Paul says that as Christians we can rejoice even in tough times because we have hope and because we know that God is working in our lives.

God has a purpose behind every problem.

Through salvation our past has been forgiven, our present is given meaning, and out future is secured.

Read the genealogy of Jesus, and you have to see how the four women in that genealogy God used their sins for His glory.

Absolutely nothing will revitalize a discouraged church faster than rediscovering it's purpose.

Familiarity breeds complacency.

Remember how far you've come, not just how far you have to go. You are not where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be.