“The testimony John gave when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask, ‘Who are you?’…” —John 1:19 It is very important for us to know our identity, that is, who we are. For if we don’t know who we are, we don’t know why we are, what we are to do, or who others are. Because it is so important to know our identity, the Lord reveals our identity to us. We know who we are because of Him. We are who we are because of Him. Who we are is who we are in Him. Because...

“The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!” —Numbers 6:26 Mary bore Jesus, the “Prince of Peace” (Is 9:5). Mary is called the Queen of Peace. “When the designated time had come” (Gal 4:4), she bore (Mi 5:2) a child “Who is our Peace” (Eph 2:14; see also Mi 5:4). This Child came “to make peace” (Eph 2:15) and announce the “good news of peace” (Eph 2:17). Jesus made “peace through the blood of His cross” (Col 1:20). How ironic that Mary, the woman of peace, was forced to live in such turmoil and sorrow. As a teenage...

“He was in the world, and through Him the world was made, yet the world did not know who He was.” —John 1:10 Did you feel rejected in 2019? If you did, you’re in good company. Jesus was also rejected. “To His own He came, yet His own did not accept Him” (Jn 1:11). What hurts most is that the rejection usually comes from those closest to us. For example, wives and husbands reject each other; parents refuse to forgive their children; sons and daughters rebel and break their parents’ hearts. The psalmist cries: “If an enemy had reviled me,...