We are children of God and God loves every one of us. God loves not just our Sunday best but every part of us. He doesn’t divide us into the loveable and the unlovable parts. He just loves us. It really does sound too good to be true. God’s love is astonishing but nonetheless true. He created us and loves what he created. There’s nothing he would not do for us. Just think of Calvary. If you ever doubt God’s…
God is calling us to a radical life-change. Are you ready? Because “God is kind, but he’s not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change.” (Romans 2:4, MSG) We are called to be followers of Jesus Christ. Not just fans that keep on doing whatever they wish. Where are you in your walk? Are you a fan of Jesus or are you ready to really follow whatever the cost? This…
You never know when an Aha moment arrives. I was reading a Christian chick-lit book “Queen Esther & the Second Graders of Doom” by Allie Pleiter (Steeple Hill, 2006) for entertainment purposes only and unexpectedly came across with a thought-provoking analysis. Pastor Mark in the story said after a church disagreement: “I am just happy to get them to care at all. Opinion is not my enemy, apathy is.” Indeed!! Opinion is not my enemy, apathy is! I’ve…
The demands of everyday life are great. Sometimes I do wonder how we all manage to get by with all the things we are asked to do. Juggling seems to be the style of living for many of us. Yet life is meant to be enjoyed, people cherished, and God worshiped. We all want peace, love, and harmony. How do we get there? The trick here is to do something the world despises: put ourselves last. But by putting God…
We are all pilgrims on our way to God. We yearn to know how to make it. Psalm 119 provides us helpful ways to ensure progress on our pilgrimage. Let’s see what they are. 1) KEEP ON WALKING This looks too obvious. But too often we sit down and don’t keep on walking. We are on journey. This world is not our home. We are on our way to home and we need to keep on walking. Slowly but surely…
This famous quote by St. Francis of Assisi “Preach the gospel always, if necessary, use words” gives us a push to LIVE our faith. Words are important but we need to walk the talk, too. “No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a washtub or shoves it under the bed. No, you set it up on a lamp stand so those who enter the room can see their way. We’re not keeping secrets; we’re telling them. We’re…
It might be Friday the 13th but This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Ps.118:24) Yes, let’s rejoice! It might be Friday the 13th but all the promises of the Bible are in effect also today. Earlier, before you knew God personally, you were enslaved to so-called gods that had nothing of the divine about them. But now that you know the real God—or rather since God knows you—how can you…
Accepting help is sometimes very hard. We are supposed to be independent and manage on our own, right? Hence it is terrifying to admit that we do need help, at least, once in awhile. We would like to be perfect and self-sufficient. Maybe that’s pride talking because we were created to live together. That’s why practicing giving and receiving help creates community and it paves a way for Christ to enter our hearts and minds. Asking forgiveness is sometimes very…
What does following Jesus really mean? Sure, it means we’re saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and for that we give thanks to God! But how is God calling you to follow? Because God loves and calls each and everyone of use uniquely, taking into consideration our personality and life experiences. We are not just a bunch of people to God. We are individuals with needs, desires, and dreams. We are God’s children with whom he wants to…
Today, I am honored to be guest-blogging at Janet Harllee’s wonderful blog Just a Closer Stumble with Thee. Thanks for this opportunity, Janet! God bless you! I can’t live without prayer. I know some people rarely pray. They might even intellectually believe in the power of prayer but they don’t really practice it. Or they go through the motions of prayer but they don’t really believe in the power of prayer anyway. Somehow they can live without prayer just fine….
