The missionary William Carey described himself as a man who could "plod". Parents, in conjunction with other Christians, must "plod" in diligently making disciples of the coming generations. We must listen to God's Word ourselves, tell the coming generation about God's wonderful works in the past, and wait expectantly for God to work more wonders by giving new hearts that hope in him and keep his commandments.

It's easy for churches to turn exclusively inward and forget all the outsiders around us who need to hear about Christ. It's just as easy to chase manufactured growth through clever strategies. But truth is, as Christians persevere talking to God, walking with wisdom, and talking to unbelievers, God does the great thing of making outsiders into insiders "in Christ"

Christians need to "test the spirits", exercising godly discernment in the face of spiritual forces seeking to undo us. We can have great courage knowing that "greater is he who is in us than he who is in the world".

Forgiveness is a complex subject. But Jesus' point is simple and sharp: if we don't forgive others their debts, God won't forgive ours. Those who truly get the gospel of mercy will mercifully forgive others. How can we not forgive others their comparitively small debts when God has forgiven us our astronomically large spiritual debts.