There are times in life when we face a challenge for which we feel inadequate and unprepared. It may be a challenge that was put upon us by the world around us, or a challenge that we know God is calling us toward. After the death of Moses, Joshua was given the difficult task of leading the people of Israel into the Promised Land. He felt inadequate and unprepared. But God promised that He would be with them.

It has become fashionable to say, “I’m spiritual but not religious.” Far too many Christians have embraced faith in Christ but walked away from His family. Jesus described the church as the Bride of Christ. To reject the church is like telling your best friend that you can’t stand his wife. We can never be the people we are called to be if we try to live out our faith apart from the church.

The Bible consistently makes the connection between knowing God and living for him. Even in our every day lives, we recognize that there's a difference between knowing facts about people and actually having a relationship with our friends and family members. Simply knowing about God doesn't mean that we have a relationship with him. We have been called to walk in relationship with Christ, not merely believing that he exists and living as though we don't.

We’re all tempted to worry, whether it be worries about our job or an upcoming test or a family member that is dying. If you allow it to, worry can begin to control your life. The goal of the Evil One is to make you worry so much about everything, that you don’t do anything to further the kingdom of God. As believers, we should rest easy, knowing that our lives are ultimately in the hands of a loving Father.

Far too many Christians have a faith that is like an inoculation. An inoculation is when you are given little bit of the disease to keep you from getting the real thing. It’s quite easy for us to settle into a life of predictability and comfort, as we buy into an Americanized version of Christianity. Rather than settling for a safe, predictable faith, Jesus calls us into a bigger story – a life of sacrifice for His Kingdom.

As Paul brings his letter to the Philippians to a close, he finally gets around to thanking them for their financial support – the gift that was sent to him via Epaphroditus. Paul learned to be content in any and all situations. He then describes the stellar example of the Philippians' generosity – they gave even out of their poverty. Happiness is what you gain when you give something away.

We live in a world that steals our peace. Fox News, CNN, Facebook and Twitter bombard us with negativity every day. In a world of peace-less people, a person of peace will really stand out. Philippians 4:2-9 gives us a prescription for dealing with stress and worry. The promise is not that our problems will go away, but that there will be an incomprehensible peace in the midst of those problems.

Every human is full of desire. We spend our days trying to satisfy those desires. If our immediate appetites rule our lives, then our lives will be ruined. Paul teaches us that eternity puts our appetites into perspective. C.S. Lewis was right when he said, “Our appetites are not too strong, they are too weak.” What if we led our desires to what truly satisfies? Instead of being hungry for more, we would be happy.

No one had a longer resume of achievements than Paul. No one worked harder to please or even just appease God. Eventually, he realized that all his past accomplishments were keeping him farther from God. When we add anything to Jesus for salvation we mess up the gospel. Everything that he once considered positive, he now had to discard. Only then could he please God and know Christ.

When we think about greatness we often picture successful athletes, historical leaders, or Nobel Prize winners. If you listen to our culture long enough you get the impression that one of the greatest mistakes you can make is to fail to live up to your potential. The overriding message: Everyone should be great. But what if we’re not? Should we regret it? Have we failed our calling to greatness? Jesus exhibited a different measure of greatness: service.