I Thessalonians 4:1-12 | Our friends and neighbors see how we live and they know if we really love them. How we express our faith matters in big way at the local level.

Proverbs 16:3, Colossians 3:23 | What you do is simply that, it’s what you do. It is not who you are. Working is a good thing but it’s not an ultimate thing. Our ultimate purpose is to honor and glorify God with who we are and what we do. This means our job doesn’t have to provide us with fulfillment, satisfaction, or joy because God is the source of those good things in life.

2 Timothy 2:1-6 | If you want to get stronger you only need one thing. Resistance. In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he continues to challenge him to get stronger by giving him three vivid pictures. Soldier. Athlete. Farmer. All three know a lot about facing resistance. Soldiers fight. Athletes compete. Farmers work. If we want to become stronger followers of Jesus we have to embrace the resistance we face on a daily basis as an opportunity to become stronger and more effective.

Genesis 1:27-31; Genesis 2:15-17 | Our culture teaches men that they can gain their value and worth through their performance on a field, at work, or in the bedroom. The essence of manhood is a God given mandate to provide for and protect.

Galatians 3 | We are legally and objectively declared to be righteous based on our faith in Jesus.