The gospel of Luke begins with the goal of a witness and his pattern for presenting the truth of Jesus Christ. Luke is believable not because of his convincing arguments or intelligent writing, but because of his real-time witness of the Son of God. And why does he write this? So that all who read his account will have certainty about Jesus.

Without Christ we are completely needy and unable to do any good, yet through Christ we can do all things. Dependent upon the Lord is the faithful walk of a Christian, and the Church is to uplift, support, and encourage each other to be content and joyful regardless of circumstance, because God will supply our every need. We don't need to doubt, we need to trust.

Conflict, anxiety, and fear arise in all human beings, including inside the church. Engaging with these struggles requires the redemptive work of Christ, who cultivates peacemakers and teammates in the gospel. To think about the good, to dwell on truths of God, to rejoice in this great salvation must be how the church moves forward in love, to make disciples and live freely in hope of our Savior's return.

The Christian life involves a faithful pursuit of Jesus, to follow Him obediently and diligently. Paul strains towards the goal of holiness, is grieved by those in the church who aren't actually pursuing Christ, and reminds us of the assurance of hope and sanctification that has been made possible through Jesus. May we live in that identity, knowing our eternity is set while chasing after the prize that is undefiled and unfading; all so Christ is magnified.

We are not, and never will be, good enough on our own. That's the bad news. And that's the burden of human existence. But the good news is that Jesus is. And in and through His grace He gives us His righteousness by faith.

Gospel life focuses on exalting Jesus with the family of faith. In describing Timothy and Epaphorditus the apostle Paul calls them son and brother, faithful friends, focused on what's most important, and striving for the kingdom of God. May Christians today be known for the same things, enjoyed by the Church and pursuing the Lord with their adopted brothers and sisters.

Carried along by the Holy Spirit, believers are to work out their salvation with fear and trembling while also rooted in gladness and rejoicing. The Lord has delivered His people, therefore they have full assurance of their hope and can live a lights and witnesses of the glory of God to a crooked and twisted generation. It's still tempting to blend in with the world and grumble, but Christians must lean into the realities of new creation life purchased for them at the cross.

Having the mind of Christ involves an obedience and humility demonstrated by Jesus Himself. As He lived and endured the cross, Jesus was completely obedient and humble both in our place and so that we may live the same way. By living this way we will share in unity the love and grace of Christ to others.

Suffering and the Christian life go hand in hand, yet the Lord faithfully holds His people through every circumstance. Refined by trials and grace, Christians walk in this world able to serve and love others knowing that God is in control and supplies our deepest needs.

Paul reminds us to be committed to the gospel. In the end, it will all turn out in deliverance and salvation for those who trust in Jesus. And though this life brings difficulties and the desire is to leave this world to be with Christ, the tension to stay and be a light to this world will shape and fashion us into His likeness. We are to be committed to the Lord, His will, and His people.

As Paul's imprisoned, he is still witnessing the gospel advancing. Our circumstances do not limit the Lord, who uses even hardships to spread the good news of Christ. We are to share sincerely, have right motives, and rejoice regardless of the temporary difficulties knowing that our greater circumstance is secure and perfect in God who loves us.

In his love for the church, Paul expresses his desire that Christians should pray for one another. Not only is it impactful in the moment, but it will carry us as we wait for the day of Christ; when He comes again. In this we will be sanctified, to look more and more like Jesus.

Paul writes with joy and love to the people of the Philippian church even though he's imprisoned and away from them. Being rooted in Christ, Christian community is more than just togetherness, its family and shared partnership. The church is where believers are strongest and most effective in gospel mission.

Paul writes to the church in Philippi to encourage and instruct them in Christ. An eclectic group of people make up this church as we observe in Acts 16, some of Paul's earliest encounters with other believers. From this origin we know that Paul is writing to people he knows and cares for.

David finishes his prayer of deliverance in gratitude and humility. Everyone is hard wired to worship, but who or what we worship is a choice. David has chosen to worship the Lord who saved him and established his feet upon the Rock. We can do the same today as we faithfully trust in Jesus who is powerful to save.

As David has grown old and reminiscent of his up and down life, he is confident in the prevailing love and grace of God. Though he has done great things, horrible sins, and been through many trials; David attributes salvation to God who cares for him. Believers can have the same assurance today, looking at their own personal experience as well as in history to the cross of the proof of the Lord's steadfast love.

David's sin with Bathsheba and Uriah is met with a consequence; that the sword will never depart from David's house. His son, Absalom, is a schemer and commits treason so that he can claim the throne in Israel. Though we can look at Absalom and David and see how they are both sinful, we see the difference is not in how great they are, but in Who they trust; Absalom in himself, but David in the Lord. Christians today find themselves just like these two men, prideful and flawed, but thanks be t...

Confession, repentance, forgiveness; these are all laid out by David before the Lord. In terrible sin and conviction David recognizes that he has wronged the Lord and is completely honest and broken over his sin. We, like David, ought to consider the weight of our sin, Who it is we've sinned against, and quickly run to Him in honesty and vulnerability. God promises to forgive and cleanse us from sin, a mercy and grace unmatched and overwhelming.

Sin doesn't happen in a vacuum. David's adulterous actions with Bathsheba led to murder of her husband Uriah. This mess was made by David and against the Lord who spoke truth through the prophet Nathan. In justice, the Lord doesn't let the sin go unpunished, but in grace the Lord stays with the king of Israel as He promised in covenant. Sin will never be so great that God's promises are void.

The slide toward sin doesn't begin with what is seen, but with what we linger on. David's life in 2 Samuel 11 is a more than a tragic story of sin and its fallout. It's a cautionary tale for the people of God, in humility, and in recognition of our own spiritual weakness, to recognize just how susceptible we are to sin, and to grow more in the grace of the Lord in Christ.

David, in keeping his word to Saul, pursues and extends kindness towards Mephibosheth; the crippled son of Jonathan who can offer David nothing. This is the lavished kindness God has extended towards all those by faith in His Son, that we would both receive that kindness and feast at the King's table as His family, as well as extend that kindness towards others like David did.

David responds to God's covenant promise with right posture. This posture then leads to praise and petition. In humility and awe, David ponders the greatness of God and acknowledges all he has is the Lord's. Christians share in this promise and can confidently know God will deliver on His promises, despite our forgetfulness and wandering. The Lord is faithful and good, and we can stand before Him in love, and ask Him to do what He said He will do.

In a season of rest, David seeks to build a house for the Lord but is met with a different answer than he expected. Instead, God makes a covenant with David that will transcend generation after generation in David's line, ultimately to Christ who will rule and reign as King forever. The promises of the covenant are encouraging to believers today, but we also recognize they are powerful because of Who makes the promise; and that gives us great hope.

David is now king of Israel and has commissioned the Ark of the Covenant to return to Jerusalem after 20 years with Abinadab. Though David and the people of Israel were doing the right thing, they were not obedient to the way God asked them to transport the Ark. God isn't a domesticated being, and He's certainly more powerful than any other force in the universe, therefore we praise Him as we fear Him, we're humbled before Him as we exalt Him, and we celebrate Him unashamedly for what He's do...