This time of year is a very fun but busy time in our household: a couple of birthdays plus Valentine’s Day. As I have been thinking about gifts I’ve come to this conclusion: The best gift to yourself, to others, and to God is to be present. Nothing compares to it. And God is the best example of this. Nothing compares to God’s presence in our lives. You know when I leave and when I get back; I’m never out…
Have you ever experienced the sweetness of God? Because that is the essence of God. We only get little glimpses of it at this side of eternity but it’s real. It’s real, sweet, and wonderful. Knowing God is to know his sweetness. Being loved by God means being enveloped in his sweetness. Living in the Spirit is about enjoying the sweetness of God. The sweetness of God is readily available for all his children. It’s not magic but too often…
Faith is about putting our trust in God. For a long time I thought it was just about putting my salvation in the hands of God. But it’s about putting my whole life – everything in me- in God’s hands. That’s not just eternity, it’s everything. So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. (Romans 12:1, MSG) I’ve realized it…
Do you know how to let go of bad habits? From my own experience I know that self-help does not work, right? So what to do? Are we doomed? I was contemplating it and Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430) came into my mind. He was famous for his bad habits before his radical conversion. According to Augustine his conversion was prompted by a childlike voice he heard telling him in a sing-song voice, “Take up and read”. Hence he…
One of the most exciting things in a life of a Christian is to search for God’s guidance. Sometimes it can also be very frustrating. Human beings can make plans but God will decide whether and when something will happen. Like Thomas à Kempis (c.1380-1471) has said “For man proposes, but God disposes; neither is the way of man in his own hands.” But because we desire God’s will and guidance for ourselves, we would not want it any other…
Do you know how much God loves you? Do you know that you are God’s beloved? Because that is your true identity. Don’t believe me? Read on. God’s favorite word is yes. God says yes to you. Over and over again. And God’s yes is not valid just when you are doing well. God loves all of you. The bad and the ugly. The good and the beautiful. Everything. God speaks yes to you in Jesus. Whatever God has promised…
Have you let the pursuit of leisure, success or security turn you away from God? Do you feel that the world persuades you to lower you standards? Are you failing to live as though God mattered? These are questions that were piercing my heart this morning. And I let the Holy Spirit do its work in me throughout the day. Everything that keeps God’s will from happening in my life needs to go. For you say, ‘I am rich, I…
I’ve always thought that we should only serve one God and we should not have idols. God should be number one in our lives. I had thought those possible idols would be other people or work or hobbies, somebody or something else than me. But then I read this from Isaiah: “Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?” Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress…
Do you feel rejected? Are you afraid that you have failed so miserably that there is no hope? Do you think your past makes you unlovable? I have good news for you. Because of Christ you are never out of reach of grace. Because of Christ you have hope everlasting. Because of Christ restoration is possible. For every single person on this green earth. No exception. All because of Christ. The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling, a scrubby…
Have you changed a lot in the last 10 years? I bet you have. So have I. Do you think you will change as much in the future? According to a research people tend not to believe they will change that much in the future. But they will and we will. Change is inevitable. But we can decide into what direction we will change: God-ward or away from God. Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a…
