As we come to the close of our Advent devotions, we finish where we started: remembering the whole purpose of Christ's coming. Jesus is the child who was born to save the world. That's why He "came into the world," as the apostle Paul told his disciple Timothy.
As we have seen, when we follow God, it's hard to say where we might end up. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus had an incredible opportunity to live out this biblical truth. The angel warned them about the coming bloodletting of Herod, which we read yesterday. We're jumping backward in the story to see what happened just before Herod unleashed his fury on the tiny Bethlehem boys.
The story of Christmas did not start with a manger in Bethlehem. It began long before, in the garden of Eden. The enemy of God, Satan, tempted Adam and Eve to trust him and doubt God. Tragically, Adam and Eve obeyed the Satanic snake over the good Creator.
Of course, we all know hardships and have days when giving thanks to God feels difficult. In the psalm quoted above, David praises the Lord’s lavish kindness. But he goes on to lament that “a band of ruthless men” (v. 14) hunts him to kill him. That’s not the group you invite to eat turkey with you on Thanksgiving Day!
Being thankful today is considered a radical act that is counter-cultural. In this video, Dr. Owen Strachan breaks down why gratitude is revolutionary and how it changes the way we see everything in the world.
Watch now and have a joy-filled, Christ-centered Thanksgiving!
Johnson’s “unequivocally clear” declaration is unequivocally correct and fits most Americans’ stance. Our nation’s majority does not support men in women’s spaces. Why? In God’s restraining grace, many people live according to creational reality, not in opposition to it.
But a new day is dawning. Many now understand that, in normal terms, it is good for men to be physically capable of protecting others. In preparation for this role, the formation of a man’s godly character ordinarily begins in the home. Masculine protection is not merely to be taught on a whiteboard but modeled by a father. Neither is it about the body, first and foremost. Though the body matters, masculine protection is a spiritual commitment grounded in a man’s walk with Christ.
It is official: Donald Trump is the 47th president of the United States. The answer to the prayers of many has come. As Ronald Reagan once said, “It’s morning again in America.” The days of our nation suffering the ravages of another leftist administration are now past. The Democratic platform was essentially everything God hates—championing unlimited abortion, open borders, and “gender-affirming care.” Whether our homeland as we know it would have survived the enactment of that agenda is questionable. But God appointed a different outcome. Once again, He has shown incredible kindness to us. America is not finished.
Now that the election is over, it’s important for Christians to remain steadfast in spreading the gospel, teaching God's truth, and making disciples. In this video, Dr. Owen Strachan encourages believers to focus on the mission at hand, highlighting the importance of engaging with the world around us and continuing to share the message of Jesus. Dr. Strachan reminds us that our responsibility to witness and speak truth does not wane with political events; instead, it calls for renewed commitment and action in our communities.
