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Jesus says that people would recognize his disciples as such if they have love for one another. It's a simple but profound message. Remember to allow yourself to slow down, have real encounters with people, keep showing up, and continuing to love.

Why God would allow tragedies to happen is a common question and inevitably comes up during seasons of grief. People have wrestled with this for a long time and there is no succinct or singular answer, but there are some applicable truths to consider. - God blesses us with free will - Suffering helps produce good character - Bad things happen that God does not want - Bad things happen to good people - God's ways are higher than our ways

Figuring out what to say or do when someone is experiencing grief and mourning can be intimidating. Be thoughtful in what you say, remembering that less is often more, and be present for them.

Faith is a marathon, not a sprint. Life will not always be easy, but if you persevere, there is a crown of life waiting for you when Jesus returns.

The birth of Christ, the Messiah is such a joyous celebration. Please don't lose sight of the reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place.

The story of Moses has many similarities to Jesus. Most of all, Jesus is our deliverer. Like Moses delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, Jesus delivers us from our slavery to sin. We need to repent, believe, and place our full trust in Christ today. Use this Christmas season to spread the news of our great deliverer.

The story of Joseph in the old testament foreshadows the story of Jesus in so many different ways. The similarities occur over thousands of years apart and are written by different people, yet are very clear. All this points to the fact that Jesus was God's plan from the very beginning.

Although Jesus isn't formally introduced until the New Testament, about 3/4 of the way through the Bible, we see all throughout the Scriptures that God had a plan for his son. With the benefit of hindsight, we see many Old Testament people and events pointing to our Messiah. Here are 16 key examples of Christ's foreshadowing in the Old Testament: Adam: the first and the last Adam Abel: the innocent, acceptable sacrifice Noah: the savior through judgement Melchizedek: the priest-king Isaac: the beloved son offered up The Passover lamb The bronze serpent in the wilderness The manna: bread from heaven The Tabernacle The High Priest The sacrificial system Boaz: the kinsman redeemer David: the shepherd king Solomon: the prince of peace Jonah: the prophet in the belly for three days The festivals

The book of Esther offers many lessons, but perhaps the most important is the focus on using your unique position to serve God. After all, where has God placed you "for such a time as this"?

God provides for his people. He may not assure us that life will be easy. But we absolutely are assured that our God will deliver. If you remain faithful to God, you will have victory and salvation in him.

Good or bad, what we do in our lives will be uncovered. While you may be able to hide your deeds momentarily, the truth is always revealed in time. For like Haman, we will also reap what we sow.

Haman's entire being is poisoned by his inability to forgive. If you are holding onto a grudge, to a sense of unforgiveness, the best thing you can do is let it go. Freely forgive even if the person doesn't deserve it. Otherwise, you may find yourself going down a similar path to Haman, where one person poisons your entire being.

Esther's initial response to the problem was self-centered, which lead to fear. However, she decides to think of others and the dear turns into courage. Selfishness leads to fear, but selflessness leads to courage.

Every good story has a big problem and we find the big problem in the book of Esther in chapter three. What will happen now that the king has signed into law that all the Jews in country should be put to death? Will God use Esther to solve this massive problem?

In chapter two, Esther rises to power out of nowhere. However, she morally compromises herself in this process. We need to read further to find out what God is going to do with Queen Esther. Will he use this lady who morally compromised herself for his glory?