Is it hard to believe that God is more interested in you than what you do? That God is more interested in who you are becoming than what you are getting done? So often we are so concerned about our (or other people’s) behavior that we forget what really matters. Psalm 1 declares that people who delight in the Lord are blessed. They are like like a tree firmly planted and tended by the streams of water. At the same…
Do you feel inadequate to be God’s disciple? Are you struggling with insecurities? Today’s post is for you. Here’s what Paul wrote to Timothy from jail. Suddenly Timothy had to take up a primary leadership role and he felt inadequate and maybe a bit terrified of the size of the task waiting for him. Then he receives this letter from Paul reminding him of a very encouraging fact in all of our lives: For God did not give us a…
Do you have heroes of faith? Or do you have a faith-filled role model who preaches the gospel (also) without the words? Good for you. My heroes of faith are people who have God’s image imprinted on their hearts. They are people who let God into their lives and have learned to bask in his love and care. They’ve learned to listen to God and trust him no matter of what. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and…
Do you know how to live to the max? Isn’t that every person’s dream? Yet so many of us fail miserably. We don’t really know how to go about it. Life lived to the max seems like an enigma. Should it be this difficult? Of course not. How then do we mess up our lives so badly? Most likely we look in the wrong places or drift into easy life. How can we then learn to live to the max?…
Do you know that God waits to be gracious to you? That God is ready to show mercy on you? That God loves you so much that he wants to show his endless compassion to you? And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate,…
Do you recognize God’s presence in your life? Or are you too busy to take notice of the divine intervention? These are the questions the Bible asked me today. I was reading the chapter 19 in Luke where Jesus is entering Jerusalem to be crucified. Jesus wept over the city because he knew they were not recognizing and welcoming God’s personal visit. This is how he prophesied: When the city came into view, he wept over it. “If you had…
Do you blame yourself for past mistakes? Do you insist on labeling yourself as a loser? Are you stuck in a rut? It’s time to wake up to see yourself with God’s eyes. It’s time to embrace the freedom of Christ. It’s time to believe the good news of forgiveness and renewal. It’s time to let the bygones be bygones. It’s time to move on into new life with God. Kurt Bubna profoundly writes in his book Epic Grace, Chronicles…
I’ve heard or read the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well many, many times. I’ve been mesmerized by the living water over and over again. But somehow I have never paid much attention to the latter part of the verse until now. Or that’s how it feels this time. How about you? But whoever takes a drink of the water that I will give him shall never, no never, be thirsty any more. But the water…
It’s time for some encouragement, don’t you think? This will be a very short and sweet post today (due to the 3-hour power outage) but here’s the profound truth that keeps me going no matter what: “God is always with me and for me”. We can build our lives on God and his promises. So write this down, beloved of God: God is always with you and for you. This truth is valid for every single person on this planet….
There is no way around it: Love is the most important thing in our lives. Without love we are lost, broken and lonely. But God’s love and grace can change that. Like Kurt Bubna writes in his book Epic Grace, Chronicles of a Recovering Idiot: “Let me tell you from firsthand experience what I know about the love and grace of God. It’s ludicrous. It’s scandalous. It’s crazy. It’s ridiculous. It’s healing and restoring. And it always break my heart….
