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How should we live in response to our world? As "salt" and "light" we want to live out our faith in the world and make a difference. Engage, don't isolate. Choosing life is a heart battle, rejecting what God says about life, living in unbelief. He calls us to the need, to live sacrificially to make Jesus more valuable to the people around us. Our hope is in the gospel.

God sends trials to test and strengthen our faith. The threats of suffering and dissension stand the test of time as we patiently wait in faith until the Lord returns. In His mercy and compassion, the Lord uses these things to make us perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. In our times of dissension, realize that He hears all that is said, and He condemns grumbling. Remain patient, not breaking faith with Him or each other, so that we can draw closer to Him and to others in the body.

When we are blessed with material treasure, do we generously bless others or do we pursue self-indulgence? Riches can lead to the oppression of others, injustices performed against those who make moral choices. We rest in the knowledge that the righteous will be fully rescued, and He will execute judgment.

We are all called to the constant practice of studying God's Word and learning to distinguish between truth and lies. False teaching comes from those who are also deceived. Three valid tests are the following: Jesus has come in the flesh; false teaching comes from the world, and they listen to it (does it appeal to personal comfort?); truth is written by the eyewitnesses of Christ and His ministry, who also affirmed the rest of Scripture. Any teaching must align with all of God's Word.

The concept of invitation is central to the Christian faith, for we receive salvation by accepting, not by birth or coersion. God fully displayed His love and the cost of our salvation in the gift of His Son. Even the angels are filled with joy and praise. The invitation is personally accepted or rejected, and with the acceptance comes peace because everything is as it should be.

Zechariah emphasizes the truth that Jesus has redeemed and rescued us from the spiritual and physical components of sin. Rather than being slaves and addicts to sin, Jesus brings us into new life and light. When one moves from being a slave to sin to being the possession of God, he/she can serve with joy and walk with Him in perfect peace.

This blessing refers to the wonderful gift of the Lord to all who receive that work of God that can never be taken away. He remembers and restores those promises given to the people of the Old Testament, including the promise to David that his descendent, Jesus, would sit on the Messianic throne. We need humility to believe His promises, that the coming of Christ will bring restoration and certainty of joy.