Paul reminds us that in the Gospel we are both brought lower and raised higher than we can imagine.

Christians tend to motivate others with guilt. We tend to say: You would do this if you were really committed Christians, indicating that we are committed and all that is needed is for others to become as good as we are! This is why so many churches quench the motivation of people for ministry. In our shoes, Paul would say: Remember the grace God has showered on you—what does living out and enjoying that grace look like in this situation?

The peace of God is not the absence of fear. It, in fact, is His presence.

[T]he main problem in life is sin, and the only solution is God and his grace. The alternative to this view is to identify something besides sin as the main problem with the world and something besides God as the main remedy. That demonizes something that is not completely bad, and makes an idol out of something that cannot be the ultimate good.

Jesus' claims are particularly unnerving, because if they are true there is no alternative but to bow the knee to him.

A sense of Jesus’ absence might be a sign of his presence- a sign that he’s working already in your life.

The cross is the place where the Judge takes the Judgment.