You can be full and still unsatisfied. It’s that empty feeling after what you thought would fill you. The letdown after a big win. And so what do we do? We try to fill ourselves with something else? Full schedule. Full bank account. Full calendar. Full phone. But as you know, full does not always mean satisfied. 

It’s not a bad thing to be hungry, but maybe we’re hungry for the wrong things. Jesus says,
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:6. 

It is possible to be hungry for holiness, what is right, and God’s way of life. The temptation is to hunger for success, comfort, attention, or control. But God blesses the hunger that leads you closer to Him.  

If your feeling restless, maybe the answer is not more __________. What is one thing that you can do today that brings you closer to God? Let’s ask Him to bless this hunger to be closer to Him.

Just because you can do anything doesn’t mean you should. Just because something is allowed doesn’t automatically make it helpful. Paul puts it this way in 1 Corinthians 6:12: “I have the right to do anything, but I will not be mastered by anything.” 

What might your life be like if you thought of freedom like Paul? Because freedom is so much more than just doing whatever you want or not being controlled by lesser things. 

Freedom is allowing Jesus to be the master of your life so that He can lead you to life. Today’s One Thought is a question, and it’s worth asking honestly from time to time: What has more control over me than it should?

If you want to bring your habits honestly before God, pray with us through this prayer:

Have you noticed that the important things in life usually don’t grow by accident? Good health needs habits. Couples need attention. Skills need practice. And your faith is no different. 

It’s easy to let your spiritual growth go on autopilot. And while growing spiritually is always a work of God’s grace, it doesn’t mean that we should be passive. 2 Peter 1:5-8 tells us how we can join God. “Make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge,  knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness,  godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful.”

The goal isn’t earning God’s love, proving anything to anyone, or becoming spiritually impressive. God is forming you to become more and more like Jesus, and you’re invited to participate with Him. 

What is one area God might be growing you right now? Consider this one thought as you’re on this journey with Him: Spiritual growth is received by grace and practiced with intention. Let’s say a prayer and listen for where God might be growing you today. 

What’s the last good intention that you’ve had? Have you ever meant to check in on an old friend? Or maybe you’ve intended to only speak kindly to yourself and others. In big or small ways, we usually have good intentions to love. But love isn’t meant to just live in our intentions. 

1 John 3:18 says, “Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” Words absolutely matter, but maybe they matter less to a watching world when our actions don’t match our words. Love becomes a little more visible when it moves.

A meal delivered. A text returned. A sacrifice made. An act of generosity given. A choice to serve when it would be easier not to. 

Let’s strive to be like Jesus who didn’t just say that He loves us; He showed us through His actions. Here’s your one thought: Love becomes real when it moves from words to actions. 

Which of these questions do you ask God more? 

“What do I need to do?” Or “Who are you forming me to become?”

You’re constantly being formed by the voices you trust, content you consume, people you imitate, and desires you feed. So it might be good to ask ourselves from time to time: what is forming me, and who am I becoming? 

Jesus isn’t just concerned with what you do. He wants you to “be transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18) The Holy Spirit is in the business of forming you to look more and more like Jesus as you turn towards Him. 

God’s vision for your life is so much bigger than just a slightly improved version of yourself. A life of being shaped more and more into the image of Jesus is what your soul longs for. If you want to be formed by Jesus today, pray with us…

Do you think it’s possible to see someone without really noticing them? Jesus shared a story in the book of Luke where there was a man who was attacked by robbers. They took everything he had, even his clothes, and left him half dead on the side of the road. The Scriptures said that two religious men passed by this guy on the road. Do you know what they did? Nothing. 

Jesus said there was a third man who “saw this man and took pity on him. He went to him, and bandaged his wounds.” (Luke 10:33-34)  Saw him. Went to him. This is compassion in motion. 

Take a moment and picture your normal day. Your home. Your school. Your workplace. Your commute. Your subdivision. Who might God be inviting you to notice? And then to take it a step further, who might you notice that needs your compassion? 

Here’s your one thought: compassion becomes love when you move toward the need. If you want God to help you notice someone today, pray with us. But, just so you know, this is a prayer God loves to answer. 

Have you ever felt the pressure to say yes when you meant no? Exaggerate to sound better? Avoid truth to keep the peace? Make a promise you knew you probably couldn’t keep? It’s good to slow down and think about the words we speak. Why?

Jesus cares about the integrity of your words. In one of his teachings, he talked about people making these huge promises or vows. That’s not something they just did back then. We still say things like, “I swear!” “I bet!” “I promise!” But Jesus suggests a better, simpler way to use our words. 

“ Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’” (Matthew 5:37). Simple. Honest. No more need to stretch the truth, manage your image, cover a lie, or perform. Faithfulness today can look like telling the simple truth, humbly.

Here’s your one thought: When you’re telling the truth, less is more. Integrity means your yes is yes and your no is no. If you want God to shape your words today, pray with us today.

Have you ever thought God might be impressed with certain kinds of people? The successful, spiritual, or put-together kind of people? 

Peter had to unlearn something similar. After God opened his eyes to people he once considered outsiders, he said, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism.” Acts 10:34.

God doesn’t have a VIP section. That’s good news for you and other people in your life.

Your title, background, income, personality, past, or influence doesn’t move you closer to the front of the line. And none of those things make someone else less worthy of your attention, either.

Pause and picture someone you tend to rank above or below yourself. What might change if you remembered that God doesn’t rank people the way we do?

Here’s your one thought: God doesn’t play favorites.

Have you ever noticed people talking about generosity like you either have it or you don’t? Some people are “just generous.” Paul talks about it differently. 

In 2 Corinthians 8:7, he tells the church, “See that you also excel in this grace of giving.” The way he says “excel” makes me think that this is something that each of us can grow in and practice. Generosity is something God can form and grow in you. 

Yes, sometimes generosity looks like actual money leaving your account. It can also look like sharing your time, home, attention, or something you own with someone else. Stop and ask God today, “What have you given me that I could give away?” 

Stay open. Maybe literally keep your hands open for a little bit as a reminder: Generosity is learning to hold what God gives you with open hands.

Who usually gets invited to your table? Jesus once told a host of a party that the next time he has people over, he should invite people who couldn’t repay him. Jesus said that his guest list should include the “poor, crippled, lame, and blind.” Luke 14:13. 

It’s easy to be generous when you get some kind of return. There’s a quiet question behind most of our generosity asking, “What will I get back?”  

But the Kingdom of God makes room for people who may never improve your status, return the favor, or invite you back. Think about your “table.” Maybe it’s your actual dinner table. But maybe it’s your friend group, your church row, or lunch break. Who’s missing? Maybe following Jesus today looks like making the circle a little wider for the people who can’t pay you back. 

Have you ever been guilt-tripped?  Spoiler alert: guilt is a terrible motivator. It might get you to do something, but guilt leaves you unhappy and reluctant to do it again. Unfortunately, one of the places followers of Jesus feel the most guilt is giving. This is not what Jesus wants. 

2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion. In other words, no guilt trip required. 

Jesus cares more about what happens in your heart than what’s in your wallet. This is how generosity can actually become joyful because you’re participating with God in something bigger than yourself. 

So before you give anything like your time or money, pause. Ask God, “What do you want to do in and through me?” Listen. And then respond. The guilt you might feel when it comes to generosity falls off when you see it as responding to God. 

When was the last time someone made a big deal over something small? Usually, we like big. Big goals, big impact, big numbers, big moments. Humble beginnings and underdog stories make great movies, but they usually frustrate us if we’re living it in real time. 

In the book of Zechariah, God’s people were frustrated with how long it was taking to rebuild the temple. Can you relate to that? Sometimes progress feels painfully slow. The work feels unimpressive. Here’s what God said to them: “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.”

Small does not mean meaningless. Don’t wait until you can do more to start. Maybe today you can start small. The short prayer. The first text. The one yes. God loves to work through beginnings that don’t look impressive yet. 

Small beginnings can still be part of something big.