After 400 years of silence, Jesus Christ came into the world! He is the Word of God, the light of the world, the Son of God come in the flesh. And the reason He came was to make us children of God! Today we look to the Son.

The Old Testament comes to a close with the book of Malachi, where God confronts his people with their unworthy worship. The reason it is not worthy of Him is because it is heartless. What is heartless worship? And are we guilty of the very same thing? These are the questions we ponder as we wrap up this series and head into the New Testament.

As we spend another week in Nehemiah, we see the people in the land with walls rebuilt. In chapter 8, they do another sort of building: they build their lives upon the foundation of God's word. It's a simple, yet tried and true, formula! When we orient our lives around what God has said, we experience joy.

Nehemiah leads a third group of exiles back to Jerusalem with a burden to rebuild the city's walls. God's hand is upon this work, and through Nehemiah's leadership and the people's partnership, the task is completed. But one thing is certain: whenever God's people rise up to do God's work, opposition always rises up to counter it. Nehemiah's story helps us prepare for the opposition that will come our way when we get serious about doing God's work.

The story of Esther is the story of a normal, everyday woman who is thrust into a position of influence. When a moment of crisis strikes her people, she is faced with a daunting decision: remain silent or risk it all. Her story teaches us much about facing fear, growing in our faith, and using every opportunity for God's glory.

One of the greatest examples of faith we see in the Scriptures is Daniel. Over the course of his life, he developed consistent habits that shaped his strong character, which in turn prepared him for the greatest trial of his life. As we live in our own modern-day Babylon, we can learn much from his faith in Daniel 6.

Following the Lord faithfully requires conviction: a fixed and firm belief in the goodness and power of God. One of the greatest examples of living with conviction is the account of the three young Hebrew men in Daniel chapter 3. Their story can not only help us live with greater conviction, but encourage us with the presence of Christ in the fiery trials of life.

Over and over, Israel strayed from their God. They wandered and attempted to make their own way and find satisfaction in other things. But the Lord is always reminding His people that He is the only One who can truly satisfy.

The prophet Isaiah was a beautiful example of a God-follower living a surrendered and sent life. In Isaiah chapter six, he uttered the famous words, "Here am I! Send me." This ought to be the heartbeat of every follower of Christ! But something powerful preceded this statement of availability. What was it? It was a divine encounter.

Through the example of Elijah the prophet in 1 Kings 18-19, we see that God not only reveals himself in loud, dramatic ways, but also in quiet, tender ways. Today we look at the immediate aftermath of Elijah's epic showdown with the 450 prophets of Baal.