In a matter of moments, the first man and woman disobeyed God's command and found themselves separated from Him by sin. Their lives were shattered. The consequences were dire. Though it seemed all was lost, God's plan of redemption was already in motion.

In the first part of this series, Dan Londeree explores how God created man and woman in His image. There are two major implications of this: we are created for a relationship with God, and we are created for relationships with one another.

After the walls of Jerusalem had been rebuilt, Nehemiah and Ezra focused on reestablishing the law of God. As it was read aloud, the people began to weep. Nehemiah told them to celebrate instead, because as they returned to obedience to God, He would give them joy that would strengthen them. When we obey the Lord, He does the same for us.

There are moments in time that stop us in our tracks. We’re carrying on our daily lives, moving from one thing to the next, when something happens that affects us deeply. Something must be done. Something must change. Nehemiah's heart was broken for his homeland and his people. What breaks your heart? What is God leading you to do about it?

In Ephesians 4, Paul wrote to believers that we are "to put off your old self ... and to put on the new self ..." It's important for us to remember that we can only do this in the power of the Holy Spirit and in the context of Christian community. As we start 2024, our goal is to daily put on the self and live according to who we are in Christ.

Joy is defined as the emotion we feel as the result of something good in our lives, but we know that feelings are fleeting. Our emotions rise and fall all the time, mostly based on the circumstances of life. Is it possible to choose joy? It seems that Mary did, and we can follow her example.

The love of Christmas goes beyond the night that Christ was born in Bethlehem. Jesus demonstrated real love his entire life, punctuated with his sacrifice for us on the cross. If love is laying down our lives for others, we must ask the question: how well are we loving the people in our lives?

The hope of Christmas doesn't come in the form of improved circumstances. It comes in the form of a person: Jesus Christ. As Paul wrote, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." (Romans 15:13)

Thankfulness does not come naturally to us. Though we have a new nature as followers of Jesus, we still battle with our old sin nature. As we choose to "put on" the character traits of Christ, we walk in love and peace. The end result is a heart of gratitude.