As followers of Christ, people we encounter should recognize there is something different about us. That should be at the forefront of our minds in every facet of life. Christ calls us to interact with the world in distinct ways; through compassion, care, boldness and truth.

Whether we realize it or not, we all have influence. We all have the power to help or hurt those around us in life-altering ways. We can uplift others with an encouraging word, or we can crush them with criticism and condemnation. We can pray for others and humbly serve them, or we can judge them harshly and label them as “irredeemable.” Whether by perpetuating God’s love or the world’s judgment, each and every one of us has a direct and lasting impact on the lives of others.

When I was in college, I met a group of people who changed the trajectory of my life. I wasn’t walking with God at the time, and if I’m being honest, I didn’t feel like I was really missing out. I had friends, I was doing well in school, I was working and making money, all the boxes of “adult life” seemed to be checked. Then after work one night, a co-worker invited me over to play games and something about the people I met there was different. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was at the time, but I truly believe they were living out the picture of the early church that Luke is describing in the verses above.

When you are a child, friendships may be a little easier because there are less demands. But eventually, life has a way of taking friendships from a natural occurrence to something you have to put on the calendar.

We all need people in our lives like Paul, people who will be direct and honest and remind us to focus our eyes on Jesus. Paul loved the people of Corinth, but he did not love their actions. Love doesn’t turn a blind eye and pretend things are fine. Love steps in and reminds others of the One that has authority over all things. 

I'm often guilty of misunderstanding mercy. I confuse thinking about people's needs and sometimes agonizing, worrying, and getting emotional to mean I am merciful and compassionate. But, we can't mistake feelings for faith. Aching over something and acting on behalf of someone are two vastly different things. One makes us mistakenly feel good, while the other brings hope and healing to those in need.

In Matthew 10, Jesus uses the imagery of a dove and serpent to describe how believers should interact in this world. The stark contrast between the two animals speaks to our complex role in culture.

All good things come to an end, including this Summer Sabbath devotional series. It seems like we started this journey only yesterday with a question: what if we treated the summer like a Sabbath? For the past ten weeks, we've embraced the disruption summer brings by slowing down and letting the words from the book of Psalms wash over us. By doing so, we gained insight into the profoundness of the human heart and the depth of God's love and faithfulness. In these quiet moments, we sensed God's presence, heard His voice, and gained clarity on the well-being of our souls.

Throughout his long life, the author of Psalm 71 faced periods of adversity, moments of misfortune, and times of trouble. Yet, as he reflected on God's faithfulness every step of the way, he remained confident God would be by his side during his present trials. Today, as we dig deeper into this passage, we'll see the transformational power in our difficult seasons.

Our time together this week has us in Psalm 71, contemplating the words of an aging writer in trouble; his enemies look to capitalize on his fragile condition. While reflecting on a lifetime of faithful devotion, he declares his continued trust in God. He asks God to save him again - not so he can enjoy retirement, bask in his glory days, kick up his feet, and live the good life, but to do something unexpected: share his faith with the next generation.

Persevering faith and steadfast endurance characterize Psalm 71, our passage for this week's study. Its confident words come from an aging author reflecting on his current distress through the lens of a lifelong faith, declaring God's heart is to provide refuge and rescue to those who call on His name. Today, we want to explore how the author's dependency on God caused others to take notice.

During this time, we've learned about God's love and mercy, His presence and peace, and how God pursues us and displays His faithfulness. We also gained insight into the heart and soul of humanity and the depth of our emotions. This collection of songs and prayers speaks to the ups and downs of our faith journeys - doubts, distress, and despair in the same space where dependency, declaration, and determination reside. So as we turn our attention to our final passage, it makes sense that it would be Psalm 71 - a scripture overflowing with familiar themes and imagery from previous psalms.

What do you hope defines the Church you call home? What would be the prayer you utter for your community? What do you wish the people of your town would say when talking about your Church? Is it something like, "Oh yeah... that's the community who's reliant on prayer, focused on serving, making a difference in hurting places, welcoming everyone, or displaying love through their actions." A reputation like that requires something from each one of us and it gets built one small step of obedience and faith at a time.

Every day, all around us, we are confronted with brokenness. We see needs in our neighborhood, our city, and our world. We may even feel a nudge to get involved, to do something and take action, but fear, doubt, and feelings of inadequacy win out. Some of us allow our convenience, comfort, and complacency to justify our inactivity. We shrink back, turn away, and hope someone else will rise to the occasion. But, Christ asks you and me to play a vital part in healing our culture.

This week's time inside Psalm 67 has challenged us to look outside ourselves by setting our sights on the world around us. The author pours his soul out to God in prayer, not for personal blessings, but for a day when all nations will praise God's name. In that gap between the prayer and its culmination, we reside and play a part in its fulfillment. Today, we want to consider how our message to the world is a heart and life transformed by Christ's love.

The seven short verses of Psalm 67 pack quite a punch, jolting us from our tendency to think of faith through an individualistic lens. Rather than a consumer or critic, it invites us to be a contributor to the work God is actively doing. Instead of pondering what the Church can do for us, it challenges us to consider how we can be the Church in the places we call home as well as to our hurting and lost world.

In our divided and jaded world, Psalm 67 brings us hope while giving us responsibility for its restoration. Amid our selfish, me-focused culture, the beautiful liturgy that is Psalm 67 challenges us to take our attention off ourselves and set our focus outward. These words sung for centuries among different faith traditions and various languages across the globe are a melody of mission, a tune for togetherness, and a hymn dedicated to His name glorified among the nations.

The words of Psalm 63, this prayer from David, contains both moments of praise and meditations. We can appreciate its contents and insight by reading it. However, we can experience and unlock its powerful truths when we pray along with it, and that’s what we want to do today.

For the last few days, the words of David captured in Psalm 63 have brought us comfort and insight on quenching our spiritual thirst, the power of worship, and the art of dependency. A common theme threaded through each verse is the power that comes through a mind centered on God. We want to delve deeper into this topic today and recognize that our minds shape our hearts, direct our eyes, and guide our steps.

Today, as we continue our journey through Psalm 63, we witness worship erupt in the wilderness. While on the run as others attempt to take his life, David directs his praise to the One who created his life. Like David, God wired us to worship. It is part of our DNA to give our affections and attention to something greater than ourselves.