Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” (Matt. 1:22-23) As we contemplate together what it means for God to be with us, let’s first turn our attention to the prophet Ezekiel. Ezekiel was taken captive to Babylon in about 597 BC. That [...]
Pictured: A middle-eastern sheepfold. Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth… When we think of Bethlehem, we think of the manger. We think of Mary and Joseph traveling from their home in Nazareth while Mary was heavy with child. We think of their arrival in Bethlehem to find no room for them because of the crowds arriving for the [...]
Worship leader Tommy Walker wrote a song titled, Only a God Like You* In it, he writes, My allegiance and devotion, My heart's desire and all emotion, Go to serve the Man Who died upon that tree It’s a great worship song. Do you know it? As I was singing this song on a Sunday morning, I found myself wondering, is it true of me? Is my heart’s desire and my emotion really wrapped up [...]
What’s your favorite way to say thank you? Are you a note writer or a gift giver? Do you make a phone call or do you send a text? Maybe you prefer the personal touch – a quick hug and a big smile and a, “Thank you so-o-o much!” Thanksgiving. Giving thanks. There’s something about giving thanks that changes things. It makes a difference. As I was thinking about giving thanks on this Thanksgiving morning, [...]
Do you long for spiritual breakthrough? Do you long to see God work in miraculous ways in your life? Do you hear others talk about the power of God at work in their lives, but you are embarrassed to admit that you have not experienced it? Do you wonder why some Christians seem to experience something more in their faith? I have come to understand that it is in the nature of God to work [...]
In Matthew chapter eleven, we find Jesus teaching and preaching in the cities. He receives a message from John the Baptist–now sitting in prison–who asks whether or not He is really the Messiah who was foretold. After responding to John’s disciples, Jesus begins to lament the fact that so many people have rejected both He and John because they did not live up to their expectations. He says the people are like children who complain, [...]
app • application application • : an act of putting to use : a program (as a word processor or a spreadsheet) that performs one of the major tasks for which a computer is used : the act of fixing the mind; intenseness of thought; close study; attention : that part of the discourse, in which the principles before laid down and illustrated, are applied to practical uses – ♦ ♦ ♦ – Just for [...]
You believe in God. You trust Jesus as your Savior. You enjoy the fellowship of church on Sunday. But where does your faith fit in your everyday life? What is your reality? Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” (Matthew 7:21) James added that anyone who is merely a hearer of [...]
I have a little pet. I call him Peeve. He follows me around. He rarely leaves my side. He is a little mangy, and people say he’s angry. They call my poor Peeve names and say bad things about him, just because he bares his teeth, and snarls, and foams a little at the mouth. Well… I will admit he bites sometimes. That is, he bites others often. But in his defense, he only bites [...]
A man set out to plant a garden. He purchased a large plot of ground in an area that had fertile soil, and he built a strong fence around it. Then he divided it up into sections, one section for each of his favorite foods, and carefully plowed each section into rows. Next he painted signs for each section, showing colorful pictures of the plump vegetables and fruits he was looking forward to harvesting there: [...]
