DID YOU KNOW Advent is a season of holy resolve. As the Church waits for the coming of Christ, we are invited not only to remember His first arrival but to examine the posture of our own hearts. Few figures in Christian history help us do this with more clarity than Jonathan Edwards. Living in the ferment of early American Christianity and standing alongside voices such as…

On Second Thought Advent is a season that invites the Church to slow down, to wait, and to examine not only what we believe about Christ, but how we belong to Him together. The candles we light do not merely mark time until Christmas; they expose shadows we often ignore. One of those shadows appears in an unexpected place—our insistence that we are “only of Christ.” The apostle Paul addresses this tension directly when he writes, …

Thru the Bible in a Year As we come to 2 Peter, we are reading words written at the edge of a faithful life. This second letter is not theoretical theology offered from a distance; it is pastoral urgency shaped by the knowledge that Peter’s own martyrdom is near. There is a gravity here, but not despair. Peter writes as one who knows he will soon lay down his life, and precisely for that reason, he focuses on what truly endures.

A Day in the Life of Jesus There are moments in the Gospels when I find myself standing shoulder to shoulder with the disciples, feeling their confusion more than their courage. The scene in Luke 24:36–43, echoed again in John 20:19–23, is one of those moments. The disciples are gathered behind locked doors, not out of theological reflection but out of fear.

As the Day Begins The mystery of the Christian faith does not begin with thunder but with tenderness. It opens not with a sword raised in judgment but with a child wrapped in cloth and laid in a feeding trough. Isaiah’s portrait of the Servant of the Lord prepares us for this unsettling reversal of expectations: “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight… A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out”

May the Lord bless your spiritual walk today, surrounding you with His peace and guiding you in His presence. As you step into these daily disciplines, be assured that the God who began a good work in you remains faithful to complete it. This collection of Scripture reflections is offered as a gentle rhythm for the soul, inviting you to walk attentively with Christ throughout the day.

愿主赐福你今日的属灵旅程，引导你在祂的同在中安静、聆听并成长。愿你记得，那位在你生命中动工的神，必信实地完成祂已经开始的善工。今天的属灵操练邀请你进入一种有节奏的信仰生活，让神的话语、祷告与默想塑造你的心思意念，更新你与主同行的脚步。 今天的清晨灵修 《Cradled Power, Gentle Salvation》 带领我们在软弱中认识基督的能力，提醒我们道成肉身的主不是为毁灭而来，而是为拯救而来，呼召我们以谦卑开始新的一天。 在 《When Jesus Stands in the Middle of Our Fear》 中，我们与门徒一同站在紧锁的房门后，看见复活的主进入恐惧之中，赐下真实的平安，并差遣我们成为祂活着的见证。 年度读经灵修 《Standing Firm at the Edge of Eternity》 引导我们走进彼得后书，鼓励信徒在真理、警醒与盼望中站立得稳，等候主所应许的终局。 反思文章 《When “Jesus Only” Becomes About Me》 提醒我们警惕属灵自我中心，呼召我们在基督里学习合一、谦逊与彼此接纳，尤其在将临期中重新省察信仰的根基。 在 《Seven Resolves That Still Shape the Soul》 中，我们从乔纳森·爱德华兹的生命立志中看见属灵操练如何塑造一生，使信仰在日常中结出果子。 当夜幕降临，《From Exile to Embrace》 带领我们在收尾的祷告中安息，记念我们因道成肉身而从被弃绝之地被带回，成为蒙爱的儿女。 愿你在今天的属灵操练中被坚固、被安慰，也被更新。 Pastor Hogg FEEL FREE TO COMMENT, SUBSCRIBE, AND REPOST, SO OTHERS MAY KNOW

As the Day Ends As Advent draws our hearts toward the mystery of God-with-us, evening is a fitting time to sit quietly with the truth that Christ came not only to save us, but to show us how to live. The words of Leo the Great steady us as the day closes: unless Jesus were true God, He could not bring us a remedy; unless He were true man, He could not give us an example.

DID YOU KNOW Advent is a season of preparation—of examining what we are building while we wait for Christ to come again. It is an especially fitting time to reflect on fatherhood, because Advent reminds us that God chose to enter the world through a family. Scripture never treats the role of a father as incidental. It treats it as formative, weighty, and deeply spiritual.

On Second Thought Advent is a season that teaches us how to wait faithfully in a world that does not feel stable. We light candles while headlines grow darker, we sing of hope while grief remains close at hand, and we confess that Christ will come again even as chaos seems to multiply around us. Into that tension, the reading from…

Thru the Bible in a Year As we continue our year-long journey through Scripture, today’s reading draws us into the pastoral heart of First Epistle of Peter, written by the Apostle Peter to believers who were living as strangers and exiles in a world that did not fully understand their faith. Peter writes not as a distant theologian, but as a shepherd who knows suffering firsthand.

A Day in the Life of Jesus There are days when I read the Emmaus road account and realize how easily I could have been one of those two disciples. Luke tells us that “that very day”—the first Easter Sunday—two followers were walking away from Jerusalem, carrying confusion, disappointment, and grief in equal measure. They were not abandoning faith altogether; they were simply trying to make sense of shattered expectations.

As the Day Begins The mystery of Christmas does not begin with splendor but with humility. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder” (Isaiah 9:6, ESV). Isaiah’s familiar words are often heard amid candlelight and carols, yet they carry a startling theological tension. The One upon whose shoulders rest…

May the Lord bless your spiritual walk today and gently guide you into His presence. As you move through these devotions, may you rest in the assurance that the God who began a good work in you remains faithful to complete it. Today’s spiritual disciplines are offered as a gracious rhythm—inviting you to listen, reflect, and walk attentively with Christ throughout the day.

愿主亲自赐福你今日的属灵旅程，坚固你在基督里的脚步。愿你在一天的开始、行走与结束中，都被圣言环绕，被圣灵引导，并确信那位已经在你生命中动了善工的主，必定信实地成全祂的旨意。今天的属灵操练邀请你安静心灵，进入与神同行的节奏，让每日的操练成为信心成长与生命更新的途径。 《向谦卑的耶稣低头》——As the Day Begins 这篇晨间默想引导我们在一天开始时，以基督的谦卑作为生命的姿态。透过以赛亚书、马太福音与腓立比书，我们学习在等待与顺服中，与降卑的救主同行。 《当耶稣在身旁却未被认出》——A Day in the Life of Jesus 以以马忤斯路上的经历为核心，这篇文章陪伴读者反思失望中的信心。它提醒我们，复活的主常在平凡旅程中同行，借着圣经与团契开启我们的眼睛。 《为分散的圣徒而生的活泼盼望》——Thru the Bible in a Year 本篇带领我们进入彼得前书，思想救恩、顺服与受苦的主题。它鼓励信徒在动荡的世界中，以活泼的盼望站立得稳，确信神的话语绝不徒然返回。 《当世界震动时站立得稳》——On Second Thought 在启示录的严峻异象中，本篇文章帮助我们重新思考真正的安全根基。它指出，基督的得胜使我们在黑暗中仍能持守盼望，尤其在将临期中更显真实。 《你知道吗？父亲如何塑造孩子的一生》——Did You Know 这篇反思以温柔却诚实的方式，探讨父亲在家庭中的属灵影响。它呼召父亲们以行动、榜样与信仰，建立孩子稳固的生命根基。 《那位医治我们的榜样》——As the Day Ends 夜间默想带领我们在基督的神人二性中安息。透过腓立比书与约翰一书，我们在一天结束时，将生命交托给既是救赎又是榜样的主。 愿你在今日的属灵操练中，经历神话语的真实与更新。 — Pastor Hogg FEEL FREE TO COMMENT, SUBSCRIBE, AND REPOST, SO OTHERS MAY KNOW

As the Day Ends As evening settles and the noise of the day recedes, Advent invites us into a quieter posture of wonder. This sacred season does not rush us past mystery; it asks us to dwell within it. John’s Gospel opens that mystery with words that are both majestic and intimate: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”

DID YOU KNOW Advent is a season of holy illumination. As the Church prepares to celebrate the coming of Christ—the Light of the world—Scripture invites us to step into that light ourselves, allowing it to search our motives, habits, and private reasoning. Advent is not merely about anticipation; it is about preparation of the heart. One of the ways God prepares us is by exposing the subtle rationalizations we use when compromising our ethics.

On Second Thought Advent is a season that trains the soul to wait, to watch, and to discern the difference between what feels heavy and what truly matters. As the Church slows its pace and fixes its gaze on the coming of Christ, Scripture gently but firmly reshapes our understanding of burden and blessing. Paul’s words, “For every man shall bear his own burden”

A Devotional Walk Through the Epistle of James The Epistle of James meets us where faith is tested most sharply—not in theory, but in daily life. Written to Jewish Christians scattered among the nations because of persecution, James speaks to believers who are learning how to live faithfully without the familiar supports of temple, land, or cultural stability. Like Hebrews, this letter assumes a Jewish audience shaped by Torah, wisdom literature, and covenantal responsibility.

A Day in the Life of Jesus There are moments in the life of Jesus that feel triumphant and radiant, and then there are moments like this one—quiet, unsettling, and revealing of the human heart. Matthew 28:11–15 does not describe a miracle performed by Jesus, nor a sermon preached to the crowds. Instead, it pulls back the curtain on what happens when undeniable truth collides with entrenched power.

When Christ’s Nativity Becomes Our New Beginning As the Day Begins Selected Scriptures: Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 1:22; 2:5–6; 4:15; Colossians 1:18 The Church calendar draws our hearts again toward the mystery of the Incarnation, not merely as a historical remembrance but as a living reality that continues to shape the people of God. Leo the Great captured this truth with striking clarity when he wrote that “the birthday of the Head is the birthday of the body.” His words remind us that Christmas is not only about the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem but about the birth of a redeemed people who find their life in Him.

May the Lord bless your spiritual walk today and meet you in each moment of attentiveness to His presence. The God who began a good work in you remains faithful to bring it to completion, guiding you step by step through the rhythms of daily discipline and grace. Whether your day unfolds quietly or with urgency, these reflections invite you to walk intentionally with Christ.

愿主在今天赐福你的属灵行程，引导你在祂的同在中行走。愿那位在你里面动了善工的神，信实地带领你完成祂所开始的一切。无论你今日的步伐快或慢，愿你在每日的灵修操练中再次被提醒：神亲近寻求祂的人，也乐意在平凡中塑造忠心的生命。 今天的灵修内容围绕着基督的降临、真实的门徒生活，以及在光中行走的伦理呼召展开。 《Born With Him: When Christ’s Nativity Becomes Our New Beginning｜As the Day Begins》 这篇晨间灵修提醒我们，基督的降生不仅是历史事件，更是教会与信徒新生命的起点。借着与基督的联合，我们被带入祂的死、复活与荣耀之中，并以此开始新的一天。 《When Truth Walks the Streets and Lies Hide in the Shadows｜A Day in the Life of Jesus》 本篇默想马太福音中复活后的对比场景，引导我们看见人面对真理时的两种回应。耶稣的复活迫使人作出选择，也呼召我们在生活中忠于真理。 《Learning the Weight That Sets Us Free｜On Second Thought》 这篇反思文章帮助我们分辨哪些是应当交托给主的重担，哪些是基督呼召我们承担的十字架。真正的自由，来自于向自我死、让基督活。 《When Ethical Shortcuts Dim the Advent Light｜Did You Know》 在将临期的光照中，这篇文章揭示我们在伦理妥协时常见的自我合理化，并以圣经真理呼唤信徒持守不妥协的信仰品格。 《Scripture Reflection: Living Faithfully in the Light of Christ》

As the Day Ends As evening settles and the pace of the day begins to loosen its grip, Advent invites us into a quieter posture—one of reflection rather than striving. The Scriptures remind us that the nearness we long for with God does not come through effort at the end of a long day, but through grace already given. Paul writes that…

DID YOU KNOW Advent is often framed as a season of gentle anticipation—candles, carols, and the quiet hope of Christ’s coming. Yet Advent is also a season of honest preparation. John the Baptist’s voice still echoes through these weeks: “Prepare the way of the Lord” (italics added). Preparation in Scripture is never sentimental. It is searching, clarifying, and, at times, uncomfortable.