Deus intra Machina: The Incredible Story of When God Subjected Himself to His Own Creation

A preview of December's email-only article.

Jill Sauve

Did you know I write a monthly article just for email subscribers? It's true!

This month we're discussing the incredible story of Immanuel--God with us--and what that means for you and me this Christmas season.

Here's how it starts:

 

As the creator of our universe, it is no big deal for God to restore the material. For the Israelites in the wilderness he supplied bread out of thin air in the form of manna. He provided water from a rock so they could drink. He restored Job's fortune and health at the conclusion of the man's trials. And God even restored the life of Lazarus though he was dead for four days.

Nevertheless for God to restore humanity from the curse of their sins, something radical had to occur. You see sin, no matter how innocent it may seem, must have a consequence. The most extreme of these consequences, as God warned the first couple, is death.

This isn't some kind of power play or overreaction to eating a piece of fruit, although such a result is certainly the right of an omnipotent, omniscient, God. Instead, death is a natural consequence of sin. All sin results in death.

 

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No, Moses Wasn't Jewish Part II: What Your Sunday School Teacher Never Told You About God's Tender Love

If you were with us for part one of this article, you'll know that the term Hebrew came from Noah's great great great grandson Eber whose forefathers settled in Mesopotamia after the Ark landed in Ararat. You'll also know that Israelites are descendants of Jacob (also called Israel). Today we'll explore the transition from Israelite to Jew.

Daiga Ellaby

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23


Multiple years ago—I say multiple because I'm embarrassed how many it has been—I began work on an as yet unpublished book. In my research and draft writing process, I came to a realization that I can't unrealize. Even if I wanted to forget, the distinction has stuck in my mind like a piece of chewing gum to the sole of a sneaker.

I'm referring to the misapplication of the terms Jew and Jewish to peoples that predate their existence.

I'm warning you though, if you continue reading, you'll see these misnomers stick out like sore thumbs in Bible Studies, books, sermons, and the like.

How to Find Peace This Election Season

I'm guest posting at Kevin Halloran's site today about how not to freak out in response to the upcoming presidential election. Here's a snippet:

If you were to ask just about any Christian his or her take on the status of America today, I can bet the answer would be more negative than positive.

Respondents might cite moral decay exacerbated by the embrace of postmodernism, debilitating national debt, racial violence, erosion of freedoms, and the list goes on. Were I to assess the situation myself, I would be inclined to agree with such a summation. The nation appears headed in the wrong direction morally, politically, financially, and just about every other “ly” word you can think of.

But as bad as things seem to us in the 21st Century, Jews in 2nd Century BC Palestine had it much worse.

Click here to read the rest on KevinHalloran.net.


P. S. My most recent book, Under the Sun: Discover Your Calling and Live a Meaningful Life is on sale today for 0.99. Hurry up and grab your copy!

How to Get Peace (Even If You're Having a Really Bad Day)

Do you ever have one of those days?

You know, those days when nothing goes right. You make a big mistake at work. You get into a fight with your wife. Someone cuts you off in traffic. Your dog pees on the carpet.

Lara Cores (CC)

All of these little things keep adding up until you reach your breaking point. You just want to escape. You just want to lie down for a minute.

You just want peace.

But you can’t lie down. You’ve got emails to answer, bills to pay, and mouths to feed.

The First Step You Absolutely Must Take When Walking with Christ

So you've said the prayer. You've bowed the knee. You committed your life to Christ. Now what?

Gonmi (CC)

It may have been hard to swallow your pride and admit you have sinned, that you rebelled against God. But now that you’re in the fold it can be even harder to know what to do next.

Believe it or not, the answer involves food.

The Most Important Bible Character You've Never Heard Of

Have you heard about Melchizedek?

I wrote about him a couple of years ago, but I wanted to condense the information into a more readable post.

Melchizedek is mentioned in Genesis, Psalms, and Hebrews. But chances are, you've never heard of him.

Photo Credit: miraculix1951 (creative commons)

So who is he?

The Most Important Bible Character You've Never Heard Of

Quite a few obscure characters line the pages of the Bible. There's Gomer, Ahithophel, and Orpah. And who could forget Dorcas or Methuselah?

But of all the obscure people in the scriptures, one rises to the top as an important figure. He's mentioned in Genesis, referenced by King David, and even the author of Hebrews writes about him.

But there's a good chance you've never heard of him. Or, you read those passages and moved on, not knowing what he was about or why he mattered. You probably thought he was just another Dorcas or Nimrod. I did the same thing.

A Christian of nineteen years and raised in the church, I too did not know who this man was until a few years ago when I read through the entire Bible. He is mentioned only in five chapters spread across three books, but we shouldn't be so quick to overlook this man. Who am I talking about?