Nothing is more important to a building than its support structure; the foundation on which it is built. If the foundation is solid, the building is sturdy and stable. But if the structural support is faulty, the building may be susceptible to collapse. The same can be said for the Church of Jesus Christ.

There is a short passage at the end of 2 Corinthians 5 that packs into just six verses the purpose of our lives as followers of Jesus. We learn what our motivation for living and the primary focus of our lives should be.

God’s love is a thread that weaves throughout the entire Bible.

One of the character traits of the leaders in this period of Celtic revival was living by spiritual disciplines, being particularly faithful in the discipline of prayer

The liturgical season of Lent reminds us of the importance of examining our lives – of keeping “short accounts” with God – of the truth of Socrates’ dictum that “the unexamined life is not worth living.”

A genuine understanding of one’s sinfulness and need for forgiveness is what the “imposition of ashes” is mean to signify, and such a realization should provoke within us both a sense of our own mortality and sincere sorrow over our sin. Yet with those ashes can also come a sense of hope in what God will do with the “ashes” of our lives when we turn to Him in repentance and faith.

The eighth day of the Christmas season – New Year’s Day on our calendars – is known as the “Day of the Holy Name of Jesus.”

Packer’s thoughts, along with the stanzas of the Gospel hymn “Thou Who Wast Rich” by Frank Houghton, give us much to meditate on as we ponder the miracle and wonder of God’s grace in Jesus that we celebrate at Christmastime, and the impact it should have on us all year long.