Category: Christian Faith & Life
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Grow in Readiness for Jesus’ Return
(Read 2 Peter 3:8-14) Note: This blog post is split up into sections for ease of reading. 2 Peter 3:8-9 If people in Peter’s day thought that God would never return (if indeed he was ever there in the first place), how much more hardened and apathetic are the people of today with two thousand…
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The Lord Rescues His People
(Read Isaiah 40:1-11) Note: This blog post is split up into sections for ease of reading. Isaiah 40:1-2 Not just once, “Comfort”, but twice, “Comfort, comfort.” So the Lord begins with a single repeated command. The command flows from the mind of God, and God himself directed it toward his messengers, who will announce the…
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John the Baptist Prepares the Way
(Read Mark 1:1-8) Note: This blog post is split up into sections for ease of reading. Mark 1:1 Each word of this title is important in order to understand what Mark wishes to transmit to his readers. It is clear that this title is first of all a profound statement of Mark’s own faith. Mark…
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Thanksgiving for Spiritual Blessings
(Read 1 Corinthians 1:3-9) The greeting (verse 3) is a familiar one. Pastors often use Paul’s words to greet their congregations as they begin their sermons. Like Paul, they desire for their congregations the two blessings that God can give: the grace of God that saves them through Jesus Christ, who redeemed them, and the…
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Faith Turns to the Lord in Prayer
(Read Isaiah 64:1-9) Note: This blog post is split up into sections for ease of reading. Isaiah 64:1-2 Faith turns to the Lord in prayer. Even when God appears barricaded in heaven, ignoring the suffering of his people, faith prays. Consider the example of King Hezekiah. When King Hezekiah peered out from behind Jerusalem’s walls…
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The Triumphal Entry
Why start the season of Advent with a reading about Palm Sunday? It’s easy for us to lose sight of Jesus’ mission around this time of year—to only see him as a baby in a manger. This reading from Mark sets our eyes on what our Savior came here to do—to rescue us from our…
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Advent
[From Our Worth to Him: Devotions for Christian Worship by Mark Paustian. All rights reserved.] “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). I, a poor John the Baptist, made my way through a tangle of wheelchairs in a run-down nursing home. I was there to mark an…
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Introducing: Reading Through Advent With NPH
Advent begins on December 3. There is so much going on this time of year. I don’t think I really need to give any examples—you know what you have going on right now. All the busyness—the hustle and bustle of the season—can be draining and downright exhausting. Time spent in God’s Word can refresh us…