The greatness of God’s love for us is demonstrated by the fact that “Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:6). He gave His life for those who are not even worthy of His attention. Yet, because of Jesus’ saving death “for us” (v.8) we do not have to fear condemnation at the final judgment, God has already announced the final verdict ahead of time- we are “justified” (declared righteous v.9). Our reconciliation with God (v,10) causes us to rejoice, confident that He will now love and care for us as His own children. 

Questions for further thought:
1. In what ways have you been “ungodly”? 
2. Now, how do you react and respond to Christ knowing He died for you and me anyway?

Challenge: Keep an open eye for those you come in contact with that might be ripe to hear the Good News of Christ’s forgiveness available through faith for all sinners.

Why is Jesus alive today? Stop and consider this question. Yes, He’s alive because He rose from the dead. Yes, He’s alive because He is God and “it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him” (Acts 2:24, NIV). But why? What purpose does His present life serve? Payment for sin is complete; that’s a past accomplishment. Someday He will rule the earth; that’s a future promise. But what about today? Over and over the New Testament tells us Jesus is actively making intercession for us. He comes before the throne of heaven as our mediator, and He makes requests before the Father for our moment-by-moment needs. Christ has made no provision for you or me—on our own, in our own power—to live the Christian life. You can seek knowledge and understanding. You can serve, worship, and walk with Him. But you have zero power or personal strength to resource true, full obedience. There’s nothing in you that can enable you to live for the Lord; not an ounce of strength, not a smidgen of will power, not a thimbleful of perseverance to make Christian living possible. The only source of power is the exchanged life—Christ living through you. Your part is to get out of the way and let Him. When you do and people see spiritual life in you, whose is it? It’s Christ’s, not yours. If people see anything worthwhile in your life, if there is anything eternal and lasting, it is the actual life of Christ flowing through you.

Questions for further thought:
1. What in your life indicates living in your own strength? How is that working for you?
2. How might your life look different if you embraced the exchanged life—Christ living in you?

Challenge: Persevere and hold fast to the promises of Scripture. Be encouraged if you are God’s child as He is for you and wants to live through you.

How long did you make it this morning before your first sin? Had you finished your shower or your cup of coffee? Did you survive your commute without sinning? Chances are your early interpersonal interactions offered plenty of opportunities to stumble: cruel thoughts, impatient words, gossip, slander, boasting. You can feel like a failure before the day even begins. But you live under grace! When you live under the law, you are constantly attacked by messages of condemnation: Those messages come from the enemy of your soul, Satan, dubbed “the accuser of our brothers” (Revelation 12:10). When you listen to his lies, you grow discouraged and even despondent. The purpose of the law was to reveal sin. Without the law, you would be oblivious to God’s standards of right and wrong—it teaches you and exposes the sin in your life. But hear this: None of God’s children are under the law. All who know Him through Christ are under grace. God has immersed you in a system of grace so that when He sees you, He sees what He is changing you to be and not what you are. What liberating news—you “are not under law but under grace” (6:15)! When you fall, get up. When you fail, don’t wallow in your failure, crushed by the weight of the law. God is transforming you. You are not in charge of your own transformation; He is (Philippians 1:6). And God is empowering you to live it out, giving you grace for today through His indwelling Spirit. So when you feel discouraged, don’t quit. You’re under His grace. Live like it!


Questions for further thought:
1. What messages does Satan use to discourage and defeat you? In contrast, when God looks at you, what does He see?
2. In what area of your life do you need to start living under His grace in the power of His Spirit?

Challenge: Resolve to let Christ fire up your faith and get you into the action. Pray for God’s strength as His Spirit works through you.

If you’re a follower of Jesus—if by faith you have turned from your sin and received His forgiveness—I have news for you. God is after you. He’s still pursuing you. Wanting more of you. Hungry to make sure you’re experiencing every blessing that His Son died and rose again to give you, for His glory. It doesn’t matter how defeated or discouraged you are today; He’s still after you. All that matters is that you are His. “My sheep hear my voice,” Jesus said, “and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). Is that you? Following Him? Not perfectly, of course, but following? Sometimes stumbling, but still getting up? And following? And trying again? And wanting to follow Him even better, even more? Then God Himself is also following you. He’s on your trail. He’s after you. Promising you that your best days are still ahead of you, no matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done. Your greatest days of usefulness and service to God are still in the future, because “goodness” (defined as bounty and blessing) and “mercy” (lovingkindness and favor) will be on your heels and hunting you down every second of the time. What a forgiving and loving God we serve!!

Questions for further thought:
1. In what ways have you been convinced that God’s “goodness and mercy” are not coming for you anymore?
2. How different would your life be, even today, if you wholeheartedly embraced this truth that God is pursuing you?

Challenge: Pray this prayer or a variation of it….Lord God, I believe Your Word, even when I doubt myself. I believe what You have done to claim me as Your own, even when I too often resist You and choose my own way. Thank You for loving me enough to want me experiencing the full blessing of relationship with You. And thank You for relentlessly pursuing me until I’m actively living in it. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Many Christians are tired; some are very tired. They don’t have the passion for God they once had and feel a vague guilt about it. The sequence follows a predictable pattern: seasons of renewed expectation and energetic pursuit, followed by disappointment, and finally, utter exhaustion. The apostle Paul faced the same dilemma: a desire to do good but an inability to get it done. What he described in Romans 7:15–18, and what many of us experience too often, is the exhausting Christian life. We try serving, spending ourselves working for Christ in search of a fuller Christian experience through ministry involvement. Exhausted, we pull back for a season and pursue Bible knowledge. We undertake Bible studies, quiet-time schedules, and books about spiritual disciplines. These too last for a season. And while good may come through serving and focused time in God’s Word, often we feel like the joy we are promised at conversion is eluding us. It’s time to make a once-and-for-all decision to be done with the exhausting Christian life. Just as we can’t become Christians until we come to the end of ourselves, so we also can’t experience the true Christian life until we come to the end of our own efforts. There is hope and a power source for transformation beyond our efforts. But until we fully recognize we are the problem—we are the reason Jesus is not seen in us—until we stop trying to live the Christian life in our own strength and let Christ live His life through us, we will always be exhausted.

Questions for further thought:
1. How long has it been since you’ve lived with a deep passion for God? What was different about your perspective then?
2. In what ways do you resonate with the description of the exhausted Christian life?

Challenge: Commit to stop trying to live the Christian life, and let Jesus start living the Christian life through you!

​It seems like most days, it’s easy for people, including myself, to be selfish. We want to do the things we want to do in our timeframe. I don’t think it’s the way God wants things to be. Thankfully, the Bible gives us reminders of what’s truly important - taking action to help others in our lives, doing good and sharing with them.
 
Questions for further thought:
1. What are some ways selfishness has negatively impacted your relationships?
2. How can you take action today to help others and share with them?

Challenge: One way to start moving from selfishness to kindness in your relationships is learning the “Love Language” of those in your life. It’s even beneficial with co-workers. Have them take the quiz at https://5lovelanguages.com/quizzes/love-language

All of us have younger people in our lives whom we are influencing, whether we realize it or not. We can’t underestimate how valuable it is to role model love for Jesus, kindness, and serving others with the children in our lives - and really, everyone we come in contact with. Christmas time is the perfect time to put this into practice.
 
Questions for further thought:
1. Who are the people who were and are role models in your life of faith, kindness, and love?
2. Who can you be a role model to in terms of loving Jesus, sharing kindness, and serving others?

Challenge: Consider becoming a mentor through Lutheran Social Services. Did you know that Hillcrest Church partners with Cleveland Elementary? Several Hillcresters mentor Cleveland students. One hour a week can make a huge difference in a child’s life.

When we spend time around people who are joyful, kind, and making a positive difference in the world, it can be contagious to spread kindness. I think of times when I’ve helped load food into a car for the Feeding South Dakota Food Distribution here at Hillcrest or helped get the store ready for Community Outreach’s Sharing Christmas event and it inspires me to keep doing more of what God’s called me and all Christians to do – love Him and others.
 
Questions for further thought:
1. What are some ways you can put others’ needs above your own during Christmas gatherings you’ll be part of?
2. What are some ways you can serve people in need in the community this Christmas season and beyond? 

Challenge: Try helping with the Feeding South Dakota food distribution at Hillcrest. It takes place on the third Wednesday of every month. Contact a pastor for more information.

We all know how nice it feels to be treated with kindness and respect and loved for who we are, but it’s not always easy to treat others this way. From the time we were young children, most of our parents, teachers, or other adults have told us to use the “Golden Rule.” They were right to emphasize it because it’s the way Jesus calls us to live. 
 
Questions for further thought:
1. Who has shown you kindness lately and what did they say or do?
2. Who have you shown kindness to lately and what did you say or do?

Challenge: Think of ways you can show kindness to your immediate family, extended family, pastors, church family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, service workers, and strangers. Put together a list and focus on doing the things you wrote down.

You’ve probably heard the phrases “Choose kindness” or “Be kind” or noticed it on products the past few years. Maybe “kindness” feels like a buzzword – a word or phrase that is fashionable at a certain point in time. But Christians know it’s something Jesus has called us to show others at all times. 
 
Questions for further thought:
1. Is kindness more than a buzzword to you? If so, how are you living it out this Christmas?
2. Who in your life could benefit from your kindness?

Challenge: Ask God to show you opportunities where you can share kindness. Then follow the Holy Spirit’s leading.