Stephen De La Vega

  We often see the path we’re standing on, but not always the path around the corner. Sometimes it seems we’re on the wrong path because we don’t see what we hope to see or we’re walking farther than we wanted to walk. We question the decisions we’ve made along the way. We even question the published trail guide sometimes. Can we trust the guide? Of course we can. So, why do we question it? Sometimes we struggle to trust the truth. Sometimes we struggle to trust our Savior even though He is altogether trustworthy?   In our third and final visit with Jesus in this series, we join Him when He appeared to His disciples after He defeated death. Satan and his organized, world system could not keep Jesus and His truth locked away in a tomb . He rose from His grave just as He foretold and promised ( John 2:18-22 , Matthew 16:21 ). He told His disciples many times that He would rise on the third day. On one occasion, as we studied in Resolution 12 , the mother of James and John change...

  The Parthenon. Not the famous one in Greece, but “the world’s only exact-size replica of the original Parthenon in Athens” ( https://www.nashvilleparthenon.com/ ). You can visit it in Nashville, Tennessee. It seems like the one in Athens would’ve been a great place to exchange wisdom. It certainly looks like the perfect venue, but the Parthenon is not known for that. There is a place where wisdom and truth was taught at a temple where similar columns once stood. It’s called the Second Temple, a rebuilding of Solomon’s Temple. It’s also known as Herod’s Temple, and it’s where Jesus taught at times when He was in Jerusalem. There, at the Second Temple, Jesus shared His perfect wisdom with Jews and Gentiles alike, depending on where he was on any given day. He spoke about life as He expressed the truth of God to eager listeners ( Mark 12:41 , Mark 14:49 , John10:23 , Luke 19:47-48 ).   I’m pleased that we have the opportunity to hear from Jesus in a few resolutions begi...

  Some countries have already celebrated Thanksgiving this year. My country will celebrate next week. It’s a time of looking back with family or friends to acknowledge our blessings (or harvest, historically). But it’s not always a positive reflection. Sometimes there’s baggage. Maybe often. Sometimes it’s our baggage or our shortcomings. We might even feel like walking away from God. Or maybe we already have. If we carry this into Thanksgiving week, or just in life, this Resolution 11 is for us.   We began our “ Journey to Resolve ” in July 2024. (Sorry it’s taking so long to cover all 15 resolutions!) The articles in this series have been New Year’s resolutions throughout the year, not just at the beginning. So far, we’ve enjoyed some very brief book surveys and stories that highlight important parts of Israel’s history. And our last two resolutions were drawn from two books of poetry and wisdom: Job and Proverbs. We circle back now to a sweeping look at Israel’s history...