We all know the Christmas Story. Joseph takes Mary as his wife and she has the baby Jesus. Yes, Joseph still married Mary even though the child she was carrying was not his. He did as the Lord told him. But did he love her? We would like to say he did, but what is the proof of that?

Most people want to be happy with the exclusion of being joyful. God wants us to be full of joy even if we aren't happy. Happy has to do with what is happening. Joy remains if we have godly joy. God sometimes interrupts us to give us those moments of extreme joy. The shepherds on a hillside watching their flocks were certainly surprised by joy. Have you been surprised by joy that exceeded your happiness?

What do you know about angels? Does it come from pop culture or from the Bible? Is there an angel watching over you? What about Gabriel?

The fact is God is like what He has done. He is immutable. What He has done in principle is still being done. You may not hear from Gabriel but God is still working on you.

Isaiah is the most quoted book in the New Testament. It was Isaiah who would tell of Jesus' miraculous birth. It was Isaiah who would tell of Jesus' redemption. Jesus would read out of Isaiah in the synagogue and say that the prophecy is fulfilled. Where did Isaiah get these words that he would preach in his day? They started at the source.

The Bible tells us that we should be thankful in all circumstances, but it doesn't tell us to be thankful for all circumstances. What's the difference? A whole lot.

Sure, you go to church and they chide you into singing praise songs. But what if you don't feel like it? What if things are going so wrong that you just can't? Why should you praise God when He hasn't rescued you from your crisis? Good question.

Maybe you have always heard that God has a wonderful plan for your life but none of the people who told you this explained what this wonderful plan was. It all centers around the answers to two questions: Who are you? and What are you here for?

Do you think you know who the Apostle Peter was? Maybe you do. Maybe you don't. Let's take a look.

Who is the source of our faith? It doesn't come from us. It is much more reliable. It comes from the Holy Spirit.