The star in the sky did not rise for Herod but another king. This astrological sign, along with a prophetic word from Micah, confirms the work of God in history. These signs point to a king born to reign.
It’s become fashionable to accept the Jesus of the New Testament but to reject the miracles of the New Testament. We hear, Jesus is a great teacher who taught good…
Just like some of the other psalms we’ve looked at, Psalm 10 is a lament. A lament is a passionate expression of grief or sorrow. A person does not lament when life is well. A person laments when tragedy hits. King David, the author of this Psalm, is being dragged through the mud of life, and he is crying out to God. He knows that his only path of deliverance is for God to break in and intervene. If David had thought that the way of deliverance from the wicked was through his efforts, he would not have needed to write Psalm 10.
Psalm 88 is the darkest and saddest psalm in all the Psalter. In this song of lament, Heman the psalmist pleads with God for deliverance from his suffering, questions God in the midst of his suffering, and clings to God despite his suffering. The psalm ends in darkness, where Heman seemingly lived with no resolution or apparent hope. This darkness points to the suffering and death that Jesus Christ would taste for us, from which the hope of the kingdom to come will bring ultimate salvation!
What are you to do when you feel like you are wandering in a wilderness? I think Psalm 23 can provide comfort to the wandering soul. To the one who feels the pressures of life, Psalm 23 is a gentle reminder of the faithfulness of God. If you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death (v. 4), let this Psalm sing to your soul.
The question, how long? is not unusual in the pages of Scripture. As we read in Psalm 6, the question can be asked when a person goes through pain. In the New Testament, Christians ask the question about the return of Christ. How Long, O Lord until you return? How long until you return and take away all the pain and tears? How long until we can see your face, O Lord? With Psalm 6 in view, we explore the question, how long, O Lord?
God is less concerned with taking away your pain and suffering but He meets you in your pain and suffering. In a world of brokenness, suffering, and pain God is faithful to draw close to you as you draw close to him. If you are a child of God, God hears your cry for help. He sees the tears. He is near.
Tychicus is not a celebrity apostle or pastor, but he is a guy coming off the bench. You may have never heard of him, but he is the reason why the Ephesian church can read Paul’s essential words. Tychicus is the reason why we still have these words. He doesn’t have a Youtube channel or Twitter account. But his friendship with Paul and faithfulness to the gospel of Jesus Christ cannot be measured with a human metric.
If a person is in Christ (Ephesians 1), then there is unity between all kinds of people. But here is the deal. The devil wants to reconstruct the wall between people. The devil is at work to create consternation and division. Therefore, Paul writes Ephesians 6:10-20 to inform us of where the more significant battle is taking place. So, we need to pay attention and consider what God is saying about spiritual warfare.
When you are a slave to Christ, you have lasting freedom. Therefore, in all situations, at all times, God calls his people to serve Him and Him alone.