very difficult thing to try to get a dog to stop barking. Likewise,

babies cry. It may not always be convenient or fun, but it is a reality.

All of us act in line with our nature. To try to change a normal

expression of a dog's nature or a baby's nature is to try to do the

impossible. Jesus talks about the nature of the Devil – and tells people

that they share Satan's nature. We'll look at what Satan is like and

what he is not like. And we'll examine whether or not we are living in

line with the nature of the Devil or with the nature of Jesus.

Parents generally take naming their baby very seriously. While there are different reasons for everyone, most people put a lot of weight on ‘liking’ the name. Some options are eliminated because a person with ‘that name’ has a painful or bad history with one or both of the parents. Other options are eliminated because of personal taste (i.e. not liking how the name sounds or fits with the family name). Back in the world into which Jesus was born, names carried significance because of their meaning. We’re starting our Christmas series by looking at the personal name of our Savior, “Jesus.” What does it mean and why does it matter? Let’s dig into a few things that the Bible has to tell us about this name.

In our culture, it is understandable to say whatever you need to in order to get the results you want. Sometimes it means leaving out certain information to make sure that someone sees your point of view. Other times, it means actually being less than honest to protect yourself. From this mindset, the truth is less important than the results you desire.  Christians can find themselves following along in this pattern without realizing how contrary it is to following Jesus. Being in the world but not of the world means that we have a different relationship with integrity than others. We’re going to take a look at a few passages from Paul, Jesus, and James to see how important it is that we are trustworthy with what we say and how we live.