The Connection Corner

Look More Like Love

Hebrews 13:16 — Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

There are so many fascinating Bible stories, but you know, it’s fun when we try and picture some of the stories happening today.

Just think about the story of the Good Samaritan.

A man is stranded on the shoulder with a flat tire. A pastor’s SUV slows… then keeps going. A church leader honks sympathetically then merges left. But then a beat-up minivan pulls over to help.

The driver doesn’t just change the tire. This good Samaritan wipes down the windshield, checks the oil, and leaves a snack in the cup holder. I mean, he might even call AAA road services, pay for the tow, and then Venmo gas money for the entire week.

That’s not just being nice. That costs something.

He shows above and beyond kindness. The Good Samaritan doesn’t just meet the bare minimum, he goes the extra mile for a stranger with a cheerful heart.

That’s what real love is. It isn’t a quick wave or a “Hope you get help.” It is being willing to be inconvenienced and stepping into someone else’s struggle.

Real love moves from obligation to sacrifice and remembers that doing good and sharing with others is the kind of sacrifice that actually pleases God.

Take some time today to look around. Somewhere nearby, someone’s hazard lights are blinking. It might not be a flat tire. No. It might be a single mom barely holding it together or a coworker drowning under pressure.

Don’t talk yourself out of that nudge to help. Pull over and step into the inconvenience. Share what you can. Let your kindness cost you something.

Because that’s how love stops being the story we picture and starts becoming the life we really live.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

Where have I been tempted to offer just enough instead of going the extra mile for someone in need?
Who in my life right now might have “hazard lights blinking”—and how could I step in to help in a practical way?
What keeps me from responding when I feel the nudge to help—busyness, inconvenience, discomfort, or something else?
When was the last time my generosity or kindness actually cost me something? What did I learn from that?
How can I shift my mindset from seeing good deeds as interruptions… to seeing them as opportunities to live out real love?

April 11, 2026/by Brenda Price

Push Past the What‑Ifs

Daily Devotional, Tammi Arender

Deuteronomy 31:8 — Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.

I know. I’m a weird duck that actually likes mowing the lawn.

Yep. With a push mower.

There’s just something about manual labor and standing back to see a nicely manicured lawn when you’re done. The straight lines. The smell of fresh cut grass. It’s just honest work.

When I was little, my parents didn’t want me mowing. They said it was too dangerous. And to be fair, they weren’t being dramatic. I had a first cousin who lost an eye while mowing after a piece of metal flew up from under and hit him.

But while that accident was tragic, it didn’t stop him. He continued to mow, but from that point forward what he did do was use more caution. And I think we can learn a lot from that.

Because accidents aren’t the only thing we’re afraid of. Some of us are scared to love. We’re scared to try something new because we might fail or because we won’t have enough money, talent, or whatever that thing requires.

So we sit on the porch of our lives and watch the grass grow.

Fear will always hand you a list of worst-case scenarios. Faith hands you a pair of goggles and tells you to keep going. Because God isn’t sending you out alone—He goes ahead of you. He’s already in the unknown, and He’s not going anywhere. So, I think my cousin had it figured out.

Don’t let fear paralyze you. Live like someone who believes God has personally stepped into the what-ifs ahead of you.

Keep doing honest work because God won’t leave you no matter what might fly your way. There is no need to shrink back in fear or give into discouragement. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.

Maybe there’s something you’ve been avoiding. A conversation. A calling. A fresh start. The grass is high, and the what-ifs are loud. But it is worth putting on your faith goggles.

Get back out there because maybe, just maybe, there’s joy to be found when you walk in courage.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

What is something fear has been keeping you from stepping into right now?
What “worst-case scenarios” have been playing on repeat in your mind?
How would your next step look different if you truly believed God has already gone ahead of you?
Where are you tempted to “sit on the porch” instead of stepping into what God is calling you toward?
What does trusting God’s presence—not just His outcome—look like in your current situation?
Is there one small step of courage you can take today?
How does remembering that God will never leave or abandon you change the way you face uncertainty?

April 10, 2026/by Tammi Arender

Build Unshakable Hope

Daily Devotional, David Hall

1 Peter 3:15 – Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.

It was late on a Wednesday night when the pastor told the small group his son no longer believed in God.

He swallowed and explained why. “He told me I taught him what to believe, but I never taught him why.”

You could feel the silence in the room. That sentence followed each of them home, especially for one father in the congregation.

When the man walked into his kitchen, his twelve-year-old son Caleb was at the table, finishing his memory verse homework. Though that scene usually reassures most parents, the father sat across from him and asked, “Why do you believe the Bible is true, buddy?”

Caleb shrugged. “Because it’s God’s Word.”

“How do you know that?”

Another pause. “Because the Bible says so.”

Something sank in the dad’s chest. His son wasn’t wrong, but that line of reasoning was circular. He knew that foundationless faith often collapses under pressure.

Over the next few days, the father asked more and more questions. About Jesus. About forgiveness. About why the cross mattered at all. His son Caleb never pushed back, but he just didn’t have the answers. And quietly, the father realized neither did he.

And a verse came to his mind. “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”

Preparation. Reasoning. Hope.

But it all starts with this—making Jesus not just someone I know about, but the One who leads my life.

These were things he desperately wanted for him and his son. So he invited his son to ask the deep, hard questions. And he studied the Bible more and more, until he could answer his son’s cosmological questions at a sixth-grade level.

They slowed down. They talked. And strangely, the more Caleb understood, the more naturally he prayed. He quit repeating “the right answer,” and His faith became his own.

What that dad found out is that faith doesn’t fall apart because it’s false—it falls apart because it was never reinforced.

You see, the God who created our brains is not shaken by hard questions. Every answer is found in Him when we invite scripture to inform us.

So, I want to encourage you today to do the work that matters. Don’t be afraid of God, when your questions come. Study the scriptures and discover the meaning behind the message of our hope.

Because thinking deeply about the Bible like that doesn’t replace faith—it gives it a spine and teaches the soul how to stand.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

If someone asked you why you believe in Jesus, how would you respond?
Where does your faith feel solid—and where does it feel untested or uncertain?
Are there questions about God or the Bible you’ve avoided instead of exploring?
What would it look like to grow in both understanding and trust this season?
Is Jesus truly Lord of your life—or mainly someone you know about?
How can you begin preparing yourself to explain your hope with clarity and confidence?
Who in your life might be asking questions that you have an opportunity to engage with?

April 9, 2026/by David Hall