Today, we continue our focus on the ancient Christian tradition of Advent. In Isaiah 9:6, we read a prophecy about the coming Messiah Christ, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,…

To help us prepare our hearts for Christmas, over the next 5 devotions, we’ll focus on the ancient Christian tradition of Advent. Each day, we will light a candle to help us count up to Christmas Day, focusing on hope, peace, joy, love, and Christ. In Isaiah 9:6, we read a prophecy about the coming…

Apostle Paul emphatically states in Ephesians 3 that he was made a minister of the gospel by God’s gracious gift. He had a special calling and anointing on his life to vocationally preach the gospel and plant churches. God set him apart for that task. And he fulfilled that task marvelously. However, don’t miss the…

A paradigm is a framework for thinking. It’s kind of the lens through which you see the world based on what you know and have experienced, and it influences your expectations. These paradigms are not inherently bad. In fact, they can be quite good. However, we can expect that there will be moments when new…

Christian scholar G.K. Chesterton once noted, “The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because generally they are the same people.” Isn’t that true? Sometimes the hardest people to live in peace with are those we live in close proximity to. But what can change that? The answer…

I wonder, what do you see when you look in the mirror? I know what you should see. You should see God’s workmanship. that’s the descriptor for you and me that the Holy Spirit uses through Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2. We are God’s workmanship. That means, first, that God is your designer and creator.…

People find a lot of things to boast, but one thing that we should never boast in is our salvation. Why? Because it is a gift from beginning to end. We know this because God tells us this is the case in many passages of Scripture, but perhaps none as clearly as in Ephesians 2:8–9,…

Did you know that the word “gospel” comes from Greek word “euangelion,” which literally means “good news.” So, the gospel is the good news that the Father sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to this world to save us from our sins and that every person who believes on Him what perish but have…

Do you sometimes struggle with what to pray? One of the best techniques I learned over the years is to pray the Word of God, especially the prayers of people in the Bible. In Ephesians 1, we get a great example. Apostle Paul told the Ephesian Christians that he never ceased remembering them in his…

In Ephensians 1, Paul tells the Ephesian church that he never ceases to give thanks for them and lists two reasons why. One reason is their faith in the Lord Jesus. They had made a radical move from paganism to Christianity through a powerful work of God. Faith is how that happened. Scripture says that…