I will show my love to the one I called “Not my loved one.” I will say to those called “Not my people,” “You are my people”; and they will say, “You are my God.’ (Hosea 2:23 NIV) For well-known author Anne Lamott, life was full of sinful pursuits and relational ruins. In so many…

Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. (Psalm 139:16) Have you ever faced a trial and thought, “This is because I have not done enough for God.” You’re not alone. My missionary…

You have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. (Col. 3:9-10) What does it mean to be a new creation in Christ? One dimension of this new reality is how the Holy Spirit works inside…

You…were taught in him … to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt … and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Eph. 4:20-24) Oak tree leaves flapping in the cold winter wind are a sign…

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. (1 Tim. 1:15-16) In the play,…

Because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 1:30-31) When the wisdom of God provided for our sin by spiritually uniting us to Christ by faith,…

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. (Micah 5:2) When the Old Testament prophet Micah foretold the birth of our Messiah…

You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light—for the fruit of the light consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth. (Eph. 5:8-9 CSB) Beautiful. Significant. Righteous. Worthy. That is what God sees when he looks at you! While you might question how God could be so…

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Cor. 4:6) A friend described looking into a Christmas sky where geese flying in v-formation reminded him of Christmas trees celebrating…

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deut. 31:6) A generation ago, the captivity of some American hostages in Iran had stretched into the Christmas season. Bowing to political pressures, the terrorists allowed…