Whenever you feel small… …remind yourself that God thinks the world of you. Whenever you feel down… ….remind yourself that God things you are to die for. Literally. God sent his own son to die for your so you had a way to spend eternity with him. Joyfully. God did not save you grudgingly. He saved you in his joy. Lovingly. God loves you. He is not going to take his love back. There’s nothing you can or leave undone…
Today – being Friday the 13th and all – I want to remind you to take up the shield of faith. Above all, carry the shield of faith so that you can extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. (Eph. 6:16, CEB) We are saved by grace through faith. But so often we forget that through faith we also receive God’s protection. God’s your Guardian, right at your side to protect you— Shielding you from sunstroke, sheltering you from…
There is a fine line between being totally surrendered to God and letting lazily go. I always struggle when a person tells me that they don’t need to plan anything ahead because God will guide them. Don’t get me wrong. I truly believe in God’s guidance. I truly believe in surrendering to God. I truly believe in doing God’s will. But… Faith does not mean letting the world decide for us. We need to be purposeful. We are on our…
Did you know that because of Christ you are free to change? Any time, anywhere. God is personally calling you to follow Him and he has a ready-made plan for you to blossom in his care. Whenever you crave change, cry out to God and be ready to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. Surrender yourself to God and he will continue his work in you. Christ has set us free to live a free life. (Gal. 5:1, MSG) Did…
Rest assured, God really knows you inside out. He knows what you need before you do. Are you open to God’s care? Or do you insist on going all the way alone? Today I’ve been reading about Elijah (1 Kings 17-21) and I am in awe of God’s gentle care of him. After Elijah delivered a message to King Ahab God sends him to rest in solitude. God knew Elijah needed the time away. God made sure that all his…
Are you marked by joy? Is it evident in your life that Christ lives in you? If he lives in you, your life should be brimming with joy. Because God is joy. God is indeed the source of joy. All joy comes from him. When we stick close to God, joy is present in our lives no matter how dark the world around is. When we dare to embrace the cross of Christ, we are filled with overflowing joy. And…
Are you so busy that you don’t have time to fit God in your life? We tend to get so crazy-buzy sometimes that it feels that we barely have time to breath. It might feel an added burden to find time for God. But guess what? There’s no way you can ever fit God in your life. God is way too big for that. God can never fit in your life. If we want to experience God, we need to…
This is a wonderful time of year in Finland. Our summers are not that hot but we really do have light in abundance. You’ve probably heard of the Midnight sun when the sun remains visible at the local midnight. Those of us who love light have a hard time understanding why some people don’t share our enthusiasm for light. There are people who prefer darkness. Like Jesus said 2000 years ago: “This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into…
Do you choose your own comfort over following Christ? What’s your excuse to not to surrender everything to God? Tough questions. But these were the questions that the Holy Spirit asked me while reading these verses from Luke: On the road someone asked if he could go along. “I’ll go with you, wherever,” he said. Jesus was curt: “Are you ready to rough it? We’re not staying in the best inns, you know.” Jesus said to another, “Follow me.” He said,…
Is life worth living? Is there purpose for your life? The writer of Ecclesiastes seeks answers for these existential questions. And most of us ask them at some point in our lives. Why on earth are we here for? What’s there to show for a lifetime of work, a lifetime of working your fingers to the bone? One generation goes its way, the next one arrives, but nothing changes—it’s business as usual for old planet earth. The sun comes up…
