Do you know the deep secret of joy? It has nothing to do with the entertainment industry but it has everything to do with Jesus. Because, you know, nothing but Jesus can give us freedom from all the ugliness in our lives. And that’s not even all. Jesus can save us from eternal separation from the ultimate goodness. Martin Luther explains the deep secret of joy very well: The heart overflows with gladness, and leaps and dances for the joy…
Today I fell in love with the Christmas stories told by the kids of St Paul’s Church, Auckland, New Zealand. See yourself, they are the cutest thing ever. Which one is your favorite? I love them all but maybe the middle one is my favorite. I especially love how God’s love for all of us shines through all the videos. It was good to be reminded how wise God was to send his son as a new born baby without…
Did you know that the Lord’s Prayer is dangerous? This week the Church of England’s cinema add featuring the Lord’s prayer was banned. I was curious to see this add and I absolutely loved it. How about you? Even the web site for prayer they’re advertising for is worth of visiting. But let’s discover the beauty of the Lord’s Prayer. Why is it so powerful, even dangerous? Bishop Steven Croft gives us seven reasons in his blog post: First, this…
One of the sweetest yet also most profound words to describe faith is dwelling. How so? Isn’t it wonderful to know God dwells in us and in whom we find a dwelling place? Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? (1 Cor. 3:16, NIV) In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:8, NIV) But that’s not all why I…
Do you know what’s the difference between spiritual fruit and spiritual gifts? Do you know how or why they appear? And which one is more valuable, spiritual fruit or spiritual gifts? Let’s find out! But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23, NIV) The amplified Bible explains spiritual fruit to be the result of His presence within us. We can’t produce spiritual fruit. It just happens when we abide…
Have you ever wondered how do we know that Jesus is God? The quick answer is that the Bible tells us so. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. (1 John 5:20, NRSV, emphasis added) But there’s so much more to know….
Martin Luther was born on the 10th of November 1483 and to celebrate his birthday I share with you ten profound quotes of his. They are still relevant over 500 years later. How come? Because only eternal things have lasting value. Luther preached Christ crucified (1 Cor. 1:23). He reminded us of what is essential: we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. He pointed us to the cross. He encouraged us to focus on Christ. He encouraged…
Do you have any projects on the back burner? Or have you abandoned some all together? Sometimes that happens. We start something with great enthusiasm but then life happens, there’s not enough time or energy to complete what we begun, so we quit. That’s very human, I think. That’s why we might assume that God would do the same to us. That he’d be excited about us for a while and then give up when we’re not that promising after…
Lately, I have been contemplating on wholeness. It seems to be the goal for every person on earth. According to Victor Frankl meaninglessness in our lives is a hole, an emptiness, in our lives. Whenever there is a vacuum we rush to fill it with things. We keep on trying one thing after another – shopping, money, work, sex, drugs, entertainment, relationships, hobbies – but nothing fills the hole. But God. Look at that man, bloated by self-importance— full of…
Do you you feel inadequate somehow? Do you wish you’d be a bit different than you are? Would you like to be a bit less imperfect? I have good news for you today. Because of Jesus God accepts you as you are. And that’s not all of the good news. It gets better: When you are in Christ, you are made perfect. Outside of Christ you are imperfect, but in Christ, you are perfect. For in Christ lives all the…
