In war, we either fight or lose everything. Are we willing to contend for the most important thing? The cause we fight for is the faith: the unchanging message of Christianity that was given once for all.

The book of Jude is a warning to all Christians. It is a necessary warning for us to hear and to heed, because it comes with the Lord's authority and also with the promise of multiplied blessings from the Lord.

The death and resurrection is important to us because we have died with him and have been raised with him. Because our lives are now with Christ, we must no longer look to earthly things, but set our minds on heavenly things.

Palm Sunday and the triumphal entry teach us about receiving Jesus as the rightful king. Being a Christian means dying to ourselves, welcoming the reign of Jesus over us, and honoring Christ as the most important person in our lives.

We all are counselors. Whenever we speak, we have an opportunity and responsibility with our words: do they corrupt or do they build up? The word of God trains us and equips us to be good counselors.

The books of Samuel conclude with a time where David trusted in himself rather than God. As with every sin, there is a great cost for David's self-sufficiency and pride. But while David's story is over, God's story isn't: the Lord will provide Jesus, the King of kings, to save us from our sins, revealing his mercy and grace beyond what we deserve.

Do names really matter? As we continue to consider David's kingdom, we find that the name that David made for himself as king is one that is marked by power and strength, loyalty and love, but also sin and scandal.

The biblical picture of the church is the members of the body using their unique gifts to meet the needs of others, serving one another and ultimately serve Christ to the glory of God. Rather than being motivated primarily by needs or gifting, we first must look to Christ as our example of the ultimate servant leader.

In David’s final words, he imparts to us the wisdom from his life experience: what truly matters is knowing God, fearing him, obeying him, and trusting him to fulfill all his promises in the end.

David celebrates God's deliverance with a psalm. When we dig deeper, we find that it reveals the very things in which God's heart delights: God is pleased and glorified when he is our refuge, when we obey him in faith, when we rely on his power, and when he proves his might to save mankind.