So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Galatians 5:16 NIV
The church was created by Jesus, who was born Jewish. His early followers were both Jewish and Gentile, and the church’s early culture was rooted in Judaism and a Jewish understanding of God’s relationship to his people. Over time, Christianity became increasingly more Roman than Jewish. How did this transformation affect the church’s identity?
Do you believe God has a purpose for your life, and every action or event that occurs within it has been used to make that purpose a reality? Do you read the story of Esther as a series of coincidences strung together to deliver the Jews from certain death? Or as God having a particular purpose at a particular time?
What happens when life doesn’t turn out the way you expected? What do you do when God’s timing seems questionable, his lack of intervention hurtful, and his promises doubtful?
As 2019 begins, times of change, trouble, or doubt can leave us looking for answers, wondering what God says about our situation.
