sometimes trying to figure out how God works in our lives feels like a puzzle; the prophet Samuel learned a little something about that, and it remains as a lesson for us today.
God nurtures our faith so that our faith can be healthy; the path to healthy faith centers on a love which embraces heart, soul, mind, and strength.
At the end of Genesis we see an example of the vision Joseph embraces which kept his faith rooted in God; it is a vision which enables our faith today to remain rooted in God as well.
Some of the things that Christians identify as faith-goals are actually byproducts; the real faith-goal for Christian identity is much less complicated.
Sometimes we try so hard to make Christmas feel special that forget the ways in which Christmas is also ordinary; God did something special when Jesus was born at Christmas, but it came into an ordinary world in an ordinary way.
The prophet Micah gives us a glimpse into the renewed world which follows the coming of God’s Messiah; it is a glimpse that helps give direction for us today.
God’s gift given to his people has an expected result; the prophet Micah tells us that sometimes our expectations need to align with the gift God gives.
The Christmas season can be filled with a lot of hype. But sometimes all that anticipation can leave us with empty and unmet expectations; the prophet Micah reminds us that what we anticipate and what God actually brings are not always the same thing.
The Bible gives some helpful advice on ways we can keep Christ as the focus of our faith.
Having a faith that is focused on Christ can be complicated. The Bible tells us that sometimes religion itself can become a distraction from faith in Jesus; how can we clear out everything that distracts our faith from being focused on Christ?