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Fighting lust is not simply about fighting disordered desires, it is about recapturing who we were truly made to be.

Gluttony is the silent sin. It's entirely acceptable to talk about how lust or greed are sinful, but it is not often that we talk about how we are affected by our relationship to food and drink and how that might be a sign post to a deeper need: satisfaction. Comfort. The wisdom of God gives us a better path.

Sloth is not simply overindulgent laziness - the problem is much deeper. Instead, sloth is a disruption of our calling as image-bearers of God as we love ourselves and our comfort more than our neighbors, family, and even God. How do we navigate out of spiritual apathy into fortitude and a life of sacrificial love?

Scripture speaks loudly about our love of possessions. Many of us have believed a lie: life is a zero-sum game and if I don't look out for myself, then I'm missing out. So we take because we do not trust. Wisdom corrects this lie and preaches to us that God is generous and that generosity is the path to life.

Envy does not just rob us of joy - it is a distortion of our very role and calling as those made in God's image, designed to be satisfied in him. How do we walk the path of peace, away from envy and towards a proper love for God, ourselves, our neighbors, and even our enemies?

God is not indifferent to pride - He opposes the proud but gives abundant grace and favor to the humble. How do we wear and walk the path of peace towards humility?

God prescribes a way of being in the world that leads to life and flourishing. Proverbs gives us practical insight into what that looks like. But before we can travel down the paths of wisdom, we need to understand exactly what wisdom is and why it's so valuable. Wisdom begins with wisdom.

The great news of Easter Sunday is not just that Jesus is alive, but that in him we get to live with God all the days of our life.

This week marks the turn: Heavy judgment produces hope and healing in the lives of God's faithful people. This has always been God's pattern, which means you and I have hope in the here and now. God's refining judgement produces goodness in the lives of those who love Him.

Zephaniah is a book that is equal parts hope and sorrow—joy and pain. Our tendency is often to skip to the good part. But there is no hope without sorrow, no joy without repentance. Hope is coming, so let’s do everything we can right now to be ready for it. It’s time to return to the Lord.