A Study on Heaven's "Big Birth Announcement" in Luke 2:8-20!...
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were all given a test before King Nebuchadnezzar: worship the king’s gods and live or don’t worship them and die (Daniel 3:13-15). Without hesitation, the trio responded with their allegiance to the one true God. They knew He was still sovereign whether He delivered them from the fiery furnace or not (3:16-18)......
In my previous post, we looked at how Christians should respond to other believers who differ in matters of conscience (e.g. wearing face masks, getting vaccines, etc.). We saw that we don’t use our freedom in these matters as an opportunity for division or pride, but rather to serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13). We demonstrate love to one another by putting other’s interests above our own (Philippians 2:3-4). And so the law of love trumps division over differences of opinion on these issues. But how do we as believers respond to the world which differs from us (and not just in matters of conscience)? How do we glorify God in our response to a world that is often hostile to the church?...
The world is in turmoil right now. At the forefront of the uproar are the matters surrounding the coronavirus and justice. Camps have formed on these issues with gaping chasms dividing opinions. To further complicate matters, everything is politicized. Wearing a mask in public, posting certain slogans on social media, agreeing or disagreeing with the president or governor all automatically place you into a particular camp....
It is easy to overlook beautiful truths that can change our lives as we read the Bible. We may miss these truths because we are distracted or are so familiar with the text or simply because we don’t understand it. Or it could be that there is another incredible truth that we focus on that causes us to miss the other truth in the same passage. This is what happened to me as I read John 12:25-26...
They do wrong and evil. They know it and yet keep doing it. They even give approval to others who do it. This is Paul’s point in Romans 1:32: They do wrong. They know it’s wrong. They even condone such wrongs. If I were to discuss this with the average Christian, who would they think I was describing? Them. The culture. The world......
In my previous post , we looked at how trusting in the sovereignty of God leads to great comfort. He holds all things together (Colossians 1:15-16; Hebrews 1:2-3) and works all things according to the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11). In these truths, we find great comfort in any circumstance. But we don’t only have a God who is in control; we have a God who is here with us. In today’s post, we will consider four comforting truths of how the sovereign God is with us in our circumstances....
People often view prayer in simplistic terms: Prayer is about telling God what you want and waiting for Him to give it to you. Sure, you thank Him when He does what you want, and you give Him praise to make sure He’s listening, but prayer is a magic formula to make your life better and satisfy your desires. This popular conception runs into problems when your prayers aren’t answered the way you expect them to be. The question becomes what went wrong. Was God not listening? Was your faith too weak? Is God punishing you? ...
The coronavirus crisis has infected us with a myriad of what if questions. What if my elderly parents contract the disease? What if my high-risk wife gets sick? What if my kids catch it? What if I lose my job? What if I have to close my business and claim bankruptcy? What if a loved one dies? What if I die? ...
Will Our Marriages Become a Casualty of the Coronavirus? As we have seen on a daily basis, the threat of the Coronavirus is not just medical, not just financial, not just emotional, but if not prayerfully and humbly addressed, this threat could also become marital as well. While we pray against any casualties in our battle against this Coronavirus, we need to also pray o...
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In preparation for Good Friday, I have been looking over the readings for the Tenebrae service. The first reading is from Psalm 2. It is a psalm that in its historical context referred to the rightful Davidic king of Israel, but has been seen throughout history as referring to the Messiah. To some it seems out of place on Good Friday, with its insistence on the right of Go...
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We see over and over how people or symbols in the Old Testament point to a greater fulfillment in Christ. Some person or object in the Old Testament imperfectly exhibits a characteristic, office, or function that foreshadows its perfect realization in Jesus. For instance, the first created man, Adam, was always pointing to the last Adam, who is Christ (1 Corinthians 15:45-...
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We are motivated by what we love; we are driven by what we believe is valuable. As has been said often, if you want to know what someone loves, see how they use their time. Let’s take this same principle and press it into the individual a few steps deeper. Rather than looking at how we spend our time, let us instead consider our thoughts. Our minds tell the story of how ...
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Psalm 91 promises, “He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.” (Psalm 91:4-6) This is God promise. It’s true. Yet pestilence an...
Keep ReadingMore than any other time in recent memory, the entire world is fighting the same battle and the entire world is looking for the same victory. The impact of the Coronavirus is even more expansive than the two "World Wars" of the 20th Century! That is not to say the death toll or the suffering of the Coronavirus will be same as World War I and II, but history does not give ...
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In times like these, people may question everything they thought was true. Our world is turned upside-down. Things we took for granted are no longer available, our daily routine is restricted, and the future is so uncertain we’re not even sure how worried we ought to be. When our world is this crazy, it can be tempting to question where God is in all of this....
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Our circumstances are far different from what they were two weeks ago. Everything is canceled and closed. Required social distancing. Increased restrictions. Mandatory self-isolation. Our world has been turned upside down. If you polled people and asked them, “How are you feeling?”, you can imagine what the most common answers would be. Anxiety. Fear. Worry. Boredom. L...
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Most of us have grown accustomed to a world that has readily offered an incredible variety of options to chase. I certainly don’t mean that we have all had equal opportunities. More accurately stated, the world has always provided many things to which we could give our time, money, talents, and attention—our worship. While some of these are undoubtedly sinful pursuits,...
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You could look back at this coronavirus season as one of the times where you grew exponentially in Christ. Or not. We each have the opportunity years from now to remember this season...
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