“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” (John 12:27-28)     There will always be two ways that a person can respond to troubled times: to pray, “Father save me from this hour” or to pray, “Father glorify your name.” It’s not that I don’t have the ability to save anyone from any hour of trouble, the issue is … which solution will demonstrate my glory before men? I want you to learn to develop a default position that always declares, “Father glorify your name” in every difficult situation….

Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. (John 6:57)     The world needs a people who do more than just believe in me or talk about me, but a people who feed upon me. To feed upon me is to recognize that there is nourishment from me that you must have every day, without exception. To feed upon me is to see me as the source of all direction and all encouragement and all value and all purpose. To feed upon me is to have established times where we sit down…

“I am among you as one who serves.”  (Luke 22:24-27)     Jesus came as one who serves. It’s important for you to think about what this implies: one who serves is one who puts the needs of others (even those you disagree with) above your own. One who serves is one who does not receive recognition or even thanks at times. One who serves is the one who is willing to do the menial work of cleaning off the table and providing for the master. Only the one who serves will have the kingdom authority to influence the world around him/her, and this is the main reason why the…

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Luke 16:13)     I want my children to understand the difference between having money and serving money. To serve money is to make it your master, which means that every decision will be dictated either by what it will cost or what there is to gain. To serve money is to make it your idol, to give it your heart and to see riches as the answer to every problem. A disciple must always…