Many Christians approach the topic of fasting as a legalistic practice, trying to please (bribe) God into favor toward us in some way or the other. But the Bible is more nuanced on fasting than we usually tend to think and practice. In this passage, we learn what kind of Spiritual importance Fasting holds.
We see in the Bible, that God often uplifts the lowly and the oppressed. Also, He often humbles the proud. This is how His kingdom works. In this passage, we learn how Jesus demonstrates His love toward the helpless, but also humbles the exalted.
We don’t often hear people talking about being content today. When we do, it’s often in terms of what would be ideal rather than characteristic of our lives. In this passage, Paul gives an explanation of how he has labored for contentment in Christ and in the worst of circumstances he can have joy, since his circumstances could never give him the fulfillment he seeks anyway, he seeks to be content in the person of Jesus Christ.
Every disciple of Christ is called to evangelize. The New Testament paints a picture in which every disciple of Christ is normally and naturally involved in evangelism as much as in the Bible study, prayer, and corporate worship. From the brand new Christian to the wise old saint, sharing the gospel is necessary and integral to a growing life in Christ. In this passage, we learn how we’re called to approach Christian ministry both in serving the saints and the lost.
Roman Catholic Church’s official position is that Jesus’ mother Mary remained a virgin for her entire life (perpetual virginity). The bible never affirms that, and instead notes about her children who came after Jesus. So Catholic church gives an inordinate amount of importance (and even worship) to Mary. Sometimes the opposite reaction in protestant churches to completely dismiss Mary’s life and godly character can be an extreme or incorrect position to hold. In this passage, we learn who is Mary, and what lessons we can learn from her submission to God.
In the Bible, God sets aside His redeemed people primarily to fellowship with Him and to glory Him by reflecting His character through His people in this world. God is glorified when His redeemed people show certain marks that remind the world about God and His kingdom. In this passage, we learn how sincere love for others and constantly fighting sin in our lives through repentance and overcoming temptation, are the ongoing marks of a true Christian.
We’ve often heard a cliché about the necessity of leaders being ’empathetic’ and ‘humble’ towards people. But how does a leader cultivate such character qualities to serve people well? The Bible says that only the gospel of Jesus Christ enables leaders to have a heart of humility. In this passage, we learn how gospel authenticates and produces genuine humility in a leader through the path of suffering, so that he displays character qualities like Christ did.