Word of the Week

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God [Romans 15:5-7].   The verses above set a humble tone for the season of Advent. The apostle Paul spoke about an "attitude of mind" towards each other. It's the same attitude Christ had. Historically, there were 400 years of silence of an Intertestamental period when God did not speak to the prophets. Yet during these years, God's people waited patiently for what (and who) is to come: Jesus Christ who would bring joy and peace to humankind.   Today, we can all identify periods of silence from the Lord. They may be silences about a long awaited healing, or deliverance of a loved one from addiction; silence regarding the restoration of a relationship, unemploymen...

The apostle Paul prayed for the Colossian church, and his prayer is applicable to us today. Prayers like Paul’s will most definitely be answered. Why? Because the Scripture said we can have confidence that if we ask anything according to God’s will, he hears us. And if we know he hears us, we know we will receive the petition we ask of Him (1 John 5:15-16). Paul prayed that the Lord may “fill us with wisdom and knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, strengthened with [all] power according to his glorious might so that we may have great endurance and patience, giving joyful thanks to the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light” (Colossians 1:11-12). I believe a person's prayer life will dictate his or her attitude and responses to life's daily events. And if we have no expectation when we pray, then why pray? During the ebb and flow of life, we must seek God's will for each situation that...