The commercial adds try to tell us what is essential for Easter. But only one thing is essential for Easter: a ready heart. Has your lenten journey readied your heart for Jesus? There’s still time to do it. We are not to rush ahead to Easter. Rather, we need to work on readying our heart. Have we surrendered our selfish hopes and false expectations? Have we confessed our sins and repented them? Are we ready to die with Jesus? Search…
On days when life is difficult and I feel overwhelmed, as I do fairly often, it helps to remember in my prayers that all God requires of me is to trust Him and be His friend. I find I can do that. ~Bruce Larson Great grief prays with great earnestness. Prayer is not a collection of balanced phrases; it is the pouring out of the soul. What is love if it be not fiery? What are prayers if the heart…
Have you experienced Jesus firsthand? Or have you settled with second hand Jesus? Do you personally know Jesus? Or do you trust other people’s opinion on Jesus? Please, don’t be satisfied with second hand Jesus. Many talk about Jesus as a great teacher or a sage prophet. Some even pass on the saving knowledge of Jesus as Messiah. But they miss the amazing opportunity to have a personal relationship with Jesus. Knowing Jesus firsthand is what’s eternal life is all…
The world thinks authenticity is about expressing yourself, being true to yourself. But the Bible tells us quite the opposite. David F. Wells states “Authenticity, theologically speaking, is not simply about being true to ourselves or about being satisfied with ourselves. It is about being true to who we are in Christ”. This means that if we want to live authentically, we need to be true to who we are in Christ. But we can’t find our identity in Christ…
As we approach the Holy week my mind has started swirling around the sacrifice of Jesus. I am in awe of vastness of God’s love. And then I think if God loved us so immensely … how should we respond to him? We can’t save ourselves but we can’t help but love God in return. How could we love God more and more? So, brothers and sisters, because of God’s mercies, I encourage you to present your bodies as a…
God called Jeremiah to be his prophet. Right afterwards God gave him on the job training: The LORD asked me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I said, “A branch of an almond tree.” The LORD then said, “You are right, for I’m watching overmy word until it is fulfilled.” (Jeremiah 1: 11-12, CEB) There’s a word play going here in Hebrew. The Message translation catches the humorous zest between Jeremiah and God so well: God’s Message came to me: “What…
Everything starts with God. It’s always God first. He comes to us. He pours out his love and grace. He calls us. The LORD’s word came to me: “Before I created you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I set you apart; I made you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:4-5, CEB What will you do when God calls YOU out? Because he does have a plan also for you. “Ah, LORD God,” I said,…
God looks not at the elegancy of your prayers, to see how neat they are; nor yet at the geometry of your prayers, to see how long they are; nor yet at the arithmetic of your prayers, to see how many they are; nor yet at the music of your prayers, nor yet at the sweetness of your voice, nor yet at the logic of your prayers; but at the sincerity of your prayers, how hearty they are. There is…
An old saying insists that love is blind. I dare to disagree. I think real love is not blind. But that’s the thing. Infatuation is blind. But real love is not. Real love is many things but not blind. Love is patient, love is kind, it isn’t jealous, it doesn’t brag, it isn’t arrogant, it isn’t rude, it doesn’t seek its own advantage, it isn’t irritable, it doesn’t keep a record of complaints, it isn’t happy with injustice, but it…
Have you ever been so broken, shattered into zillion little pieces, that you were sure there was no hope for you? Or are you heart-broken right now? There’s good news for broken people! In Jesus all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies! There’s hope because of Jesus’ blood that poured down from the cross! He [Jesus] was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the…
