Just a quick reminder for all of us that we don’t need a telescope or a microscope or read horoscopes to find God or realize the hollowness of life without him. We are nothing without God. Our lives are just a big, ugly, shallow show without him. Blessedly, God sent his only son to make us complete in Christ. Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don’t need a telescope, a…
Are you on God’s team? Good for you. How does that affect your everyday life? How’s teamwork part of your life? Are you pulling for the team God? Are you doing your part as a team member? I hope so. You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts—limbs, organs, cells—but no matter how many parts you can name, you’re still one body. It’s exactly…
Grace is straightforward. It’s uncomplicated. It’s plain-sailing. Why then do we make it complicated? Difficult to understand? Demanding? Because grace is a sure thing for all who believe in Jesus. It is a gift from God for all who welcome Jesus. God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life. (John 3:16, CEB) God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you…
I’ve been a long time trying to convey people that we are nothing but egotistical maniacs without Christ. The ego monster within us will talk incessantly about me, mine, myself if Christ and his grace does not fill us. We need to die to ourselves daily to allow Christ take over and make us better. Christ is our power. Such is the confidence and steadfast reliance and absolute trust that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficiently qualified in…
Once in awhile it is wise to get back to basics, to remind ourselves what faith is all about. If our foundation of faith is not build on the rock, nothing really clicks. We need to get back to basics and get our foundation right. Then we can move on and build upon the solid foundation. God sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world to clear that world of sin. Having faith in him sets us in the clear….
What’s your take on happiness? Is it overrated or is it something you expect to be? Sometimes Christians think it’s not something we should be. But how could we not if we’ve been right with God? What if happiness is holy? But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful. (Psalm 68:3, NIV,*) Happiness is an outward expression of an inner joy. Nothing but Jesus can make us truly joy-filled. Nothing but Jesus…
I’ve been raspberry picking this week. We have lots of wild raspberry bushes just behind our garage. Raspberries are so delicious, aren’ they? They’ve taught me something too. If you look at a raspberry bush, it doesn’t look anything special, does it? But if you humble yourself and kneel down, you find treasures you did not expect from just looking at the bush. See yourself!This made me think that this is how we should live our lives too: humbly and serving…
Have you been wondering what to do with all the hate going around? Hurt people hurt people. It seems like there is more and more toxic waste going around. Is there anything we can do about it? Or should we just give in? Absolutely not! We have the way to make a huge difference in the world. Even start a revolution of grace? Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing,…
Have you been hurt badly? Do you think the offence should not be pardoned? Do you think God should not extend grace to your offender? I hear you. It is hard to understand why God would offer grace for all sinners. But he does. Because he loves us. TheBible tells us: And He [that same Jesus] is the propitiation for our sins [the atoning sacrifice that holds back the wrath of God that would otherwise be directed at us because…
Sometimes you hear people saying that Christianity is not important any more. That the message of Jesus Christ is not that much needed in today’s world. That the power of grace is weakening or, at least, its not so meaningful any more. I could not disagree more. The world seems to be going crazy. There hasn’t been a time when God’s grace was more needed than right now. And, for the record, the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ…
