Singing Hosanna on the first Advent Sunday is a must. This year, due to Covid-19, I did so at home while virtually attending the service. Nonetheless, it is a powerful experience. It is good to cry for help with the body of Christ. Especially this year, don’t you think? We do need help. Hence our expectations for Jesus are high. Hosanna could be translated as “Please, save us” or “Please, help us”. The crowd welcoming Jesus to Jerusalem was enthusiastic,…
Do you know how to handle envy? Feeling jealous is not necessarily a bad thing, it can tell us what we need or want. We just need to know what to do with it. When we give our envy to God, he gets the chance to create something positive out of it. Yesterday I was envious of Moses’ friendship with God as I read about it. The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. (Exodus 33:11,…
Sometimes I wonder if we just believe to get to heaven. In that case, we see faith as an insurance policy. We repent and become forgiven citizens of heaven but then we go back to live like we always used to do. But that’s not what Jesus wants us to do, is it? Faith is lived in Christ. Not away from Christ. Faith is meant to be so much more than an insurance policy for the afterlife. [And I am…
I find reading the Bible is essential for all believers because it serves as a mirror for us. Otherwise, we could easily think we’re on the right path while in reality wandering aimlessly in the wrong direction. It’s scarily easy to wander away. Best intentions do not help when we follow our own whims instead of God’s plan for us. It’s time to check your idols. Without the Bible, we’d be lost faster than we can imagine. We might think…
The message I want to share with you today is very simple yet it seems very needed: It’s OK to not be OK. You have biblical permission to be not okay. You don’t believe me? That’s okay. But please do believe Jesus. I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory…
Lately, inner peace seems to be it. Famous people tell here and there how they’re seeking and planning on achieving inner peace. But, my friend, do you know you what? You can’t earn or achieve inner peace. You receive it as a gift from Jesus. Yes. Jesus gives you inner peace. By grace. Christianity doesn’t appear very trendy and some people don’t like that God gives so many good things free. Achieving something appears so much more noble and sophisticated….
It’s hard to accept death and dying, especially when it comes too close to home. Yet death and dying are part of life. No one will stay on earth forever. Yet somehow we still would like to pretend death and dying are not part of our lives. And when death claims one of our own, we might even be angry at God for taking our loved one. We’d like to have cake and eat it too. It’s human to not…
Today I want to talk about a Bible passage that doesn’t give warm fuzzies to most of us. It might even shake us to the core so we’re glad to move on thinking it does not speak about us. But it does and that’s why I want to talk about the passage today. It’s not enough we’re cleansed from all unrighteousness, we also need to be filled with God’s love. So fill your emptiness with Jesus and your life will…
Does grace reign in you? This is an important question for every believer. If grace doesn’t reign in you, either sin or self-righteousness rules you. Neither brings life or freedom. Only grace does. Abundantly. When grace reigns in you, all is well. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:21, NLT,*)…
Today I have four quotes and three Bible verses about faith and control to share with you. We all would like to have everything together, be in control so we could relax and enjoy our lives, right? But that’s not how faith or life works. Faith and control don’t mix well together. How come? If our goal is to be in control, we push faith away. The one who is in control is the god in our life whether we…
