Stephen De La Vega

  A new day is coming. Just like with Noah aboard the Ark who knew he would someday step onto dry land, everyday life will change. The sun will rise. Jesus will come again. The truth of God’s promise will ring clearly in the hearts of all people. All people!   This post is the final episode of an 8-episode series about boarding and deboarding Noah’s Ark. If you’re visiting this series for the first time, you should start at Episode 1: The Story of Our Lives and set aside time to read all 8 episodes. Otherwise, sit back and experience the final episode.   Episode 8: Jesus’ Return Do we believe Jesus will come again? His return is not good news for everybody. He will come to bring home those who trust Him as Savior and Lord, but He will also later judge and punish those who do not. This isn’t an arbitrary topic in this series. Noah and the Flood are mentioned in 3 of the Bible passages about Jesus’ return ( Matth...

A darkness fell upon the land. It was noontime. Three hours later, a cry: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” No one would rescue him, his mouth so parched he scarcely swallowed. “I’m thirsty,” he pleaded, so they allowed a drip of vinegar – just enough to moisten his lips as he declared, “It is finished!” He gave up His spirit. It was his last breath. He bowed his head and died. But then the earth shook! Tombs opened! And all mankind gained the opportunity to interact directly with God as His children! You already know this is about Jesus. He gave up His life when He proclaimed, “It is finished” ( John 19:28-30 ). Some scoffed while He hung on the cross: “You were going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in 3 days. Come down from the cross and save yourself!” But they didn’t understand that Jesus spoke of His own body. They didn’t realize that Jesus invited them to destroy His body 3 years before they crucified Him ( John 2:18-22 ). This happened according to God’s ...

  Jesus. It’s a name that represents different things to different people. The name is spoken softly and also exclaimed. It’s used to call upon and it’s used to curse.   What does the name Jesus mean to you? Come with me as we consider who this Jesus is as explained in God’s holy Word…   It’s a new year and we’re looking back on the Christmas season when we possibly hear the name Jesus the most. It’s when we imagine Jesus as a baby born in a manger  ( Luke 2:7 )  similar to the nativity scene pictured above. There was nothing notable about his parents, Joseph and Mary – nothing special about them in their society, anyway. But they were faithful to God and God chose them ( Matthew 1:18-25 , Luke 1:26-38 ). Jesus, on the other hand, was very special. He was formed by God inside the womb of a virgin ( Luke 1:26-38 ). He was the one who gave God’s people hope for hundreds, even thousands of years. He was prophesized to be their Messiah, their Deliverer, th...

Sometimes I get distracted in my service to God. He placed me in some clearly-defined ministries during this phase in my life, but I negotiate plenty of competing priorities and distractions. Many times, the ministries take second place. I lead 2 Bible study groups, I’m a faith blogger, and I write Bible study guides for small groups. My primary spiritual gift is teaching and these ministries make up the road God paved for me. Besides the typical daily distractions, even other ministries could steer me away from the path God laid out for me. I can do other things that He may not have reserved for me. I could teach in other ways, like helping out in Sunday School. Or, in lieu of direct teaching, I could support leaders of a variety of care ministries. I could also join the choir and participate in church musicals. I’d really enjoy that. I can do these other things in self-sacrifice for God and people, but they may not be what God wants me to do. They would be parenthetical – th...