And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. (Mark 9:4) If you wonder why Christians are so committed to including the Old Testament in their biblical material, look no further than the Transfiguration of Jesus. This event took place when Jesus took three of his ...

“Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.” Esther 4:15 The book of Esther tells the story of those Jews who didn’t return to Israel when the Exile was over. Instead, they stayed behind and remained in Babylon, which was now under ...

“You have looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says the Lord of hosts. “Because my house lies in ruins, while all of you hurry off to your own houses.” (Haggai 1:9) When the people of Judah returned to ...

Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up quickly. He said to his counselors, “Was it not three men that we threw bound into the fire?” They answered the king, “True, O king.” 25 He replied, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are ...

And to this people you shall say: Thus says the Lord: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 Those who stay in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but those who go out and surrender to the Chaldeans ...

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.  (Isaiah 53:7) Although the above verse was written over 700 ...

Elijah said to the widow, “For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.”  (1 Kings 17:14) When someone starts to read through the Old Testament from ...

They answered him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.” But he disregarded the advice that the older men gave him… (1 Kings 12:7-8) When Solomon died, ...

When David’s time to die drew near, he charged his son Solomon, saying: “I am about to go the way of all the earth.” (1 Kings 2:1-2) While we don’t always want to think about it, every person will eventually reach the end of his or her life journey. Death is ...

“As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” (Colossians 3:12) One of the most interesting stories about Christian witness comes from a discussion Mahatma Gandhi had with a Christian missionary, Stanley Jones. Gandhi would often quote Jesus in his teaching and Jones ...

This week Christmas is getting close enough to feel close. For people who have been preparing, the preparations seem to be done and mostly they are waiting. For others, the urgency of needing to prepare is now high enough to be a source of anxiety – “time to paint or ...