The people of Judah were in big trouble. They were still following the sacrificial system in Jerusalem. But that wasn’t the problem. The sacrificial system was ordained by God for relief from sin and guilt. It was complicated and could be quite a burden if done right. But it wasn’t...
Read moreFor the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. – Isaiah 54:10 I find this verse to be one of the most comforting verses in...
Read moreWhen the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”...
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The start of a new year is often accompanied by optimism. We make resolutions; to be healthier, to be more present, to manage our time better. This annual ritual comes from the acknowledgement that we do not want to live the same year over again. We sense that something needs Read more
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, Read more
He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. – John 1:11 NIV As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it Read more
Peace, it is a word we long for, a state of being we pursue, and a promise that we cling. We may envision it as a quiet evening by the fire, a moment of silence in a busy day, or the relief we feel when a conflict is resolved. We Read more
Not everybody knows this, but justice is a major theme in the Bible. It’s one of the things that makes the Bible so incredibly soulful. Lately “justice” has been coopted by power-seekers in the political class in an attempt to pull our beloved nation in a particular political direction. But Read more
Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words Read more
Our God is a God of promises. And He’s the only one. Submitted for your consideration: Isaiah 65. Israel had messed up bad. They had not loved the Lord God with all their hearts and souls and minds or their neighbors as themselves in spite of swearing they would. They Read more