After the shiddukhim, or marriage contract, the second element of ancient Jewish weddings is engagement, or betrothal, known as erusin in Hebrew. After their immersion in the mikvah, the bride and groom enter a shelter known as the huppah, or marriage canopy. This symbolizes the couple entering into a contract to establish a new household. For Christians, this serves as a beautiful picture of our betrothal to Christ.

Paul's concern for all the churches -- he calls it "the daily pressure" -- sometimes places him in the middle of squabbles in local communities of faith. When possible, Paul seeks to repair these fissures before they split congregations apart. A case in point: the church at Philippi, where he reminds those at odds with one another that they share an entry in the book of life.

In Phillipians 4:3, Paul declares that Euodia, Syntyche, Clement, and the rest of Paul's coworksrs have their names written in the book of life. This is cause for great rejoicing -- a jubilation that transcends the challenges facing believers in Philippi. "Rejoice in the Lord always," Paul urges them. "I will say it again: Rejoice!"

In the parable of the ten virgins, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a special time at the end of a Jewish betrothal, when the groom comes for his bride. It's a riveting story, which begins with ten bridesmaids lighting their lamps and going out to meet the groom. It ends with five of the bridesmaids denied entry into the banquet.

The LDS Church cites Hebrews 12:23 as one of the "Scriptures" revealing the Church of the Firstborn. And Latter-day Saints today continue to carry out temple works in the hopes of joining the coterie of gods in the highest level of the celestial kingdom. But is future deity what the writer of Hebrews really had in mind?

Lacey Shelton is a women's Bible teacher at First Baptist Church, Ozark. A former public-school teacher, she has taught various age-group Bible studies at her church.

Listen to the third in a series of interviews about the Trinity between the MBC's Rob Phillips and Carmen LaBerge of The Reconnect on Faith Radio. In this session, they explore God the Father -- the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, Father of Israel, and the Father of followers of his Son, Jesus Christ.

God's Word commands Christians to love peace and to make peace. Even so, followers of Jesus understand that conflicts of every kind have punctuated human history since the Fall. So, how are Christians to regard war and peace as we eagerly await Christ's return?

There's ample evidence in Scripture that a supernatural creature commonly called Satan actually exists. He is a created being, not merely a symbol of evil, a figure of speech, or a mysterious dark force. He's an angelic being of superior intelligence and power; a roaming lion with a ravenous appetite for evil; a master of disguise who often appears as an angel of light; and much more.

Does God draw a line in the sand when it comes to sin? Can those who reject the one living and true God rebel against him so grievously, and reject his grace so persistently, they pass a point of no return? Passing the Point of No Return addresses these questions by exploring biblical accounts of people and people groups that ignore God's warning and step across a divinely written line in the sand.