22 Dec
Christmas time brings performances of Handel’s Messiah with the classic song “Unto Us a Child Is Born.” You might catch strains of other familiar songs like “Joy to the World” with verses about the same phrase. But what does “unto us a child is born” mean?
The phrase comes from Isaiah 9:6: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
This verse, penned hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth, points to Christ as our Lord and Savior. On Christmas, the day we celebrate the birth of Christ, we sing about this prophecy and celebrate the child that was born.
Alyssa Roat Contributing Writer 2020 17 Dec
Uriah the Hittite was one of King David’s mighty men. The Bible depicts him as a fierce warrior and an upstanding man. However, Uriah faced an untimely end when the king lusted after Uriah’s wife.
Though Uriah was eclipsed by King David and by his wife, Bathsheba, we still can learn much from this upstanding foreigner who served his king faithfully even unto death.
Who Was Uriah the Hittite?
Uriah is first mentioned in 2 Samuel 11:3 when King David inquires after Uriah’s wife. However, there is more to Uriah than just an unfortunate husband.
Hope Bolinger SEO Editor 2020 15 Dec
Even if we haven’t attended church for a long time, many of us know about the story of Daniel. But beyond lions’ dens (Daniel 6) and fiery furnaces (Daniel 3) what all do we know about this Old Testament prophet? This article will endeavor to show you insights you likely didn’t pick up when perusing the 12 chapters of the Book of Daniel.
Who Was Daniel the Prophet?
Daniel started off his journey in his early years when the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem and took a great majority of its inhabitants into captivity (Daniel 1). Some theologians have surmised that the latter half of Daniel (Daniel 7-12) when he received a number of apocalyptic visions, happened during some of those initial years.
Hope Bolinger SEO Editor 2020 14 Dec
Even if we haven’t had the delight of watching children perform in a Christmas pageant, we know that the Christmas shepherds appeared during the night of Jesus’ birth. Let’s take a look at the passage found in Luke 2:8-15:
“
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. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Finding Resilient Joy and Peace in Uncertain Times Girlfriends in God See All Devotionals Hope Bolinger SEO Editor 2020 11 Dec
As Christians we have often heard the phrase, “choose joy.” Although the sentiment seems nice on paper, finding resilient joy and peace in uncertain times takes a lot more effort. This year alone has pushed many of us to our limits. Many of us feel like the seeds in Jesus’ parable found in Matthew 13:3-7:
“
A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which