READ: MATTHEW 20:25-27; LUKE 10:1-9; PHILIPPIANS 2:3-8

Have you ever tried to be impressive to gain friends? Sometimes we operate under the mistaken belief that being stronger, smarter, or funnier than those around us will draw others to us. In reality, positioning ourselves above others often creates space between us and them—Jesus cautions His disciples against doing this. After all, healthy relationships are foundational to the kingdom He is building. Faith comes from hearing the message, and no one wants to listen to someone who is constantly signaling I’m better than you through their attitudes and actions.

Often the opposite is the true path to friendship: vulnerability. When we know someone else makes mistakes and struggles just like we do, we can relax about our own flaws and relate to them more fully. Vulnerability isn’t self-deprecation or unloading all our negative experiences and feelings onto others, but it does mean letting people see us as we really are—and sometimes, this includes sharing the dark or difficult areas of our lives. It also means accepting help rather than pretending to have it all together.

Jesus doesn’t have flaws or transgressions like we do—He’s sinless—yet He can truly empathize with all our hurts and temptations (Hebrews 4:14-16). And Jesus modeled healthy, relatable vulnerability throughout the Gospels (the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John): when He was tired, He fell asleep; when He was grieved, He wept; when He was distressed, He asked His close friends to keep watch and pray with Him; when He was hungry, He ate; and when He ministered, He accepted financial support. Jesus even sent His disciples out to meet people without taking supplies or resources that would make them self-sufficient. He told them to stay in people’s homes and eat the food they were offered, giving them time to get to know their hosts as they shared their faith and their own need for Jesus. We can do the same, walking in humility and kindness toward the people we meet, opening our true lives and selves to one another as we point toward God’s unflinching love for us. • Amber Vanderhoof

• Can you think of a time when you were vulnerable with someone who made you feel loved and welcomed? What did they say or do that made you feel this way?

• Can you think of a time when a friend challenged you to grow in your walk with Jesus, and you accepted that challenge? What about your relationship with that person made you willing to accept their advice and guidance?

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus… Philippians 2:5 (NIV)

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 10:31–11:2; EPHESIANS 5:1-2; PHILIPPIANS 3:17; 4:9

I recently had the opportunity to play cello with my old high school orchestra as an alumni. Before the concert, our director held multiple alumni rehearsals, and I went to all of them. But an old cellist friend of mine was only able to come to one, and on that day we shared a music stand. As we started the first song, something in my brain told me to follow what he was playing. But as I did, my own playing became more messy and hesitating. We laughed about how he should probably be the one following me, since I’d been to more rehearsals, and by the day of the concert we were both playing more confidently.

Reflecting on this later, I was reminded of something I’d read in the Bible that kind of bugged me. In 1 Corinthians 11:1 Paul says, “Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.” And I thought, That sounds a little presumptuous. Paul seems pretty confident he knows what he’s doing. But this example from orchestra helped me make sense of what Paul was saying.

When I’m practicing cello by myself, it’s definitely helpful to be alone so that I can work on the parts of the music that aren’t coming easily to me. And then at rehearsal, it’s great to have the conductor telling me how fast to go, how loud to play, and which places to really emphasize. But there’s also this other element of listening to the people playing next to you that just really helps. Plus, playing the same music together with other people is part of the joy of an orchestra!

I wonder if this is what Paul was getting at, that reading the Bible and talking to God by ourselves is super important. But sometimes, as we try to work out what it means to live out our faith in our everyday lives, it really helps to see some examples, especially from people we know personally. The older I get, the more grateful I am that God has set up His community this way, that He has given us each other so we can learn from one another and walk together as we follow Jesus. Because He loves us with an un-ending, death-defying love, He went all the way to the cross for us, sacrificing Himself so that we could live. And when He rose from the grave, He told us to teach and remind each other of the good news, and help each other follow Him.

So now when I read this verse, I see God’s tenderness. As I long for the day I’ll see Jesus in the flesh, it comforts me to know that I have brothers and sisters here in the flesh with me, showing me imperfect yet powerful glimpses of the love and goodness of Jesus. • Hannah Howe

• Is there a Christian in your life you admire? What about their walk with Jesus would you like to imitate?

Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1 (CSB)

READ: 1 KINGS 3:5-12; ROMANS 12:2

God did an amazing job when He created humans. Our brains alone are made up of about 86 to 100 billion nerves that communicate in 100 trillion connections, controlling all of the systems in our bodies and allowing us to communicate, think, and reason.

But, because our world has been broken by sin, sometimes our brains give us the farthest thing from wisdom. Especially when we get overwhelmed, our thoughts run wild, often telling us things that simply aren’t true—about who we are, who God is, and what’s going on around us. And these thoughts influence our feelings and actions.

For example, let’s say you enter a room. Everyone looks at you, then goes back to what they were doing. Wild thoughts might sound like this: “They all just looked at me. Nobody came over to talk to me. They probably hate me. I should just go home.” Then you might go stand in the corner because you think you don’t belong.

But if you can capture those negative thoughts, you might be able to see the situation differently: “They all looked at me, but nobody talked to me. They might be just as nervous as I am. But Jesus loves me, and He loves everyone in this room. That table only has two people. I’ll see if I can join them.” Instead of standing in the corner, you choose to engage by showing Jesus’s love to others.

So how can we change our wild thoughts? We can’t. Not on our own. We need God’s strength and wisdom, found only in knowing Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:2-3). In 1 Kings 3, Solomon asked the Lord to give him wisdom, and God was pleased. He’s pleased to give us wisdom too (James 1:5).

God will greatly increase our wisdom when we read His Word, the Bible, because it shows us who we are in relationship to Him, our Creator. It tells us the good news of how Jesus came to free us from sin and death—and how that wonderful truth affects every area of our lives.

Capturing your thoughts to obey Christ can help you over and over as you go through life. Instead of letting your wild thoughts push you around, you can rely on Jesus—the one who died and rose again for you—and tell yourself the truth from God’s Word. • Robyn Mulder

• Step 1: Take out a piece of paper and try writing all of your thoughts down for five minutes or so. Read over them and see which ones line up with God’s Word and which ones are just wild, untrue thoughts.

• Step 2: In the space below, take each wild thought and rewrite it as a Christ-captured thought. For example, the wild thought, “No one could ever love me” would become, “God loves me more than I can imagine, and He proved that I am lovable when Jesus died on the cross for me.”

• Step 3: Find Bible verses that back up each Christ-captured thought (and debunk the wild thoughts). If you get stuck, who is a trusted Christian in your life who could help you?

We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NLT)

READ: MICAH 7:18-20; ROMANS 8:31-39

Have you ever wondered if your sin is more than God could forgive? You’re not alone. We’ve all had moments when we’ve felt and seen the darkness in our own hearts and minds and wondered, How could God still love me? Sometimes we might feel as though God only forgives us because Jesus paid for our sin at the cross—so, you know, He kind of has to. But maybe He doesn’t like it. Maybe our sin has made God weary.

In the Old Testament, the biblical authors have a favorite Hebrew word to describe God’s love: hesed. Most of our Bible translations translate this word as either “steadfast love,” “mercy,” or “lovingkindness.” The word hesed conveys the idea that God’s love is unfailing.

In Micah 7:18, the prophet Micah declares that God delights in steadfast love. Did you catch that? It doesn’t weary God to love us. It’s a source of delight and pleasure for God to love us with His unfailing love!

A passage like this frees us to be completely honest with ourselves before God. It allows us to look unflinchingly at the depths of our sin and to go before God with all our wrongs to confess, repent, and cry out for mercy. It allows us to be filled with the sweet confidence that when we do, it brings God delight to respond with His never-failing, never-stopping, steadfast love! • Jonathon Fuller

• How can Bible passages like today’s shape our understanding of who God is?

• Consider taking a few moments to examine your own heart before the Lord. You don’t have to be afraid to be honest with yourself as you look at your sin. Are there any sins that you feel as though God may not forgive? You can confess all those sins to God, repent (or turn away) from them, and then rest in the knowledge that God delights in forgiving and loving you with His unfailing love!

• If you want to dig deeper, read Psalm 18:19; Ephesians 1:5; 5:25; Hebrews 12:2.

You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love. Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean! Micah 7:18-19 (NLT)

READ: DEUTERONOMY 10:18-19; 27:19; GALATIANS 3:28; REVELATION 7:9-10

At various times throughout US history, my nation has been shamelessly racist: enslaving African Americans, killing and relegating Native Americans to reservations, interning Asian Americans, etc. And while America has worked to put an end to these horrible practices, today we live in a time that continues those abuses with more subtle prejudices: off-color jokes, fear mongering, and hatred toward immigrants. Sadly, many Christians all around the world fall into these kinds of racial and ethnic stereotypes as well, treating people of different ethnicities with suspicion and cruelty.

This behavior is not of God. And it’s nothing new. Ever since the first humans chose sin, we’ve all been struggling with racism in every nation in history. But God loves diversity. He created it! God loves us so much, and He wants to be with us. In fact, Jesus died and rose again to forgive all the sins of those who put their trust in Him, including the sin of racism. He made the way for people of all ethnicities to be saved from sin and death and live with Him forever.

At the end of time, the kingdom of God will be the most diverse kingdom ever imagined. Revelation describes it as a group of people who represent every nation, every language, and every people group—from all time— worshipping God together as one. So, no matter what country we live in or came from, we are called to be welcoming to all people. Jesus Himself calls us to share our hope and our faith with “all nations” (Matthew 28:19). In Deuteronomy, arguably one of the stricter Old Testament books, God gave instructions about treating immigrants well, reminding the Israelites that they were refugees once too (how many of our ancestors were as well?).

We are commanded by God to love our neighbors as ourselves, which certainly includes those whose ethnicities aren’t the same as ours. And Jesus is always with us, empowering us to see and love others like He does, and offering forgiveness when we fail. So, as we attend school, discuss politics, and ask for prayers in our churches, may we not fall into unseemly jokes, prejudiced behaviors or thought patterns, or fearful talk about those who were born somewhere else. Instead, let’s seek to welcome everyone into a kingdom as diverse as God’s heart. • Abigail Aswegen

• Why do you think God created diversity? What can this tell us about what God is like?

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. Revelation 7:9 (NIV)

READ: PROVERBS 17:1; PHILIPPIANS 4:10-13; 1 TIMOTHY 6:6-19; JAMES 3:13-18

Cheerful colored cloths hung from candlelit windowsills and plump pumpkins crouched like friendly gnomes near doorways. The courtly procession was traveling through a village on the way to the autumnal feast. Around Crispin were other people wearing fine silks walking along to the lilting music of minstrels. Yet he felt anything but joyful.

Glancing at his companions, dressed in rich attire but wearing no smiles, Crispin knew they felt the same. They quarreled constantly in court. And when they did get along, it was only because the members pretended to be friends to appease the king. As they would tonight.

Sighing, Crispin glanced around at the simple surroundings of the village. Families laughed among makeshift tables spread with harvest dishes as children played with colorful streamers. But what caught his eye was an old man alone on a bench. He held a plate of meager vegetables, yet contentment was evident on his face.

Crispin paused, allowing the procession to move ahead.

“Excuse me sir, but how can you be glad when such a meal sits on your lap?”

The man looked up from his plate and smiled. “Sit down, friend.”

Crispin joined him.

“Is all this not worth giving thanks for? But even if I was out in the wild, I would still rejoice—because I know the King.”

Shifting in his seat, Crispin said, “I know the king and his court, yet our banquet will not be as joyous as yours.”

“I am talking of the King of the stars and mountains. The one whose kingdom never ends. Where He is, love and joy overflow, and there is enough to go around whether I am eating vegetables or sitting as a guest at the great autumnal feast.”

The man handed Crispin some roasted potato and began telling him the ancient tales about the King with nail-scarred hands and feet. As Crispin ate and listened, he slowly began to smile.

“Love,” murmured Crispin. “That is what we are missing, the love of this King…but not for long.” Crispin jumped up and started to leave. Then he stopped and called back to the man.

“I must tell the others—thank you for the feast!” • Sophia Bricker

• Today’s allegorical story points to Jesus’s kingdom. Because God in flesh let His hands and feet be nailed to a cross, because He bled and died for us, then rose again from the dead, we can be part of that kingdom. Even when we don’t have much, we have everything—because we get to experience the overflowing love and joy that come from knowing Him! And we get to look forward to the day when Jesus will return to raise us to eternal life. Then we will join Him in the greatest feast of all, and we’ll never experience lack again. If you want to dig deeper, read Psalms 34:8; 63:3-5; Mark 10:17-31; John 4:4-14; 10:10; Romans 8:31-39; 2 Corinthians 6:10; Ephesians 1:3–2:10; Hebrews 13:5; 1 Peter 2:1-3; Revelation 19:6-9; 21:1-5.

• James 3 says there are two kinds of wisdom. Earthly wisdom is characterized by bitter envy, selfish ambition, disorder, and evil (verse 14-16). Can you think of a time you were in a group of people that felt this way, perhaps like Crispin described the royal court? Can you think of a time you lived according to earthly wisdom?

• How does James describe heavenly wisdom in verses 17-18? How does knowing Jesus make it possible for us to live this way? (Hint: read 1 John 4:19)

• It was the old man’s contentment that caught Crispin’s attention. And it was through his hospitality— sharing what he had—that Crispin was able to hear the gospel, or good news. How can contentment be a testimony of God’s love? What are simple ways we can offer hospitality using what we have?<...

READ: NUMBERS 12; MICAH 6:4; HEBREWS 2:10-18

If we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we can know that God is always at work in our lives, forming us to become more and more like Jesus through our relationships and experiences. This is not always an easy process, especially when it comes to family relationships. Your sister can feel like a best friend and ally on Monday, but by Friday you could be at odds. Your brother can have you in a headlock during an argument, but then work seamlessly with you on an important project later that same day.

Moses led the people out of slavery in Egypt and gave them God’s word, but he didn’t do it alone. His sister Miriam’s care and cleverness in approaching Pharaoh’s daughter saved Moses’s life as a baby. And his brother Aaron’s willingness to speak to the Israelites on Moses’s behalf made it possible for Moses to participate in God’s magnificent plan to rescue His people. God called Moses to something great, and He gave him siblings to help him carry it out.

But much like our relationships with our siblings, these siblings experienced anger, disappointment, and disunity. One of these times is described in Numbers 12, when Aaron and Miriam doubted and complained against Moses. The Lord Himself corrected the two of them and struck Miriam with leprosy as a result. At this point, Moses was faced with a choice: to let Miriam sit in her punishment, and possibly die, or to show love and mercy.

Moses chose mercy. He cried out to God on Miriam’s behalf, letting his love for his sister eclipse any desire for revenge he may have felt. This points forward to another Israelite who would love God and show mercy, even when His brothers and sisters betrayed Him unto death. Jesus made the way for us to be spared from the just punishment we deserve by taking our punishment for us. Instead of a death sentence, we receive a welcome into God’s family and a promise that we will live forever with Jesus and our heavenly Father. In God’s family we have a vast array of siblings—all the people who have trusted in Jesus around the world and throughout history. As we rest in Jesus’s merciful love for us, we can extend that same love to our brothers and sisters. • Amber Vanderhoof

• How is the love Jesus has for us similar to the love between siblings? How is it different?

• If you want to dig deeper, read Exodus 2:1-10, Exodus 4, and Exodus 15:19-21.

So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. Hebrews 2:11 (NLT)

READ: 2 CHRONICLES 32:1-22; MATTHEW 4:1-11

At one time in Israel’s history, the army of Assyria came to invade Jerusalem, and the Assyrian king, Sennacherib, was sure that this Israelite God would be as easy to defeat as the gods of the other nations surrounding it. He laid siege to Jerusalem, then used fear tactics. He sent threatening letters to King Hezekiah of Judah and sent officers to yell threats at the Israelites standing on the city walls, directly addressing the people in their own language.

Sennacherib did this “to frighten and discourage them in order that he might capture the city. They spoke against the God of Jerusalem like they had spoken against the gods of the peoples of the earth, which were made by human hands” (2 Chronicles 32:18-19).

Here’s some of Sennacherib’s long and pompous speech: “So now, don’t let Hezekiah deceive you, and don’t let him mislead you like this. Don’t believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to rescue his people from my power or the power of my predecessors. How much less will your God rescue you from my power!” (2 Chronicles 32:15).

King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah both sought God’s help, and the story has a wonderful ending. I hope you read it for yourself. But notice how the enemy used lies to terrify God’s people. Sennacherib wanted to “frighten and discourage them.” Their fear could have become so crippling that Sennacherib could easily have conquered them. Our enemy does the same thing today. Satan’s lies abound. We might feel like nobody cares or that we are all alone. But none of those things are true! We are treasured and loved by God, and He is always with us.

So how can we combat the lies? The best way to defeat the lies of the enemy is with the truth of God’s Word. That’s what Jesus did when His enemy tempted Him with half-truths (Matthew 4:1-11). Jesus knew that He was going to defeat Satan through dying on the cross and rising from the grave—and He did! Today, we can know that if we’ve put our trust in Jesus, He is with us, and His Holy Spirit fills us with truth and hope in the face of the devil’s lies. Whenever we’re afraid, let’s look to Jesus. • Kristen Merrill

• How can things like memorizing God’s Word, talking with Him in prayer, and spending time with other believers help us remember the truth about who Jesus is and who we are in Him?

• When we fall for Satan’s lies, God has so much compassion on us. He always wants to forgive and restore us. What lies do you need to bring to Him today?

[Jesus said,] “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32 (CSB)