Diluting truth, but adding God to compensate winds up hurting God’s reputation. Have you seen this at work at all in your own life? Be mindful of speaking truth as a way of honoring God, reminding the world that He is truth, and making Him trustworthy.

Consider the idea that God will not elevate you any higher than the sin you allow to rule over you. As such, Jesus brings forgiveness and transformation when we surrender our desires to God’s. One way He does this is by calling us out of self-focused lust and into self-giving love.   

Relationships are beautiful, but there will sometimes be conflict and even anger. Consider any of your current relationships where there is anger.  What does that anger do to you and to others? Think about any relationships that are in need of repair, and take those to God.    

Jesus came to fulfill the Law. Jesus is sufficient in all things. Our righteousness comes from Him. Sit in His Word and let it mold, shake, and cleanse you. Then your righteousness will exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees.

Jesus called his disciples “salt of the earth” and “light of the world.” Consider your relationship with Jesus, how does it make you “salty” and “luminous” to the people around you. Both as an individual and as a body of believers, as salt, we are the hope for a decaying world. And, as light, we are the hope for a dark world.

The Beatitudes in Scripture call us to elevate our values, which in turn, will positively impact the way we live. And living out these Kingdom values will lead to both transformation and reward.

We see in Scripture that God blesses the “poor in spirit.” And we never truly outgrow poverty of spirit. This way, we can allow God to fill us with His righteousness.  

Jesus models a life of freedom by establishing boundaries for His time and priorities. And God warns us to avoid things that distract and even destroy us. In light of this, consider how technology screens hinder you from setting boundaries and ways that you can be more intentional about the amount of time and energy you spend on screens.   

What are your current technology habits, and how much time do you spend on a screen? And consider this: has technology become a platform for elevating yourself above God? With screens at our fingertips both daily and easily, this can happen. Although God’s response to self-elevation is chaos and disunity.

When God reigns in your life, your heart is set on Him, humility becomes blessing, generations are transformed, and you cry out for grace. Consider your own life. Is Jesus the Sovereign King of your heart?  Are you yielding your desires to Him? If not, think about how you can “clean and reorder the garage of your heart.”