“And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.” (Matthew 2:11-12) We’ve all heard the story, so much so that a few of us could probably quote the verses. So why talk about the […]

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14) My wife told me a story recently about a young woman who was in need of serious surgery only to see it delayed due to circumstances beyond her control. When I saw her, I was astonished. You would never know that she was facing a life-threatening illness. It was then that I realized my wife’s friend enjoys a special kind of peace that the Bible calls “the peace of God”. It’s a […]

“You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.” (Luke 1:31) The gospel rests on three giant pillars: Jesus’ virgin birth, his atoning death, and his bodily resurrection. The Easter season celebrates Jesus’ death and resurrection. Christmas focuses solely on the virgin birth. I remember my doubt about it as an unbeliever. I thought it defied one of the most basic laws of nature. So did Blaise Pascal. Pascal was a French scientist who lived in the […]

“Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:18-20) Many of my older readers likely remember what Jimmy Carter once said about the sin of lust. Then President Carter […]