Thursday, December 21st, 2017
Gifts are a big part of Christmas and the day is rapidly approaching for families to gather together and exchange them. We’ve made lists of all the favorite things our loved ones delight in, purchased our selections accordingly, wrapped them lovingly, and secured them with hopeful expectation under our trees. All that remains is the anticipation of how our gifts will be received. Do we really know our loved ones? Do we know them well enough to predict what they would like or not like? Will our selections bring them delight or disappointment? Will they illicit joy and excitement or will they be tossed aside to make room for the next one? It’s no wonder Christmas is so stressful!
Posted in Theology & Religion | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 19th, 2017
All throughout Scripture, God demonstrates His sovereignty over the affairs of men, inviting us back into a relationship of trust and dependence on Him. I couldn’t even begin to enumerate the multitude of ways He did this. When mankind was thriving and families were growing into nations, God said to Abraham “I will make you into a great nation.” When men were conquering and possessing vast territories, God said to Abraham “I will give you all your territory.” God chose to make for Himself this nation and give them their land to demonstrate to the whole world His majesty and sovereignty over all our affairs.
Posted in Theology & Religion | No Comments »
Saturday, December 16th, 2017
He took my death and called it His own
But my death was swallowed up by His life
Because in Him is life everlasting
He gives me His life and calls it my own
Now life everlasting is mine!
His unfailing love continues forever
Posted in Theology & Religion | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 12th, 2017
At the last supper, as recorded in each of the four gospels, Christ made two predictions. The first was that one of their number, one they considered a friend and shared meals with, would betray Him. And of course we all know He was referring to Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples. He signified the inevitability of this prediction by quoting the prophecy from Psalm 41 which reads “the one who shared my food has turned against me.” In fact, John 6:64 makes it very clear that Christ knew all along who would betray Him. Even the price of His betrayal, 30 pieces of silver, was prophesied centuries earlier in Zechariah 11:12.
Posted in Theology & Religion | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 12th, 2017
Christmas is a time for bells. Sleigh bells, jingle bells, silver bells. Pretty much any kind of bell in fact. Bells are generally associated with celebrations and in our country especially, with freedom and liberty. The most famous bell is the Liberty Bell which is on display in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is believed this bell was rung to mark the reading of the Declaration of Independence.
Posted in Theology & Religion | No Comments »
Thursday, November 23rd, 2017
I loved fairy tales growing up. Still do. I especially enjoy good fantasy novels where the heroes overcome impossible odds to save the world from some evil, oppressive tyrant. As a young teenager, I couldn’t get enough of these stories. And I loved to daydream. Whenever I was bored, I would simply imagine myself as a hero in one of these tales, slaying dragons and rescuing princesses.
Posted in Theology & Religion | No Comments »
Saturday, November 18th, 2017
In the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 17, we read a story I’m sure most of us are familiar with. Jesus is making His way south from Galilee to Jerusalem for the last time. By now, people everywhere had heard countless stories of Jesus’ many miracles and without a doubt, those with incurable ailments and diseases paid the most attention. As He enters a village on the border between Galilee and Samaria, He sees ten lepers crying out to Him from a distance “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Leprosy was a highly contagious life-threatening skin disease that had plagued the region for centuries.
Posted in Theology & Religion | No Comments »
