The word “community” has gained in popularity over the past twenty years. And for good reason. Community is an all-purpose word describing a broad group of people with similar interests. What makes the word Community so user-friendly (there’s a throwback) is its ability to function as both a noun and a verb. For example, when applied to the church as a noun, community defines who we are—a gathering of people who share a common faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Savior of the world. As a verb, community defines what we do—we are a gathering of people who share a common faith in Jesus and are committed to practicing what He preaches by participating in the mission of God.

When Fear entered his life, Paul turned to Someone greater than Fear. This is why he wrote with such resolve; why he lived with such abandon; why he lived so fearlessly. You cannot prevent fear from entering your life, but you can prevent it keeping you from trusting in Someone greater than Fear. When Fear intrudes into our lives, we can trust God to give us grace greater than our fears. Thus we come to the fifth of my six resolutions: I resolve to live fearlessly by trusting God to give me grace greater than my fears.

When the Bible speaks about faithfulness it’s talking about a commitment to Someone greater than ourselves. Faithfulness is a lifelong commitment to following the Lord Jesus Christ. The source of our faithfulness to Jesus is the faithfulness of God. However, whereas our faithfulness is inspired by the faithfulness of God, the faithfulness of God is motivated by His delight in His own glory. One way in which God delights in His glory is by having His Spirit make us more like Jesus. To paraphrase John Piper, the more satisfied we are by the faithfulness of God, the more He is glorified in us.

When the Bible talks about repentance it refers to a change of heart leading to a change in the direction of one’s life. Repentance requires humility. Both are the result of the work of the Holy Spirit. Until we become followers of Jesus we are going in the wrong direction—away from God. We are lost, but we do not know it. We are lost because our internal GPS is defective. We are going the wrong way. We put more trust in our sense of direction than in Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We are listening to our heart when we should be listening to God.

None of us is born humble. Humility is a learned behavior. To be specific, humility is a uniquely Christian virtue. It is a behavior best learned in the context of a faith-relationship with Jesus Christ and with others who have themselves entered into a faith-relationship with Jesus Christ. In other words, humility is best learned by living in community with men and women who have committed to practicing what Jesus preaches. Another name for such a community is the church. When we practice humility we are being obedient to the standard set by Jesus.

The apostle Paul resolved to press on for the same reason Jesus pressed on and endured the cross scorning its shame: for the joy that was set before Him. For the joy of hearing the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. For the complete, overwhelming, soul-captivating, heart-motivating, breath-taking moment when God looks at us and says, “Well done you good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of Your Master.”