united ⁽⁴⁷⁾

Daniel 3:8–30; Matthew 7:15–20; Revelation 20:11–15 Thinking about fire is often not comfortable. Homes burn. Forests burn. On the other hand, metal is purified through fire. Through that fire, many beautiful and amazing things are made. Just like in our own lives, fire serves different…

Luke 11:14–28; Romans 12:9–21 Can you think of a house that is divided? It shouldn’t be hard at this point. It is displayed for the whole world to see. The United States has a motto: E pluribus unum. It means, “Out of many, one.” Yet…

Isaiah 7:1–9; Philippians 4:4–9 Ahaz received encouraging words from God through Jeremiah. Jeremiah, often called the weeping prophet, was not exactly known for positive words. Ahaz, not altogether faithful, received a positive message. In many respects, Christians in the United States are like Ahaz. Far…

Luke 12:49–56; John 17:20–26 (read online ⧉) Jesus’ words are definitely uncomfortable. They are intended to be. The image of warm cuddly Jesus is great in pictures and in our hearts. It also true. However, there is a hardness to Jesus that we try to…

Matthew 18:15–20; 1 Peter 1:13–24 (read online ⧉) Once, an old warrior told a young man that the young man’s father was killed by a certain individual. The young man later confronted the certain individual and learned that the certain individual was actually his father.