Just today I was asked on Twitter “Why does God offer glimmers of hope only to yank them back ???” and felt that this is a question that deserves a little longer answer. I believe this is a real sentiment of many people in today’s tough economic climate. But I assure you: God is not a deceiver. What God says, goes. What God promises to us will be fulfilled. Times change but God doesn’t. God is the same yesterday, today…
Sometimes we think that our life is so small or simple that it is not significant. Maybe not if seen through the eyes of the world. But God thinks you are a Very Important Person. God created you, gave his only Son to die for you and through the resurrection of Jesus Christ made it possible for you to be made right with him. God waits to hear from you and rejoices when you bring your joys, sorrows, concerns, dreams…
Our family attended a medieval festival this past weekend. We enjoyed an afternoon of family fun: tasted some medieval food, admired the gorgeous costumes and mostly had good time. What shocked my equilibrium was an over-heard conversation. There was an older couple talking with an acquaintance. The man used harsh words to describe a person they all knew and pretty much denigrated that person. I was appalled. Then the acquaintance left. And guess what the man did? He gave another…
One of the dangers of any relationship is taking the other person for granted. Then we fail to appreciate the value of the person. Then we assume certain amenities for granted. It is bad enough when we do that with our friends of family. But sadly we also do this with Christ and the amazing grace. Lord, have mercy. Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace…
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13, NIV) God, indeed, sticthed us together in our mothers’ wombs but that is not the end of the story. God is calling us to be daily stiched with God’s grace. The first step is to surrender to God’s will. Because, as Martin Luther states it: “God creates out of nothing. Therefore, until a man is nothing, God can make nothing out of him”. ~Martin…
I can’t live without prayer. I know some people rarely pray. They might even intellectually believe in the power of prayer but they don’t really practice it. Or they go through the motions of prayer but they don’t really believe in the power of prayer anyway. Somehow they can live without prayer just fine. But that’s not me. I can’t imagine going through one single day without praying. It is hard to explain why I can’t live without prayer but…
If we want to be filled with joy, we need to be filled with God. The world offers passing entertainment but God offers real, lasting and exuberant joy. The joy God gives is not artificial or forced but delightful and true. It’s a gift from God. Light-seeds are planted in the souls of God’s people, Joy-seeds are planted in good heart-soil. So, God’s people, shout praise to God, Give thanks to our Holy God! (Psalm 97: 11-12, MSG) Evelyn…
The secret of starting your day right is not about getting the right hot drink just as you prefer it. The secret of starting your day right is in practicing surrender in slippers. What? The most important act in the morning is to surrender your whole life to God. If we try to carry all the burdens on our own shoulders, the day will not get the right start and will not get any better either. But if we lay…
Picking up your cross is not popular. This world talks about everything but the cross of Christ. Even Christians would like to take the good and easy parts of the gospel and leave the tough ones out. We all would just like to hear about God’s love and leave the carrying your cross part for others. Francois Fenelon asks us a hard question: “He asks nothing but death, and you desire nothing but life. How can you put up to…
You all know how much I love the Word of God. I just love being surprised over and over again. I adore how something just jumps out to me. No other book compares to the Bible. It is the living and active word of God here and now. No matter how many times you have read the Bible it always stirs new things. This morning I was caught up with this particular passage in Matthew 5: “Here’s another way to…
