Fellowship Church

06/17/2026

06/17/2026

Love Compelled Him

Jesus said a lot of powerful, enlightening, and important things. But there’s one command that sums it all up…

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It sounds simple, right? But when we look at Jesus’ life, how did He love? And how can we strive to love like He did?

Love compelled Jesus to give up His privileges. As Creator and Lord, Jesus can do whatever He pleases. But instead, the Word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14)—temporarily relinquishing His rights so that we could be right with God.

Love compelled Jesus to prioritize people. The woman at the well. The man with leprosy. A Roman officer. A blind beggar. Peter’s mother-in-law. The widow’s son. A despised tax collector. Even the thief hanging next to Him on the cross. Jesus didn’t see problems—He saw and loved people.

Love compelled Jesus to serve others. He washed His disciples' feet, pursued the marginalized, had compassion on the sick, weary, and broken. In the end, He gave His own life for us.

Love compelled Jesus to value truth and grace. In a world where many elevate grace while others only magnify truth, Jesus valued both. He was passionate about God’s ways and God’s Word while also showing great compassion to those who needed it most.

If we’re ever unsure about how to love others, let’s look to Jesus as the ultimate example. He lived selflessly, prioritized other people, served to the point of death, and valued both truth and grace.

And as we love like Jesus, we will become more like Him.

06/16/2026

What Does God Want?

“What is God’s will for my life?”
“What is my purpose and calling?”
“What can I do to please God?”

In the New Testament, Jesus provides the answer to those questions by telling His followers to love God and love people. In the Old Testament, the prophet Micah—empowered by the Holy Spirit—summarized God’s will for Israel by saying:

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
‭‭Micah‬ ‭6:8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

These words were penned during a time when God’s people were trying to please Him with sacrifices, offerings, and going through religious motions—while living lives of deception, violence, and pride. But as the prophet Hosea writes, “I [God] desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Hosea‬ ‭6:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

God is after our heart motives, not our outward religious activity or begrudging obedience.

Let’s break down what God desires of us:

- DO JUSTICE. Doing justice requires faith and actions working together: helping the hurting, defending the weak, dealing fairly with the people we encounter, and speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves. In other words, to do justice, we must love others as we love ourselves.

- LOVE KINDNESS. The mercy of God is an extreme kindness. And because we’ve been shown undeserved kindness by Him, we can show undeserved kindness to others. God desires these things more than endless “I’m sorry” speeches. God is kind to the grateful and the wicked (Luke 6:35), so we should be too.

- WALK HUMBLY. Be teachable. Be moldable. Remember: You’re not God. You have limitations. You need a Creator and Savior. You’re only here because God spoke you into existence. So confidently embrace who you are, and who you are not, because it’s when we live fully surrendered to God that He does incredible things through us.

Seeking justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly—that is what God wants from us. So in a world that’s saturated with injustice, hatred, and arrogance, let’s be people marked by these three things.

06/15/2026

Our Most Important Work

All throughout the Bible, Scripture is abundantly clear that love is at the center of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus says the greatest commandment is to love God with everything we are.

In John 13:35, Jesus says that people will know we’re His disciples because of the way that we love others. We won’t be recognized by our knowledge of the Bible, our families, the career paths we take, or the amount of time spent at church. While those are all important things, Jesus says that the most important quality is how we love other people.

1 Peter 4:8 tells us the same thing: we should be among the most loving people on earth, and our goal should be to love each other deeply. Peter, the author of this verse, also says love is the key to forgiving others. Just as we have been forgiven by Jesus, our love for other people should encourage us to forgive those who have wronged us.

Forgiving those who have mistreated us is one of the hardest things to do—it requires that we love deeply. That’s why forgiveness is evidence of a life marked by God’s love.

So if your closest friends were asked about your top qualities, what would they say? Would your top quality be how loving you are towards others? If not, know that you’re not alone. None of us are perfect, and we can all do better at this. Today, ask God to show you ways that you can show love to those around you. Let Him fill your heart with a deep love for others!

06/14/2026

06/14/2026

Confidence You Can Cling To

If a bully—twice your size—is picking on you, you have a reason to fear. But if you have a friend—twice the bully’s size—standing next to you, the bully has a reason to fear.

When you know that someone bigger, greater, and more powerful than your enemy has your back, confidence is the result.

Perhaps this is why the apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote a letter to the believers in Rome—reminding them of the truth:

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”
Romans 8:1-2 NLT

Because the Roman believers belonged to Jesus, they no longer had to live in fear. God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him and, one day, He will make everything—including our dying bodies—brand new.

The truth about their identity emboldened Paul…

“What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If the Creator and Sustainer of everything that exists has put Himself on our side, who can be against us? Who can even touch us? Who would even think about picking a fight that they ultimately could not win?

Someone might hurt our feelings or even our bodies, but they cannot touch our souls. They cannot come against the living God and succeed. They cannot turn against God’s chosen people without answering for their decisions. This means that whatever wrong has been done to us can be left in God’s reliable hands.

We can rely on God as our just Defender and our righteous Judge.

When we become His by trusting in Jesus as our Savior—by grace through faith—the strongest defense in the universe, God in His fullness (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), is forever on our side.

06/13/2026

God is Faithful

We all have to face hard things. It’s not if you will face them, but when. But when those challenges come, you can know that you’re not alone.

In Isaiah 43:2, God reminds Israel that His faithfulness doesn’t change with their circumstances. He was faithful in the past, and He would continue to protect and provide for them…

“When you pass through the waters…”

After 400 years of slavery, God empowered Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian captivity. Just as the opposing army was closing in and all seemed lost, God made a way—right through the Red Sea. (See Exodus 14.) This is probably what the book of Isaiah is referencing to remind the Israelites of God’s power.

“When you pass through the rivers…”

Isaiah’s readers would have probably been reminded of the time God dried up the Jordan River for the Israelites when they were crossing over with the ark of the Lord. They even built a memorial, so that generations to come would remember God’s presence. (You can find this story in Joshua 3.)

“When you walk through the fire…”

In the book of Daniel, three men—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—were thrown into the fiery furnace after refusing to obey the king’s decree to bow down to an idol, instead of to God. They were miraculously delivered, and didn’t even smell like smoke. (This story is in Daniel 3.)

Even though this event probably hadn’t happened when Isaiah was writing, God’s words still came to pass. And today, when we look at His faithfulness to the men in the fiery furnace, we can reflect on His promise in Isaiah, and remember that God is faithful to protect His people.

Recalling God’s faithfulness in the past helps us trust Him with the future.

Even when faced with worst-case scenarios, God is not surprised. He’s already gone before you. No matter what happens, life’s trials and difficulties will not get the final say. God is still powerful, still providing, and still protecting you—and nothing can stand against our God.

So today, as you think back on your life, how have you seen God’s faithfulness? And how can those memories help you trust Him with your future?

06/12/2026

Love Like Him

From friendships to family, relationships can be tough to navigate at times. But if there’s one thing that can set your relationships apart, it’s understanding real love.

In Paul’s first letter to the believers in Corinth, Greece, he explains that even if you have all the faith, all the knowledge, or all the generosity in the world, or if you can speak in tongues, or if you have the gift of prophecy—none of it means anything without love. He continues:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV

Chances are, you want to be a patient person. You intend to be a kind human. You desire to be a content and humble individual. But, sometimes you get in a hurry. Sometimes you get annoyed. Sometimes you can be rude, selfish, jealous, unthoughtful, or arrogant.

Sometimes, it’s hard being human. But God knows that and He wants to help you.

In the same letter, Paul goes on to say that love keeps no record of wrongs and rejoices in the truth. It always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. Most notably, love never fails.

But why does love seem to fail at times? After all, divorce rates are high, estranged families are commonplace, and the brokenness of this world is evident on just about every news broadcast or social media feed.

And that’s exactly why Jesus came! He offered Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for the redemption of the world. And that’s what real love looks like—to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (John 15:13). He is love, and His love never fails.

So, now that redemption has begun to break through—first, through Jesus and, now, through His Spirit inside of us—we can love others well by looking to Him, leaning on Him, trusting in Him, listening to Him, and following His lead.

God has given you everything you need to love others like He loves you.

06/11/2026

Wisdom for Life

We often think of growing into maturity as we get older and gain more knowledge, but growing mature in wisdom transcends age. Wisdom grows when we learn to apply our knowledge to everyday choices and situations.

James, the brother of Jesus and writer of the book of James, talks about the process of growing in spiritual maturity in James 1:1-5. He tells us that anybody who seeks wisdom should simply ask God for it, and God will give it generously to anyone who asks.

Growing in spiritual wisdom happens when we use our knowledge of God, the world, and ourselves, to make right decisions about how we should act, live, and talk as representatives of Christ. It’s as we get to know God better that we grow in His wisdom and are equipped with the knowledge we need to live abundant lives that honor Him. In this way, wisdom comes from our relationship with God.

Nobody needs to lack wisdom because God offers it freely through a relationship with Him. As we seek Him and His wisdom, He gives us opportunities to practice it and grow in our trust of Him. And as we trust Him with our choices, we begin to see wisdom flourish in our lives.

So, what will you do to cultivate wisdom in your life? The first step is to ask God for help. When you come humbly to God and admit your need for Him, He will generously give you all the wisdom you need.