Human life contains many tragedies and often times seems unfair. No matter what we have been through God has a reward for us in the next life and can give us strength for this life.

Jonah runs away from the call to go to Nineveh because he knows that God is merciful and willing to extend grace to those who are undeserving. Jonah does not want the people of Nineveh to repent.

There is nothing that could ever separate us from God’s love. God is with us and for us, always.

We become co-heirs with Christ when we allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit so that we might become fully obedient sons and daughters of God.

If we are to live faithful and obedient lives, we must live in the power of God’s Holy Spirit. We must be in the Spirit and the Spirit must be in us.

Paul highlights the tension between knowing and wanting to do what is right and actually doing it that we all experience as we seek to follow Jesus. We’re not to give up hope, as Jesus Christ will one day bring us to perfection.

Paul calls us to choose which master we will serve, sin and death or life in God through Jesus. We make this choice by presenting ourselves as instruments of righteousness.

We have been united with Christ through our baptism. This means that we have shared in his death and resurrection but also that we now receive vital nutrition from Christ to go forth and walk in newness of life.

We have peace with God because we have been granted continued access into God’s presence so that we might grow in grace.

If we want to participate in the work that Jesus is doing in our world, bringing about the Kingdom of God, then we must pray and wait for God’s Spirit to empower us and send us out.