Anna is widowed after only seven years of marriage. A devout woman, she dedicates her life to God, spending as much time as possible in the temple fasting, praying, and worshiping him. Anna is at least eighty-four years old when Mary and Joseph...
Childless, Elizabeth and husband Zechariah are getting old; their chance for kids is slim. Still they pray for the improbable. Despite not receiving what they yearn for, their faith remains strong. They are a righteous couple who honor God. One...
Do You Want More From Life? A Spiritual More? I’m not talking about more money, power, or prestige. I’m not even talking about more love or respect. I’m certainly not talking about the latest gadgets, a new car, a nicer home, tastier food, or...
The Most Important Thing in the Bible Is Love Though the Bible has many commands, love is the greatest command of them all. Check it out: The Old Testament Law In the first five books of the Bible, sometimes called the Torah or Pentateuch, God...
Though God Doesn’t Change, the Way People Perceive Him Does I enjoy a good book, one with a satisfying story arc. The Bible has an arc, too, a biblical story arc. Some people see the Old Testament as focusing on God’s rules and judgment, with the...
Ministers who flaunt their knowledge of Hebrew and Greek often do more harm than good As part of their training, many ministers must study Hebrew and Greek. Sometimes when they prepare a sermon, they go back to the Bible’s initial languages so...
The Bible talks about priests, chief priests, and high priest What’s the difference between priest, chief priests, and high priest? From Mark 14:53 we see there are several chief priests but only one high priest. This is also confirmed in Matthew...
God’s Holy Spirit exists in those who follow Jesus Before Jesus leaves this earth to return to his father in heaven he promises his disciples that they will receive the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, who Father God will send them. The Holy Spirit...
Being both honest and kind is how we grow in our faith and mature through Jesus When Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, he tells them to speak what is true with love. This should be our guide in all that we say. While this makes sense, it’s...
Jesus elevates the standing of women and treats them as equal to men As the book of Matthew winds down, we see in chapter 28 that Jesus rises from the dead, appears to his followers, and ascends into heaven. As he arises, he leaves us with the...
