The Christmas season can be a challenge for all moms, but an extra one for those whose children are experiencing special needs and for those who are trying to raise children alone. But these particular moms can find fresh hope and new, lasting strength in the account of Gabriel’s opening conversation with Mary in Luke 1:26ff.
Read MoreSometimes Christians maintain this attitude toward learning new truths in Scripture. “Everything that can be known from Scripture is already discovered. There is nothing new for me to learn. After all, I’ve been to Christian college or been in church all my life.”
In fact, occasionally, pride induces resentful questions: “How could that be true? I’ve never heard these things before!”
It is estimated that 75% of Americans never think; that 15% think they are thinking and that a mere 10% actually think. That small 10% of the population will be the significant women and men in the culture and in Jesus’ church.
Read MoreYou can make a difference this New Year, but not if you pursue the American Dream. Live a comfortable life, work at a good job, enjoy good health insurance, own a two-car garage, provide a good education for the kids, and then enjoy a retirement program that will allow you to kick back and take it easy. That is the typical American Dream, but it is certainly not God’s plan for Jesus’ followers. Yet, the vast majority of professing Christians choose this plan as their life’s goal. The contradiction with Scripture is real. Jesus’ life contradicts it at every step. The Savior invested His energy, His days, and heart into a small group of people. Jesus was the trainer of the twelve, the discipler and equipper who consciously poured His life into a small group. After His ascension, that well-trained group would continue His unfinished task. Leaders, life-changers are not born. Leaders are made. Life-changers are developed.
Read MoreLike a racehorse bursting out of its box in the big race, Matthew wastes no time with his extravagant claim. The infant boy born to a young virgin woman would be called Emmanuel, which is translated, God with us. (Matthew 1:22-23; Isaiah 7:14). What an astounding claim!
Read MoreFew truths are more comforting than the assurance of God’s abiding presence with us. But feeling abandoned by God, such as the sentiment expressed in Psalm 6, spawns feelings of discouragement, hopelessness, and loneliness. But Matthew’s portrait of Jesus provides the hope of enjoying God’s unfailing, abiding presence.
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