The good news is that God will forgive our sins. In the early days, people sacrificed animals and did other rituals to make up for their wrongdoings, but these things had to be done over and over again, and they never fully made up for the wrong done. But when God sent his son, Jesus, and Jesus died on the cross for us, the Bible tells us we were saved.

It can be a confusing question when asked — Is Jesus God? Are God and Jesus the same person? On one hand, many of us know that God comprises the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. The Father is God, Jesus the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, all co-existing as one perfect Almighty and All-Powerful God in a beautiful, synchronous mystery.

We can understand this merged three-in-one concept by looking at the wording of Genesis 1:26, when God said, “Let us make mankind in our image.” The “our” here represents the collective God being, one in nature but comprising three different persons.

But God and Jesus are also separate beings in that Jesus is the Son and God is the Father. As persons of the Trinity, they are separate, yet with the Holy Spirit, they are united and interdependent.

I like to think of the Celtic trinity knot, also called the triquetra, to wrap my mind around this. The triquetra features three pointed ovals, all interlaced and made from one continuous line, said to represent eternity. The central oval points up (representing God the Father), while the other two (representing Jesus and the Holy Spirit) sit on either side of it, pointing down and to the sides. While you can clearly see three distinct elements or points, they are all connected in one constantly flowing line and create one symbol, thereby symbolizing God’s Triune nature.

But if they are part of the same, how are God and Jesus separate? Let’s take a look at what the Bible says about God, Jesus, and their sameness and separateness.

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Hebrews 4:15 encourages us because we know Jesus overcame those temptations, and his example not only made him the perfect, unblemished sacrifice to pay our sin-debt, but it also provides a role model for us when we go through our own temptations.

For those who are going out of town this holiday season to visit family or friends, you might have a long drive ahead of you. Maybe you’re driving alone, with little ones, or like me, in a packed minivan with four teenagers and your husband. We have a nine-hour drive to visit my husband’s grandma, mostly on interstates. 

Not everyone is a fan of road trips, but I personally love them — all that time on the open road to decompress and explore new ways of thinking. The time can be extraordinarily helpful for the soul regardless of whether you consider it “fun.”

Part of it is because these trips invite reflection and contemplation, something the Bible clearly tells us is good. As Proverbs 27:19 says, “As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.” Joshua was told to meditate on God and God’s word “day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

Contemplation, reflection, and meditation all lead to wisdom when done with the Lord at the helm. And road trips can provide an excellent opportunity for this.

Whether you love road trips or despise them, here are eight ways you can draw closer to God on your holiday expedition.

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It’s a common refrain this time of year: “Merry Christmas!” But what many of us don’t realize is that the season of Christmas hasn’t yet begun. In actuality, we are in the season of Advent, which means “coming” and begins four Sundays before Christmas.

What is Advent, and how do we celebrate it?

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One way we can show our loved ones how much we care for them is to express gratitude for them and for the ways that they have impacted our lives. This doesn’t have to be shared verbally, either.

When we stop to reflect on the whole concept of thanksgiving — the act of giving thanks and being appreciative of the blessings that we have — it creates a new sense of joy and peace inside of us. Photo credit: Unsplash/Aziz

Moses as a baby in a basket, floating down the river. Plagues of locusts and dead firstborn sons. A wild flight from Egypt, and a chase through the Red (or Reed) Sea. God handing down the Ten Commandments from heaven. 

All of this and much more comprise the book of Exodus, which is at once a supernatural adventure story as well as the second of five books of law that comprise the Old Testament of the Bible.   

Exodus was thought to have been written by Moses, God’s prophet who led the people out of slavery in Egypt and toward the Promised Land. Taking place sometime between 1446 and 1406 BC, Exodus was written for the Israelites and intended to teach them their history, the great miracles God performed on their behalf, the rampant disobedience of the people, and the covenant established between God and His people, Israel, at the foot of Mount Sinai. 

It comes immediately after Genesis in the Bible and continues the story of God’s vast love for His people, ultimately rescuing them from their bondage in Egypt and bringing them to their new home, Jerusalem. 

It’s a huge, action-packed book that underscores God’s fierce and redeeming love for an often ungrateful and unworthy people, and it is filled with a number of encouraging lessons that are relevant to all of us today.

Here, then, are 21 encouraging lessons from the book of Exodus.

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Flip through any magazine or TV channel, and it’s hard to miss the elaborate hair and makeup styles, jewelry, and other adornments on display. It’s big business, too — in spite of the pandemic, the global beauty industry market was valued at $511 billion in 2021, while the personal consumption of jewelry reached $94.6 billion.

But what does the Bible say about makeup and jewelry? Is wearing makeup or jewelry considered to be “wrong” or sinful in the eyes of God? Is it permissible for God’s people to wear lipstick, eye makeup, gold and silver necklaces, or other beauty enhancements?

While many people of faith have varying opinions about whether people should or should not wear makeup or jewelry, the Bible never condemns makeup or jewelry, nor does it discuss them in detail at all.  

Let’s take a look at Scripture to see what is said about wearing makeup and jewelry.

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Faith isn’t always easy, but God is the Creator of the universe, the Alpha and the Omega, and God is all-powerful. On our own, we can do little, but when we are doing God’s will, God will always triumph.

There’s so much activity this time of year, and the distractions of day-to-day life can make slowing down to think about thankfulness difficult at times. But more than ever, an attitude of gratitude is not only important, but essential to becoming a stronger disciple of Christ. 

When we stop to reflect on the whole concept of thanksgiving — the act of giving thanks and being appreciative of the blessings that we have — it creates a new sense of joy and peace inside of us. 

But sometimes we have trouble beginning to form the words to begin our prayers of thanksgiving. Here, then, are 10 prayers to turn your heart toward thankfulness this season.

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As we approach the season of Thanksgiving, reminders about gratitude and thankfulness are becoming more evident in stores and in conversation. “Be grateful,” reads a rustic-looking sign in a shop window. Meanwhile, people post pictures online of things like a “gratitude pumpkin,” upon which they write short messages of things for which they are grateful and keep on display as a centerpiece for all to see.

But gratitude isn’t only related to one season a year. Looking to the Bible, we see thankfulness expressed and appreciated from start to finish. And in Jesus’s earthly ministry, we find a number of examples of ways he and his disciples expressed thanksgiving.

Here are seven key things Jesus and his disciples taught us about gratefulness and giving thanks.

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For me, and for a lot of people I know, there’s a distinct dividing line in my life: before I had kids, and after.

Sometimes I feel like an entirely different person, except I’m still the same me. Yet there’s so much difference between the person I was before and the person I am today. Becoming a mother has changed me for the better in so many different ways. It’s taught me everything from generosity and humility to letting go of an illusion of control.

An important thing to remember: Motherhood, and parenthood in general, does not mean that you have to birth a child in order to get the title. Whether you are a parent because of adoption or fostering or you became a parent an in entirely different way does not matter. The point, however, is that caring for someone who is entirely dependent upon you for their every need and being responsible for that person’s upbringing is a monumental task that cannot help but change a person. And as a Christian, I cannot help but see so many ways this relates to my faith journey as I become a stronger disciple of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Here, then, are nine ways becoming a mom has changed me from a faith perspective.

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From a biblical perspective, “church” is not a building but a people – more specifically the body of Christ in the form of His disciples who follow His way and do His will. While today’s church usually meets in a building, the building itself is not the true church. And some Christians today are increasingly not meeting in a separate public building, but in a house.