Year
Where Is Your Treasure? (January-February 2019)
The recipients of the epistle of Hebrews were allowing themselves to drift away from what the apostles had taught them. The distractions of coping with the chaos at the end of an age wreaked havoc on their ability to discern what was truly valuable, and their zeal for God was faltering. Because we, too, live on the cusp of the crisis at the close of the age, we must ask ourselves, “Am I seeking treasures on earth or laying up treasures in heaven?”
The recipients of the epistle of Hebrews were allowing themselves to drift away from what the apostles had taught them. The distractions of coping with the chaos at the end of an age wreaked havoc on their ability to discern what was truly valuable, and their zeal for God was faltering. Because we, too, live on the cusp of the crisis at the close of the age, we must ask ourselves, “Am I seeking treasures on earth or laying up treasures in heaven?”
Bound By Sin (March-July 2019)
It is a well-known biblical principle that sin is addictive and ultimately enslaving. However, the apostle Paul uses an even more graphic metaphor taken from Roman penal practices, describing iniquity as a corpse to which a person remains shackled until he dies from its corruption. This repulsive image should spur us to redouble our efforts to repent of "the sin that so easily ensnares us" (Hebrews 12:1).
It is a well-known biblical principle that sin is addictive and ultimately enslaving. However, the apostle Paul uses an even more graphic metaphor taken from Roman penal practices, describing iniquity as a corpse to which a person remains shackled until he dies from its corruption. This repulsive image should spur us to redouble our efforts to repent of "the sin that so easily ensnares us" (Hebrews 12:1).
A Blessing in Winter (August-December 2019)
The twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, Kislev 24, on the Hebrew calendar falls at the beginning of winter, typically associated with cold temperatures, bare trees, falling snow, and bracing winds. But in Haggai 2:15-19, God declares that it should be associated with blessings, saying, "From this day forward I will bless you." Why is this date so important to God's people?
The twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, Kislev 24, on the Hebrew calendar falls at the beginning of winter, typically associated with cold temperatures, bare trees, falling snow, and bracing winds. But in Haggai 2:15-19, God declares that it should be associated with blessings, saying, "From this day forward I will bless you." Why is this date so important to God's people?