1. A Time of Contemplation on Our Mortality, Sinfulness, and Need for RepentanceIn the Western church, the Lenten season starts on Ash Wednesday. Attendees receive an ash cross on their foreheads to remind them of the biblical truth: “for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). Such a reminder might seem morbid. Yet we are wise

Praying to be vigilant in our faith as difficulties in this fallen world become more extreme or praying to be ready for when Jesus returns are meaningful prayers we can express to God that allow us to remain focused on the present, future, and eternal future. It epitomizes Paul’s verse about praying without stopping, for we should always be in a st

Mary Oelerich-Meyer is a Chicago-area freelance writer and copy editor who prayed for years for a way to write about and for the Lord. She spent 20 years writing for area healthcare organizations, interviewing doctors and clinical professionals and writing more than 1,500 articles in addition to marketing collateral materials. Important work, but n

However, if we are all authentically following God’s Word and letting it infiltrate our lives, turning our old men into new men (Ephesians 4:22-24), our attitudes, our conduct, and our thinking will change to align with God’s more than the world’s. So, by speaking the truth of how God wants someone to change, you might be part of a miracle waiting

Probably most shocking in Jesus’s choices (besides choosing the man who would betray Him) was that of including both a tax collector and a Zealot. Matthew would have been despised by many Jews as one who compromised with Rome by profiting from the collection of taxes. He would have been especially despised by the Zealots. Simon, the Zealot, would l

3. Mary Was PoorMary married Joseph, a carpenter, so they likely did not have a lot of money. Mary was poor in this life, but spiritually wealthy. We would have expected the Messiah to have come into a prominent family, but the truth is that Mary and Joseph were not anything special to the world. They were everyday followers of Yahweh who faithfull

1. Protection in God – Psalm 91We can only find total protection and security in the person of God; not in money, organizations, career, or even ultimately in other people. Therefore, out of his love, God sent a way for us to be unified with him through his Son. Psalm 91 reminds us how true safety only comes with God. “Whoever dwells in the shelter

Of course, we must also not forget that God’s time is not our time, as pointed out by both Moses and Peter:“A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night” (Psalm 90:4).“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day

Jesus Can Give Us Joy in the Midst of SorrowPsalm 30:5 is familiar to many Christians: “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” But there’s also joy in the mourning — joy as we mourn — when our face is turned toward the Son. Devastated by disease, accusations, or loss, we may feel we are missing out on the abundant joy Jes

1. Halloween (1976)The 1976 movie Halloween, directed by John Carpenter, tells the story of Michael Myers, a man who escapes from a mental institution after being incarcerated for murdering his sister as a child. The film follows the terror he unleashes on the quiet town and the efforts of Dr. Loomis, his psychiatrist, to stop him. Dr. Loomis repea

Lie One: There Are No Consequences When We Go against God’s Word The serpent approaches Eve with a question. The crafty being asks if God really said not to eat from the tree in the middle of the garden. He then follows this question with a lie, telling her if she disobeyed God and ate this pleasing fruit, she and the man would not certainly die.Th

Genesis 1 recounts creation’s story. Repeatedly, after each creative act, God saw what he made and called it “good” (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25), and when he created man, he declared us “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Creation expressed God’s goodness.The Lord meant humanity to be the pinnacle and linchpin of his creation. “So God created mankind

3. Baby Jesus’s Parents Followed the Law and Honored GodWe read about Joseph and Mary taking Jesus to be circumcised at eight days, and to dedicate Him at the temple. They fulfilled the purification requirements for Mary (Luke 2:22-24). What is moving is when you read Leviticus 12:8, you realize that the actual sacrifice was supposed to be a lamb,

Did Christ Refer to Satan as a Goat?Christ did not describe Satan as a goat anywhere in Scripture, but He did use goats as way for the Israelites to atone for their sins and show the people of Jesus’ day what it meant to be a child of God. The first significant mention of goats is in Leviticus 16:7-10. “Next, he will take the two goats and place th

Through Advent meditations, Christians trust in God’s plan for the future. As God fulfilled his promises through Christ’s first coming, he will do the same with Jesus’ return and the final redemption. Philippians 4:7 expresses the peace Christians find in the divine relationship. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard

The destruction of the entire herd reveals: (1) while animals are a venerable part of creation, man is of far greater value; (2) Christ removes a source of sin, for swine herding was an abomination to the Jews (Dt. 14:8); (3) demons have no power over creation, but are subject to the will of God—they could only enter the swine at Christ's command;

God Established the Principle of Rest “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done” (G

From the beginning of Scripture through the end, the Devil is consistently identified as the serpent or the dragon. His deceptive character comes out, and he appears to be a terrifying threat to us, but not to Jesus. Yes, He caused trouble for Jesus, but Satan was never equal or greater to God.“I will put hostility between you and the woman, and be

Jesus Models the Shield of FaithJesus modeled the shield of faith so many times. I think about His courage to go willingly to be arrested, His confidence in the Father’s plan to be silent when questioned, and His obedience to the Father to go to the cross to be killed on our behalf. Some other moments during His ministry where we see Him using the

Their greed and doubt were like infections which would have threatened the reputation of Christ and this earliest group of followers. “The believers [were] living for one another in unity, voluntarily sharing what they have, devoted to prayer, and committed to the apostles.” Their example would become a testimony for onlookers who would embrace the