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No matter what you're doing, it's important to know the why behind it. The same is true of prayer. In this lesson from 1 Timothy 2, Paul shows us the why behind our prayer. What he teaches us is that prayer accomplishes God's purposes.

If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. That's a relatively common saying among Christians. But what we see in this reading is God making Sarah laugh by telling her his plans. What's behind that laughter? And would we ever do the same? That's what we explore in this week's sermon from Genesis 18:1-14.

This week we continued our Undivided Attention sermon series as we focused on Luke 10, where Jesus tells us about the need for workers. From this account, we learn that ministry is a joy when we recognize its power, and when we remember its purpose.

There are three would-be disciples in this story, and there are three head-scratching responses from Jesus. But as far as what happens to these people, Luke leaves us in the dark. The effect of that is that we are forced to put ourselves in the shoes of these people and ask ourselves what we would do if Jesus said these things to us. What we learn through that exercise is that following Jesus has consequences, but it is undoubtedly worth whatever consequences it brings.

Paul wrote these words to Timothy as he was imprisoned and awaiting execution. What is his last message to Timothy? It's a message of encouragement and hope. It's a message we all need as well. Paul tells Timothy that the gospel is worth suffering for.