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Explore recent reflections, teaching articles, and encouragement designed to support spiritual formation, faithful presence, and Kingdom living in everyday life.

• Kingdom Alignment Part 8 with Discussion Guide

  Kingdom Alignment Part 8 Discussion Guide

  Summary

  In this sermon from Matthew 6:22-23, the pastor explores Jesus’ teaching that the eye is the lamp of the body, connecting it to the previous week’s message about treasure and the heart. The central idea is that what we treasure shapes how we see the world around us. Just as polarized lenses allow a person to see beneath the surface of the water, a heart aligned with Christ gives us a completely different lens through which to interpret our circumstances, relationships, and daily experiences. When our hearts are tuned to God, we begin to recognize His hand at work in what might otherwise seem like coincidence.

  The pastor draws on the imagery of the two trees from Genesis, explaining that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil trains us to live in scarcity, fear, comparison, and self-protection, while the tree of life cultivates trust, gratitude, abundance, and dependence on God. Jesus, through the cross, becomes our tree of life and restores our access to that way of seeing. The sermon closes with three practical steps: asking God to examine our vision, practicing daily gratitude for five things, and asking God to help us see people the way He does.

  Intro Prayer

  Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing us together today. As we open your Word and discuss what it means to see life through your eyes, we ask that you would do more than inform our minds. We ask that you would shape our hearts. Remove any distractions, any fear, or any comparison that might keep us from hearing what you want to say to each of us personally. Give us eyes full of light, hearts full of trust, and a willingness to let you change the lens through which we see our lives. We are yours, Lord. Speak to us today. In Jesus name, amen.

  Ice Breaker

  If you could instantly have perfect vision for one specific situation in your life, whether it is a relationship, a decision, or a challenge, what would you want to see more clearly?

  Key Verses

  • Matthew 6:22-23
  • Proverbs 4:23
  • John 8:12
  • Ephesians 5:8-10
  • Genesis 2:9

  Questions

  • The pastor said that two people can experience the exact same situation and walk away seeing completely different things. Can you think of a time when your perspective on a situation was very different from someone else’s? What shaped how each of you saw it?
  • Jesus uses the image of a healthy eye versus an unhealthy eye to describe how we take in the world around us. In the Jewish context of his day, a healthy eye pointed to generosity and trust in God, while an unhealthy eye pointed to scarcity and fear. Which of those two ways of seeing do you find yourself defaulting to most often, and why?
  • The pastor said that treasure shapes vision, meaning what we value most deeply trains us to see the world in a certain way. What do you think your daily habits and thought patterns reveal about what your heart is actually treasuring right now?
  • The sermon described the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as producing scarcity, self-protection, control, and comparison, while the tree of life produces trust, gratitude, abundance, and dependence on God. Which of those two lists feels most familiar to your everyday experience? What do you think contributes to that?
  • Jesus says in John 8:12 that whoever follows Him will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life. What does it practically look like in your daily life to follow Jesus in a way that fills you with light rather than darkness?
  • The pastor offered three practical steps: asking God to examine your vision, practicing daily gratitude for five things, and asking God to help you see people the way He does. Which of these three feels most challenging for you personally, and what makes it difficult?
  • The sermon ended with a prophetic word about God being present even when we feel most alone and our prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling. Have you ever been in a season where God felt distant? Looking back, how did that season shape the way you see God’s presence now?

  Life Application

  This week, commit to starting each morning by writing down or speaking aloud five things you are genuinely grateful for before you check your phone or dive into your day. As you do this, also ask God one simple question each morning: Lord, help me see one person today the way you see them. At the end of the week, reflect on whether your perspective on your circumstances or the people around you began to shift. Come ready to share what you noticed with your group next time.

  Key Takeaways

  • What we treasure in our hearts directly shapes the lens through which we see the world. A heart aligned with Christ produces eyes full of light, while a heart focused on fear, status, or scarcity produces eyes full of darkness.
  • The two trees from Genesis represent two fundamentally different ways of seeing reality. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil trains us toward comparison, control, and scarcity, while the tree of life trains us toward trust, gratitude, and abundance. Jesus, through the cross, restores our access to the tree of life.
  • Jesus is not simply correcting our thinking. He is inviting us into an entirely different way of living, one where his light fills our lives and we begin to recognize his presence and activity in the everyday moments around us.
  • Gratitude is a powerful and practical tool for retraining our eyes. When we intentionally give thanks each day, we begin to see God’s goodness more clearly in our circumstances and in the people around us.
  • Seeing people the way God sees them, through the lens of their potential and His deep love for them, is essential to experiencing the kingdom life Jesus describes. When people are on our hearts, they stop being problems or interruptions and become opportunities to reflect his light.

  Ending Prayer

  Lord, we thank you for this time together and for the truth that you are the light of the world. We confess that it is easy to let fear, comparison, and scarcity shape the way we see our lives. But today we ask you to do what only you can do. Retrain our hearts. Realign our vision. Help us to treasure you above everything else so that the eyes we look through are filled with your light and not with darkness. As we go into this week, may we notice your hand at work in the ordinary moments. May we see the people around us the way you see them. And may our lives shine with the quiet, steady beauty of your presence. Thank you that you are always with us, even when we feel most alone. We trust you, Lord. In Jesus name, amen.

  Steve Lawes is a Church Consultant and also provides coaching for pastors, churches, ministries and church planters.

• Kingdom Alignment Part 7 with Discussion Guide

  Kingdom Alignment Part 7 Discussion Guide

  Summary

  In this sermon from Matthew 6:19-21, the pastor explores what it means to truly value the right things in life. Using Jesus’s teaching on treasure, He unpacks the idea that earthly possessions, achievements, and comforts are all temporary. Whether it is technology becoming obsolete, homes wearing out, or bodies aging, nothing on earth lasts forever. The pastor draws on Ecclesiastes to reinforce this point, reminding the group that investing solely in earthly things ultimately feels meaningless.

  The heart of the message is found in Jesus’s words: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” The pastor emphasizes that our hearts follow our investments, not the other way around. When we consistently invest in things with eternal value, such as loving people, acts of generosity, sharing the gospel, and deepening our relationship with God, our hearts align more closely with God’s kingdom. The sermon challenges listeners to honestly examine what receives their best attention, energy, and affection, and to intentionally invest in what will last forever.

  Intro Prayer

  Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing us together today. As we open your Word and discuss what it means to treasure the right things, we ask that you soften our hearts and open our eyes. Help us to set aside distractions and personal agendas, and give us the courage to be honest with one another and with you. May your Spirit guide our conversation and reveal whatever you want each of us to take away from this time together. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

  Ice Breaker

  What is one possession or hobby you were really excited about at some point in your life that now seems much less important to you?

  Key Verses

  • Matthew 6:19-21
  • Colossians 3:1-4
  • Proverbs 4:23
  • Ecclesiastes 2:10-11

  Questions

  • Jesus says, ‘Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’ What do you think it means that our hearts follow our treasure, rather than the other way around?
  • The pastor listed several things people commonly treasure, such as success, comfort, security, family, reputation, and achievements. Which of these do you find most tempting to place above your relationship with God, and why?
  • The writer of Ecclesiastes describes a life of pursuing earthly pleasures and accomplishments as ‘chasing after the wind.’ Have you ever experienced that feeling of emptiness after achieving or acquiring something you thought would satisfy you? What was that like?
  • The pastor described investing in things with eternal value, such as loving people well, acts of mercy, generosity, and sharing the gospel. Which of these feels most natural to you, and which feels most challenging?
  • The story from the student in Guatemala illustrated how one small investment, an online Bible course offered for free, had a profound and lasting impact on her life. Can you think of a time when someone made a small investment in you that had a big eternal impact?
  • Paul writes in Colossians 3 to ‘set your hearts on things above.’ What are some practical habits or rhythms that help you keep your heart focused on God rather than on earthly things?
  • The pastor suggested asking yourself three honest questions: What receives your best attention? What gets your best energy? What gets your best affection? How would you answer those questions right now, and what do your answers reveal?
  • The sermon connects treasure to worship, saying that whatever occupies first place in our hearts is ultimately what we worship. How does understanding treasure as a worship issue change the way you think about your daily priorities and decisions?

  Life Application

  This week, take a few quiet moments to honestly ask yourself: What receives my best attention, my best energy, and my best affection? Write down your answers and bring them before God in prayer. Then, make one intentional investment in something with eternal value. This could be encouraging someone who is struggling, serving a neighbor, sharing your faith, or carving out dedicated time with God. Let this be a concrete step toward aligning your heart with what truly lasts.

  Key Takeaways

  • Earthly treasures are temporary. Whether it is possessions, technology, health, or status, everything on earth is subject to decay and loss, and placing ultimate hope in these things will eventually feel meaningless.
  • Our hearts follow our treasure, not the other way around. What we consistently invest in shapes what we become and what we ultimately worship, making it critical to invest in things with eternal value.
  • Heavenly treasure is formed through eternal investments such as loving people well, acts of generosity and mercy, sharing the gospel, and deepening our relationship with God. These are things that death cannot touch.
  • Guarding the heart is central to kingdom living. Proverbs 4:23 reminds us that everything flows from the heart, which is why Jesus spends so much of the Sermon on the Mount calling us to examine what is happening on the inside.
  • When God holds first place in our lives, everything else falls into better alignment. A heart rightly ordered around God leads to a fuller, more abundant experience of the life He intends for us.

  Ending Prayer

  Lord, thank you for this time together and for the truth of your Word. We confess that it is easy to let the things of this world crowd out what truly matters. We ask that you gently loosen our grip on the temporary and draw our hearts toward what is eternal. Help us to invest our time, energy, and affection in ways that reflect your kingdom. May our hearts follow you above all else, and may the way we live this week be a reflection of what we truly treasure. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.

  Steve Lawes is a Church Consultant and also provides coaching for pastors, churches, ministries and church planters.