When Daniel hears that his and his friends' lives are in danger due to the king's edict that a "wise man" would tell him his dream and its interpretation, he calls a prayer meeting. When God answers, Daniel first praises God - such an important yet often neglected response of God's people...

We don't know much about Habakkuk's background. His book starts with his own personal prayer asking God how long before He does something about the violence in Judah and why hasn't He intervened yet? The answer given is shocking in its timing and in the use of the Chaldeans for judgment on Judah. But then God is a God of shock and awe - not only in His judgment but in His plan of salvation.

The wonderful truths about God's grace not only give the basis for our foundation and remind us that grace changes and re-forms us but Paul reminds us to see grace put into action. This can mean such diverse things as performing works of hospitality and removing divisive members of the church.

Of all the stories in the book of Daniel, the first one might be the most impressive. While we tend to focus on Daniel's resolve and faithfulness it is really, even as Daniel writes, about God's faithfulness and steadfast love not only during the three years of eating vegetables but for Daniel's seventy years of serving in the palaces of pagan kings.

Titus is told by Paul to remind the church of their duty before God in the present, of the importance of remembering their status before grace in the past, and of the assurance which grace brings to them in the future.

When Daniel and his friends were among the first wave of exiles taken to Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar's plan to use them as his instruments to proclaim his superiority over gods and kingdoms was egregious. The world always tries to make us forget our heritage and our God and yet the LORD always preserves a faithful remnant!

We are saved by grace. But unlike what some who might oppose the teaching of grace might declare, grace also changes us. We first deny irreverent conduct and worldly impulses and then our lives begin to model Christ-like behavior and attitudes. We become a people of grace who then model and teach grace to others.

To study the book of Daniel, it is helpful to consider the historical context. God raised Daniel up as a prophet in the most ruinous of times among His people: the times of wicked kings, exile, and the mourning of a remnant. God, however, is sovereign and still cares about His people.

When Paul tells Titus to speak things suitable with sound teaching he surprisingly starts with the adornment of the Gospel before stating the Gospel. The Gospel is the basis for our behavior before God and this behavior should show evidence of how the Gospel has changed us.

In the last verses of John's Gospel, Jesus restores Peter. He questions Peter about his love for Him and challenges him to feed the sheep. Why is this so important and what does this teach us in the church today?