Today’s word for the Five Minute Friday blog challenge is park. I love parks but I don’t want to write about parks. Instead, I want to urge you to position yourself in God’s presence. Once you’ve learned to establish yourself in a sense of God’s presence, put up a sign stating “Park yourself here”. Because there’s no better place than that. In God’s presence is fullness of joy. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is…
I saw this DaySpring eCard on my Facebook feed this morning. It has a quote by Tony Evans stating “Faith doesn’t make sense. It makes miracles.” What a beautiful thought. It gives us permission to relax in God’s grace. Faith doesn’t have to make sense. It is not of this world. But what really matters: faith makes miracles. Faith makes miracles It sounds a bit outrageous first, don’t you think? How could we produce miracles? Well, we can’t but God…
It’s great that we trust God. But we are also called to follow Christ. We can’t omit the cross and Christ. Dietrich Bonhoeffer states “Christianity without discipleship is Christianity without Christ.” As followers of Jesus we can’t dictate our own terms or decide what we are willing to do. We can’t write our own program to suit our whims and wants. We can’t limit our following to our comprehension. It’s too limited. We are called to follow Christ beyond comprehension….
How do you feel about spiritual testing? Are you tired of trials? I hear you. But, believe me, there’s more to testing and trials than we might think. There’re hidden blessings involved, you know. Each trial has a purpose Warren Wiersbe has said “Life’s trials are not easy. But in God’s will, each has a purpose. Often He uses them to enlarge you.” This already make me feel better of tests and trials. Each trial has a purpose. God has…
It takes time to learn to trust God completely. The more we dare to trust, the more trustworthy we find God. Little by little we learn that God will never let us down no matter how difficult our situation is. Learning to trust God completely is a process for sure. But so worth it. Take Jacob, for example. When he had to run away from Esau, God met him in the middle of nowhere and blessed him with an encouraging…
It’s not a secret that I love reading the Bible. There are many reasons of course. One of them is the surprise factor. You see, the Bible is the Living Word of God and when we read it prayerfully, the Holy Spirit surprises us time after time. The boring parts becomes precious, old things get new meanings and historical things becomes personal. Encouraging words for sure. Try it yourself. Keep at it regularly. And your life is not the same…
Do you know that the enemy uses pride to lure us away from the Lord? It is hard to die for yourself and live only to the Lord. But that’s the calling of every Christian. But we don’t like it. And that’s when the enemy steps in. He tries to make us believe that pride is not really a sin. That we actually deserve some praise and acknowledgement. Slowly the anti-God state of mind starts to grow in us. A…
How do you communicate with God? Most often people say “through prayer”. And that’s great. Just don’t forget prayer is a two-way conversation. Prayer is not just about you telling God what’s wrong with your life. Prayer is also about listening to God. Yes, God still speaks today. God wants to communicate with you directly. God’s invitation to listen is real. God’s invitation to listen is for you Yes, you’re invited. God wants to interact with you. Not just once…
How are your discipleship routines? Are you diligent in obeying God? Are you reading your Bible even when you don’t feel like it? You answers tell a lot about your thoughts about how a Christian should live his/her life. Let’s see what others have said about discipleship and obedience. Eugene Peterson states “A disciple is a life-long learner: not an academic acquiring information about God, but a craftsman acquiring skills in the faith.” I do agree. Being a disciple is…
How is your day going? How do you stay alert to God and what he is doing in your life? We can’t let routines overtake the preciousness of life or busyness trump the sacredness of life. We truly need to refuse to become so self-sufficient that we forget our total dependence on God and his amazing grace. With the words of Paul Chappell “The mundane tasks of everyday life can lull you to apathy and push God to the back…
