The exhortation to earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints was given because of the prevalence of false apostles in the early church. These false apostles or deceitful workers are also in the church today, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. They preach another Jesus, proclaim another gospel, and operate by another spirit - 2 Corinthians 11:4.

There is nothing that is hidden from our heavenly Father. He knows the number of the hairs of your head - that means he cares about every detail of your life. Those around you may not know or fully understand what you are going through but God does. Although his intervention may appear to be delayed, God hears your faintest cry and is working in the background to perfect all that concerns you.

The grace of God is unmerited or undeserved favour from God to man. This grace majorly does two things. Firstly, it brings salvation to sinners, translating them from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. Then secondly, it teaches believers how to overcome sinful tendencies and to live the life that is acceptable in the kingdom of God. The grace of God is not licentiousness.

There is a finishing line that must be crossed for the believer to receive the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Unlike the earthly, the heavenly race is not a competition, therefore everyone that crosses the finishing line wins the race. Runners in the heavenly race encounter a lot of hindrances and distracting circumstances occasioned by the devil. Therefore, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.

Mary Magdalene was the first to discover the empty tomb and she promptly informed Peter and John that the Lord had been removed from the tomb. When these two disciples ran to the tomb and confirmed that the Lord was not there, they returned to their own home. But Mary stayed back at the tomb weeping, until she eventually saw two angels in the tomb and Jesus standing behind her. Mary's persistence paid off in the end.