Most have heard the account of the Golden Calf in Exodus 32, where the Israelites built a calf made of gold, while Moses was away with God in the mountain. The people became impatient, and created their own God made of gold.

Exodus 32:1-4 says, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.” Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”

Where would they have obtained the gold? You may recall from Exodus 12:36, “The Lord caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the Israelites, and they gave the Israelites whatever they asked for. So they stripped the Egyptians of their wealth!” God provided this wealth (gold) to them through the Egyptians.

There are many parallels we can draw between this account and modern times. Even though we do not call them gods, how different is it for people in today’s world to take the resources God gave them and create their own Gods in the forms of sports cars, homes, boats, sports, or other activities that become the primary object of their attention, time, and money. Rather than thank God for the circumstances that allowed them to have these things, they displace God with the things he provides.

Dear Lord, you provide all that we have and these blessings should be reason for us to worship, praise and thank you with our attention, time, and money. Help us recognize the blessings we have that they may reinforce our faith in you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Luke 1 tells the story of the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah and Elizabeth. They had no other children, and were much too old to have children without a miracle, but the angel, Gabriel, came to Zechariah and told him they would have a child, who would prepare people for the arrival of the Messiah.

Zechariah was skeptical and questioned Gabriel. As a result, Gabriel caused him to be unable to speak until John was born.

When Zechariah was finally allowed to speak, he spoke the prophecy of Jesus’ coming in Luke 1:68-79. The final verses are a beautiful and simple summary of the Good news, Luke 1:78-79 “Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”

Dear Lord, We praise and thank you for sending the “morning light from heaven,” which is Jesus who brings us out of the darkness of our sin and into your light, allowing us to live in Your peace. In His name we pray. Amen.

There is a story written in John chapter 8 where a crowd was going to stone a woman for adultery, which was the law at that time. Jesus tells the crowd, “Let the one who has not sinned cast the first stone’ ” and the crowd of people all went away.

Jesus then told the woman in John 8:11 “Go and sin no more.”

There are many messages we can take away from this story, but the one I want to highlight is that at any point, we can make a change in our lives and start on a new path. “Your past doesn’t determine your future,” is a way I have heard it said.

I think that message is as relevant for someone living a “good” life as it is for someone who has a “troubled” life. We can all make a change in our lives, if we choose to; and when we do, God is always there to support us to change and follow his will. The most important change any of us can make is to accept the forgiveness and Salvation Jesus provides.

Dear Lord, thank you for the message you give us in this story that, no matter where we are in life, or what we have done in the past, we can change. Your forgiveness and Salvation is always waiting for us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

I think humans have an inherent desire to know how things work, and why things are the way they are; So much so that we guess, which in Science we call a “hypothesis.” Many people who want to rule out God’s design, and His creation as a reason, conveniently use the word “theory” for their guess.

As Christians, we accept that there are many mysteries we do not yet understand, and may never understand.

In John 3, Jesus says that we must be “born again” to enter the Kingdom of God. Nicodemus, a Jewish scholar or Pharasee, questioned what Jesus meant. Jesus replied in John 3:8, “The wind blows where ever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but cannot tell where in comes from, or where it is going, so you cannot explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus doesn’t understand, and Jesus tells him, like he tells us about our “theories,” in John 8:12, “But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things?”

Dear Lord, You give us so much of your wisdom in the Bible, much remains a mystery, but some we just choose to question. Open our eyes and hearts to see your meaning and believe your message. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

I have read that excess focus on the past can cause depression. We have probably all done things in the past that we wished we would not have done. In some cases, thoughts of these past actions, may constantly trouble some of us.

As Christians, we no longer need to think about or dwell on these past actions.

Paul writes about the new covenant we have with God through Jesus Christ, in Hebrews 8:12. He writes, “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”

Jesus Christ took the burden of our sins for us. Accept His grace and let them go.

The past is not yours it belongs to God.

Dear Lord, What peace and joy we have knowing that you took the burden of our past failures on yourself, and we no longer need to carry this. Help us truly repent and accept your saving grace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.