Churchome With Judah Smith

If you wonder what God would say, do, or respond in any situation, you don't need to look any further than Jesus. In the Bible, Jesus says, "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father." Here are 3 specific reasons supporting this claim.

Have you ever struggled with being indecisive? One of the big reasons you may feel this way now is how challenging life has been the past few years. But one of the most important decisions you can make in life is deciding what you really want.

If you've ever felt like you're not talented enough, strong enough, smart enough, or courageous enough, you're not alone. Through Jesus' story we see that He wants to meet you where you're at and help you see that He is enough so we don't have to be.

What are you worried about today? What may be giving you anxiety? It’s easy to feel stuck in problems. But God is present with you today. No matter what you’re facing here and now, God wants to help you overcome.

Jesus is the ultimate path to truth. When we live on our own path, often based out of self will, we tend to harbor unforgiveness and frustration. However, when we follow Jesus' truth, in God's way, we experience peace and joy beyond life's circumstances.

On this day of resurrection, we remember the ultimate gift solely by Jesus giving up his life. God loves us despite any rules we follow, our efforts, our goodness, the information we know, or the ceremonies we take part in. In fact, none of that matters to him. Jesus died and rose again, so that we'd come to him as we are - not by what we do.

Do you find yourself stuck, in bondage, or marked by failure? It’s all too easy to think you have to strive or fight to get out of that position. But Jesus wants to set you free now. Not because of your discipline or focus or anything you’ve done; it’s because he loves you deeply and unconditionally and his grace will always be enough for you.

When we feel like life has lost meaning and purpose, some of it might be connected to a misunderstanding of what the truth actually is. The real truth does not lie in this world, but from God outside of it. He's not of this finite realm, however, he lives hand-in-hand with us as we navigate it. When we turn to God and what Jesus has done for us, we learn what our truth really is.

Jesus is our provision.

It's simple: the more we know, the less we rely on Jesus. Too much knowledge can develop a "know-it-all" attitude for anyone, but sometimes Jesus asks us to put our knowledge aside in order to be open, humble, and to rely on him for answers.

Jesus is alive in you.

Some of us can be set in our ways on how we approach life and our relationship with God. Those ways can lead to striving, stress and exhaustion; even climbing our own hypothetical trees to be closer to Jesus, just as Zacchaeus once did. But Jesus wants us to hurry down those trees for a deeper relationship and dependence on him.

One of the greatest promises for Jesus followers is the power of presence. No matter what circumstances you find yourself in, Jesus’ final promise was that He would always be with us. This is the antidote that we can lean into for so much fear and anxiety.

We've all held grudges at some point in our lives, but did you know that's the opposite of worship to God? When we don't forgive others, we actually hold ourselves captive from the freedom God wants for us. Resentment can be too strong a power to release on our own, but that's where Jesus steps in! As we learn to let go each day, he heals and delivers us.

Most of us try to clean up or hide parts of ourselves in order to be accepted by others. We don't need to do that with Jesus because he is the self-proclaimed friend of sinners. He comes near to us first and that changes everything.

We've all tried to start new habits only for some to fall short after a period of time. But there's one habit Jesus calls us to build when living out a righteous life, and that's the habit of confession; the habit of using our words kindly and encouraging those around us. The power of our words not only impact other people, but it also portrays Jesus' goodness to those around us.

We’ve all wondered in one way or another, what am I worth? Jesus tells three stories about a lost coin, a lost sheep, and a lost son to communicate the immeasurable worth and value placed on every person. Worth, like everything else with Jesus, is received not achieved. Jesus doesn’t just treat us with grace, but he is the personification of grace.

Jesus wants to create new life within us. When we feel lost in the wilderness, or trying to survive on our own in the desert, Jesus promises us refreshment. He promises rejuvenation as he walks through the hard times with us. It may not sound easy, but we can always count on God to be there with us.

It's easy to look at God and the world through the lens of what we already know. Whether that be from our personal life experiences or by traditions passed onto us through generations, Jesus asks us to look beyond what we know in order to change. The continuous changing of our minds and hearts is necessary to live and look more like Jesus, and to learn more about who we are in God's image.

An honest conversation with Judah Smith and historian Jemar Tisby.