Reading Time: 4 minutes
God had planned from eternity past to get his people back home and give them a fresh start. Ezra and Nehemiah tell of this new start (these books were once combined as one). . . .
+The Lookout
January 1 | Application (‘Trusting God in the New Year’)
Reading Time: 3 minutes
As another new year begins, it’s good to remember that the Lord is the Master Craftsman. He’s an expert at making things new. He knows how to take our lives apart and put them back together again.
January 1 | Discovery
Reading Time: 2 minutes
What were God’s roles and what were the people’s roles in the Jewish exiles’ return to Jerusalem?
December 25 | Lord of All
Reading Time: 4 minutes
The babe of Bethlehem (and Messiah of Matthew’s Gospel) is Lord of all—even wise men. Matthew devoted only one verse to the birth of Jesus (1:25) even though he spent many verses tracing Jesus’ human and divine roots. Then, a good length of time after Jesus was born, the Magi from the east came to Jerusalem.
December 25 | Application (‘What the Mysterious Magi Can Teach Us About Faith’)
Reading Time: 3 minutes
We don’t know about much about the mysterious Magi, but they help to illustrate what it means to live by faith.
December 25 | Discovery
Reading Time: < 1 minute
How can the Magi be examples to you for how to radically pursue Jesus?
December 18 | Lord of Judgment
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Jesus came as a Savior the first time. When he returns, he will come as our judge. In fact, all judgment has been given to Jesus by the Father so that all will honor the Son (John 5:22-23). He is Lord of Judgment. The diamond of the gospel shines brightest on the black cloth of judgment.
December 18 | Application (Caring for ‘the Least of These’)
Reading Time: 3 minutes
In Matthew 25, Jesus compares himself to a shepherd separating the sheep from the goats. This Scripture passage teaches important truths about the Lord, and it has practical implications for us.
December 18 | Discovery
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Matthew 25:31-46 contrasts two groups of people, depicted by Jesus as sheep and goats. . . . What contrasts do you see?