Hello, friend!  Are you afraid of anything?  The dark, telling somebody about Jesus, asking your teacher or momma a question?  I get afraid sometimes, too!  Let's look at water for a minute... you might be thinking what does water have to do with being afraid, right?  Well, hold that thought in your mind. 
​     Water?  What is it?  It is actually a very simple substance that is found in most places on planet earth.  It is 3 atoms combined to form a molecule... 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom, or H20.  Those simple molecules make up water.  Water has three different forms... Liquid, solid, and gas.  Liquid moves a whole lot, especially when it is blown around or gets stirred up. People don't normally walk on top of water because they would sink.  In Matthew 14 it tells of Jesus WALKING ON WATER!  Wait, what?  That is impossible, right?  Nope, Jesus is the Son of God!  HE CREATED WATER!  He most certainly walked on water and even one of His disciples, Peter tried to walk on water with Him. 
​      So, what happened when Peter tried to walk on water?  You got it!  He started to sink.  Why?  because of the physical properties of water? Nope!  Because He doubted the SON OF GOD!  Was Jesus mean to Peter?  No way, He helped him up and was kind to him.  Peter was the only disciple that got out of the boat!!!  He didn't do it perfectly, but he did it! 
​    Jesus doesn't expect us to be perfect, but He does want us to trust Him enough to try.  He will help us if we go to Him. In Peter's weakness Jesus was strong.  In your weakness, Jesus will be strong, too.  Just trust Him enough to step out in faith and try.  Hope you watch and are encouraged to be courageous!  Faith is simple like water, and it gives life just the same.  Have faith in Jesus!  He is our greatest reward!     

     Hello, friend!  Work, work, work... do you like to work?  Have you ever thought of work being a good thing?  A blessing, even?  Well, it is!  God created it, and He wants us to ENJOY WORK!  Colossians 3:23 tell us "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as if you are working for the LORD, and not for men."  God worked for six days at Creation and rested on the seventh.  SIX DAYS of work?!  That is a ton, right?  Yep, but that is exactly why we need to see work the way God wants us to.  Work is something that we can delight it, and we can enjoy!  

     Hey, friend!  To do anything, it will cost you something.  To learn to paint, or play an instrument- whatever you do, it will cost you.  It could be time, money, or maybe energy.  To be a true disciple of Jesus, it is going to cost you a lot of things.  Jesus didn't get excited when a large crowd was following Him. In fact, He knew they weren't all there for the right reasons.  He looked around and said that if anyone wants to be His disciple they had to hate their mother and father, children, sisters and brothers- even their own life (Luke 14:25-28).  Hate their families, wait a minute?  Jesus tells us to hate people?  He was getting his point across that compared to everyone else, He needed to be first.  He doesn't literally want us to hate anyone.  We should always put Jesus first and serve Him no matter what happens to us or anyone else around us. 
​   Sometimes being a Christian will cost more than not being a Christian.  If someone wants to be a Christian because of all the good stuff that will happen to them or what they are going to get out of it, that is not going to last.  Being a Christian is much more than just blessings and "good stuff".  It means to have an eternal relationship with Jesus himself.  Being a Christian is when people want Jesus and nothing more. 
   Dietrich Bonehoeffer said there are two types of grace... CHEAP GRACE and COSTLY GRACE... Watch and see!

     Hello, friend!  If you were a king and God said, "What do you want?" What would you ask for?  King Solomon asked God for wisdom and knowledge!  Kind of a crazy answer, right?  He could have asked for money, fame, victory over his enemies, but he asked for knowledge and wisdom.  Why?  Because he wanted to serve the Lord well by helping others.  God granted his prayer requests AND made him one of the wealthiest and wisest people who have ever lived.  God gave him more than he asked for because God knew His heart and why he prayed for wisdom.  
     In Matthew Jesus tells us about a wise man who built his house on the rock, and a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  When the storms came, which one do you think that you would want to live in?  Of course, the one on the solid rock!  Jesus is mentioned in the Bible as the Rock!  If we live our lives for Jesus we can be sure that we are living for things that will last.  Watch and see! 

     Hello, friend!  Good roots bring good fruit!  The finger or "straw-like" things on the bottom of a plant or a tree that burrows deep into the ground to give it support, nutrients, and a good foundation are the roots.  If someone's actions are not nice, it is a "root" problem, not a "fruit" problem.  People's hearts are what Jesus cares or looks at.  The heart is where it all begins and ends  If a person is not grounded in Jesus' love then they will bear bad fruit.  In Matthew chapter 7 verses 17-20 God tells us that there are two types of "trees" or people.  Good and bad- he means there are people who are trusting in Jesus and the ones who aren't.  NO ONE is good by themselves.  Only if we are grounded in Jesus' love can we bear good fruit or do good in this world. 
​     Don't be fooled, some people say they are Christians, but their actions don't match up to what the Bible says.  In Matthew it says we will know them by their fruits.  If people are ugly to people then they are probably not trusting in Jesus.  The Holy Spirit strengthens our inner person and when our roots are grounded in Jesus' love then we can thrive!  Being good shouldn't be our focus... but being grounded in Jesus' love and in His WORD should be.  That is when the good fruit comes... and it is not for us, but for people around us! 
​     The fruit of the spirit... love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self control are all given to us at salvation through the Holy Spirit.  Spreading out our roots in God's love will keep us healthy spiritually and help us to grow more than we could ever know possible.  He is good!