In my devotions this morning, I was struck by...well, coincidence.  I was reading the account of Jesus' birth in Luke 2. It notes that a civil census required Mary and Joseph to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born.  It struck me that Luke doesn't record this as a fulfillment of prophecy.  But in Matthew's account of Jesus' birth, when the Magi inquire of the birthplace of the new king, Herod is told by the scribes that, according to prophecy, the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem.

I must admit that I am thoroughly fascinated by earthquakes.  This is not because I like to see people suffer.  Rather, I am intrigued by the geology of it...and what the Bible says regarding these phenomenon.  I am interested in how earthquakes likely played a role in the world-wide flood at the time of Noah.

So, this morning my eyes perked up when I read in my devotions, "Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever."

When it came to his dedication to Jesus, Simon Peter was absolutely oozing with confidence!  He was sure that he had Jesus' back, no matter what came His way!  He was Jesus' right-hand man!

Several years ago, when I mentioned in a sermon that Jesus is our friend, I had someone question me about that.  We talk about Jesus being our Savior and our Lord.  But we don't often talk about Him as being friend.  Thanks to the popular Phillips, Craig and Dean song "Friend of God," this concept is more familiar.