As we have been learning throughout the summer, the pandemic life is similar in many ways with the exile life. The people of God found themselves in a foreign lifestyle where they no longer had access to things in life that provided them with a sense of security, normalcy, and familiarity. It must have been unthinkable for them to not have access to the temple and to be unable to worship God with animal sacrifices. Similarly, for us, the pandemic life has stripped us from many basic things that we have taken for granted…

All of us are living in a world where it is hostile against our faith. There are so many influences—both internal and external—that are trying to distract us from placing our trust in God. In this way, Daniel 3 is very instructive for us. During this time period, Daniel and his friends—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—were living in an empire that was also hostile against their faith…

We often underestimate the gospel of Jesus Christ. We look at the gospel as mere tips for improving daily living or as reassurance for something into the distant future. We do this in part because we underestimate our utter hopelessness and how devastating our sin is. Thus, we fail to recognize how undeserving the grace, sacrifice, and love that Jesus Christ expressed through the cross…