Category: Bible Reading & Meditation

“Love, then, consists in this: not that we have loved God but that He has loved us and has sent His Son as an Offering for our sins.” —1 John 4:10 Every Christmas season, the Lord through the Church calls us to read, pray, and live the first letter of John. In this letter, the Lord calls us His “beloved,” who are called to love one another (1 Jn 4:7). The Lord God even reveals that He is Love and those who abide in Love abide in Him (1 Jn 4:16). Because God is Love, it is most important that...

“Every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh belongs to God, while every spirit that fails to acknowledge Him does not belong to God. Such is the spirit of the antichrist which, as you have heard, is to come; in fact, it is in the world already.” —1 John 4:2-3 Most of us are Christians. That means that we do things not primarily because they are good but because they are ways of imitating Christ. For example, we heal the sick not primarily to help the sick but to imitate Christ, for He heals the sick (see Mt...

“We observed His star at its rising…” —Matthew 2:2 In their homeland, the Magi saw a great star at its rising. Greatly impressed, they set out on their journey to follow the star to greet the newborn King to Whom they believed the star pointed. After they had traveled for a time, they could no longer see the star. They were past the point of no return, and were not sure where God was now leading them. But the Magi did not give up on God’s leading; they did not quit and return back home. Instead, they did the reasonable...

“When you see the Spirit descend and rest on Someone, it is He Who is to baptize with the Holy Spirit.” —John 1:33 The finale of the Christmas season is not Christmas day or even Epiphany but the Baptism of Jesus. This is more emphasized in the Eastern Church. Christmas is Trinitarian. Christmas is to the Father, through the Son, and in the Spirit. Christmas is focused on Christ and culminates in the Holy Spirit, the only true Christmas Spirit. Thus, we should be looking to conclude the Christmas season by having the Holy Spirit stirred into flame in our...