greater plan

A Behind-the-Scenes Savior

“In his defense Jesus said to them, ‘My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.’” – John 5:17 Unfortunately, a lot of us Christians are myopic or nearsighted. In other words, we get so wrapped up in our daily circumstances that we forget we serve a Savior who is constantly working behind the scenes. God is infinite, and He has the ultimate “big-picture” perspective, but our minds are finite and only able to conceive of situations in linear time. That said, it’s important to remember that when life seems to be “closing in on us,” what we’re perceiving is only a microscopic blip on the radar of eternity. We can’t begin to conceive of how masterfully and marvelously everything fits together from His standpoint, but we can train ourselves to acknowledge the wonder that it does. No matter how uncertain or daunting

October 17, 2021 No Comments

The Vitality in Vision

“In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.” – Ezekiel 1:1 Yesterday, we talked about Ezekiel and how he was captured by the Babylonians when he was just 25 years old. After spending five years in a strange city wondering if the Lord had forgotten him, he finally got a glimpse of what His Creator was up to. As he sat by the banks of the Kebar River with his fellow exiles from Jerusalem — probably feeling sad since this was the time he was supposed to come into his own as a priest — he saw something greater than he could ever have fathomed. In fact, with no warning, the heavens opened up before him and he beheld a vision of glory. While at first

July 18, 2021 No Comments

His Life Is the Light of Men

“Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” – Matthew 2:11 Christmas Eve has arrived, and although it looks a bit different this year, my prayer is that you are embracing the power of the One whom we celebrate and that He is filling your life with the gifts of His Spirit. In that vein, today, I want to talk about the third and final offering the Magi brought to Jesus, and how it gives us a source of fresh hope in the midst of a tough season. While gold signifies that the Lord reigns over the kingdoms of earth and incense represents His authority in the Kingdom of Heaven, myrrh speaks to His victory over the grave. Used as an embalming oil in ancient times, this valuable gift foreshadowed His crucifixion, but more importantly, it revealed His greater plan and purpose. Though

December 24, 2020 1 Comment

A Glory Greater Than Gold

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’” – Matthew 2:1,2 The Christmas story is full of unexpected encouragement, and though it’s become almost too familiar, its many truths take on new meaning in seasons of testing like the one in which we’re living. I believe this is especially true as we examine the gifts the Magi brought to Jesus — each one of them has the potential to help us as we sort through the 2020 experience. To offer some background, unlike traditional depictions of the nativity, there were probably a lot more than three “wise men.” In fact, the party that traveled from the east was more like

December 22, 2020 No Comments

No Assignment Is Insignificant

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” – 1 Corinthians 15:18 Another interesting fact about Nazareth, the town where Jesus was raised, is that it was a four mile walk from a place called Sepphoris, which may have been the birthplace of His mother Mary. As our Savior was growing up, this city, which was perched atop a 400-foot hill, was being built up by Herod Antipas to showcase the spectrum of Roman beauty and engineering. Since we know that Jesus was a tekton, or someone who worked with His hands (not necessarily a carpenter in the traditional sense of the word), it’s very possible that he and Joseph spent their days hewing stone there before He launched His earthly ministry. Since

December 19, 2020 1 Comment

God Will Get You There

“Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.” – Matthew 2:22,23 When we read the story of Jesus’ birth, there’s a part we sometimes overlook because we fail to see its significance. However, in this crazy season, when many of us seem to be facing detour after detour, it’s an encouraging thing to understand. Though our Lord was born in Bethlehem so that prophecy would be fulfilled, his parents took Him and fled to Egypt because they feared evil King Herod, who was trying to kill Him. It was years before He returned to Israel, and when He did, He didn’t go back to the area in which He was born, because there was another wicked king reigning there

December 18, 2020 1 Comment

A Behind-the-Scenes Savior

The Vitality in Vision

His Life Is the Light of Men

A Glory Greater Than Gold

No Assignment Is Insignificant

God Will Get You There

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