Community is critical. It is essential to the Christian walk and it was life-sustaining for the Jewish people in exile. The story of Esther is a testament to how a community of faith can survive in a hostile world. Be encouraged from the final chapters of the book of Esther as we see the origin […]
This month billions of Christians will celebrate the earthly arrival of God’s son. It is a cosmic demarcation line for all creation. We celebrate the humble beginning of Jesus’ life as we eagerly await his return. Do we wait with anxiety and fatigue? Or do we joyfully embrace the opportunities he has given us as […]
We don’t live in an impersonal world, but in a universe that is ruled and cared for by a personal God. The creator is the source of our help and protection. The same God who listened to David’s praise and laments thousands of years ago listens to you today. Psalm 120 I’m in trouble. I […]
You have probably heard the sentiment of Galatians 6:9 before- “do not grow weary of doing good”. What causes us to grow weary? A lack of love for those in need? The lack of results from good work? Or maybe doing good has become boring? Paul encourages us to keep creatively planting each day for […]
We fail at many things and in many ways. Failure can be accompanied by feelings of inadequacy and shame that make us want to quit. The uniqueness of the gospel is not that it gets us to do something entirely new, but that it sends us back to what we’ve been doing all along, but […]
Have you ever received a pump-up speech from God? Before Jeremiah spoke a word of prophecy to anyone the Lord tells him in chapter one that He has holy plans for his life. We never make the first move, God is always previous. He assures Jeremiah through his doubt and does the biblical equivalent of […]
Wisdom doesn’t mean you always have the right answers, but rather the right responses. Here in Proverbs 4, and the beginning of chapter 5, wisdom is a guide to healthy living. When God is at the center of our lives, He helps us stay on the path of good sense and avoid the pitfalls that […]
Peace is not passive. We often view it as the absence of war, clamor, or bothersome neighbors. But here in the fifth chapter of Romans, Paul teaches that God pours into us instead of removing outside circumstances. When we let God in, he doesn’t turn us into hermits, but fills us with the Holy Spirit. […]
Jacob was cunning and opportunistic. He deceived his father and stole his brother Esau’s birthright. Here, years later, he is about to encounter his older brother and is understandably terrified. In the midst of strategizing on how to survive this meeting, he wrestles with the Lord in one of the most meaningful interactions between God […]
Do you view God as a giver of rules or a living, personal presence? Jesus shows us who God is. In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul reminds us that God is accessible through Christ. The veil has been lifted! When we’re with Christ, we’re in touch with the father and positive change in […]