Monday Moments

Episode 128: Why Striving Fails: How True Humility Leads to Lasting Impact

We all want to make a difference, but what if our striving is getting in the way? The key to a lasting impact isn’t working harder—it’s becoming more humble. In this episode, we explore how true humility, rooted in experiencing God’s love, naturally leads to a life of sacrifice, service, and discipleship. When we empty ourselves of pride, striving, and insecu...

Nobody likes to fail — it’s one of our greatest fears. Yet, in our broken world, failure is also one of our most common experiences. At some point, we all stumble — whether it’s in a new job, a moral struggle, a friendship, marriage, or raising our kids. And when we fail, it can feel heavy, even final. We start to wear it as a label: bad parent, bad spouse, bad employee, bad Christian. But what if failure isn’t the end of your stor...

Hopelessness is a burden. There’s nothing like feeling the wind completely taken out of your sails. We all go through times when it feels like there’s no movement, but to feel that you will never again feel joy about life or look forward to tomorrow is a bleak and overwhelming heaviness. When these times come, what is your response? Do you remain stuck? Do you look to someone else to get you through it? Do you look to politics or m...

Have you ever taken a look at your life and wondered how in the world God can transform you? We all experience that at some point or another in our lives. What can be particularly discouraging is not understanding how God changes us and how to recognize when He’s actually at work. We feel stuck and helpless. The good news is that God has made it very clear how He makes all things new. The question is whether or not we’re going to t...

Life is full of trouble. Unfortunately it’s a matter of time before we each experience something really difficult, and probably life-changing. Whether it’s because something was done to us or it’s because of our own choices isn’t the point. The point is that even though trouble feels horrible while we’re in it and it doesn’t make sense, it doesn’t have to become our identity. In fact, when we trust God to do what He does best, we f...

The word covenant may not mean much to most people these days. It can sound like an antiquated church word that lost its meaning over the years. The truth is that covenants play a pivotal role in Scripture and in our relationship with God. Simply put, when we do life God’s ways, we receive His blessings. The reason is because God chose covenants to be the way He shows His love, His plans, and His commitment to us, even if we fail. ...

The illustration of sowing and reaping is one of almost infinite parallels with life in Christ. Discipleship begins with God’s Word being the seed that is planted in our souls and bearing the fruit of salvation. The great news is that it doesn’t stop there. Being a disciple means that we are becoming more like the one we’re following. The problem is that we are incapable of doing that on our own. Our hearts are often hard and inhos...

Have you ever wrestled with God, or have you simply resolved to figure it out on your own? Life isn’t always easy, and it isn’t always clear. There are a lot of “good” things we can do in this life. But is it what God has asked you to do?

If we say we are surrendered to Jesus, we should do what He is asking us to do, not what we think is best, and not what someone else thinks. The answer to leading a directed, intentional, and power...

Many of us have an understanding, however deep or shallow, of priests. It’s a term that paints a specific picture in our modern understanding, but one that has a very deep and important meaning that goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden, Melchizedek, Aaron, and eventually Jesus. But what value does “priesthood” have on the other side of Jesus’ death and resurrection?

In the book of 1 Peter, we are called “a royal priesthood (1...

If you’ve ever wondered what we’re here for, you’re not alone. Discovering your purpose in life is a universal experience. We all go through it at one time or another. The world is going to try and define it in a number of ways. It might sound like career success, financial abundance, material possessions, popularity, or any other number of circumstances that, on the surface, look good. Certainly those might be blessings from the L...

What’s love got to do with it? Quite a bit. The truth is that love has everything to do with it. It’s the central theme of some of our favorite fairy tales and cultural bedrock. Throw a stone at any rom-com, and you’ll see that it’s all about finding true love. As young adults, we’re obsessed to the point of anxiety about finding “the one.” Love is a big deal for us.

Our world is more confused than ever about what true love really i...

What, exactly, is “joy?” How is it different from happiness, and why is it such a big deal at Christmas?

God wanted to make it very clear that the freedom and future Jesus promised is for everyone. It’s not just for the elite, the religious, or the kings of the world. That’s why the news came first to lowly shepherds. God gives His grace to the humble and opposes the proud. That’s why they were filled with joy. God’s champion had fi...

The promise of Peace suggests that within every person, there is something that carries the burden of anxiety, fear, discontentment, ambition, and other feelings that leave us joyless and exhausted. The beautiful gift of the Peace God promised us is that it’s a two-fold gift. Firstly, because of Jesus, there is peace between us and God the Father. No longer do we have to sacrfice animals, go through rituals, or work our way into Go...

Hope is a universal experience. But have you ever stopped to wonder why? Whether it be something innocent like presents at Christmas or something weighty like the guilt of sin or the grief of loss, hope is the anticipation of something better. Deep down, we all feel that something is amiss. Everything is not as it should be, and the reason is that we live in a world marred by sin and brokenness. Sadly, we fall into the temptation t...

The Bible teaches us that it is possible to be grateful and rejoice in the midst of suffering in life. In fact, the Bible not only suggests that it is possible but urges us to live in such a way. But how do we do this? How can we remain thankful and joyful when life becomes overwhelmingly hard?

Such a life of gratitude is an overflow of an intimate relationship with God. This is only possible when we focus on God instead of our circ...