This psalm belongs with a group known as thanksgiving psalms. It celebrates God as the one who hears and answers, the God who saves. But whom does God save?

The only way to experience true, lasting joy is to love most what you can’t lose.

This first psalm serves as an introduction and an invitation to the whole collection of psalms. It lays out the path to true and lasting happiness. What it says about happiness, and where to find it, may surprise you.

With his final encouragement for his friends, Paul ties together the main themes of his letter, and points to where authentic Christianity shows up: in community.

Throughout this letter Paul has been under examination, but now at the end he tells the Corinthians that they should examine themselves. What sort of test does Paul have in mind? And how will this test be graded?

Paul’s goal in writing to his friends is to deepen their faith. As he defends himself and his ministry against specific accusations, he puts forward an example of relating to Corinthian church, where we find an encouragement to live a self-denying, unified life with brothers and sisters in Christ. The power to live like that comes from our identity in Christ—all of us sinners who need a savior. Our purpose to bring all glory of God.

The Christian life inevitably involves hardship. We want God’s victory to look like our success over those hardships, but Paul tells us a different story. God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness, whether we win in this life or not.

How do you expect God to treat his friends?

In this text Paul unleashes a withering attack on teachers he calls false apostles and servants of Satan. He accuses them of peddling a counterfeit version of Jesus and his gospel. What exactly is Paul worried about? And how can we avoid it ourselves?

What do you want your life to be known for?