Isaiah 43:19 demonstrates that we should never count God out in bringing beauty out of brokenness or miraculous paths through wildernesses seasons and deserts in life. God knows the path ahead and knows when the right time is to bring forth that needed blessing.

Challenges with families are nothing new. They can lead to awkward holiday dinners, spats over juvenile things, and maybe even being completely estranged from one another. But God didn’t bring family members together for them to only fight with each other, but to grow with one another; and sometimes it is to grow through the pain caused by a family member.

Even though Jesus was God in the flesh, He still pointed people back to the fact that His goodness came only from God, and He was only a vessel to make God’s goodness come alive to all.

Are they only to remain at a distance – maybe even invisible to us – until an appointed time set by God? Or can we talk with angels any time we want, able to call them down from heaven to speak with at a moment’s notice?

Most connect hermeneutics to studying the Bible and going deeper into God’s meaning for situations that happen to us and the world. Since the Bible pertains to divine revelation from God, biblical hermeneutics is needed to understand how certain stories and lessons provide spiritual guidance.

Those who are righteous in the eyes of God are said in this Scripture to be as bold as lions, standing firm in the faith while others of lesser faith (or no faith) flee.

Whatever way we feel about this generation-changing decision, prayer is what should guide us most in the time ahead. Instead of violence and debate over who is right and who is wrong, we need to seek God in prayer to see what His Word says about such a sensitive issue.

Even though we know that Jesus will triumph in the end, it is okay to feel overwhelmed at what is transpiring around us. We can be in shock when we see senseless acts of violence or natural disasters taking lives and homes, but God has equipped us with the means to stay calm and clear-minded of what is happening around us, and the hope that it will get better.

In the Bible, there are four major prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. All are featured in books from the Bible, and Jeremiah may have written two. All expound valuable, biblical insight that foretold important events that were to happen, that had already happened, and how they all reflect God’s love, care, and discipline of us.

Although a specific date is not given for when Judgement Day occurs, the events shared in Revelation are clues for Christians to know when we are getting closer to Jesus’ return. The clues may appear abstract to some readers, but what they do share are how mindsets toward God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit will change for some people, even Christians.

When you look at your life, the good times and the bad, do you see those times through the perspective of God? When you see those in your life who have caused you pain and heartache, do you believe they experience the same highs and lows as you do, and need God’s love as well?

For many, these two questions are a struggle to answer. We don’t particularly like going through challenging times, but some assume God will bless us as we endure the pain. However, if our enemies were to go through the same situation, we wouldn’t be as quick to say they should be blessed with the same outcome.

In Matthew 5:45 (NKJV), Jesus states, “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Jesus conveys that good and bad circumstances will befall those who believe in God and those who don’t, displaying that God is no respecter of people and will allow events in our lives that are meant to grow us into images of Christ, not bitter toward God and others. Hopefully with this knowledge we have, we can look at one another as someone in need of God’s love and demonstrate it, whether they are friend, family, or foe.

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When it came to Jesus, all ears were turned to Him, especially those of children. Children were usually the ones to ask the hard questions that would have Jesus chuckling and taking a moment to determine how to answer a profound question in childlike terminology. 

However, during the time that Jesus’s ministry was taking place, children were to be seen and not heard, especially when it came to matters of faith and religion.

Jesus had to educate all on the importance of children, including His own disciples who blocked them from coming to be prayed over by Jesus. He told them, in Matthew 19:14, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

As we learn through this exploration of Scripture, Jesus was revealing to all present, and us in later generations, that everyone is welcome in the kingdom of heaven, no matter the age. When we accept Jesus into our hearts, He provides the bridge to reunite us again with our heavenly Father.

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What Timothy experiences sharing the gospel characterizes more of the difficulties Christians face with telling others of Jesus, as well as the importance of a strong Christian mentor like Paul to help when we need encouragement.

We are reminded countless times in the Bible that we can’t rely on our own strength to make sense of things and soldier through the various issues we face daily. We must rely on the strength of our Savior, knowing our God has filled us with the Holy Spirit to move forward when life is tough.