The first letter to Thessalonians starts the way I would like to be described and remembered. Every time we think of you, we thank God for you. Day and night you’re in our prayers as we call to mind your work of faith, your labor of love, and your patience of hope in following our Master, Jesus Christ, before God our Father. (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3, MSG’*) I would like to be a person recalled by my work of faith, my…
How knowledgeable are you about grace? Grace is not complicated. Grace is simple yet powerful. There are four essential things you need to know about grace. Here’s grace 101 for you. First of all, we are saved by grace through faith. God’s grace is a free gift to us. All we need to do is to turn to God in repentance and ask to receive grace upon grace. Everything is ready for us. There’s nothing for us to do but…
‘Go tell it to the mountains’ was the first thing that went through my mind when I learned this week’s Five minute Friday prompt was ‘tell’. We are indeed commanded to go and tell everyone that Jesus has come for each of us. But are we really living out this command? How does is show in our everyday life? Ouch. “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this…
Lately God has been waking me up (literally) to see my sinfulness. God has reminded me of some choices I have made in my life and led me to repent for them. Even though during that time of my life I did not even think they had been questionable. I did not know any better then. Selfishness does not produce good fruit. Selfishness paves the way to destruction whether we realize it or not. Go home and wash up. Clean…
Some people tell me Christianity is old-fashioned. Do you know what? I think they got it all wrong. Christianity is not old-fashioned. Christianity is futuristic. Christianity is just ahead of the times. My plans aren’t your plans, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my plans than your plans. (Isaiah 55:8-9, CEB,*) You see, if we try to be up…
Does summer for you mean living without routines? I love it. We truly need to break routines once in awhile. But the fact is living without routines can be disastrous. Also for our spiritual well-being. Routines help us stay focused on the right things. While on vacation we might forget to keep our daily date with God. For a few days it does not matter that much. God does not move anywhere. Grace is valid even when we do not…
Who do you say Jesus is? This is one of the most important questions you ever answer. Who is Jesus to you? Is Jesus a philosopher, a teacher, a radical social activist or something more personal, maybe even life-changing? This is what Peter answered to Jesus’ question: Simon Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16, CEB,*) How about you? Is Jesus a savior to you? Do you think Jesus is the son of…
Have you ever taken a selfie? Do you enjoy seeing your friends’ selfies? These self portraits usually give us glimpses of their lives. Have you ever wondered how the selfie of God would look like? The Son is the image of the invisible God, the one who is first over all creation. (Col.1:15, CEB,*) The selfie of God is Jesus. The selfie of God is indeed Jesus. And it is a huge blessing. Without Jesus we would not have an access to…
Too often we take life granted. We forget how fragile we are. We forget that we can’t control everything. We forget that there are not guarantees in life. And most of all we focus on the earthly things and forget God. We flirt with the destructive things and wonder why we don’t feel close to God. We are in danger of becoming enemies of the cross. As I have told you many times and now say with deep sadness, many…
Over and over again the Bible proclaims that if we repent, God will forgive us. This grace feels too good to be true. Yet it is true. Love, grace, and forgiveness form together the very essence of God. Because we are not able to become holy on our own, God sent his only son to redeem us. Because Jesus died on the cross for our sins, we can be forgiven by grace through faith in Jesus. But if we confess…
