Where are we at in our commitment to Christ? Adam & Eve gave in quickly to temptation in the Garden of Eden. Jesus struggled in the Garden of Gethsemane but totally committed Himself to God. Jesus did not demand His rights as God. He did it voluntarily and chose the path of pain because He loved us. We are a new creation, God's children, saints redeemed and forgiven. Our church has been bought with a price. Get rid of anything else on the throne of your heart and don't be double-minded. Seek the Lord our God and follow Him!

We need to identify and recognise wounds that make us build up walls and become defensive, fear rejection or become people pleasers. Wounds can be the result of broken relationships or sinful actions that can lead to fear, anxiety, depression or overwhelming grief. Jesus can heal us and make us whole and honesty is the beginning of that healing. Believe God's Word as truth because He has plans and purposes for us.

Hope is a confident assurance in the unseen, despite what we do see. Just like the Corinthians, we live in uncertain times, with the last year and a half full of the unexpected and unprecedented. It can be tempting to allow our ultimate hope to be substituted for the lesser things that the world has to offer, rather than being based on Jesus’ death and resurrection and on the promises of God. When we remind ourselves of these things we are better able to encourage and share where true hope may be found with others.

Jesus is saying in this parable that He is the new covenant, the stone the builders rejected. There is condemnation for those who reject Jesus. God's amazing love is on display, His mercy & grace. He is generous with His gospel and is patiently waiting for us to respond to His offer of salvation. God loves us so much that He sent His only Son, fully knowing that He would be crucified. We are reminded that we are like the Pharisees when we build our own kingdom and don't bring in God's harvest. We must accept God's cornerstone with Jesus as Lord in our lives and live for His harvest. We live for Him and His purpose.

A man scatters seed - not a spectacular image. We mostly live ordinary lives as we go through our routine, and try to look for opportunities to share our faith. At the end of the day, we ask ourselves if we have lived for God. We may not feel like there are signs of fruit in our lives but God is working and growing our faith and our witness. The man scattering seed is His messenger. We are His messengers and our job is to be faithful in scattering seed. Sometimes the ground seems hard, the work seems small and we are tired. Thank God that His work continues and He never tires.