By Jack Graham And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”  Luke 1:41-43 Mary, the mother of Jesus, is one of the most misunderstood persons in all of the Word of God. She is adored by some, even worshiped by many, and often ignored by others. There is a great deal of confusion about this amazing woman. But as we look into the story of Jesus’ birth, we find a woman who loved God and faced an uncertain future with full faith. She worshiped and sang to God for many of the reasons you and I do, even calling Jesus her “Savior” (Luke 1:47). Yes, Mary was a faithful servant of God. But she was born in the same sin and is saved by the same grace that saves you and me. She is not a mediator to Jesus, and she has no special power in heaven. She is what she is by the grace of God – no more and no less. As we look to Mary and her crucial role in the life of Jesus, let’s be quick to thank God for the love that was shown through her. Pray that God would make you a conduit … [Read more...]

By Rebecca Holloway As a child, one of my favorite days of the year was my mom's annual Sunday school Christmas party. I grew up in a very small church. I'm talking a good day was 50 people. However, when I was a small child, the party was just her class of older ladies that she taught. The older I got, more and more of those ladies went on to heaven, and the party started being all the ladies of the church plus some of our family. Now lest you think this was your ordinary Sunday school event, it so was not. It was the biggest happening of my mom's entire year. She spent days and days cleaning and decorating the house. She spent all day the day of the party making cornbread dressing. There were dishes to be brought out that we never used except at Christmas. There were pickles to be placed on just the right slotted tray. There were bottle Cokes to be chilled. There was coffee to be made by my cousin Bobbie. And what to wear? Oh goodness, the right Christmas sweater must be chosen. The candles had to be lit. Everything must be just so. The ladies would arrive, and I would be waiting on them at the back door. Usually, I had been waiting for a while, because, as I mentioned, I was so excited! I would take their coats and … [Read more...]

By Martha Bailey I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed lots of quality time with your family and friends. While many people will have a “holly jolly Christmas,” the holidays for many are something to be dreaded. They are hurting and lonely and can’t wait for January 2 when things return to normal–whatever that is. Waylon and I had a very quiet day Thursday because it worked out best for our family to celebrate Thanksgiving on Friday. Our parents made us miserable on holidays because of their unrealistic expectations so I vowed not to do that to my children.  So, Thursday was a football day and an extra prep day. (What woman can’t use an extra day to get ready, right?) All throughout the day a friend kept popping into my mind. Finally, around 9 Thursday evening I decided to email her.  (I’ve learned through the years to recognize that repetitive thoughts like these are Holy Spirit-driven.  Far too many times I have dismissed these thoughts, but this time I didn’t).  This is what I sent: Shea, You have come to my mind at least four times today. Each time I thought about how tough the holidays are for you. Just wanted you to know I’ve prayed for you. The next day I received this reply: Thank you … [Read more...]

By Waylon Bailey This year Christmas will be celebrated on a Sunday. That’s always a challenge for family activities and Christian worship Actually, genuine worship and preparation for it are always a challenge. How can you get ready for Christmas? Here’s how I plan to do so. I hope you will follow me or find a definite plan to prepare for a great time of worship as we celebrate God’s coming to our world. As with almost everything in life, I want to center my worship and celebration around the Word of God. God gave us His Word to reveal Himself. When we read God’s Word, we see how God has worked in the past and how God has made Himself known. Christmas is a great time to see God’s handiwork of making Himself known. As I prepare for Christmas, I want to read three kinds of Scripture. First, I want to read passages that prepare me for God’s revelation in Christ. These include a number of passages from the Old Testament, particularly of the prophets. I also want to read those passages that tell the events of Christ’s birth, what you and I call the birth narrative. These are found primarily in Matthew and Luke. Finally, I want to read New Testament passages that tell me what the coming of Christ means. I begin … [Read more...]

By Franklin Graham Chinese President Xi Jinping made a statement that caught my eye. He said, “Comrade Castro will live forever.” That is true. All of us have a soul that is going to live forever in one of two places—Heaven or Hell. What we do here on earth determines where we will spend eternity. The only way to Heaven is by accepting God’s plan for our salvation—believing in His Son Jesus Christ and following Him as Lord. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6). Do you know where you will spend eternity? … [Read more...]

By Robert Jeffress Far be it from God to do wickedness, and from the Almighty to do wrong. --Job 34:10  Admittedly, it is difficult to reconcile God’s absolute control over His creation with His inherent goodness. If we accept the existence of God and the reality of evil, then we must conclude that a God who would allow tragedies is either evil or impotent. Yet neither conclusion is a viable alternative. The Bible attests to the goodness of God, who is defined by His love for righteousness and hatred of evil in verses such as “Good and upright is the Lord” (Psalm 25:8); “O taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8); and “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Even apart from the Bible, the world is filled with evidence of a benevolent Creator. Yes, natural disasters kill people, but most of the time, rivers stay in their banks and the tectonic plates do not shift. Farmers periodically struggle with droughts, but usually sufficient rains come to protect their livelihood and provide our food. We read of crimes committed against people, forgetting the reason they are reported is that such crimes are the exception rather than the rule. The outpouring of financial support and volunteering to help victims of natural disasters and … [Read more...]

By Robert Jeffress There is no other name under Heaven … by which we must be saved. – Acts 4:12 Jesus’ teaching that He provides the only way to Heaven should be enough to settle the issue of exclusivity, since He is the only religious leader who conquered death. However, the New Testament writers affirmed Jesus’ declaration that faith in Him is the only means to escape eternal death. Devout followers of Judaism embraced Christianity and proclaimed that faith in Christ was the only path to salvation. The apostle Paul was a “Hebrew of Hebrews” (Philippians 3:5) whose zeal for his Jewish faith led him to devote his life to stamping out the “heresy” of Christianity. But while on his way to arrest Christians in Damascus, Paul encountered the resurrected Jesus (Acts 9) and was converted and transformed. Similarly, Peter was a devout Jew until he became a disciple of Jesus Christ. After Christ’s resurrection and ascension, Peter was willing to experience imprisonment, beatings, and ultimately execution for his faith in Christ. On one occasion, the Jewish leaders arrested Peter for preaching that Jesus was the Messiah and healing a lame man by invoking the name of Jesus. “By what power, or in what name, have you done … [Read more...]

By Jack Graham Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement)…Acts 4:36 When people think about you, what are some characteristics that you believe come to their mind? If we’re really honest, you and I do care about our reputation. But the message we often hear today is, “Don’t worry what people think about you, just be yourself.” And while it’s okay to be rejected by others for the right reasons, there are many who believe they have a license to have a bad reputation because they’re just ‘being their self’. But did you know that God cares about your reputation? Proverbs 22:1 says “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.” And Luke 2:52 makes it a point to say that Jesus increased “in favor with God and man.” Joseph was such an encourager that his friends began to call him Barnabas, which means “son of encouragement.” So how are you known among your peers? When they think of you, are there impressions generally positive or negative? Gaining and keeping a good reputation takes time and effort. You have to invest relationally in people and be intentional in being someone whom they consider trustworthy. But that … [Read more...]