It is fun to see how children learn Bible stories and act them out in their play, like our son yelling “I am strong like Samson!” in the triumphant superman pose. Samson’s life story is indeed colorful but, all in all, rather sad, don’t you think? He was wasting his gifts! Lord, have mercy! Samson had everything going for him. He had godly parents and he knew he was specially chosen and gifted. But he ended up misusing his gifts…
Faith is not an abstract idea. Nor it is a passive acceptance of certain set of beliefs. Faith is not merely a matter of eternity, either. Faith is God in action within us now. Faith is God changing us inside out. And then we are sent to live out our faith in our communities. Because faith needs to be lived and shared. That way it becomes visible. It wasn’t so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes…
Compassion makes life beautiful. Compassion makes life worth living. Compassion gives us a glimpse of heaven here on earth. Because God is is the epitome of compassion. If we want to be compassionate we need to become more like him. The fifth spiritual fruit discribed in Galatians 5:22 has traditionally been translated kindness (NIV/NRSV/CEB) or gentleness (KJV). The Message describes it as “a sense of compassion in the heart”. I think it is more thought-provoking than kindness or gentleness. It…
Whose side are you on? You know, there’s no middle ground. Even if we’d like it to be so. Jesus said: “Whoever isn’t with me is against me, and whoever doesn’t gather with me scatters.” (Matthew 12:30, CEB) This verse stopped me this morning. I’m either with Jesus or I am against him. I either gather with Jesus or I scatter. No other alternatives. Jesus or no Jesus. Whose side are you on? God wants it all. God wants obedience….
All my Bible readings today spoke about the importance of having a humble heart. The words of Jesus in Matthew 11:29 captured my attention right away: “I’m gentle and humble in heart.” We are called to be like Jesus. “Lord, how can I live this in my life? How can I be gentle and humble in heart”, I pray. I currently reading through Judges. Today’s passage happened to be about Gideon whose faith was even admired in Hebrews (11:32-34). Gideon…
Oh, how few find time for prayer! There is time for everything else, time to sleep and time to eat, time to read the newspaper and the novel, time to visit friends, time for everything else under the sun, but – no time for prayer, the most important of all things, the one great essential!~ Oswald J. Smith Nobody ever got anything from God on the grounds that he deserved it. Haven fallen, man deserves only punishment and death. So…
Have you experienced the power of prayer? Have you earnestly cried out your concerns to God and received peace, healing, grace? Prayer is for sure one of the most amazing gifts God has given us. If you haven’t experienced the power of prayer, don’t waist one more minute! Why? E.M. Bounds explains “Four things let us keep ever in mind: God hears prayer, God heeds prayer, God answers prayer, and God delivers by prayer.” One of my most marvelous prayer…
C.T.Studd has said “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him”. I agree wholeheartedly. But I also agree with Dr. David Livingstone asking “If a commission by an earthly king is considered a honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?…People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. It is emphatically no…
A life filled with harmony, peace, and love is something we all want. And, yet, we can’t quite achieve it. Because harmony, peace, and love are by-products of living well, not things we can force to appear. But how could we live the way these things would naturally appear? How could we live in love? How could we create life full of faith, hope, and love? Dear friends, let’s love each other, because love is from God, and everyone who…
Did you know that you are a very important person in God’s plans? For real. It does not necessarily feel like it or even look like it from your perspective. But when you look at the big picture or from God’s perspective, you see the importance of every person in the relay of faith. Just the same way we need to look at the big picture and not to be satisfied with partial truths when we are reading the Bible….
