As we end our journey through the biblical narratives, we come to these great promises: He is making all things new, there will be no more physical and emotional pain, and, greatest of all, we shall see our Saviour face-to-face. What a day that will be when we arrive in the New Jerusalem!

Faith saves us, but faith with no action or works is no faith at all. Works don't give us faith, but faith should give us works. Let's make sure our faith is not a useless faith!

After the shipwreck, Paul gets bitten by a deadly viper on Malta, but does not die. God's purpose for him is to go and stand before Caesar in Rome. What do we learn from this narrative? Whether it's miraculous healing or surviving shipwrecks, we shall all reach our final destination that God has prepared for us for His glory!

James's warnings against showing partiality aren't just practical; they're also rooted in the law. If you love your one neighbour and not the other, you have shown partiality and transgressed. But he also gives a remedy: showing mercy (compassion) under the law of freedom!

The people want this bread from Heaven; Jesus drops the bombshell: "I am the Bread of Life". It is the Father's will that all He gives to the Son will be safe and secure until He raises them up on the last day. If you have the Bread of Life, you have been specifically chosen by the Father and given to the Son who will keep you until the end.

On Paul's last journey to Rome, he finds himself departing on ship after warning those in charge that bad weather was imminent. However, because Paul was commissioned by God to stand trial before Caesar, He purposed to save the lives of everyone on board, even though they ignored Paul's warnings. And even though the ship became a shipwreck, every was saved!

Following on from last time, James warns the church against pandering to the rich in hopes of securing some worldly gain. These are unbelieving people who blaspheme Christ's name. Rather, the Church should be attentive to those under her care, especially the poor.

Even though the crowds literally just want more food, Jesus tries to show them spiritual realities: just as we need physical bread for survival, we also need spiritual bread for survival. However, people who are blinded to their true spiritual condition will never for a moment think they need anything from the Bread of Life.

Although we should do our best to live peaceably with all men, not all men want to live peaceably with us. The people of Jerusalem became very upset with Paul for his teaching and especially for involving the Gentiles. When we stand for truth and righteousness, we are bound to upset those who stand for unrighteousness. Take heart! He has won the victory!

Natural man is going to make distinctions and discriminate against other people. That is because natural man is a respecter of persons: these differences in social rank, wealth, race, etc. matter to us. We must submit to and live for the glory of God so that these differences won't matter to us. Let's see ourselves and each other primarily as redeemed children of God!