My heart is full of all the things I want to share with you. In short: do not go about your day without marveling and embracing the grace of God. It’s amazing and it’s been brought to you by the blood of Christ. So do not put it in vain without accepting and receiving it. Not only for your salvation but for your everyday enjoyment and encouragement. Because you are meant to live to the praise of his grace and…
The Cambridge Dictionary defines influence as “the power to have an effect on people or things”. We’d like to think we do not have any influence not so ever to be free to do whatever we like. But, no, that’s not how it works. We influence and we are influenced by people we meet and by things we read and watch. So what to do? We need to choose what kind of person we want to become and what kind…
God did not send Jesus to the world so good people could be rewarded. He sent Jesus so everyone – also hopeless has-beens – could be saved by grace. None of us deserves any grace. It is not given for good people but for desperate people in need of salvation who want to receive grace upon grace. First grace to be saved and then grace to do good. Augustinus has said, “For grace is given not because we have done…
Thankfulness might seem like a waste of time but it’s not. Quite the opposite, actually. Thankfulness blesses us more than we can imagine. How do I know this, you ask. I know by experience. Also, the Bible tells us so. Thankfulness welcomes God into our life. And when that happens, everything changes. Because the power of God is more than we can imagine. And this is the power that is not forceful. Instead, when invited, it brings peace and joy. And…
Do you love to see a play or a movie after you’ve read the book? I do. It’s like comparing notes with another reader. Sometimes I feel like the production team has unearthed the characters according to my notes and it makes me feel a bit giddy. Of course, I might be a bit annoyed if they have not fully understood the complexity of the characters as I did. This week I got another kind of giddy reaction. I ran…
Are you aware of a place where you can be restored, renewed, and recharged? We all need such places in our lives. Our lives are so hectic these days that we need places where we can rest and rejuvenate. Even more important is to know a place where we can be spiritually restored, renewed, and recharged. And we should know how to get into that place whenever we feel like it. Do you know how to get to the sweetest…
Most people seem to think it’s up to them to reach their full potential. They think it’s about will-power and dedication and, yes, those are good qualities. Yet life, success, and reaching your full potential is not at the end about you. And even if you would do everything in your power to reach your full potential, you would still have not reached all you can be. Because just as some parts of our identity is hidden in Christ, so…
Today I was reminded of opening my hands to receive what God has for me. It shocked me a bit because I had thought I was open for God to move freely in and through my life. But I was reminded to empty and open my hands to receive. So I must have had something in them to keep me from being open-handed. That got me thinking: what kind of things do we keep in our hands even without noticing…
Completing something feels great, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, we don’t get to feel that too often. Life is full of incomplete things and unfinished business. And, what is the most annoying thing, we aren’t finished products either. If we don’t want to always be unsatisfied at some level, we need to learn to embrace our imperfectness. Because as long as we pretend we are already perfect and complete, we are not learning and growing. Instead, we are merely existing. But when…
This summer has been very dry. Droughts have caused a lot of problems around the globe. No matter how advanced science becomes, we still can’t make rain. Just like the rain comes from God, so does grace. We can’t make rain, neither we can make grace or save ourselves. Also, just like it rains on everyone, so is grace meant to everyone. God is eager to pour out grace upon grace on everyone. Grace is like rain, just as pure and…
