Today we complete our series on Old Testament heroes with the story of Noah. It may be one of the most familiar stories in the Bible. We will visit the story to see what it meant and what it means for us today.

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The beginning of a new school year is a good time for all of us to “begin again” and set some new goals. Today we will walk through a series of tests from 1 John. Tests help us evaluate where we are and where we need to grow.

Last Sunday we talked about the examples of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They lived out faith in God and absolute devotion to Him, even if it cost them their lives. Today’s message finds them stepping toward execution in a fiery furnace. We sometimes ask, “Where is God?” when such times come. The answer is, “He is with you.”

Today we explore the first half of the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were called on to worship the king and in doing so, violate their commitments to the Lord God. The cost of being true to God would be death in a fiery furnace. What does our devotion look like when devotion to God costs us something?

There are routine days when life is fairly simple and not particularly demanding. Relationship to God doesn’t require much extra from us. Then, there are those other days. There are days that come to us as defining moments when we must decide what we really believe about God and how we are going to live with Him and for Him. Elijah had such days. May today be such a day for us.

Everyone has fears. We fear the future. We fear the losses of life. We fear growing old. We fear being alone. We fear things big and small. God calls us to be a people of faith rather than a people characterized by fear. What faith step do you need to take with the Lord to overcome fear?

Esther is one of two books in the Bible named for women. The plot points involving this biblical heroine fill the story with drama, unique characters, and plot twists. Ultimately, the story comes down to a young woman named Esther, who was in the right place at the right time and made a courageous decision. What can we learn from her story?

Hear about the calling of a prophet, the message of a prophet, and the toll of a prophet.

Jonah struggled in his life with understanding God's expansive love for not only other people but himself. It is only when we began to understand God's love for him was his heart transformed into the man God was calling him to be. The same goes for us today in our daily lives. Loving others is a guide in identifying how we understand God's love for us.

Daniel was taken from his home in Jerusalem as a young man and relocated to Babylon. He moved from a place where the Lord God was worshiped and moved to a place that rejected his God and his biblical worldview. Daniel’s example has multiple applications for us as our surrounding culture becomes less like “Jerusalem” and more like “Babylon.”