The reality -or even just a feeling- of homelessness is not fun. We hate the insecurity it brings to us. Over a dozen years ago I stored my stuff in order to study abroad. Tearing down my home was hard. Somehow as an adult I felt worthless to not to have a permanent home address. But God -who is rich in mercy- taught me a lesson I won’t forget. Gently I was probed to look for the foundation of my…
How does it feel to be the focus of God’s love? Astonishing, right? But it is true. For each and every one of us. Because of God’s love we can live in his grace. Because of God’s amazing love we can be made whole and holy. We just need to separate God’s love from our circumstances. Happiness and easy life are not proof of God’s love. Hardships and rough patches on our journey are not signs that God’s love would…
We are children of God and God loves every one of us. God loves not just our Sunday best but every part of us. He doesn’t divide us into the loveable and the unlovable parts. He just loves us. It really does sound too good to be true. God’s love is astonishing but nonetheless true. He created us and loves what he created. There’s nothing he would not do for us. Just think of Calvary. If you ever doubt God’s…
We are all pilgrims on our way to God. We yearn to know how to make it. Psalm 119 provides us helpful ways to ensure progress on our pilgrimage. Let’s see what they are. 1) KEEP ON WALKING This looks too obvious. But too often we sit down and don’t keep on walking. We are on journey. This world is not our home. We are on our way to home and we need to keep on walking. Slowly but surely…
I was running some errands the other day when a couple of questions popped up in my mind. Who would have thought that God would become a man? Who would have thought the whole salvation history? Who would have thought all of it? I laughed out loud when I came across this C.S. Lewis quote: “Reality, in fact, is usually something you could not have guessed. That is one of the reasons I believe Christianity. It is a religion you…
God does not play hide and seek, he wants to be found. God does not play any games. But it does not mean that he would not have a terrific sense of humor. For example, my friends were praying that God would give them a car. Few days later there was a raffle with a chance to win a red sports car. They bought a ticket….and they did get a car….a real beauty but it was only 2 inches long….
Easter is such a huge event in the lives of Christians that we prepare for it for 40 days and now we celebrate it for 40 days. The meaning of resurrection really needs this much intentional reflection time. It is so unbelievably amazing and profoundly wonderful! But, most of all, it is life-changing! It’s resurrection, resurrection, always resurrection, that undergirds what I do and say, the way I live. If there’s no resurrection, “We eat, we drink, the next day…
Throughout this season of Lent I’ve been trying to ready myself for Easter joy by praying, fasting, and listening to God. Today I will share the biggest repentance trigger of my Bible readings this Lent. Does this speak to you as loud as it did for me? Then Jesus went with them to a garden called Gethsemane and told his disciples, “Stay here while I go over there and pray.” Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he…
How long has it been that you’ve been embraced by God? How long has it been that you’ve been read by the Word? How long has it been that you’ve been home to God? God misses you. God is dying to see you. God is waiting for you to return to him! Do you remember the parables in Luke 15? 99 sheep and 1 lost and how the shepherd did everything to find the lost one? And how he rejoiced…
We all want to live well. Just too often we mess up things and forget how to live blessed in God’s way. Instead of praying we worry. And by worrying we forget the most important thing of life: our relationship with God. Too often we want something our way so badly that we forget to see what’s happening around us. Our fists are so tightly closed that we receive nothing God tries to give us. “Cursed is the strong one…
