A remarkable gift can arrive in an unremarkable package. One did in Bethlehem. We don’t often think of Paul in our Christmas reflections, yet we should. His words in Philippians 2:5-11 are the Bible’s most eloquent summary of the Bethlehem promise: “Who, being in very nature God,...
Christmas is a season of interruptions. Some we enjoy, some we don’t. You may be facing an interruption during this season of life. What you wanted and what you received do not match, and now you’re troubled and anxious. Everything inside you and every voice around you says, “Get out....
If we could save ourselves why would we need a Savior? Jesus didn’t enter the world to help us save ourselves. He entered the world to save us from ourselves. As a Boy Scout, I earned a lifesaving merit badge. Fact is, the only people I saved were other...
Jesus not only did a work for us; he does a work in us. Colossians 1:27 tells us, “The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you.” He commands our hands and feet, requisitions our minds and tongues. As Romans 8:29 declares, “He...
God has high plans for you and me. He is recruiting for himself a people who will populate heaven. It will be perfect—perfect in splendor, perfect in righteousness. One word describes heaven: perfect! One word describes us: imperfect. So what does God do? Abandon us? Start over? He could, but he...
The sinful nature is the stubborn, self-centered attitude that says, “My way or the highway.” The sinful nature is all about self: pleasing self, promoting self, preserving self. I have a sin nature; so do you. Under the right circumstances you will do the wrong thing. You’ll...
Would you like to see God? Take a look at Jesus. Hebrews 1:3 says, “Jesus radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God.” In John 14:9 Jesus himself said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” Anyone who has seen me weep has...
A friend of mine asked her students to make a list of questions they would like to ask Mary. “What was Jesus’ first word?” “Did he ever get sick?” “Did Jesus ever misbehave?” All legitimate questions, and the fact that we can ask them raises a greater one:...
If you want to see people on the edge of insanity, just watch the way families treat their babies at Christmastime. The poor child has no warning. Red furry stocking cap, goofy elfish shoes that curl at the toes. And the pictures we take! Baby snoozing under...
No day is accidental or incidental. No acts are random or wasted. Look at Jesus’ birth at Bethlehem. A king ordered a census. Joseph was forced to travel. Mary, round as a ladybug, bounced on a donkey’s back. The hotel was full, the hour was late. The event was one...