There are two different men (Onesimus and Uriah) in the Bible that are tasked with carrying a message. Both men are serving their master and taking a message that directly impacts their lives. Neither knows what the result will be, but they show their character and commitment in their service. Believers are tasked with carrying a message as well. We are to carry the Gospel, not knowing what might happen to us. More than that, we find our very identity in the Gospel we are taking to others. Do we prove ourselves to be committed and dedicated to carrying this message? Can God trust us to be diligent servants?

How will you respond to the facts that the Christ has come? In the gospel accounts of the birth of Jesus, some respond with joy and praise, while others are troubled and threatened. We should examine our hearts to see what our response truly is, because, someday, Christ is coming again!

Something that every one of us has to do on a daily basis is make decisions. Some decisions seem clearly bigger to us while others don't seem to have as big of ramifications. The important thing is to have the right basis for making decisions and a good mindset to approach decisions. Making Spirit-led decisions will happen when we are living by the Spirit and having the mind set on the Spirit.

What was the purpose of John the Baptist? John knew his purpose and shows his dedication to this purpose. He came to point the way to Christ. He came to teach and prepare the path for the Good Teacher. He preached repentance so people could turn to God and then turn to the Christ, Jesus of Nazareth.

What does it mean to be in Christ? How important is this and how can a person have it? In Galatians, Paul explains that anyone in Christ is now an heir of the promises of God and that this is ONLY for those in Christ. So, what does it look like for Christ to live in us? What should we be doing since Christ now lives in us?

In 2 Peter, "diligence" is used a few different times. Each time, Peter is telling Christians to use diligence in specific ways to attain a certain goal or end result. How does diligence help us meet our goals as Christians? What specific areas could we use more diligence to help us in our walk as a Christian?

We finished up our yearly theme of "Shine as Lights in the World" with some thoughts on the connection of "light" and "life". Through Christ and the Gospel we are brought to life and shown a type of life we are to live in Christ. This light of Christ also brings us to eternal life with Him (2 Timothy 1:10)

Even though the apostle Paul lived a life of hardship and suffering, he still found a way to "be content in any circumstance." If we are to imitate this attitude, it will require us to change our perspective on the source of true contentment. It is only through Jesus Christ that we'll find the lasting satisfaction that our soul desires.

If you think about what is said about prayer in conversations, there can be a lot of doubts and questions about our prayers. Is my prayer being heard? Why does it seem like God isn't answering my prayer? The Scripture has a great deal to say about prayer and asking things from God, so looking at the totality of what God says is the best place to turn. This helps us take a fresh look at prayer and might answer some of those difficult questions we have.

In Mark 7-8 there are 3 very unique miracles Jesus performs. Every miracle is unique, but these three stand out for a few reasons. The first miracle is Jesus casting out a demon in a Canaanite woman's daughter. The second miracle is a deaf and mute man that people bring to Jesus and the last is a blind man that people brought to Jesus. In all of these miracles we learn without a doubt that Jesus can heal and bring about salvation for anyone and everyone and is the only One that can do this. Do we believe this like we should? What do we do with this reality?