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On Sunday, we learned from Daniel 6, how Daniel's habit and dependance on God through prayer enabled him to live faithfully as an exile. We, too are exiles — citizens of Heaven who live in a sin cursed world. As exiles in this world, Daniel 6 teaches us that we must cultivate a life of prayer for three reasons:

• To live with faithfulness to our calling and to the word of God (vs. 1-5).
• To live in communion with God (v. 10).
• To live with victory over trials.

In Luke 15, Jesus teaches a trilogy of parables. In each parable, something is lost (a sheep, a silver coin, a wayward child). In each parable, there is also great rejoicing (the shepherd, the woman, the father). In the third parable, the wayward son returns home and is joyfully received by and restored to the father. The older son, however, who remained geographically near is also distant from the father, and Jesus does not say whether he was ultimately restored to a close relationship with the father, or not. It’s designed to make us wonder. The father meets both sons in their need — he sees the younger son far off and runs to him, and he notices the older son is not in the house so he goes outside to entreat him. The unconditional love of the father is what is highlighted as he relates with both sons.

To younger wayward children, the invitation is to come home to the father. He is watching and waiting to receive you. To older children who have remained geographically near the father through religion or morality (Luke 15:1-2), the invitation is to come inside with the father. In both cases, the need is to be rightly related to the father. Thankfully, Jesus truly is a friend of tax collectors and sinners!

King Solomon enjoyed honor, fame, and extraordinary wealth as arguably one of Ancient Israel's greatest kings. While everyone bowed to him, there was one person to whom he bowed — his mother, Bathsheba (1 Kings 2:19). In Proverbs 1 Solomon specifically warns the reader not to forsake their mother's teaching. Motherhood is one of God's ordained means to teach children in the "fear of the Lord" (Prov. 1:7).

In Ephesians 4 we find three attributes or attitudes that are necessary to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace - humility, gentleness, and meekness.

It's important to understand unity does not hinge on uniformity or unanimity. Nor does disagreement demand disunity. Doctrine rightly divided does divide, but it should divide between believers and unbelievers, between false teachers and teachers of truth — not between Christians who land on different yet faithful interpretations of scripture (where different interpretations are understandable and permitted because they are not fundamental core doctrines). Sadly, some doctrines divide that shouldn’t divide. First Timothy 1:1-7, “As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, (different doctrine, not false doctrine but different. Non-essential, heterodox teachings — teaching logical extensions of truth as truth itself).

Let us renew our commitment to be walking with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Goodbyes are difficult and often a source of sorrow. In John 16:16-22 the disciples were wrestling with a goodbye of their own as they pondered Jesus's announcement that they will not see him for a little while. Jesus encourages them by giving them a promise. He promises to turn their sorrow into joy (vs. 20). This is the power of the resurrection. The eternal joys offered by God and promised in Christ are rooted in the resurrection of Jesus for all who are united to him by faith.

The "Palm Sunday" events recorded in John 12:9-19 happen shortly after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Jesus enters the city declaring his kingship by fulfilling a prophecy from Zechariah 9:9. Riding into the city on the "colt of a donkey" instead of a war horse showed he is a gentle and lowly king. And yet, He is the powerful king we all need. He alone can overcome the curse and condemnation of death that we deserve.