More Than a Checklist

Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church

November 16th Sermon, Day 2

Many of us approach our relationship with God like a spiritual to-do list. Pray? Check. Read the Bible? Check. Go to church? Check. Help others? Check. We think if we just do enough good things, we'll earn God's approval and secure our place in heaven.

The rich young ruler fell into this same trap. He had kept all the commandments since his youth, yet he still felt something was missing. His question to Jesus revealed his mindset: "What good thing must I do?" He was looking for another item to add to his spiritual checklist. But Jesus didn't give him another rule to follow. Instead, He offered something far better - a relationship.

Following Jesus isn't about completing a spiritual task list; it's about accepting an invitation to walk with Him daily. This shift in perspective changes everything. Instead of trying to earn God's love through our performance, we can rest in the truth that He already loves us completely. Instead of striving to be good enough, we can trust that Jesus has already made us righteous through His sacrifice. When we understand that salvation is about relationship rather than rules, our hearts can finally find the peace that the young ruler was searching for. We stop performing and start belonging. We stop earning and start receiving. God isn't looking for perfect people who never make mistakes. He's looking for people who recognize their need for Him and are willing to walk with Him through life's journey.

Bible Verse

'"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments."' - Matthew 19:17

Reflection Question

In what ways have you been treating your relationship with God like a checklist, and how can you shift from performing for God to simply being with God?

Quote He thought eternal life was something he needed to do. He thought there was some spiritual task he hadn't completed yet. And so he viewed salvation and eternal life as some kind of a checklist, not a calling.

Prayer

Father, forgive me for the times I've tried to earn Your love through my good works. Help me understand that You desire relationship with me, not just religious performance. Teach me to rest in Your grace and walk with You each day. Amen.

The Emptiness of Having Everything

Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church

November 16th Sermon, Day 1

Have you ever felt like something was missing, even when everything seemed to be going well? The rich young ruler had it all - wealth, moral integrity, religious discipline. By every worldly measure, he was successful. Yet deep inside, he felt an emptiness that all his achievements couldn't fill.

This young man's story resonates with many of us today. We chase after the next promotion, the perfect relationship, the dream house, thinking these things will finally satisfy the longing in our hearts. But like this ruler, we often discover that external success doesn't guarantee internal peace.

What's beautiful about this story is that it shows us God understands our restlessness. He created us with a God-shaped hole that only He can fill. The young man's search led him directly to Jesus - and that's exactly where our search should lead us too. The emptiness you feel isn't a flaw; it's a feature. It's God's way of drawing you to Himself. When worldly success leaves you wanting more, it's because you were made for something greater than what this world can offer. You were made for relationship with the Creator of the universe. Today, instead of seeing your restlessness as a problem to solve, see it as an invitation to draw closer to Jesus. He's the only one who can fill the void that success, achievements, and possessions never could.

Bible Verse

'Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"' - Matthew 19:16

Reflection Question

What areas of your life feel successful on the outside but leave you feeling empty on the inside, and how might God be using that emptiness to draw you closer to Him?

Quote You’ve kept the rules… but it still feels like something is missing. Call it happiness or joy. Like many of us, this young man had everything — except peace.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for the restlessness in my heart that points me toward You. Help me recognize that my deepest longings can only be satisfied in relationship with You. Show me where I've been looking for fulfillment in the wrong places, and draw me closer to Your heart. Amen.

Don’t Walk By

Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church

November 9th Sermon, Day 5

As Jesus concluded His parable, He didn't ask the religious expert to admire the Samaritan's actions or debate the finer points of neighborly love. He gave a simple, direct command: "Go and do likewise." This is your invitation too. Not to analyze or theorize about love, but to live it out. Not to debate who deserves compassion, but to demonstrate it. Not to walk by the needs around you, but to engage with them.

Every day, you encounter people who are wounded in some way. Maybe not physically beaten like the man in the parable, but emotionally bruised, spiritually lost, financially struggling, or relationally broken. These encounters aren't accidents - they're divine appointments. God has strategically placed you in your neighborhood, workplace, school, and community. He's given you unique gifts, resources, and opportunities.

The question isn't whether you're qualified to help - the Samaritan wasn't a trained medical professional. The question is whether you're willing to be interrupted by love. Your interruptions might actually become your ministry. That conversation with a struggling coworker, that meal for a grieving neighbor, that time spent listening to a lonely friend - these aren't distractions from your purpose. They might be your purpose. As you go through this week, remember that every interruption might be an invitation from God. Don't walk by. See the needs, stop when called, sacrifice when necessary, and serve without barriers. This is how you become the neighbor God has called you to be.

Bible Verse

"In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." - James 2:17

Reflection Question

What is one specific way you can "go and do likewise" this week, showing practical love to someone in need?

Quote Don't walk by. See, this is the call your heavenly Father is making to you. Don't miss it. Don't miss your moment.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for the example of the Good Samaritan and for Jesus' call to love without limits. Help me to be someone who doesn't walk by but stops to help. Use me as Your hands and feet in this world. May my life be a reflection of Your boundless love. Amen.

Breaking Down the Barriers

Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church

November 9th Sermon, Day 4

Perhaps the most shocking part of Jesus' parable was His choice of hero. The Samaritan was the last person anyone expected to be the good guy in the story. Jews and Samaritans despised each other. They had centuries of ethnic, religious, and cultural hatred between them. Yet this despised outsider became the example of what it means to love your neighbor.

Jesus was making a radical point: love doesn't ask who is like me. Love asks who needs me. We all have our barriers - people we find it easier to love and people we struggle to care about. Maybe it's based on politics, race, social class, lifestyle choices, or past hurts. We create mental lists of who deserves our compassion and who doesn't. But Jesus shatters these categories. The religious expert wanted to know who qualified as his neighbor so he could limit his responsibility. Jesus flipped the question entirely. Instead of asking who deserves your love, Jesus asks: to whom can you be a loving neighbor? T

his is both challenging and liberating. It's challenging because it removes our excuses and expands our responsibility. But it's liberating because it frees us from the exhausting work of judging who is worthy of our care. Everyone who needs compassion is our neighbor. Today, ask God to reveal any barriers in your heart that might be limiting your love. Who have you written off? Who makes you uncomfortable? These might be exactly the people God is calling you to serve.

Bible Verse

"If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?" - 1 John 3:17

Reflection Question

What barriers - whether cultural, social, or personal - might be preventing you from showing compassion to certain people in your community?

Quote Love doesn't ask, who's like me. It just says, who needs me?

Prayer

Lord, break down the walls in my heart that limit my love. Help me see all people as You see them - precious and worthy of compassion. Give me courage to cross barriers and show Your love to everyone You place in my path. Amen.

Love That Costs Something

Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church

November 9th Sermon, Day 3

The Samaritan didn't just stop and offer thoughts and prayers. He rolled up his sleeves and got involved. He used his own oil and wine - expensive supplies - to treat the wounds. He put the injured man on his own donkey and walked alongside. He paid for a room and promised to cover any additional expenses. This wasn't convenient love. This was costly love.

We often want to help others, but only if it doesn't inconvenience us too much. We'll donate our old clothes but hesitate to give something we actually need. We'll help when it fits our schedule but struggle when it disrupts our plans. We'll serve when it's comfortable but resist when it requires real sacrifice. But Jesus teaches us that authentic love always costs something. It costs time, energy, resources, and comfort.

The Samaritan's love cost him money, time, and probably some personal risk. Yet he gave freely because he understood that love without sacrifice isn't really love at all. Think about how Jesus loved you. His love cost Him everything - His comfort, His safety, His very life. He didn't love you from a distance or offer you empty words. He entered into your mess, paid your debt, and continues to care for you daily. When helping others feels inconvenient or expensive, remember that you're being invited into the very heart of what it means to follow Jesus. Love that costs nothing changes nothing. But love that sacrifices has the power to transform lives.

Bible Verse

"If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?" - 1 John 3:17

Reflection Question

What is one area where you've been hesitant to help others because of the potential cost to you, and how might God be calling you to step forward anyway?

Quote Helping people requires sacrifice. It does. So go into it with open eyes. It takes time, it takes money, it takes comfort, it takes energy. But love that never costs anything isn't love. It's convenience.

Prayer

Jesus, thank You for Your costly love toward me. Help me to love others the way You have loved me - sacrificially and generously. Give me a heart that's willing to be inconvenienced for the sake of others. Amen.