Do you get often tears in your eyes? How do you react to them? This quote by Frederick Buechner changed how I think of tears in my eyes. Whenever you find tears in your eyes, especially unexpected tears, it is well to pay the closest attention. They are not only telling you something about the secret of who you are, but more often than not God is speaking to you through them of the mystery of where you have come…
Our daughter’s home work the other day was to check that all the fire alarms of our home were in working order. That got me thinking: How are our spiritual fire alarms? Are they in working order too? Are you tuned in the Holy Spirit? Or is your life so noisy that you can’t hear the whispers of the Holy Spirit any more? It’s truly time to check our spiritual fire alarms powered by the Holy Spirit. This is what…
Is sharing part of your life? Or is it something you put off for later? Or do you think sharing is overrated? If you’re a Christian, sharing is not optional. We are called to share what we’ve received with others. Whether it is the Good News of Jesus Christ or our time or some resources we have. Sharing is caring. And that’s a distinctive feature of Christian living. If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his…
What can we learn from the temptations of Jesus? Or are they inapplicable in today’s world? Sure, it is not just about big temptations, it’s about our daily choices. It’s about putting God first in everything. [My thoughts here on Matthew 4: 1-11 are inspired by Eugene H. Peterson’s sermon notes found in Conversations – the Message with its translator.] The core of the temptations is to put something else first in our lives and God second. The things can be…
Did you know that prayer is a privilege? I think so. Did you also know that prayer is also our duty? Prayer is our joy, our weapon, and our ministry as Christians. With the words of Martin Luther “As is the business of tailors to make clothes and cobblers to make shoes, so it is the business of Christians to pray.” The power of prayer is beyond our understanding. As Watchman Nee has said “Our prayers lay the track down…
Is your faith an accessory or an addition to your life? Or is it the foundation of your life? Too often we push God and his will in a corner. Faith is nice and God makes us feel good but we leave it there. We go on with our lives without God and radical faith. “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words…
What has been on your mind lately? What (or who) is the center of your attention these days? Is it a new car or ? marriage troubles? Or lack of a dating partner or job opportunities? Or are you very excited about new travels or hobbies? Your answer tells a lot about you. These questions lead you the very things on which your life centers. The answers will tell you where your treasure is. “Do not store up for yourselves…
Isn’t it so easy to see the wrong in others? Since Adam and Eve, we’ve tried to blame anyone and everyone but ourselves. Sometimes we even blame God in order to make ourselves feel a bit better. But it does not work in the long run. We don’t get any cleaner by taking mud baths. Maybe it is time to exchange blame for grace? Look! Listen! God’s arm is not amputated—he can still save. God’s ears are not stopped up—he…
I just love this time of the year. The days are getting longer and soon we need – even here way up north – some sunglasses to protect us from the bright rays of the sun. Have you ever heard of spiritual shades? I hadn’t either. But, believe me, spiritual shades make sense in more ways than one. You see, just this morning I was discussing with my children about mirrored sunglasses. Our discussion started when my son said that…
We are only a couple of days into Lent but we feel like we’d been trying to do this for weeks, right? It is hard to realize how dependent we are on some of our habits or sugar or something else we’re trying to stay away from. It really has been only a couple of days and we already feel like we’re fast approaching our limits. What to do now? No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the…
