We tend to think of meekness as a weakness, but Jesus calls the meek blessed. So what does he mean by meekness, and how can we cultivate it?

All of us spend tremendous amounts of time and energy and money seeking what we believe will make us happy. But Jesus says that it?s those who mourn who will be blessed. What sort of mourning does he have in mind? And how will the mourners be blessed?

Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor in spirit, but what did he mean by ?poor in spirit?? And what does that mean for us if we want to enjoy his kingdom?

To begin his public ministry, according to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus traveled around proclaiming the ?gospel of the kingdom.? The Sermon on the Mount is the longest, most detailed account of the sorts of things Jesus was saying. What does he say the kingdom is like? In what sense is this gospel?good news? And how can we make the most of this sermon?

How can a local church stay faithful over the long haul? By pursuing what God is doing through his gospel.

In Psalm 72 we see God?s promise of a coming King who will once and for all fulfill the hopes of God?s people. By studying the promises made so long ago, we find hope and rest in Jesus, who is the King God promised to send.

How can we bring the light of Christmas into the darkness of our lives? Psalm 43, read on this side of the coming of Christ, shows us two simple steps. Talk with God about the darkness. And talk to your soul about Jesus.

David?s song of praise for God?s deliverance points us to the great reversal we all need. We need someone who can rewrite our stories of darkness, mourning, and death into stories of morning, gladness, and life.

James finishes his letter by calling us to do for each other what he had done for his friends through his letter. He calls on every one of us to pursue everyone with the truth, because everything is on the line. We?re all responsible for helping each other bridge the gap between what is true about God and what is going on in our lives.

Throughout his letter James has been showing us what it looks like to live as if we truly believe that God is and that he is for us in Jesus. It makes sense, then, that he would close his letter with a call to prayer. Prayer demonstrates the fear of the Lord that is the source of all wisdom.