Gifts are given, but fruit must be grown

A successful Christian life will not be based on how much work we have done, but rather, on how close to the Lord we have become and how obedient we have been.

The Lord does not forgive excuses, He forgives sin.

We often think of great faith as something that happens spontaneously so that we can be used for a miracle or healing. However, the greatest faith of all, and the most effective, is to live day by day trusting Him. It is trusting Him so much that we look at every problem as an opportunity to see His work in our life.

The Holy Spirit is not “the Doer,” but rather the “Helper.” He will not do it without us, but if we engage He will help us with what we need to make it happen

I have often heard, "I love God but just don't like His people." This may sound glib, but as John explained, this is a basic deception as we do not really love God unless we also love His people. The Scriptures also go to great lengths to explain that love is not to be based on whether people are lovable or not.

Knowing His will is more valuable than all the treasures we could ever have, and we must always esteem knowing His will as the true treasure, and therefore make it the primary thing that we seek.