The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God … Returned to where? They returned to where they were when the angel appeared to them to give them the announcement. They returned to their work. They returned to being the social outcasts that they were according to the community standards and traditions of the time. They went,... Continue Reading

Some of us think God is lenient about sin. Or at least we think that God is more tolerant of sin for Christians. We rightly emphasize God’s grace: that “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Romans 5:20). And we should emphasize God’s grace. But I sometimes worry that we’ve fallen into the mistake of... Continue Reading

There is a great temptation to tone down our Christianity out of fear of what others will think of us. Or the fear of what will happen to our standing. Joseph was a prominent member of the council of seventy (Mark 15:43). He was one who was honoured and respected; his opinion mattered. He stood... Continue Reading

To affirm Jesus as Lord is not merely an act of respect, not even an expression of servant to master; it is to bow the knee before Jesus in trust and commitment to His kingdom. To call Him “our” Lord is to align ourselves with others of kindred faith and count ourselves among the kingdom... Continue Reading

The spiritual man, who we truly are, is renewed by the Spirit of Christ. Christ lives in us, and therefore we can face these challenges. Even though the outer man, our physical bodies, is dying daily, we rejoice because as the new man, we are alive in Christ. While we bear in our bodies the... Continue Reading

Just as I would be shocked were the Lord to use the Islamic State to judge my church, Habakkuk is shocked that God would use Babylon to raze Judah. The rest of the book goes on to promise God’s later judgment on the Babylonians (ch. 2), and it ends with Habakkuk’s prayer recounting God’s glory... Continue Reading

Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah. The thing is that the birth of a child is very easy to overlook. Only those with eyes to see it recognize the importance of what happened when Jesus was born. The birth of Jesus is a turning point of history. It’s God actually becoming one... Continue Reading

Each year, in our month of waiting to mark the arrival of God himself in human flesh, we remember the people of God who waited centuries — centuries! — for the coming of the promised Messiah to rescue them. They had God’s promises: a “seed of the woman” who would crush the serpent’s head (Genesis... Continue Reading

Those who try to make a case for Jesus not being divine will point us to passages of the Bible that show the humanity of Christ, while neglecting those passages that demonstrate the divinity of Christ. But the accounts make it clear that Jesus is God.   This Advent series explores the identity of the... Continue Reading

Our prayer to God is an inclination of our hearts in trust toward Him. As our hearts look to God, we can know that He is bigger than the biggest trial we face, and therefore we can also praise by faith…before we see any answer to our prayer.   As we live the Christian life,... Continue Reading