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The peace that Jesus offers us is not a promise to remove the pain and difficulties in our lives. Those troubles are always a part of daily living. Someday when Jesus returns, all our troubles will be gone; until then, He offers a peace that is calm, unafraid, unruffled, and confident because we place our lives in His hands. When we trust the Lord, nothing can harm our innermost being, nothing can shake us from the intimate connection we have with the Lord. Through our saving faith, despite external circumstances, we have a peace that cannot be destroyed and is beyond our understanding.

There really is no limit to what evil the human heart can conceive. So before we try to confront the evil outside of us, we need to examine the evil within every heart. It is Jesus who pulls no punches when describing the evil that comes out of the human heart. The bad news is that we all have evil inside of us. The good news is that Jesus Christ, in His goodness and mercy, overcame that evil for us by dying on the cross and then offering us His righteousness as a free gift that can only be received by faith. Through the gift of faith our hearts can overcome the evil within. All glory, for overcoming evil, be to Him!

The prophet Habakkuk is a prophet of comfort and strength to a very weak nation. Because of the peoples’ sins, the land that they inhabit will be taken away from them. Habakkuk calls the people to find strength in the Lord, their God, and trust Him with a steadfast faith. Habakkuk questions why evil existed and why the Lord permitted evil to afflict His people. The Lord’s answer may not completely satisfy our sense of fairness or goodness. Through Habakkuk we too are called to steadfast faith when we are going through difficult times and weaknesses in life. We find His strength in knowing the Lord works through evil circumstances for our good, just as He worked through Jesus’ suffering and death for our salvation. No matter what opposes you, take joy in the God of your salvation who is your strength.

The phrase “David and Goliath” has taken on a more popular meaning denoting an underdog situation, a contest where a smaller, weaker opponent faces a much bigger, stronger adversary and wins. Most people are led to believe the smaller weaker one was David, the shepherd boy, and the stronger was the giant named Goliath. Actually, the smaller, weaker opponent was Goliath who faced the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the creator of the heavens and the earth. Goliath faced a bigger opponent and did not even realize it. He defied the armies of the living God, and in doing this, Goliath sealed his fate. God almighty enabled a little shepherd boy to enjoy the victory, but the battle was won by the Almighty.

One day a lawyer asked Jesus a question in order to trap Him and make Him look bad. The lawyer, who was an expert in religious laws of the Jews, asked, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?” (Matt. 22:36) God did give the Israelites a great variety of laws including moral, ceremonial, and civil laws. In fact, the Jews had 613 laws that they proclaimed as important.

The firstborn of both man and beast within the nation of Israel belonged to the Lord. This type of consecration was a formidable challenge for the people. It meant that they had to first yield their lives to the Lord. There was a special case when it came to a donkey. The donkey was not acceptable as a sacrifice. The people were to redeem the firstborn male donkey by sacrificing a lamb or by breaking the donkey’s neck, thus killing it without spilling blood.

In Chapter 17 of the Gospel of John, we have a prayer that Jesus prays to the Father in Heaven on behalf of the Church. He asks that His disciples would be united in being sent into the world to show to the world that Jesus is the Savior of the world. The goal is not to unify all churches, but to populate heaven. Jesus wants people of the world to see the witness Christians make of the truth about Jesus. Whenever Christians ignore God’s Word, they foster divisions within the Church and diminish their witness. But Jesus is the truth that will unite His Church, glorify the Heavenly Father, and enable His people to fulfill their calling in a troubled world.

In Chapter 17 of the Gospel of John, we have the longest prayer of Jesus ever recorded called, “The High Priestly Prayer”. This prayer is rich in theological insight as to what the Lord wants His Church to be doing. In the first part of the prayer, Jesus asks that the Father be glorified through the Son and that those who know the Father, through the Son, would also glorify the Father and that they would keep His Words.

We all have the same number of hours in each day; yet our use of these hours can be so different. We all have the ability to prioritize; yet what we think should be first may not even make it on a list for others. Effective life management is putting things first moment-by-moment, day-by-day, while fellowship with Christ is allowing Him to decide what “first things” are!

It’s that time again to celebrate. Let’s be sure we keep Jesus as the focus of the season and celebration. Decorations, gifts, and family gatherings are wonderful, but pale in comparison with the best gift the world has ever been offered. Will be it received? Will it be opened up and used?

St. Paul writes to the Philippians about a Peace that passes understanding, and to the Romans the fact that since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. By nature, we sinners are at odds with God. But by grace we are no longer enemies, but cherished children and friends. The grace of God delivers pardon for the soul’s disturbance, and replaces that with the peace that his pardon provides. Peace is God’s Christmas gift to the world, but it’s not just for Christmas. It keeps on giving year-round. Let’s not let the gift remain unwrapped and not experienced.

Christmas is just around the corner. Christmas is not just the presents, lights, food and traditions. It was Jesus. Feelings don’t last. Jesus does. In fact, one of the Royal Titles that Isaiah 9:6 mentions about the Messiah is “Everlasting Father.” Jesus lasts. Forever. He is eternally one with the Father and has eternally committed Himself to our salvation. His presence doesn’t just come and go. It lasts.

The "Mighty God" title puts Jesus in a class all by himself. He is not just some spiritual superstar or exalted avatar. He is God. Every attribute of God applies to Jesus. He is one with the Father and the Holy Spirit, the second person of the Holy Trinity. Only He has the qualifications to be the Savior of the world. His coming into the world is the most profound miracle of all. The impossible has happened, God became man yet remained fully God.

Do you need counsel and direction in your life? In Jesus, we have a Wonderful Counselor. He is willing to wisely direct our lives, forgive and correct our errors, and lead us into an abundant life. It begins when we admit, or confess, that we have problems and need Someone much wiser than we are. Then we go to His Word for biblical wisdom to guide and empower us.

THe Bible story follows Jesus in Luke 17, when there were 10 men afflicted with dreaded leprosy. Jesus did for them what Jesus typically does: He heals them. Their lives are restored! How joyful they must be and how eager to get back to normal life. But 9 of the 10 forgot something. They forgot to thank Jesus. We are close to a Day of National Thanksgiving, a summons issued by the United States government to do more than eat turkey and enjoy the blessings we have here. It is a call to give thanks, remembering all the blessings we have and where theyh came from. Most people can articulate what they are thankful for. At the same time not that many will articulate who they are thankful to.

The word Apocalypse brings several things to mind. Its actual meaning is a revealing or disclosure. The last book of the New Testament is frequently called The Apocalypse. It reveals some features of the final struggle and the second coming of Jesus.In popular culture, it implies global catastrophic destruction. Several Hollywood movies include “Apocalpyse” in their titles and plots include doomsday ranging from a destructive asteroid headed for the earth to overwhelming swarms of zombies threatening the collapse of society.Want the real story? It’s in the Bible.

Paul wrote that we should always be alert and aware. The Father of Lies is never far off and always looks for where we are vulnerable to deceptions. In an age that tells us there is no real or objective universal truth, we keep our focus on Jesus, who is the truth, and the Bible, which is God’s Word of Truth to us.

The Protestant Reformation was launched by Martin Luther on October 31, 1517 by posting 95 theses for debate on the community bulletin board, the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Saxony, Germany. These documents went viral and in a short time nearly everyone was aware that something was happening that would change everything. The rest is history. This action by Luther began a process that restored attention to the completed work of Jesus for us in the Cross and Resurrection, and underlined the biblical teaching of salvation by grace through faith alone. This is the issue on which the Church stands or falls. It is the core of what we preach and teach at Ablaze Church.

The Protestant Reformation was launched by Martin Luther on October 31, 1517 by posting 95 theses for debate on the community bulletin board, the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Saxony, Germany. These documents went viral and in a short time nearly everyone was aware that something was happening that would change everything. The rest is history. This action by Luther began a process that restored attention to the completed work of Jesus for us in the Cross and Resurrection, and underlined the biblical teaching of salvation by grace through faith alone. This is the issue on which the Church stands or falls. It is the core of what we preach and teach at Ablaze Church.

How do disciples reproduce? They do what Jesus did. Jesus chose people to disciple. He trained them by spending time with them. They observed everything he did. They listened to everything he said. Then Jesus told them, “Now you go and do the same.” They did what Jesus did; they told what Jesus said. Then they gathered others and trained them just as Jesus had trained his disciples. The result was multiplication of disciples. It worked then and it works now.