The First Recorded Words of Jesus
Jesus Christ is not only Lord and Savior. He is also our perfect example. He is our model for how to relate to God and to people. The twelve-year-old Jesus offers some relationship lessons for both adults and children.
The Kingmakers Come Calling
The plan of God was to announce in Israel and elsewhere the birth of the King of the Jews and to protect Him and His family and provide for them. None of that could be thwarted by the schemes of evil Herod--or by any other power in the universe.
Mary Brought Her Little Lamb
Joseph and Mary had a unique, divinely ordained role in God's plan, just as we all do. Their experience demonstrates that God is faithful to honor those who are faithful to Him and to encourage them through the testimony of other believers.
The Perfect Timing of God
God's work encompasses all of creation and history. That means He is working in the lives of obscure individuals as well as in the lives of the rich, famous, and powerful. His great work in bringing Jesus into the world as our Savior at just the right time is evidence of that.
The Wedding That Never Happened
God's plans sometimes interrupt our own. We simply need to obey Him and learn to readjust our thinking. God's great plan for the coming of Israel's Messiah into the world created some challenges for Joseph, but this godly man’s character was up for the challenge.
The Songs of Surrendered Hearts
We rightly praise and thank God for wonderful things He has done in our lives. But the examples of two godly people show us we should be equally ready to praise and thank Him for what He has promised to do. That is just as certain as what He has already done.
When the Will of God Turns Life Upside Down
Some of God's greatest works are often overlooked because He is working through common, humble believers like Zechariah, Elizabeth, and Mary. God does not call us to be great people in this world but to be people of great faith.
The Family Tree of Jesus
The genealogy of Jesus is important in establishing His qualification for being Israel's Messiah. It is also an important reminder that God graciously works in the lives of sinners like us to redeem us and make us a part of His eternal family.
When God Became a Flea
We must know and accept Jesus Christ, not on our own terms, but for who He has revealed Himself to be: God the Son. This is the great truth John's Gospel reveals to us--that God became flesh and dwelt among us for our sake, for our salvation.
The Beginning of Good News
Who is Jesus Christ? The answer to that question is absolutely critical to our eternal destiny. The Gospel of John gets to that point immediately, describing Jesus in its opening verses as the eternal Creator and eternal God.