Today I want to talk about weaknesses. We all have them even though we don’t want to admit them. We use too much energy to cover them up. But that’s not wise. We will then miss something beautiful and profound: God’s strength in us. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my…
I love bed time stories and the time spent as a family at the end of the day. Currently we are reading through the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis. I can’t really tell who is the most eager to get back into the story each night. I truly admire C.S. Lewis’ skill to write such an adventurous story. Most of all, I am in awe of his ability to weave complex faith-related concepts into the stories with such ease. After…
Life can be demanding. The world can be harsh. Yet I hope you choose to hope and believe no matter what. The last word is God’s. And that word is good for all who choose to hope and believe in Jesus. Hoping against hope, Abraham believed…(Romans 4:18, NRSV) Likewise we are invited to believe even when things look sad, bad or otherwise discouraging. Our hope is not in perishable things. Our hope is not set in philosophies or positive or …
Today’s word prompt is ‘same’. Right away I though of God Almighty who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. But I realize I’ve already written a thought-provoking post about that. So I had to think another way to approach the word ‘same’. What could it be? Then this Bible verse came into my mind: Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own…
Do you adjust your life to God? Or do you expect God to serve you? Your answers to these questions reveal who is the center of your life. People whose lives are based on selfishness think about selfish things, but people whose lives are based on the Spirit think about things that are related to the Spirit. 6 The attitude that comes from selfishness leads to death, but the attitude that comes from the Spirit leads to life and peace. 7 So…
Do you know that God chooses you? Time after time. No matter what, God chooses you. This kind of grace-filled love empowers us, don’t you think? Especially when we know that God said yes to us before we’ve said yes to him. God’s yes is pure grace. God chooses us because he loves us, not because we’d be so perfect or other wise noteworthy. Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In him, this is what…
I caught myself in the middle of night asking “God, why do we need to die?” after dreaming of some people I was dearly missing. Instantly, I was reminded of what happened in my childhood. How I had turned from a sunny to sullen child after my grandmother’s death. My mother had asked me what’s wrong and I had told her ‘I hate God’. She asked me why I thought so. And I had told her ‘because he makes people…
Here’s what you need to know today and every day for the rest of your life: you are God’s beloved. Nothing will ever change it. You are God’s beloved, that’s your identity. For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. (Zephaniah 3:17, NLT) David G. Benner writes “What a…
Many of us want to be guided by God alone. It’s a wonderful concept, isn’t it? But how do you put it in practice in real life? How does God guide us these days? How can we live for God alone? The best advice comes from Jehoshaphat in the Bible: “But before you do anything, ask God for guidance.” (2 Chronicles 18:4, MSG,*) Whatever you do, start with asking God for guidance. Then your project is not in your…
How would your life be different if you dared to “live as if Christ died yesterday, rose this morning, and is coming back tomorrow “(Martin Luther)? This question has been staying with me for quite a long time now. You are called to rethink your life with Jesus Christ too. Are you really following him? Would you be ready to state like Jack Hyles “I’d rather die in the will of God than to live outside of it”? When you’re…
