Daily Grace
Christmas Light Shines in Darkness
“Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan—The people walking in...
Christmas Brings Hope
When Jesus was born God sent a message in the heavens about His birth to magi from the East, well beyond the borders of Israel. They were looking for a deliverer and God met their hungry hearts with the news of Christmas. Matthew’s Gospel tells the remarkable story....
Christmas Changed the World
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified” (Luke 2:8-9). Gwen and I made one trip to the Holy Land...
Christmas Means that God is with Us
God has an answer for our fear of being left alone, and it is part of the Christmas message. Matthew gives the good news in his Gospel. “ ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’—which means, ‘God with us’ ”...
We Can Fit In
“These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and...
Jesus Did Enough for Us
God’s grace comes to us when we are sinners and have a broken relationship with Him. In the Garden of Eden, with man’s first sin, we are told that it was God who came looking for Adam and Eve when they were hiding in the bushes. Our human tendency still, when we are...
Jesus is a Healer
“While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ On hearing this, Jesus said,...
What Kind of Man is This?
“The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” (Matthew 8:27). Jesus had just been asleep on the boat when His disciples, caught in a terrific storm, awakened Him. They were overcome with fear that they might drown....
Jesus Is Not Limited
“Then Jesus said to the centurion, ‘Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that moment’ ” (Matthew 8:13). There are two remarkable characteristics about this story. First, it’s a miracle performed for a centurion—a Gentile and...