In this message, I'd like us to consider three instructive examples on this subject: the example of Joshua and Caleb's, the example of Moses and his adversaries, and the example ofJohn the Baptist and Christ. One of these examples portrays the envious spirit of feeling bitter when others have it better. The other two exemplify his opposite attitude and portray how we should live.
(A Reflection on Thanksgiving)
The Bible commands us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 saying that "In everything, give thanks for this is the will of God concerning you." But is this really possible for you? Is it possible for wives and mothers to give thanks in everything when they are overwhelmed with the seemingly mundane, boring and repetitive household work? Is this perspective of thanksgiving really possible for students who are being weighed down by an academic overload or by the hectic pressure of examinations?
2 Kings 18:1-8
Studies on the life of Hezekiah.
Although the Bible recognises Solomon for his great wisdom, the Bible on the other hand recognises Hezekiah for his great faith. In 2 Kings 18:5, the Bible says that "Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah before him or after him."
This message entitled "Destroying Our Idols" is the first in our Study on the Life of Hezekiah.
Christmas does not just introduce us to the baby in the Manger, but it takes us to the beginning of all things and reminds us of what has gone wrong with the world as we see it today. Christmas also brings us to the identity and the ministry of Jesus, and takes us all the way to the consummation of all things and to the return of Jesus Christ, when he restores and establishes everything back to something, even much better than the paradise of Eden.
In the genealogy of Christ in Matthew 2, right in the preamble of the birth of Jesus, you do not only see his coming, but you see his going. You do not only see his being born, but you also see his death on the cross. You do not only see his ministry, but you also see the outcome of what people become as a result of Christ's ministry.
Most people do not celebrate Christmas. Instead, they celebrate an X-mas and end up with an "X-Mess"! Many people are usually increasingly taken up with getting ready for Christmas but they do not express any interest of getting ready for Christ. They hang flashing lights in their houses but live in fearful darkness in their souls! They exchange gifts but never accept God's gift of love that was given to the world on Christmas day.
The sum of the message in this post is that a Christmas without Christ is the vainest of all pagan holidays and no one can truly celebrate Christmas without Christ as his or her Savior. A Christmas that is merely full of hustle and bustle of activity, and mere eating and drinking and rejoicing without Christ is an X-mas: a Christmas without Christ; and an “X-mess”: a total mess!
Many of us may consider ourselves as servants of God, but does our driving motivations for our service originate from a true love for God?
One of the main themes in the book of Job has to do with learning how to worship God in the midst of suffering. The book of Job is about God being so great and so worthy that he deserves to be worshipped no matter what happens to you or to your possessions, or to your family. So in these series of messages on Job, Dr. David Eby shows us how we can learn from Job to worship God in the midst of your suffering
