Why Keeping a Sabbath Should Be Your New Year’s
Resolution – “Sabbath is like holding a newborn for the first time for
many of us. We don’t really know what to do with it.”
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
The God of Christmas Future
The God
of Christmas Future – “What do we do when life turns out different than
we thought it would? How are we supposed to respond when faced with an
unwelcome surprise concerning our future? Do we do what’s safe or do we do
what’s right?”
The No. 1 Relationship Killer
The No. 1 Relationship Killer – “Pride is one
of the biggest reasons, if not the biggest, for isolation, distance and
disconnection for people today. Not just a specific age group.”
2020: What Then Shall We Resolve?
2020: What Then Shall We Resolve? – “Our hope
is built on nothing less, more, or other than Jesus—and every good thing we
have in him.”
All You Need for Another Year
All You
Need for Another Year – “The beginning of a year is as good a time as
any to audit our hearts for our hidden places of faithlessness.”
The Best Way to Begin a New Year
The
Best Way to Begin a New Year – “The best way to begin
a new year is to know that you are free and clear.”
Five Ways to Jump Start Your Devotions
Five Ways to Jump Start Your Devotions –
A new approach can breath new life into your time with the Lord. Here are some
ideas.
Six Things I Pray I Won’t Do as a Senior Adult in My Church
Six Things I Pray I Won’t Do as a Senior Adult in My
Church – Thom Rainer and his son Sam discuss life at church.
Christians and Trump (It’s going to be a long year)
Christians and Trump (It’s
going to be a long year) – You’ve heard about Mark Galli’s Christianity
Today editorial in which he said that Christians should
support President Trump’s removal from office. CT’s president
subsequently responded and defended the editorial. You may be
interested in reading Robert P. George’s explanation of why Evangelicals and Catholics continue
to support voting for the President and/or Wayne Grudem’s response to Galli.
Chinese Pastor Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison After Running Unregistered Church
Chinese Pastor Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison After
Running Unregistered Church – “Wang led Early Rain Covenant
Church, one of the largest unregistered churches in the country, drawing nearly
5,000 parishioners.”
Monday, December 30, 2019
How to Study Your Bible in 2020
How to Study Your Bible in 2020 – “Here are
three commonly cited steps that have served me over the years—and will prove
helpful as you reengage your Bible in 2020.”
Seize the Morning: New Habits for a New Yea
Seize the
Morning: New Habits for a New Year – “What we do each morning in the first
fifteen to thirty minutes of our day is doubly revealing: it reveals both where
our treasures really lie, as well as the trajectory of desires and decisions
that will direct the day and, over time, our life.”
Helping Our Kids Fight Against Materialism
Helping Our Kids Fight Against Materialism –
“Kids may have a hard time understanding why we should not value perishable
things. Jason Dollar writes about ways we can model generosity and
kingdom-mindedness to children.”
Seek the Things That Are Above
Seek
the Things That Are Above – “Thousands of theists
don’t believe in God. They believe in the idea of God.”
Trusting God with Our Unknown Future
Trusting God with Our Unknown Future –
“This Sunday, December 29, marks the 143rd anniversary of the
untimely death of Philip Paul Bliss (1838-1876), a popular nineteenth century
hymnwriter. Circumstances surrounding Bliss’s death provide a profound lesson
concerning trusting God with our unknown future. May we all be encouraged and
enabled to do that with all the unknowns of the New Year to come.”
The Gospel Is Not ‘You Do,’ It’s ‘Jesus Did’
The
Gospel Is Not ‘You Do,’ It’s ‘Jesus Did’ – “The gospel is
not about making good people religious. It’s about making dead people live.”
Religion and Living Arrangements Around the World
Religion and Living Arrangements Around the World –
The graphs and article are interesting as we look outward to this world God “so
loved...”
Sunday, December 29, 2019
Death Was Crushed by Weakness: The Wondrous Power of the Cross
Death Was
Crushed by Weakness: The Wondrous Power of the Cross – “In the weakest
moment imaginable, Jesus defeated the two most intimidating enemies you have
ever known: your sin and the armies of Satan against you.”
Saturday, December 28, 2019
God Behind Me, God Before Me: Looking Backward and Forward by Faith
God Behind
Me, God Before Me: Looking Backward and Forward by Faith –
“The end of a year invites us to take a look backward and forward — back to the
year whose last pages are turning, forward to the year whose cover lies before
us.”
To Serve God in Heaven Will Be a Great Reward
To Serve God in Heaven Will Be a Great Reward –
“Service is a reward, not a punishment. This idea is foreign to people who
dislike their work and only put up with it until retirement. We think that
faithful work should be rewarded by a vacation for the rest of our lives. But
God offers us something very different…”
Habits, Bible Reading and New Year’s Resolutions
Habits, Bible Reading and New Year’s Resolutions
– “We have to make spending time with God a priority.”
How To Make A New Year’s Resolution That Sticks
How
To Make A New Year’s Resolution That Sticks –
“Willpower is enough to get you started, but you will need habit to sustain it.”
A Fragrant Offering
A Fragrant
Offering – “It is through our willingness to bear
the sufferings of others that people will see Christ. As we do, we become a
pleasing aroma to God and the ones we love. The prevailing aroma of Christ
pours forth in and through us.”
He’s Still Enough
He’s
Still Enough – “If one thing rings out true amidst the
beauty and sorrow of this last year, it is that God does indeed keep His
promises.”
Friday, December 27, 2019
Death Will Come When Christ Calls
Death Will Come When Christ Calls –
“In Christ, we can look at death and see something beyond a harrowing
reaper: we see a servant carrying out the plans necessary to bring God’s people
to a superior plane of glory.”
Sins of Omission
Sins of Omission – Consider these three
ways we commit sins of omission—in our thoughts/desires, words, and deeds—and
provide a gospel remedy.
Thursday, December 26, 2019
3 Common Mistakes We Make When Reading the Bible
3 Common Mistakes We Make When Reading the Bible –
“Here then are three mistakes that we sometimes make when we read the Bible.”
Ten Questions for a New Year
Ten Questions
for a New Year – “Even those most faithful to God occasionally need to
pause and think about the direction of their lives. It’s so easy to bump along
from one busy week to another without ever stopping to ponder where we’re going
and where we should be going.”
Hope That Conquers Anxiety
Hope
That Conquers Anxiety – “Here is real power to persevere
through times of trial and uncertainty.”
Whether Christmas Was Merry or Messy
Whether Christmas Was Merry or Messy – “For
those of us for whom Christmas Day went really well, we worship you as the God
from whom all blessings flow and good gifts are given. For those of us for whom
the day was kinda-messy, we trust you as the Father of compassion and the God
of all comfort.”
Brokenness and New Birth at Christmas
Brokenness and New Birth at Christmas – “This
is the real story of Christmas, the heart of Christianity: brokenness and new
birth.”
Abundant Life Is a Suffering Life
Abundant Life Is a Suffering Life – “Jesus, the
perfect image of God and the perfect human being, shows us that a fully human
life must include suffering, and that we can only become the man or woman God
intends us to be through suffering.”
Swaddling God: The Normal Child None Expected
Swaddling God:
The Normal Child None Expected – “Unlike the manger, it was not unique
or distinctive at all. So far as we know, every newborn would have been
swaddled.”
Jesus Born in the House of Bread Died as the Bread of Life
Jesus
Born in the House of Bread Died as the Bread of Life –
“One interesting connection between the Virgin Birth and the Incarnation of
Jesus is found in where Jesus was born in Bethlehem and how it connects with
His teaching as the Bread of Life.”
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
What Mary Knew: Spreading Christmas Cheer by Singing Loudly for All to Hear
What
Mary Knew: Spreading Christmas Cheer by Singing Loudly for All to Hear –
“Mary’s song of Christmas cheer is one of joy and hope and she reminds the
audience that God is in the process of turning an upside-down world back right
side up.”
A Thrill of Hope
A Thrill of Hope –
“I don’t know where this Christmas week finds you, but it may be in a very
darkened place...The sentimentality of the holiday is a weak antidote for what
ails you. I want to urge you for a moment to look beyond the wrapping to
the Gift. You can find hope this Christmas.”
9 Things You Should Know About the Christmas Story
9 Things You Should Know About the Christmas Story
– “The narrative of the birth of Jesus is one of the most famous stories in all
of history. Yet much of what we believe about the event is rooted in folklore
and popular tradition than in biblical scholarship.”
The Problem With My Christmas Traditions
The Problem With My Christmas Traditions –
“Ask anyone in my family and they’ll tell you—probably with a wry smile—how
much I love traditions. I want things to be done like they always have been.
Especially at Christmas.”
Remember the Good Old Days When It Was Christians Who Wanted Harry Potter Banned?
Remember the Good Old Days When It Was Christians Who Wanted
Harry Potter Banned? – “Well, let’s flip all that.
The same progressives, who have now progressed to the point of insanity and
insisting that two plus two equals five, are now calling for the burning of
Rowling’s books.”
How to Outgrow Your Christmas Skepticism
How to Outgrow Your Christmas Skepticism – “How
is spiritual adherence to Christianity waning when the popularity of its
holiday is waxing?”
Why We Know So Little About Jesus’ Birth
Why
We Know So Little About Jesus’ Birth – “God does not give
us all the details we want, but he always gives us the details we need.”
The Closed Lid
The Closed Lid – “Throughout the Bible,
God uses illustrations to teach His people specific truths about Himself.
Sometimes it’s about His character, sometimes it’s instruction on how to relate
to Him, and sometimes it is to remind us of the ways in which He proves His love
and care for us.”
The Most Unlikely King: Why Christmas Is a Revolution
The Most
Unlikely King: Why Christmas Is a Revolution – “Christmas is not
finally about a baby in a manger. It is about the incarnation of the Son of God
himself, who came to save his people from their sins. The born-King was nailed
to the cross, rose from the dead, and reigns forever!”
Monday, December 23, 2019
A Thrill of Hope
A Thrill
of Hope – “Emotionally, psychologically, or spiritually you may feel
dry and despondent. Christmas feels thin to you, hollow. The sentimentality of
the holiday is a weak antidote for what ails you. I want to urge you for a
moment to look beyond the wrapping to the Gift. You can find hope this
Christmas.”
Experiencing the Power of Christmas
Experiencing the Power of Christmas –
Jim Denison makes several good observations about Christmas. My favorite was
the section on what Jesus did and was doing before Bethlehem.
Far as the Curse is Found
Far as
the Curse is Found – Eric Roberts writes that sin
permeated the earth when the curse entered through our rebellion. When Jesus
came to earth, he made things right and brought redemption to the land.
Unpacking the Incarnation
Unpacking the Incarnation - “If
Jesus was no more than a remarkable man, then all the other hard-to-believe
aspects of Christian faith remain hard—if not impossible—to believe...Miracles,
the virgin birth, and the resurrection all flow from the belief that the baby
in the manger was the God-man.”
The Courage To Say “Help”
The Courage To Say “Help” – “It is hard to
ask for help. Hard to admit our brokenness. Hard to accept, in our
individualistic society, that we can’t manage alone.”
Opinion: The Fading of a Democracy: India’s Fight to Save Its Constitution
Opinion: The Fading of a Democracy: India’s Fight to Save Its Constitution –
“Democracies don’t vanish overnight. They slowly fade into oblivion. This is
the harsh reality that faces the world’s largest democracy this winter. Ever
since India’s Parliament on December 11th passed the controversial Citizenship
Amendment Act (CAA), the nation has been gripped by protests across the land
with tens of thousands taking to the streets.”
Handel’s—and Jennens’s—“Messiah”
Handel’s—and
Jennens’s—“Messiah” – “Handel’s magnum opus is one
of the supreme wonders of human genius, especially if you keep in mind that the
genius on display isn’t only Handel’s. We’re so used to calling the work
‘Handel’s Messiah‘ that we fail to notice that he only wrote the
music.”
Should I Use Christmas Dinner for Evangelism?
Should
I Use Christmas Dinner for Evangelism? – “God loves to
honor the simplest, even the most bumbling, efforts to share his news.”
Sunday, December 22, 2019
The Weary World Rejoices: Four Ways to Receive the King
The Weary
World Rejoices: Four Ways to Receive the King – “Four different
reactions attended the arrival of the Messiah in the early chapters of
Matthew’s Gospel. Reactions to King Jesus that can still be seen today as we
await his second arrival.”
Why Baby Jesus Couldn’t Die for Our Sins
Why Baby Jesus Couldn’t Die for Our Sins – “Yes,
we ought to keep Christ in Christmas. Yes, we ought not leave Jesus in the
manger, but reflect on what he came to do. But he came to do more than die. He
came also to live—for our righteousness. A blessed Advent reminder indeed!”
Chesterton, Dickens, and Comfort in the Fog
Chesterton, Dickens, and Comfort in the Fog – “Our
day is a fog. Bleak headlines and cultural conflicts fill our streets and
airwaves. Confusion pervades. Yet we often fail to see this fog as a reminder
to move to places of comfort, places with fires and friends, places that arrive
naturally at this time of year.”
Saturday, December 21, 2019
I Will Pray, But Have You Actually Shared the Gospel With Them?
I Will Pray, But Have You Actually Shared the Gospel With Them? –
“Christmas is a wonderful opportunity to be with family, to share gifts, but it
is an even greater opportunity to sit down with unsaved family members and
explain the Gospel to them. So, let me ask you a question. Have you actually
shared the Gospel with them?”
15 Good News Trends from the 2010s
15 Good News Trends from the 2010s – “Over the
past decade, God has provided a range of blessings that have changed a negative
trend to a positive one, improving our lives and the lives of our global
neighbors.”
The Real Story Behind 8 Weird Christmas Traditions
The Real Story Behind 8 Weird Christmas Traditions
– “Here’s a look at the strange-but-true backstories of some of Christmas’ most
popular traditions.”
Kill Whatever Kills Your Love for God
Kill Whatever
Kills Your Love for God – “We don’t kill our sin for a combination of
the following reasons.”
Friday, December 20, 2019
How Well Do You Know the Nativity Story?
How
Well Do You Know the Nativity Story? – “Here are 25 questions
to help you find out how well you know the gospels' accounts of the Christmas
story.”
3 Lessons We Can Learn from a Difficult Holiday Season
3 Lessons We Can Learn from a Difficult Holiday Season
– “Pain is a part of life, and holiday lights and eggnog can’t always push it
away. I don’t know what the source of your holiday pain is, but I know it’s
real and it hurts.”
6 Exciting Biblical Archaeology Discoveries in 2019
6 Exciting Biblical Archaeology Discoveries in 2019 –
“Several archaeological discoveries in 2019 provided physical evidence to
biblical accounts and granted access to Christians seeking to examine biblical
locations.”
When Christ Will Come Again: Why Christmas Keeps Us Waiting
When Christ
Will Come Again: Why Christmas Keeps Us Waiting – “Advent is only the
beginning. It is the beginning of the end — the end of all we so long to see
end and all we long to see begin.”
Death Will Come When Christ Calls
Death Will
Come When Christ Calls – “It was not until I became a follower of
Christ that my perspective on death changed, and I came to understand it as
something more than an instrument of destruction. In Christ, death is no
doomsday — it’s a gateway.”
God Is Ready to Rescue You
God Is
Ready to Rescue You – “When I start to lose hope, God is ready to
rescue me—because, just like with David, God delights in me, too!”
Does the Bible Forbid My Nativity Set?
Does
the Bible Forbid My Nativity Set? – “Faith comes by
hearing, and hearing by the word of God — not by seeing images.”
Is Luke’s genealogy through Mary?
Is Luke’s genealogy through Mary? –
“What’s with the two different genealogies of Jesus in the gospels? We don’t
know 100%, but this is a good look at the options.”
Thursday, December 19, 2019
If God Can Show Up in Bethlehem . . .
If God Can Show Up in Bethlehem . . . – “In the
middle of nowhere, to parents who might be called nobodies, this child, who
looked like any other baby, was born.”
The Day The Phone Rang Out
The Day The Phone Rang Out –
“I don’t remember what I was saying. I don’t remember what he said, either. All
I remember is the moment he ignored the phone for the sake of our
conversation. That moment is permanently etched on my mind.”
4 Ways to Remind Kids the Bible Is True
4 Ways to Remind Kids the Bible Is True – “What’s
the difference between SpongeBob and St. Peter? Or between two
famous travelers: St. Paul and Dora? Or between Judas and Darth Vader? Or
between those two grouches: Oscar and Jonah?”
How to Love the Hard to Love
How to
Love the Hard to Love – “All of us are, more or less, hard to love. Sin
entangles each of us, even the most mature, inevitably muddling and frustrating
all our loves.”
Disciple-making: How Do Evangelism and Discipleship Go Together?
Disciple-making:
How Do Evangelism and Discipleship Go Together? –
“If we are going to use the term discipleship to talk about helping believers
mature, our focus has to be more mission driven and evangelistically
focused.”
My Son Did Not Live One Day More or Less Than God Planned
My Son Did Not Live One Day More or Less Than God Planned –
This is a good word for those of us seeking hope in our grief.
Remember Your Chains
Remember
Your Chains – “We have the Lord saying that
after these sinners have been forgiven, they must remember their former sins
and be ashamed of them. Why? So that they will never be arrogant again.”
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Who Do You Say Jesus Is?
Who Do You Say Jesus
Is? – “We have to choose: Is Jesus who he says he is, or
is he who we say he is?”
Christmas in the Book of Philippians
Christmas in the Book of Philippians – “Help us
keep one eye on your crib, and the other on your cross, as we celebrate
Christmas 2019.”
The Forgotten Figure in the Nativity Scene
The Forgotten Figure in the Nativity Scene – “Joseph
is often the forgotten figure in the Nativity scene, but he shouldn’t be. The
heavenly Father deliberately chose him to be the earthly father of Jesus. Let’s
see what Matthew tells us about him.”
Kids, Let’s Talk About Sex
Kids, Let’s Talk About Sex – “From two couples
who have kids of various ages, here are four tips to steer these conversations
from cringeworthy to more comfortable.”
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
When the Christmas Season Is Complex and Painful
When the Christmas Season Is Complex and Painful
– “We pray for friends facing their first Christmas after the death of a loved
one, for those whose Christmas is marked by a health crisis, and for those with
prodigal daughters and sons. No one is as compassionate as you, Jesus.”
Think You Know the Christmas Story? Here are Five Common Misconceptions
Think You Know the Christmas Story? Here are Five Common
Misconceptions – “It might be useful, then, to reflect
on a few common misconceptions about the Christmas story. The best way to
validate the Christmas story to the Ebeneezer Scrooge’s out there is to make
sure we’ve got it right ourselves. Here are five of them.”
Some Common Evangelical Problems about the Bible
Some Common Evangelical Problems about the Bible –
“Does the Bible contain errors? Can we trust the Bible? You do not know how to
answer, and you worry about this. How can an inspired Bible get quotes wrong?
Here are a few things to consider.”
Shibboleth: The Most Significant Missiological Issue in North America
Shibboleth:
The Most Significant Missiological Issue in North America –
“What Is the Shibboleth of Jesus? Jesus had a different “shibboleth.” It wasn’t
vocabulary or opinion or pedigree; it was Kingdom obedience.”
Atheists, Don’t Lie to Your Children
Atheists, Don’t Lie to Your Children – “What
should atheists say to their children, to protect them from the sort of
nihilism that leads to despair?”
3 Reasons to Study Bible Genealogies with Kids
3 Reasons
to Study Bible Genealogies with Kids – “God redeems real people in
history. He is gathering the full number of his people home. Bible genealogies
allow us to ask ourselves (and our children) great questions: Are we named
among God’s people? Will we be gathered home to him one day?”
Monday, December 16, 2019
Nine Good Reasons to Attend Church Weekly
Nine Good Reasons to Attend Church Weekly – “Why
is it important for us to attend church services regularly, usually weekly?
Allow me to share nine reasons.”
Do We Need to Believe in Christ's Virgin Birth?
Do We
Need to Believe in Christ's Virgin Birth? – “The virgin birth is one of
the cornerstones of Christian belief. Without it, you don't have Christianity.”
Materialism Is Easy to Decry and Hard to Avoid
Materialism Is Easy to Decry and Hard to Avoid –
“Materialism doesn’t only express itself in a desire for enormous quantity or
superb quality of this world’s goods, but by locating happiness in the
things of this world.”
He Made Them Male and Female
He Made Them Male and Female –
“Although the modern West has lost its boundaries and celebrates a plethora of
so-called gender options, how should Christians understand and critique today’s
concepts of gender in light of Scripture?”
Your Religious Sincerity Won’t Save You
Your
Religious Sincerity Won’t Save You – “Your zeal for God is
only valuable if it is attached to the right truths about God.”
5 Ways To Ensure That Your Kids Never Consider Being A Missionary
5 Ways To Ensure That Your Kids Never Consider Being
A Missionary – Scott and Lesley Hildreth
share how parents can prevent their children from obeying the great commission,
and challenge parents to consider doing the opposite.
Dangerous Miracles: Why Jesus Did Signs and Wonders
Dangerous Miracles:
Why Jesus Did Signs and Wonders – “Let the miracles lead you, like the
star of Bethlehem, to the Son of God, to hear what he says about himself and,
in hearing and believing, have life in his name.”
Saturday, December 14, 2019
Christmas Means More Than You’ve Realized
Christmas
Means More Than You’ve Realized – God orchestrated
details of history to be signs of significance.
Infographic: You Have More Time for Bible Reading than You Think
Infographic:
You Have More Time for Bible Reading than You Think –
“In just 12 minutes per day, you could read the whole Bible in a year. Does
that still feel a bit ambitious? In just 6 minutes per day, you could read the
entire New Testament over the course of 6 months. Whatever your pace, the point
is to make daily Bible reading a habit.”
Why Was Baby Jesus Laid in a Manger?
Why Was Baby Jesus Laid in a Manger? – “This
time of year, the words roll right off the tongue. And every child’s first
question is: What is a manger? When the teacher explains that it is a feeding
trough for animals, the astute youth then wonders: Why was the baby laid
there?”
5 Potential (Year-Long) Effects of the Christmas Season
5 Potential (Year-Long) Effects of the Christmas Season
– “What would it look like if we allowed the effects of the holiday season to
linger? Let me suggest five equipping and edifying effects Christmas can have.”
Americans are Moving Less and Less—and It Could Dramatically Reshape Society
Americans
are Moving Less and Less—and It Could Dramatically Reshape Society –
“The internet, the economy, and the housing market are driving a major decline
in moving—a trend that may reshape communities over the coming decades.”
4 Reasons Christians Should Support Banning Pornography
4 Reasons Christians Should Support Banning Pornography –
“While we may express concern about the nefarious effect of porn our actions
reveal what we truly believe. Here are four reasons we Christians should once
again seek to rid our country from the poison of pornography.”
Ten Ways Materialism Brings Us to Ruin
Ten Ways Materialism Brings Us to Ruin –
“Materialism begins with our beliefs. Not merely what we say we
believe—not our doctrinal statement—but the philosophy of life by which we actually
live.”
Friday, December 13, 2019
A Christmas as Big as Jesus and God’s Promises
A Christmas as Big as Jesus and God’s Promises –
“Christmas invites us to ponder gigantic promises, filled with immeasurable
hope and irrepressible delight.”
No One Ever Spoke Like This Man: The Unexpected Words of Jesus
No One
Ever Spoke Like This Man: The Unexpected Words of Jesus – “Key to
understanding the unique power of Jesus’s words is understanding why he
spoke them.”
6 Tips for Sharing Christ with Skeptics
6 Tips for Sharing Christ with Skeptics – “So what’s
the best way to share the gospel with skeptics? To answer
this question, I offer six imperatives.”
Will All Nations Be Reached Before Christ Returns?
Will All
Nations Be Reached Before Christ Returns? – “Be vigilant. Be ready. Be
alert. Be doing your Lord’s business.”
Good News Homes in a Bad News World
Good News Homes in a Bad News World – “We can’t
give our children what we don’t have. You can’t sit here and say, ‘I want my
kid to love the Lord with all this soul and his might and his strength. I want
my child to stand for what is right in a culture that’s telling him to go one
way. I want them to stand firm’—but you’re not doing any of it.”
Are We Meant to Enjoy Our Work?
Are We Meant to Enjoy Our Work? –
“The good life, then, entails hard work done to provide for others, dependents,
whose growth and fruitfulness are evidence of God’s favor and blessing.
Prosperity here includes godliness, responsibility, stewardship, and awareness
of God, prompting fear and obedience and virtue.”
Thursday, December 12, 2019
What Charlie Brown Taught Me About the Bible
What Charlie Brown Taught Me About the Bible – “Isn’t
there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”
The Best Thing To Do This Or Any Christmas
The Best Thing To Do This Or Any Christmas – “The
reason some of God’s children find the Christmas season endlessly boring and
monotonous is they have forgotten one huge fact: It’s not about you.”
How Would You Do?
How Would You Do? – How did Mary respond after
getting the word from the angel of a miraculous birth to come? How would you
do?
Three Things to Remember When Giving Comfort to Grieving People
Three Things to Remember When Giving Comfort to Grieving People
–
“Here are three things to remember when we’re called upon to comfort those who
are grieving, especially during this holiday season…”
The Question Every Christ Follower Has to Answer
The Question Every Christ Follower Has to Answer
– “Was I a Christian or was I a disciple of Jesus?”
Common Trials Are Still Trials
Common Trials Are Still Trials – “The good news
for us is that Jesus does care about common, hard things, and
he showed it when he walked on this earth.”
When Parents Set the Bar Too Low
When Parents
Set the Bar Too Low – “Parents are as anxious, active, and vigilant as
ever, but is that good? With all the time, and energy, and tears, are we really
accomplishing what God has asked us to do?”
Masters of Self: Cultivating Gentleness in an Age of Outrage
Masters of
Self: Cultivating Gentleness in an Age of Outrage – “Our constant state
of unhinged political outrage makes us unable to process reality, unable to
determine wise courses of action, and unable to carry them through with
calmness, deliberation, and justice.”
Should Missionaries Focus on Unreached People Groups? Yes.
Should Missionaries Focus on Unreached People Groups?
Yes. – “We see the Great Commission as a call to fill the earth with
the gospel and represent Christ as King over the whole world. And this
necessitates a focus on UPGs.”
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Hope for the Holidays When Your Heart Is Breaking
Hope for the Holidays When Your Heart Is Breaking
– “At this time of year when we all long to be near family and home, many of us
have lost everything.”
Turn On the Lights This Christmas
Turn On
the Lights This Christmas – “I think it’s fascinating that Christmas
pierces the darkest season of the year with its light. What’s true of the
physical atmosphere of the Christmas season is also true of the spiritual.”
Grumbling to Gratitude
Grumbling to
Gratitude – “There is only one obstacle preventing Israel from escaping
from Egypt and seizing the Promised Land. That obstacle isn’t Pharaoh and his
massive army. It isn’t the imposing Red Sea. It isn’t even the entrenched
Canaanite forces. The only obstacle is the grumbling hearts of the Israelites.”
There Will Most Assuredly Come A Morning
There Will Most Assuredly Come A Morning –
“The disappointment, brokenness, suffering, and pain that characterize life in
this present world is held in dynamic tension with the promise of future glory
that is yet to come. In that Advent tension, the church lives its life.”
We Can Worship Even When We Don’t Understand
We Can
Worship Even When We Don’t Understand – “God’s ways are
untraceable. But his character, revealed in Christ, is undoubtable.”
The Incarnation and My Brother's Death
The Incarnation
and My Brother's Death – “The good news is that Christ's death and
resurrection set in motion a righting of the wrongs in this world. Yet, there
is a tension between “now” and “not yet”. We hang in liminality.”
Glory to God in the Lowest
Glory to God in the Lowest – “As Athanasius,
the fourth-century theologian, proclaimed: Christ became what we are, that we
might become what he is. This is ‘the marvelous exchange.’ He enters our life
that we might enter his. Behold God the Son, who has become our Brother!”
The Gift of Peace
The Gift of
Peace – “God saw our distress and spiritual alienation and sent Jesus
to save us from our sin and separation. Through Jesus, we can be at peace with
God right now.”
4 Lessons We Can Learn From Mary
4
Lessons We Can Learn From Mary – “We see in Mary what
God wants from all of us: faithful obedience.”
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Love Muslims. Proclaim Jesus Is ‘Son of God.’
Love Muslims.
Proclaim Jesus Is ‘Son of God.’ – “We must not dodge the question, but
instead be ready with an answer about the glory of the Son, our Savior. Because
to us a child has been born, to us a Son is given. And there is no shame in
that gift.”
Now that Camp, or the Retreat, or the Conference, is Over
Now that
Camp, or the Retreat, or the Conference, is Over – “What can you do to
make the most of your experience after it’s all over?”
Monday, December 9, 2019
Five Reasons We Should Still Be Singing Christmas Carols
Five Reasons We Should Still Be Singing Christmas Carols –
“When the carols are sung, those around us are informed or reminded of God’s
faithfulness in the past, and yet they are also hopefully pointed to the
present grace that is now available to each of us in Christ.”
At Peace And In Place
At Peace And In Place – “The holiday
season can be a time where we are insecure and searching for meaning. God is
our stability and our refuge.”
Walking We Wait
Walking
We Wait – “In the waiting and the walking. In the
struggle and the humbling. His name and His glory are becoming the desire of my
heart. Hunger grows. To know Him. To know His ways. And to make Him known.
Walking, we wait.”
Stay Out of the Judge’s Chair
Stay Out of the
Judge’s Chair – “It is always better to leave judgment
to God, who will certainly execute justice perfectly.”
Saturday, December 7, 2019
Friday, December 6, 2019
Six Marks of Maturity to Look For in Your Life
Six Marks of Maturity to Look For in Your Life –
“These six marks of maturity are not everything, but they are essential and
shape every aspect of our lives.”
Want to Get Into the Christmas Spirit? Face the Darkness
Want
to Get Into the Christmas Spirit? Face the Darkness –
“Christmas is a time when we celebrate God bringing light into darkness. But to
fully appreciate that beautiful truth, we need to pause long enough to
contemplate the darkness.”
Uncomfortably Human: Why Jesus Can Sympathize with You
Uncomfortably Human:
Why Jesus Can Sympathize with You – “So what do we mean when we say
that Christ became fully and truly human? We mean, at least, that he took on a
human body, a human mind, human emotions, and a human will.”
Does God Care If We Diet and Exercise?
Does God Care If We Diet and Exercise? – “Christians
do need to give attention to diet and exercise for at least three reasons.”
Pray Something Bigger
Pray Something
Bigger – “There are weightier matters to attend to. If we pray only for
health and safety, we’re missing out on something big.”
The Narrowness of the Lord Jesus Christ
The Narrowness of the Lord Jesus Christ – “You
may love that or be offended by it. Doesn’t matter. It is what it is.”
God Uses Everything: Why Our Suffering Is Never Wasted
God Uses
Everything: Why Our Suffering Is Never Wasted – “When I understand that
everything happening to me is to make me more Christlike, it resolves a great
deal of anxiety.”
Here’s YouVersion’s Most Read Bible Verse of 2019
Here’s YouVersion’s Most Read Bible Verse of 2019
– “Given the state of world affairs, it’s not a huge surprise that it’s about
overcoming worry.”
Why Is Jesus Called the Firstborn of Creation?
Why Is Jesus Called the Firstborn of Creation? –
This is good theology to have nailed down the next time a Jehovah’s Witness
wants to talk to you.
Thursday, December 5, 2019
The Real Meaning of Christmas
The Real Meaning
of Christmas – “Events like the Christmas Truce are
worth celebrating. But they lack something. They lack permanence. Such
impermanent peace is what we often find in our quest for the real meaning of
Christmas.”
What Does the Bible Have to Say about Leadership?
What
Does the Bible Have to Say about Leadership? –
“We must allow Scripture to guide us as leaders without losing sight of all the
other wisdom the Bible provides to us.”
Athens without a Statue to the Unknown God
Athens
without a Statue to the Unknown God – “It is no longer the
pugnacious New Atheism at center stage, but something far less passionate—apatheism.
This nonchalant attitude toward God is more challenging to evangelism than
religious pluralism, agnosticism, and atheism.”
6 Ways to Foster Healthy Social Media Habits
6 Ways to Foster Healthy Social Media Habits – Always
good to be reminded of good social media engagement.
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Good News! God Does not Love You Unconditionally
Good News! God Does not Love You Unconditionally –
“Just to be clear, the Bible does not teach that God loves unconditionally or that
you should love unconditionally and that is good news, a sign that the Bible is
wise.”
Have Yourself A Christ-Centered Christmas
Have Yourself A Christ-Centered Christmas – “Here
are some practical tips to help you and your family re-focus your attention on
the real reason we should celebrate Christmas: the incarnation of Jesus Christ.”
What Happens When We Sing Together
What
Happens When We Sing Together – “You were made to see
and savor God with his people in the manifold ways of corporate worship.”
The 7 Most Important Religious Liberty Cases of the Decade
The 7 Most Important Religious Liberty Cases of the
Decade – “Religious freedom is a right, given by God and
guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, that allows
individual people or groups to practice a religion—or to practice no religion
at all—both in private and also in public with a minimal amount of interference
from the local, state, or federal government.”
Whose Son Is He? How the Gospels Whisper Christ’s Divinity
Whose Son
Is He? How the Gospels Whisper Christ’s Divinity – “The Gospels are
clear that Jesus is fully God. There is simply no real way around this. The
only question is this: Will you come and adore him?”
Your Neighbor Is Probably a Unitarian Universalist
Your Neighbor Is Probably a Unitarian Universalist
– “We are free to believe anything we want about this world. The difference is
God doesn’t leave open the question of what the right answer is.”
Richard Dawkins’s Latest Case for Outgrowing God
Richard Dawkins’s Latest Case for Outgrowing God
– “Rather than offering the best case for atheism in an accessible form,
Dawkins’s book consistently fails to engage opposing arguments and frequently
falls short of the research standards we should expect of an academic
author—whatever his beliefs.”
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
What Does the True Christmas Spirit Look Like?
What Does the True Christmas Spirit Look Like? –
“It’s Christmas. It’s the season where Christians celebrate a Savior who gave
up everything to come and dwell with broken people. Will I be like Him? Will
you? Will we look and find those people in our family, our community, our
church, our neighborhood who need love?”
Someone Needs to See You Suffer Well
Someone Needs
to See You Suffer Well – “Few things fortify the soul against Satan’s
deception like watching another Christian suffer with persevering faith.”
God Can Multitask
God Can Multitask – “For most people, when we
divide our attention between multiple tasks, we experience a diminishing return
in our productivity. While this is true for most people, it does not accurately
describe God.”
What Should I Think About During the Lord’s Supper?
What Should
I Think About During the Lord’s Supper? – “How should you take
communion? I’m not talking about the form of being served, but what should be
going on in our hearts and minds as we partake?”
God Uses Simple Things to Spread the Gospel
God Uses Simple Things to Spread the Gospel –
“God uses tent pegs and stones to bring down rulers; he uses jars and trumpets
to bring down nations; he uses the faithful sharing of a church to draw people
to himself (Acts 4:32-35).”
The Bible is One Book
The Bible
is One Book – “Irenaeus helps us understand how the Bible is one book
about one Person written by one Author.”
Is it a Sin to Be Angry With God?
Is
it a Sin to Be Angry With God? – “Anger with God isn’t
a sin but our anger towards God can lead us to sin.”
Monday, December 2, 2019
Everyday Christmas
Everyday Christmas – “The Christmas
industry gets bigger and broader with every passing year, and every year it
becomes harder and harder to focus on what the Advent (or ‘coming’) of Jesus
really means.”
What Did Mary Know?
What Did
Mary Know? – “Each year the haunting melody of ‘Mary Did You Know?’ by
Mark Lowry (1984) captures my imagination. In the song, Lowry asks several
questions of the infant's mother?” What did Mary know?
Chalcedon: A Defining Moment for the Doctrine of Christ
Chalcedon: A
Defining Moment for the Doctrine of Christ – “Whatever the failures and
flaws of the Christians of the fourth and fifth centuries, it is worth
reflecting on the truths articulated in the Chalcedonian Definition, especially
at Christmas.”
The Multiplying Joy of (Shocking) Generosity
The Multiplying Joy of (Shocking) Generosity – “Any
serious biblical use of the word blessed turns immediately to God’s
intent that the blessings in our lives be poured out for the benefit of others.”
Why Do I Still Struggle with My Pre-Conversion Sins?
Why
Do I Still Struggle with My Pre-Conversion Sins? – “You
are in heaven with Christ; now fight the sins of earth.”
God Saves Us for His Glory
God Saves Us for
His Glory – “One of the most common objections to
evangelical Christianity today is the question of why a ‘good God’ wouldn’t
just save everybody. If God was truly loving, why would he let anyone perish?”
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