Do you always want to have the last word in arguments? Why is it so difficult to not to be the one who knows best? Why does it seem to be so harmful to be weak and lowly? Probably because we think it is about us. Because we think we could solve the problems, that we should have power. But it is not about us. And we can’t solve the problems. And we don’t have anything lasting. If we don’t…
Are you feeling the effects of Monday? Are you in need of a fresh supply of hope and encouragement? If yes, let’s turn our eyes on God. That’s where our help comes, day after day. God will never let us down. I’m homesick—longing for your salvation; I’m waiting for your word of hope. My eyes grow heavy watching for some sign of your promise; how long must I wait for your comfort? There’s smoke in my eyes—they burn and water,…
Are you feeling small or fenced in? Maybe your perspective is off kilter. When we are focused on ourselves, our lives gets smaller and smaller. But when we open our eyes to help others, our lives get larger and larger. The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. (Proverbs 11:24, MSG) And when we focus our eyes on God, our lives are getting even more spacious. In the Hebrew language…
Do you walk with God? Do you know how to walk with God? You know, walking with God should be the most natural state of being for a Christian. Just as walking comes naturally to human beings. But what could walking with God entail? How would you describe walking with God? When we are reconciled to God by grace through faith, our Christian walk begins. Walking with God means that we have an on-going communion with God, we abide in…
Do you worry about how your life is going to turn out? Or do you worry about how your life is going to end? If you are a friend of Jesus, there’s no need to worry. Whatever it is, Jesus got it covered. If you live with God, there’s no need to stress. Whatever it is, Jesus got it covered. Behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation…
Do you resist self-examination? Are you afraid of what you will find? And are you not ready to take the trouble or pay the price to fix it? So you continue to ignore the signs because you are somewhat functioning. I don’t need to tell you that the trouble is increasing and the price you need to pay is getting bigger and bigger. Especially if this is happening in your spiritual life. You are supposed to be alive but in…
What if fasting is a blessing? The early church put fasting and prayer together as ways of seeking God’s guidance. Why don’t we? So they commissioned them. In that circle of intensity and obedience, of fasting and praying, they laid hands on their heads and sent them off. (Acts 13:3, MSG) Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his famous book Cost of Discipleship reminds us of the importance of fasting as a part of discipleship ” If there is no element of asceticism in our…
Sometimes our path of life seems so desert-like. Stone after stone after stone. We might feel that God has abandoned us in the middle of nowhere. We would like that our pathway of life would be something else than it is. Or at least we would like to see where we are going. The picture above reminds me of the fact that, even though, our path seems not to have consistency or any other quality we think a happy path…
Do you want to grow in wisdom? I think we all do. But do you know how that happens? The Bible gives us a very clear answer: Skilled living gets its start in the Fear-of-God, insight into life from knowing a Holy God. (Proverbs 9:10, MSG) I knew this and I try to live it out every day of my life. But that’s not all, folks! This very morning I read from the Acts how the church throughout Judea, Galilee,…
Hope is not dead. Hope is very much alive. No matter what the world wants you to think. No matter what you are experiencing. No matter what is going on in your life. Sure, we must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope like Martin Luther King, Jr. put it. Hope is not dead. How do I know this? Because the Bible tells so. Hope is not dead because the tomb was empty. Hope is not dead because Jesus…
