I do admit it right away: The resurrection of Jesus Christ sounds crazy. It’s absolutely foolish for our rational minds. It is hard to fathom that God the Father raised God the Son from the dead. But God the Spirit awakens us to believe. Christ died for our sins in line with the scriptures, he was buried, and he rose on the third day in line with the scriptures. (1 Cor. 15:3-4, CEB) The same way that salvation is God’s…
Our pilgrimage to God is a marathon. Hence it’s not about speed but about endurance. It’s as much about taking care of our faith along the way as learning to praise God in the midst of anything and everything. Our marathon will be finished the same way it was started: By taking steps of faith in hope. We were saved in hope. If we see what we hope for, that isn’t hope. Who hopes for what they already see? But…
Grace is an amazing gift from God. We can’t save ourselves or make us worthy of God. But God. He arranged everything so that we can just receive his grace by faith in Jesus and be made right with him. Grace truly is God’s unmerited favor for all who are ready to receive it. You are saved by God’s grace because of your faith. This salvation is God’s gift. It’s not something you possessed. It’s not something you did that…
What do you do when you doubt? What do you do when you are overwhelmed? What do you do when a disaster strikes? What do you do when the future is unclear? What do you do when God feels distant? Your response is critical for your spiritual well-being. Your response defines your future. How come? You let the distress bring you to God, not drive you from him. The result was all gain, no loss. Distress that drives us to God…
People try to fill the emptiness they feel inside with so many different things without succeeding. One way to avoid feeling emptiness is to stay extremely busy and connected with the world all the time. Hence they don’t have time to ponder why they are so restless and unhappy. But if you don’t take time to sit still, you can’t really hear God. And like Augustinus has said it so well “God, you have made us for yourself, and our…
Do you believe that Jesus was risen on the third day? If yes, how do you practice resurrection? How is your life different because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Because resurrection life should not be business as usual. Just see what the apostles did: The apostles continued to bear powerful witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and an abundance of grace was at work among them all. (Acts 4:33, CEB) How are you bearing powerful witness to…
The sad truth is that we can’t get ourselves pre-qualified for God. We sure are a bunch of sinners and we can’t save ourselves. But the happy news is Christ has already gotten all of us pre-approved on the cross! God’s righteousness comes through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who have faith in him. There’s no distinction. All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory, but all are treated as righteous freely by his grace because of…
Waiting for God’s guidance can be frustrating. God’s timing is not ours and sometimes God is silent when we’d like to have some concrete tips on how to proceed. But just in times like this it is important to NOT to take matters on our own hands. This does not mean to be lazy. But it means we should not turn away from God and disobey him like Saul. Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord and hadn’t…
What is it to us whether it is Friday the 13th or not, when we are in Christ? What is it to us who is against us, when God is for us? What is it to us what happens in the future, when the future is in God’s hands? So what are we going to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? I’m convinced that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ…
How are you practicing resurrection in your life? Or are you denying resurrection by your actions? Is Easter joy evident in your life? Or was Easter only a passing holiday in your life? It’s time to put the Good News of Jesus Christ in practice. It’s time to live life on God’s terms. But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has…
