OUTLINE:

Perspective
Joy (ala 1Th 5:16) comes from appreciating the things that God has given us by grace.

“Glory Be To God”
If this is a vapid sentiment, from the lips only, it is useless, fruitless, unwholesome (ala Eph 4:29).

Timing Matters
Consider Moses, who was called to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian bondage to the promised land, and then wandered 40 years in the desert, under intense pressure from those he led. While being compelled to serve the Lord, we mustn’t force the issue, in our fleshly impatience.

Familiarity
Is a function of the faithfulness of others (e.g., your pastor). It is something that feeds off of the predictability of the most faithful individuals we’ve got in our lives. Who’s more faithful than the Lord Jesus Christ??? Who are we more familiar with???

Grace In Our Faces, Daily
The abundance of grace in our life is so predictable that we become familiar with it, to our own detriment. God is able to glorify Himself, despite our failures; but in our familiarity, we lose out on the rejoicing in such facts.

Obedience
If God prepares us, gives us the strength, and then lights the path, the very best we can “do” is obey His commands. Obedience results in blessing (ala Lk 1:50; 1Pe 1:13-19).

Lk 1:49-51
“For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name. AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM. He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart."

Obedience
If God prepares us, gives us the strength, and then lights the path, the very best we can “do” is obey His commands. Obedience results in blessing (ala Lk 1:50; 1Pe 1:13-19).

The Value of Patience
We tend to look at the “finished product” when we think about the apostles, but that is a mistake if that’s all we consider. While this provides us with hope, the greater blessing is to recognize how God’s grace prepared them.

Knowing You’re Saved
If you look in the mirror and can literally, wholeheartedly say in the presence of God the Holy Spirit, “I have no option but to follow Jesus,” then you are saved. (1Jo 3:24; 4:13; Ro 10:8-10)

Ro 10:8 [Amplified Classic]
But what does it say? The Word (God’s message in Christ) is near you, on your lips and in your heart; that is, the Word (the message, the basis and object) of faith which we preach,

Ro 10:9 [Amplified Classic]
Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Ro 10:10 [Amplified Classic]
For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation.

Knowing You’re Saved
If you look in the mirror and can literally, wholeheartedly say in the presence of God the Holy Spirit, “I have no option but to follow Jesus,” then you are saved. (1Jo 3:24; 4:13; Ro 10:8-10)

1Jn 2:19
They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.

Knowing You’re Saved
If you look in the mirror and can literally, wholeheartedly say in the presence of God the Holy Spirit, “I have no option but to follow Jesus,” then you are saved. (1Jo 3:24; 4:13; Ro 10:8-10)

“Lord, to whom shall we go?”
Peter's words epitomize the one thing that separated the Apostles from the rest of Jesus' "disciples" (some of which weren't yet saved - ala Jn 6:64; 1Jn 2:19) - HUMILITY! Submission/surrender are fruit of humility, the essence of God's grace in salvation.