We all innately desire peace and quiet, harmony, contentment, prosperity. But seeking peace as an end unto itself proves to be quite elusive. We only end up experiencing new and additional conflicts. True peace is discovered as a byproduct of trusting the Prince of Peace.

All of us are longing for affirmation and acceptance. We want to know who we are -- and that who we are really matters. The world is telling us to find ourselves and achieve this ideal identity; the Gospel is telling us to find ourselves in Christ and receive this ideal identity.

We have an innate longing for freedom, for autonomy. We want to be free to govern ourselves, to call our own shots, to even create our own truth. But how far does this "freedom" actually go? And where does it actually lead? In the end, what does it actually mean to be free and where can we find this longing fulfilled?

Humans have an innate longing for justice and fairness. But our longing alone cannot solve our injustice problem. We are hampered by limited knowledge and power, prejudice, and disagreement over what's right or wrong in the first place. Our hope is to let Jesus define and satisfy our longing for true justice.

Christianity is a team sport. Our spiritual formation, our service, our witness for Christ, do not happen in a vacuum. They happen best in a robust network of relationships that exist for the sake of the kingdom of God.

The Christian life as an ambassador of the Gospel comes down to this: talk to God about people and talk to people about God.

This text on family and household dynamics is often viewed today as traditional and even regressive; but in the time that it was written, it was liberating and empowering. The principles here continue to be life-giving when properly understood.

Christian ethics is not simply a matter of "dos" and "don'ts." We need transformed hearts that automatically produce the kinds of actions and words that reflect Jesus. How do we get that?

Even as professing Jesus-followers, it's all too easy to go back and play around with sins that bring the wrath of God. How do we put these things off? How do we reckon ourselves dead to them? How do we stand firm in the victory and freedom Christ has won for us?

Between our deliverance from bondage and our possession of the promises of God, there is usually a wilderness. An experience of waiting and suffering, where our resources are not sufficient. How do we find God's hope and purpose in times like these?