The reality -or even just a feeling- of homelessness is not fun. We hate the insecurity it brings to us. Over a dozen years ago I stored my stuff in order to study abroad. Tearing down my home was hard. Somehow as an adult I felt worthless to not to have a permanent home address. But God -who is rich in mercy- taught me a lesson I won’t forget. Gently I was probed to look for the foundation of my…
How does it feel to be the focus of God’s love? Astonishing, right? But it is true. For each and every one of us. Because of God’s love we can live in his grace. Because of God’s amazing love we can be made whole and holy. We just need to separate God’s love from our circumstances. Happiness and easy life are not proof of God’s love. Hardships and rough patches on our journey are not signs that God’s love would…
This blog post is dedicated to my soul sister, sweet friend Candice. This post is based on her favorite Bible verse Galatians 2:20. Abundant blessings to you, sis! What a blessing it is to know you! “We know very well that we are not set right with God by rule-keeping but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ. How do we know? We tried it—and we had the best system of rules the world has ever seen! Convinced that no…
If you feel your life is too full, too chaotic, too messy to find time to pray. Think again. You can not get anything meaningful done before praying. Actually you can simplify your life with prayer. When we leave our burdens to God we can get on with our life. Prayer will intensify our joy of living. If you feel you have too many things to pray about that there is no point to even start praying because it’s all…
This Hannah Whitall Smith quote from The Christian’s Secret for Happy Life has always inspired me to truly live out my faith: “Most Christians understand the principle when it comes to salvation but lose sight of it in living Christian life. Then He was our Redeemer; now He is to be our Life” What does it take to live out Christian faith? We need and we want salvation. But how Christ can be our Life? First of all, we need…
Are you living the best life ever? Or is there room for improvement? Do you live openly and expansively or do you feel fenced in? Dear, dear Corinthians, I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection….
We are children of God and God loves every one of us. God loves not just our Sunday best but every part of us. He doesn’t divide us into the loveable and the unlovable parts. He just loves us. It really does sound too good to be true. God’s love is astonishing but nonetheless true. He created us and loves what he created. There’s nothing he would not do for us. Just think of Calvary. If you ever doubt God’s…
God is calling us to a radical life-change. Are you ready? Because “God is kind, but he’s not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change.” (Romans 2:4, MSG) We are called to be followers of Jesus Christ. Not just fans that keep on doing whatever they wish. Where are you in your walk? Are you a fan of Jesus or are you ready to really follow whatever the cost? This…
You never know when an Aha moment arrives. I was reading a Christian chick-lit book “Queen Esther & the Second Graders of Doom” by Allie Pleiter (Steeple Hill, 2006) for entertainment purposes only and unexpectedly came across with a thought-provoking analysis. Pastor Mark in the story said after a church disagreement: “I am just happy to get them to care at all. Opinion is not my enemy, apathy is.” Indeed!! Opinion is not my enemy, apathy is! I’ve…
The demands of everyday life are great. Sometimes I do wonder how we all manage to get by with all the things we are asked to do. Juggling seems to be the style of living for many of us. Yet life is meant to be enjoyed, people cherished, and God worshiped. We all want peace, love, and harmony. How do we get there? The trick here is to do something the world despises: put ourselves last. But by putting God…
