Jesus is transforming His Bride into something beautiful, mirroring His godly character. He is preparing us to carry out our responsibilities.

Our spiritual development is like the creation of a pearl. Just as the oyster coats an irritant with a mother of pearl, we begin as an irritant in God's creation.

God has consistently moved His creation toward its ultimate purpose, setting the bounds of nations, motivating rulers to pursue a certain course of action.

One aspect of sovereignty that causes some confusion is predestination. God's sovereignty does not remove a person's free moral agency — we must still choose.

We must not have a one-dimensional perspective of God. Our puny minds can only grasp a tiny sliver of what God really is.

In the example of a child summoned by a parent to clean up his room, the child's dawdling and complaining are not predestined nor are they part of God's will.

Paul was chosen, but Ananias was also chosen. Ananias's role was like a Jew living in Nazi Germany, ordered by God to minister to a repentant SS officer.

Honoring our free choice and understanding our weaknesses, God alters time and chance for us, using our mistakes as tools to enhance our godly character.

Those who have made a covenant with God can be corrupted unless they make a concerted effort to know God, realizing He has the right to do as He pleases.

God specifically chooses those He wants to be part of Christ's Body according to his purpose. It is a holy calling according to His purpose and grace.

When we receive God's Spirit, we cannot escape the responsibility of using it, being a light to the world in the correct way of living. Hi Spirit is His power.

Like physical leaven, if spiritual leaven is not checked quickly, it will expand exponentially, destroying the container housing it.

In light of the examples of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, have we allowed ourselves to be led by men or are we really following God?

When we find our proper niche of service in the body of Christ, we will experience more joy and fun than a human being ought to be allowed.

Jesus Christ warns us to hold fast to true doctrine. Secular historians help us discover the identity of the small flock repeatedly rescued from apostasy.

The natural gift, talent, or ability we receive at our birth provides the raw material God's Spirit uses to transform physical gifts into spiritual gifts.

Humility, poverty of spirit, and acknowledging our total dependence on God are of the utmost importance. God responds to those who are humble.

Jesus Christ is the Word, by whom the world was created. He has always interfaced between mankind and the Father, having primacy as our Lord, Master, and Ruler.

God's creation did not end with the physical creation or our election, but God continues to work, giving us the motivation and the power to do His will.

The lowly, not impeded so much with pride or ego, make better stewards than those who may seem more presumptuous and self-centered.

The loyalty of the Laodiceans did not extend far beyond loyalty to self. Loyalty and friendship are inextricably bound together.

Paradoxically, when God seems to be silent, He is feverishly at work micro-managing what otherwise appears as insignificant details.

A priest, having cognizance of his own weaknesses, has an obligation to empathize with other peoples' weaknesses and bear one another's burdens.

We as Christians have the obligation or responsibility to provide a light or shining example in a darkened world that generally hates God's way.

God's law will be the spiritual weights and measures in the Kingdom, but until then, we must glorify God by keeping these standards as a bright light.

Human reason and logic are practically useless as tools in determining the nature of God. Only the Bible gives a complete revelation of God.

Because we do not have an abundance of material blessings, we are gently forced to go back to Almighty God for our sustenance, much the same way as Israel.

The church exists because of what God has purposed and done, not because anything we have done. When pride exists within us, God can do nothing with us.

According to Plutarch, heroism is not about nobility, strength, boldness or even courage. The critical component in the ancients' view of the hero is compassion.

Paul reveals God's plan to save all Israel (Romans 11:25-36); the ultimate gift to His saints is the ability to help in the reconciliation process.

Why does God carve out a special role for rejects, off-scourings, and castaways? Are there characteristics of outcasts and 'undesirables' that we should copy?

Grace's influence extends beyond justification, into the sanctification stage where the believer yields himself to righteousness, keeping God's commandments.

When corporations get rid of their core business, they become less effective. Likewise when we deviate from our core job, we risk returning to the world.

Our Savior utilizes the forgettable sparrow to teach about God's watchfulness and care over His 'little flock' and each of His chosen people in it.

Even though Christians have been called to follow Christ, their journey to the Kingdom of God is preparation for leadership under Him.

God, following a pattern, routinely calls the lowly and weak to guard against pride. God will transform the weak of this world through His Holy Spirit.

God is pleased to save those who humble themselves, allowing Him to perform a mighty work through them, and putting everyone in debt to Him.

God puts everyone in the Body as He sees fit. We should be thankful for the role God is preparing us for rather than try to leapfrog to a higher position like Helel.

Having God's spiritual gifts should not incline us to exercise any measure of pride because we have nothing that has not been given to us by God.

The book of Hebrews clarifies that the persecution on the early church did not come directly from God, but He did stir the pot that caused the persecution.

Mark's gospel describes the miraculous transformation of the disciples, who began with slow comprehension, into faithful, mature apostles and fishers of men.

These two parables are linked because they are the answers to the disciples' question, 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?'

God has chosen the weak and base things of the world, yet we can still sacrifice our personal concerns for the greater good just as our Savior did.

While we must express some of our own faith as we come to salvation, most of saving faith is a gift of God. Abel and Enoch illustrate the pattern of faith.

We share in Christ's suffering, realizing that glory follows suffering. It may involve enduring hardship, deprivation, duress, and outright boredom.

We have been base and ignoble, but Christ has enabled us to be cleaned up and transformed or shaped into offspring of God to be joint heirs with Christ.

Paul wrote some of his most optimistic letters from prison, under the possibility of execution, but absolutely convinced that ultimate victory was imminent.