In Revelation 2:1-7, we read the letter to the church in Ephesus, a cosmopolitan port city where intellectual and religious currents were always trying to divert the faith of the Christians. Jesus commended the Ephesian Christians for standing firm for the faith in such a difficult environment but called them back to something essential they had forgotten – love. Although truth and love are equally important, they are often difficult to keep together in practice. Like the Ephesians, we need to make sure we maintain faith in the truth and practice love for God, for each other, and for our neighbor.
In Ruth 4, we come to the conclusion of the story of Ruth. However, the author has several surprises in store for us readers...
As the second Adam and the faithful Israel, Jesus resisted temptation and so can help us when we are tempted.
To be ready for Jesus’ coming, we need to be doing what he has already told us to do.