Have you ever been blessed by God? Jacob wrestled with God. Do you remember the story? He wrestled with God and refused to let go until he received God’s blessing… It got me thinking… what exactly does it mean to be blessed by God? As I studied the role of blessings in the stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, I found that although I had a sort of inner sense of what a blessing is, [...]
Jacob had an interesting relationship with God. You may remember the story: Jacob and Esau were fraternal twins. From the beginning, they were polar opposites: Esau was a rough outdoorsman. He loved to go hunting. Jacob preferred to stick close to home. Esau was big and burly and hairy. Jacob was smaller and smooth-skinned. Because Esau had been the first of the twins to reach outside the womb, he was Isaac’s firstborn and in line [...]
The three-in-one or trinitarian nature of God is perhaps one of the most difficult concepts to grasp when we contemplate the nature of God. But when we begin to understand this very foundational facet of His nature, we also gain insights into our relationship with Him and with one other. I have found that the trinitarian nature of God explains the why of many things. What do we mean by the Trinity? Sometimes people seem [...]
I love the words of the angels to the disciples after Jesus ascended into heaven. After instructing them to remain together in Jerusalem and wait for the promised Holy Spirit, Jesus simply arose from the earth and disappeared into a cloud. From out of nowhere, two angels suddenly stood beside the disciples, saying, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, [...]
On the night of the Passover Feast, the night He was betrayed, Jesus knew exactly what was coming. Knowing He had but a few short hours, He chose to humble Himself and take on the role of a Servant. He laid aside His outer garments and attended to the needs of His disciples by washing their dirty feet (John 13:1-15). In one of the most beautiful Old Testament passages (Isa. 52:13-53:12), the prophet Isaiah writes [...]
