Everyone has different gifts and abilities that we are able to use to further God's kingdom. Even though our abilities may be different, like the parts of a body, each gift is important and necessary for the body to function. We should search for and embrace the ways in which we can assist the church.

In Exodus, the Lord speaks to Moses through a burning bush, instructing him to go to pharaoh and demand him to release the Israelites. When Moses is hesitant to obey God, the Lord shows Moses signs and reassures Moses that he will allow him to succeed. From this story we can learn that God knows us and cares for us, as God saw the troubles of the Israelites, God is the all power creator, or the "I Am", and that God will use us for his purpose. If we allow him to, we will be able to accomplish great things that we could not on our own.

Shadows of Christ are real people and events that foreshadow or point to Christ. One shadow includes Adam, who's disobedience separated us from God, acting as a counterpart to Jesus, who's obedience brought us back to God. Another shadow is Moses, who left a life of royalty and comfort in order to free his people from bondage, similarly to how Jesus came to Earth in order to bring us salvation. These shadows help us build our faith and better understand who Christ it.

Entering a new year makes us reflect on the direction of our live. Isaiah 64:8 contains a metaphor of God being a potter, and us being clay. Without God's guidance, our lives are shapeless and messy, like unformed clay. Although we may not always understand God's reasoning, we must humble ourselves and allow God to shape us and use us for his plan.

There are many moments in human history that are seen as pivotal, such as the many technological advancements that have changed the way we live. However, the birth of Jesus Christ is much more significant than those events. Jesus's miraculous birth and life brought us an example of how we should live and a hope for salvation.

Standards are the way we measure or define a certain quality or quantity. Standards made by men are faulty, as they are prone to changes and errors, and if we try to create our own standard for how we should live, it will share these flaws. Thankfully, we have been given a standard for living a godly life through the example Jesus set for us, the only standard we should measure ourselves against.

Everything we do should be done for God's glory, so it should be done in a godly manner. No matter how great of a task you may accomplish, if it is not done in love, it does not glorify God. We should not view our accomplishments as a way to earn recognition for ourselves, but rather as a way to bring glory to God.

In Luke 10:24-27, a man questions Jesus about the commandment to "love thy neighbor as thyself", prompting Jesus to deliver the parable of the Good Samaritan, in which a Samaritan stops to help a man that he does not know who has been robbed. In order to show love for God, we must love our neighbor by having mercy and compassion for all, even those we may not know or like.

This life is just a short moment on our journey to our eternal destination. As Christians, we must keep in mind our final goal and dedicate our lives to our faith and serving God above all.

The meaning of the term "gospel" means good news. The gospel is the story of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, which allows us to have salvation. We have earned death through our sin. The gospel is good news to us because it gives us an opportunity for salvation. If we believe and obey the gospel, we may receive eternal life.