Wisdom Matters

Most of us can quote John 3:16, but we don’t finish Jesus’ message to Nicodemus without verse 17. Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Then Jesus told Nicodemus why he had come to save the world: “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be sa...

The Christmas season offers so many opportunities to lift up our faith to a world that doesn’t understand it but at least appreciates our Christmas story. We can say “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy holidays.” We can wish someone a “blessed day” instead of a “good day.” We can decorate our homes, send our cards, post on social media, and prioritize our time with the goal of celebrating Christ w...

Micah prophesied that the “ruler of Israel” would come from “Bethlehem Ephrathah.” Jesus, the King, was born quietly in a Bethlehem stable. He grew up in the home of a carpenter and lived his first thirty years in Nazareth as a tradesman.  Except for his visit to the temple at the age of twelve, we know very little about the “ruler of Israel.” He amazed the priests at the age of twelve, but who el...

The story behind the hymn “Silent Night” is a compelling picture for our Christmas season.  It was on a cold Christmas Eve in 1818 that an Austrian pastor, Joseph Franz Mohr, carried a poem he had written years before to his friend Franz Gruber. The Christmas Eve service was only hours away and a flood had destroyed the organ at the church. The pastor hoped his friend could put his poem to music t...

he kings from Persia were probably a very large group of travelers. The magi presented Jesus with three gifts, which is why tradition has whittled their number down to three. The story of the magi is only found in Matthew’s gospel because his audience was Jewish. This story was a link to Jewish history, and only they would have been able to see the connections. Matthew 2:1–12 tells the story. Thes...

Christmas is a unique aspect of our Christian theology. An in-depth study of the Christmas story tells us so much about why our world needed a Savior and why Jesus was the Savior the world needed. We are blessed to have access to biblical theology in the countless volumes written by theologians from around the globe. We have access to the strengths and weaknesses of the Christian church through th...

Shepherds are a favorite analogy in Scripture. In biblical times the shepherds were key members of the culture, caring for the flocks that provided for the needs of the communities. The shepherds led the sheep to water and green pastures while protecting them from their natural predators. David was a good shepherd who grew to become a great king. Jesus told his disciples, “I am the good shepherd.”...

Enjoying the Christmas season with the peace and joy God wants us to have takes effort. We can know that our desire to be godly during these days is an effort God will reward.  If we want to experience the holiness of this season, we simply need to allow Paul’s words to the Ephesians to be our great advice for these days. We shouldn’t be running around trying to do everything that seems important....

I was asked to play Mary in the Christmas pageant more than once. I had long brown hair and my age fit the part. Only once did I have to hold a real infant in my arms, and I remember working hard to discreetly cover the baby’s ears so the orchestra and choir wouldn’t cause him to cry. I hoped it was a sweet time for the crowd, but I was relieved to get through it with no problems. I only played a...

Radiance is a good word to describe the Christmas season. Jesus is the light of the world, and we have lit the world for Christmas to remember that truth. The questions in the Christmas song “Mary, Did You Know?” are profound. Did Mary know she was kissing the face of God? Did Mary know that her sleeping child was the Great I Am? The author of Hebrews fully understood what Mary probably could not....

Long ago, churches used the Christmas season to fill wooden barrels or crates with gifts and provisions they shipped overseas to their missionaries in foreign fields. For many, placing things in the barrel meant those here had sacrificed their own wants and needs for the sake of others. We can only imagine what those barrels meant to the missionaries so far from home. Christmas was probably a time...

What is your favorite thing this time of year? There are so many things to choose from. Most love the music of the season. The food is wonderful. The lights chase the darkness away. The kids are happy and excited. We spend time with family and friends. We remember why we are grateful for the baby born in Bethlehem. The Christmas season is a joy-filled time, but what are you most grateful for today...

Some people have wrapped up their gifts and wrapped up their plans. They are ready for Christmas. Others are still thinking about what needs to be done. Most are probably somewhere in the middle. It’s about two weeks until the big day. What is on your mind as you consider those words? Our Christmas season is significantly different from that night when the skies lit up with a host of angels. Sheph...

Isaiah had prophesied that a virgin would conceive and bear a son. Immanuel means, “God with us,” which is why Jesus was born. Jesus was born to Mary, a virgin, because he was born of the Father in heaven. He could not have been born of “the seed of man” and be completely holy, completely God. The Lord, through Isaiah, told his people what to look for in their Messiah. He said they would be given...

Each year there seems to be a bit more strain between those who want Christmas to be a holiday and those who know Christmas was a holy day. How do we live and work alongside people who want to believe differently than we do? With those who want to insist we believe as they do? Many think that Christians shouldn’t believe we have the only answer. That way of thinking indicates a lack of tolerance....

Every year the Christmas season ramps up just a little earlier. It seems people hunger to think about joyful things, and the Christmas season does that for most. Maybe it isn’t just the retail industry driving our holidays. Maybe people are truly seeking peace and joy while hoping for more kindness in our world. People want what Jesus provides even when they don’t realize it is Jesus they need. Th...

John began his gospel by saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). He then spoke about the coming of Christ saying, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (v. 14). Countless pages of commentary and theological study have been written on the subject of the Holy Trinity. The subject is best understood in the light of 1 Corinthians 13:12...

The apostle Paul often told the early Christians to “stand firm” in their faith. Paul taught them theology and helped those early believers understand God’s new covenant through Christ. Paul also stood strongly against those who came into the first-century Christian churches trying to teach a message that was different from the apostolic truth. Wrong teaching has always been the greatest threat to...

These words from the book of Isaiah were written more than seven hundred years before the birth of Christ. Every Christmas these verses are preached, taught, sung, and honored. They are considered messianic prophecy because they taught God’s people what to look for and hope for in their Messiah. Isaiah’s words are celebrated each Christmas, but this verse also describes why so many in Israel saw J...

The first picture of the Holy Trinity is seen in Genesis 1. God had created the world and was pleased. Lastly, he chose to create man. Genesis 1:26 says, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.’”  John was called the “beloved disciple.” He knew Jesus as his dearest friend on earth. In his gospel, John introduced Jesus saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word...

This month most of the world will celebrate the Christmas season. Many will understand that the celebration is about the birth of a Savior, but the majority of our world will celebrate Christmas without celebrating Christ.  The Christmas season is the perfect time to help people understand what Paul was saying to the Colossians. The world will notice the ways our celebrations are different from th...

How would you finish this sentence: “I will always be grateful for . . . ”? We have spent the month of November learning the wisdom of leading a life filled with gratitude for God. As we look ahead to December, is there anything or anyone higher on our list than Jesus? I will always be grateful to God for loving the world so much that he gave us his only Son. I will always be grateful that Jesus,...

I love getting on an elevator with someone who is wearing a clean, pleasant fragrance. The aroma almost seems to lighten everyone’s mood as they travel to their floor. With equal passion I can say that I hate getting on an elevator with someone who hasn’t showered, especially if they’ve used their perfume or aftershave lavishly, hoping it will cover their odor. Some people are known for the fragra...

For those who have been a Christian for many years, it’s easy to think of our faith as something that comes naturally. We can grow complacent and assume our Christian routines please God. Those assumptions are unwise and unbiblical.  Our faith should be an effort. Our walk with God should be a continual choice throughout the day. We lull ourselves into believing that our faith comes naturally afte...

Hebrews is a letter written by a Jewish Christian to Jewish Christians. Using the phrase “let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God” was natural for the author to use. In the Jewish mind, a sacrifice was offered up to God in obedience for the purpose of making one right with his God. We don’t often think of our words of praise as being a sacrifice, something that restores our relati...