Do you know how precious you are? Do you know your worth? Do you know how loved you are? I hope you do. Because you are all that and even more. You’re not a mere mortal, you are an eternal being called into life by God himself. You find your true worth and identity in Christ. God sent Jesus to die for us so he could save us and then lavish us with the immeasurable riches of his grace in…
Did you know that Jesus did not die only for our salvation? According to the Bible he also died so that we would ‘die to sin and live to righteousness’ (1 Peter 2:24). Being saved by grace is not the end. It is the beginning of holy living. God hasn’t invited us into a disorderly, unkempt life but into something holy and beautiful—as beautiful on the inside as the outside. (1 Thessalonians 4:7, MSG) Grace does not excuse us from…
Have you lately heard people saying “don’t try, just do it”? It applies to Christian living too. So often we say “I’ll try to read the Bible and take time to be with God” but then off we go and don’t do anything to make it happen. But that’s not how it works. Saying that we’ll try is not enough. We might fool others but God sees right into our heart. But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine…
Yesterday, I visited dear friends that I’ve pretty much known since childhood. What a blessing to be with people who have always been there for you no matter what and who share the most sacred thing in life: faith in Jesus Christ. As J. Vernon McGee has said “There is a brotherhood within the body of believers, and the Lord Jesus Christ is the common denominator. Friendship and fellowship are the legal tender among believers.” We truly need each other….
This Dietrich Bonhoeffer quote captured me this morning, so I just had to share it with you. Hopefully – if you want to be a Christian – it will touch a chord in you and inspire you to put your faith in practice too. “If we want to be Christians, we must have some share in Christ’s large-heartedness by acting with responsibility and in freedom when the hour of danger comes, and by showing a real sympathy that springs, not…
Do you know what is the secret of boldness? It’s the same reason why the apostles were so bold in proclaiming the gospel. It’s the same reason why Christians all over the world dare to do things out of their comfort zones. It’s the same reason that keeps you and me going when things get tough. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. (Psalm…
Do you feel that you’ve lost your true direction? Do you spend your life in less than formidable ways? It’s time to turn around, my friend. God has a good plan for you. How do you find God’s plan for you? How can you find your true direction? The same way than Jesus trained his apostles. By being with him. How do you do that? “Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God,…
How do you renew your mind? How are you becoming more Christ-like day in, day out? There’s no shortcuts here. We can only grow in faith by abiding in God. How do we do that? By practicing ancient Christian disciplines like prayer and reading the Bible. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and…
Do you know that God has plans for you? Do you know what’s God’s dream for you? Do you know what God has planned for you to do? Because God has a plan for you. For all of his children. First of all, God wishes all men to be saved and [increasingly] to perceive and recognize and discern and know precisely and correctly the [divine] Truth (2 Tim. 2:4, AMP). God wants all to be saved but that’s not all…
It’s almost funny how some odd things of the Bible holds your interest. I’ve been reading the Old Testament in the chronological order and I am almost done, a bit of Nehemiah and then just Malachi left this time around. Anyway. About the odd things that keep you thinking. The prayer in chapter nine in Nehemiah is a powerful prayer…but…there’s no ‘Amen’ at the end. Does it even matter? This is what puzzled me. Amen is a beautiful word meaning…
