Mary, an ordinary girl from an out of the way place, shows the way to blessing as she surrenders in faith to God's intervention in her life.

As Paul concludes his letter to the Philippians he returns to the theme of partnership filling out a beautiful vision for believers one last time.

Paul continues to strive with the Philippians and with us to pursue true unity within the fellowship of believers as something of paramount importance for the broader community and to be nurtured within individual believers.

As those who Christ has taken hold of we must learn to love the world that he loves, even as we long for the glory he has prepared for us.

Knowing Christ surpasses everything else in this life.

Paul continues to exhort the Philippian church to live a life of love and good deeds. This is first for one another, but also for the watching world that desperately needs the hope of Jesus Christ.

In a perfect distillation of the Gospel we see that Christ's emptying of himself and subsequent filling is the source of our own fullness and the model for our life.

Though on trial for his life, Paul models for the believer a singular Gospel focus that transcends circumstance and manifests in the world in courage and self forgetfulness.

Hosea 14 provides a beautiful picture of what it means to be the people of God, both for Israel and the church today.

As Philippines continues Paul explains his current situation: rival preachers, being bound in prison, community growth and the spread of the gospel. This short section of Philippians packs a power punch as we get an inside look into Paul’s gospel attitude as he clings to the true joy of his life, Jesus Christ.