If God does not have our highest allegiance, we will use prayer to try to get things that have that designation.

In short, the enlightenment privatized marriage, taking it out of the public sphere, and redefined its purpose as individual gratification, not any 'broader good' such as reflecting God's nature, producing character, or raising children. Slowly but surely, this newer understanding of the meaning of marriage has displaced the older ones in Western culture.

Unless you point to the good news of God's grace people will not be able to bear the bad news of God's judgement.

Jesus was much more interested in the quality of the people's response to him than in the quantity of the crowd.

What you treasure will ultimately require you die for it, Jesus is the only treasure that died for you.

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

God's salvation does not come in response to a changed life. A changed life comes in response to the salvation, offered as a free gift.