In this well-known section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus confronts our deepest anxieties by reordering our loves. Rather than commanding us to stop worrying through sheer willpower, He invites us into freedom by fixing our hearts on God as our true Treasure and trusting Him as our faithful Father.

This episode explores how misplaced treasure leads to divided hearts and restless lives, while seeking first God’s kingdom produces peace, clarity, and joy. Jesus’ words may sting at first—but like all true love, they cut in order to heal.

In this passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls His people to live out the righteous new nature they’ve been given as children of God. We are salt and light, called to a righteousness that goes deeper than rule-keeping and extends even to loving our enemies.

This lesson explores how Christian obedience flows not from pretending to be something we’re not, but from living in alignment with who God has already declared us to be. Like Morpheus training Neo, Jesus doesn’t say “try harder,” but “know who you are” - and live accordingly. The goal is not performance, but faithful expression of our new identity in Christ.

In Moses’ final words to Israel, we don’t hear correction or warning, but blessing. Deuteronomy 33 invites us to rejoice in the often-quiet miracle of belonging to the Lord. This heart-aimed lesson helps us slow down and savor our blessedness as God’s people - an intellectual and spiritual equivalent of leftovers - reminding us that there is deep joy in remembering who we are and whose we are.

In Matthew 3:13–4:11, we see Jesus step onto the public stage through His baptism and temptation. In these two scenes, Scripture shows us who Jesus truly is: the beloved Son of God, the faithful and true Israel, the promised Messiah, our Savior, and the One who brings God’s Kingdom.

This episode traces how Jesus fulfills the hopes and promises of the Old Testament, succeeding where others failed and standing in our place with perfect obedience. As we affirm who Jesus is, we’re invited to pursue joy and trust in the One who meets every expectation.

God recounts Israel's relentless march through 42 camps, leading them directly to the cusp of their inheritance. But before they cross, He lays down the ultimate ultimatum: Drive out every inhabitant. Demolish every idol. Give no quarter. Because if you don't achieve total destruction or total change, those left behind will become the thorns in your side and the pricks in your eyes, and God will do to you what He planned for them. This is the unvarnished truth of God's demand for absolute holiness.

In this episode, we explore joy not as a fleeting feeling but as the foundational posture of the Christian life. Drawing from Scripture, George Müller, C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, and even a touch of Meatloaf, this reflection reminds us that “the joy of the Lord is our strength.” Joy is not a luxury — it’s a discipline, a daily choice to delight in God through His Word and to pursue happiness that overflows to others. From laughter in hardship to small, intentional moments of delight, discover how cultivating joy nourishes the soul and strengthens faith.

This week we walk into a tense, pivotal moment in the wilderness: Israel is thirsty, tempers flare, and Moses - overwhelmed - acts in a way that fails to treat God as holy. Numbers 20:1-13 forces us to ask: how do we honor God when we’re tired, pressed, or provoked? The passage reminds leaders and laypeople alike that reverence for God must shape our words and actions in every circumstance.

Big idea: to treat God as holy in all circumstances - our worship, our obedience, and our leadership should reflect God’s holiness even when life is messy.

Suggested reading: read the entire chapter for fuller context; the short passage we focus on is verses 1-13.

This week we step into Numbers 13, where Moses sends twelve spies to scout out the promised land. Ten return with fear, two with faith — and the nation wavers on the edge of God’s gift. The story is about more than scouting land; it’s about how we see God, ourselves, and the future He has prepared.

Big idea: to walk by faith into God’s promises with shrewd strategy and neighbor-inspiring love because of our fond fixation on Jesus Messiah.

Together we’ll wrestle with the tension between fear and faith, realism and hope, strategy and trust — and we’ll ask how keeping our eyes on Christ reshapes the way we lead, plan, and love.