I was driving down the road the other day. Snowflakes were fluttering in the breeze and the Thanksgiving holiday was only days away. One of my favorite Christmas songs was playing, Michael W. Smith’s Reve du Noel. For some reason, this song always makes me feel like Christmas. It starts out as a chorale in a manner reminiscent of the Carol of the Bells, followed by a piano interlude of Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s [...]
Two weeks ago, I shared with you about Living in the Freedom of Christ. Last week we focused on Living in the Grace of Christ. This week, I want to share with you about Living in the Forgiveness of Christ. These three truths are closely intertwined, but, in my experience, forgiveness is the key to experiencing what it really means to live in the freedom and the grace of Christ. If you recall, I promised [...]
If you have heard the story of the prophet, Jonah, you will probably immediately think of how he was swallowed by a whale. The story goes that God sent Jonah to the great city of Nineveh to warn the people that He would send destruction upon them because of their wickedness. But instead of doing what God had commanded, Jonah ran away. He boarded a ship headed in the opposite direction. God sent a great [...]
The Bible tells us that in the beginning, in the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve walked with God. Can you imagine it? You wake up in the morning. Have some fresh fruit. Inhale the crisp, clean, fresh morning air. You watch the animals grazing nearby, and then you hear a footstep and the sound of His voice! It’s the Lord God, your Creator! So, you run to Him and walk with Him and talk [...]
Though the LORD is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud. (Psalm 138:6 NLT) Did you ever wonder why God favors those who are humble? Both James and Peter are referring to this verse in the Psalms when they write, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6, 1Peter 5:5) Does God get satisfaction from seeing people tremble in fear at His [...]
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 [...]
From Professor Douglas O. Linder, UMKC School of Law: Although the 1995 criminal trial of O.J. Simpson for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman has been called "a great trash novel come to life," no one can deny the pull it had on the American public. If the early reports of the murder of the wife of the ex-NFL football star (turned-NBC-sports-announcer) hadn't caught people's full attention, Simpson's surreal Bronco ride on [...]
Our lives are constrained by time. Hours pass into days and seasons into years as time marches forward. A child looks ahead and counts the hours long. A gray-haired man looks back and asks, “Where have the years gone?” The passage of time brings order to our lives. It gives us a frame of reference, a common standard by which we communicate and coordinate in community. For one, the number of his days on earth [...]
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. (Isaiah 40:28) When I think of God as Creator, I am reminded that He knows and understands. Because God created me, He understands me. He knows how I function, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. He not only knows me, He knows all of His [...]
There is a simple Christmas carol called, I Wonder as I Wander (John Jacob Niles, 1933). Do you know it? With its haunting melody and simple words, it reflects the awe of the coming of Jesus as Immanuel, God with us. I wonder as I wander out under the sky How Jesus the Saviour did come for to die For poor orn'ry people like you and like I; I wonder as I wander out under [...]
