a bright light shining forth! We can make a difference in the lives of others, just like Jesus made a difference in ours. Let’s shine like stars!