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…
Fear can be paralyzing. Fear is, at least, crippling if it dominates our life. If we act out of fear, we most often make wrong choices. Fear is forced upon us by the enemy. Freedom is offered to us by Jesus. Fear or freedom? I choose freedom. I choose fearless faith in Jesus that brings freedom. Fearless faith is utmost confidence in God. Does it exist? Is it fact or fiction? Faith is always a gift that we need to…
Most of us can’t imagine that we’d ever reject God. But the sad truth is many of us is doing it without realizing it. When we insist living our way we are already rejecting God by our actions. The Israelites rejected God by asking for a king. The LORD answered Samuel, “Comply with the people’s request—everything they ask of you—because they haven’t rejected you. No, they’ve rejected me as king over them. They are doing to you only what they’ve…
Do you remember all the wonders God has done to you? Do you remember to stop and say thank you? Samuel shows us how to remain faithful and remember your God also when things are going well. When the Israelites had defeated the Philistines…Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer, explaining, “The LORD helped us to this very point.”(1 Sam. 7:12, CEB) Ebenezer literally means the stone of help. It…
Lent is a perfect time to get an annual spiritual check-up. How is your hearing? How is your vision? How is your spiritual heart-beat? Are you doing OK? “Look! I’m standing at the door and knocking. If any hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to be with them, and will have dinner with them, and they will have dinner with me. ” (Rev. 3:20 CEB) Jesus is knocking. Can you hear him? Or is your…
Are you serving out of love? Or are you helping people because you expect a praise or a reward? Do you ask -like Jesus- “What do you want me to do?” Or is your motivation based on what you can get out of the situation/relationship? It’s time for a motivation check-up. Why do you serve? Or should I ask: Who do you serve?Don’t work to make yourself look good and try to flatter people, but act like slaves of Christ…
We all need love. We are bankrupt without love because God is love and without God we are nothing. We were made to live in God, wrapped in his love and grace. Until we realize that the very essence of love really is God, we don’t know how dependent on God we are to love. We can’t love apart from God. And we are nothing without love. If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m…
I don’t even pretend to be a romance expert. But I know what real love is. And what’s not. In this romance-crazy world people have lost a sense of right and wrong also in the areas of love. Hollywood seems to be the last word on what’s cool and what’s not. Hollywood seems to be the authority over happiness in relationships nowadays. But I dare to say Hollywood does not have a clue about what real love is. Hollywood has…
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…
