For we walk by faith, not by sight

2 Corinthians 5:7
For we walk by faith, not by sight.

We normally walk by sight as humans. Among our 5 physical senses, sight is the one most of us depends on the most. However, this is contrary to the life that God wants us to walk. To walk by faith is to lead a life of faith. Rather than trusting what we can see in the physical world, faith requires us to place our trust in Yshua, not knowing the full picture of where we are going.

Love suffers long and is kind

1 Corinthians 13:4
Love suffers long and is kind

Suffering for long is not in the natural nature of man, and kindness may be in the same category too. However, love has the characteristic of long-suffering and kind. Love can be seen in both believers and non-believers - it is part of the image of God that is embedded in us, who are His creation. In fact the qualities of love are spontaneous, they happen by itself without premeditation. If it is planned, than it would not be love, rather it will have ulterior motive. Another act of love is in fact heroism, when a stranger risks himself to save another, without understanding the reason - our Lord said, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends." (John 15:13)

It has not yet been revealed what we shall be

1 John 3:2
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

This verse refers to the transformation when we are finally with the Lord. It also highlights the fact that we do not know everything and the God has chosen not to reveal to us everything. We can only be certain of Him, not certain of everything that He would do. This is also part of faith. Our believe is in Him, not the specific doctrine per se, though we should all know the foundational doctrine well. It is also freedom in that although we are not certain about everything, yet we are certain of Him. This should also encourage us to leave our burdens to Him rather than find a solution for everything.

Joab had defected to Adonijah, though he had not defected to Absalom

1 Kings 2:28
Joab had defected to Adonijah, though he had not defected to Absalom.

This can be used as a lesson for temptation, which are usually a short time frame between the decision to sin. However, the decision to defect may have taken a long time for Joab to decide. He chose to be loyal to King David at one time, but later he switched to Adonijah. Even a well-thought out decision can sometimes be the wrong or unrighteous one, even though it seemed the right thing at the time. Having made a right decision, whether it is an important decision or not, does not always guarantee that we will know how to make the right decision in the future, though it may be a smaller decision. All the more we cannot be complacent about what we stand for and who we are.

And he said, "Here I am"

Exodus 3:4
God called to him ... And he said, "Here I am"

God called to Moses, and Moses was ready for God to assign him the mission. So Moses was actually listening otherwise he might have missed God's call. It is not that God is incapable of raising His voice to make us notice. It is because God is calling those who are ready to serve and one of the indication of readiness, is listening and waiting for God's call.

he put on his outer garment ... and plunged into the sea

John 21:7
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment ... and plunged into the sea

Simon Peter first responded to God's call at sea without thinking of anything else. He completely obeyed Jesus and stepped out into the sea. Soon, Peter was walking on the sea, just like Jesus, his Master did. However, soon he looked around himself, and his mind started to apply the physical restrictions that he was used to, such as man cannot walk on water. As a result he sank. For us, there are times when we are called by God and felt so empowered while doing God's task. It is important to know that once God uses us, He will continue to enable us to do greater things. Our part is to look at Him, and not look at the physical restrictions.

While you have the light, believe in the light

John 12:36
While you have the light, believe in the light

Jesus was speaking about Himself as the Light. He would be on earth for only a limited amount of time, yet almost none of those who saw and listened to Him realised this. When He is gone from the earth, He wants us to keep being faithful to God.

Today, this can also be applied to use when we have very positive spriritual experiences and we walk very closely to God. However, in the fallen world, such spiritual experiences may not last all the time. However, the faith that we are called to, the commitment to God that we profess should not be dependent on our spiritual highs. In fact it is in our most desperate times that it will be helpful, to have maturity and strength in our faith.