How We Build As this year comes to a close, I am thinking about building. In 1 Corinthians 3, the Apostle Paul says he has laid a foundation, which is Christ. He says, “Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is …
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A New Way
Tom Holland’s book, “Dominion,” is a deep and gritty depiction of the Roman occupied world into which Jesus came. It was a world where pride, human achievement, and status were prized, and humility would have been viewed with disdain. In this world the Romans, in order to maintain a firm grip on any uprisings against them and …
Morning Prayer
Lord, your faithfulness is to a thousand generations (Deut. 7:9)You have loved us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3)Your mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23)You are near to the broken-heartedAnd save those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18)You give strength to your peopleAnd bless your people with peace (Psalm 29:11) Therefore, we willEnter …
Adopted
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts crying “Abba! Father!” So …
Let Us Come and Worship
“In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: “’And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the ruler of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” (Matthew 2:6, cited from Mic. 5:2) The wise men saw the …
The Light Has Come
“The Lord is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar!”Psalm 118:27 Psalm 118 is rich in prophetic implications. Verse 22 says, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” A cornerstone of a building is placed …
He Emptied Himself
AdventDay 6 He Emptied Himself “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”Philippians 2:5-7 St. …
Covenant
“I will put my laws in their hearts and write them on their minds.” Hebrews 10:16 Covenantal agreements were a part of Jewish life. These formal agreements could be agreements between God and people, or between people themselves. But one important feature of a covenant was that it had a relational aspect. In Hebrews 10, …
All the Promises
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” John 1:14. The Word. He is the Word incarnate, the Logos, and his name, the name of Jesus, is above every other name. In the beginning, God spoke the Word, and everything came to be. “In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, …
Is It Any Wonder?
A baby changes everything. How many times have you heard that phrase? And if you are a parent, you know it’s true. The most significant and life changing days are when babies are born. Few are the women for whom motherhood does not cause a seismic shift in priorities and understanding. The birth of a child changes dads also, to …