Are you a sinner? Do you need Jesus? I am a sinner and I most certainly do need Jesus. Often we’d like to skip the reality of being sinners. We’d like to escape from all the ugly stuff in life and live in a la-la land. But it doesn’t work. No matter how much we try to forget our sinfulness, it does not go away on its own. There really is no way around it: we are all sinners and…
Does the call to holiness intimidate you? Do you feel it’s beyond your power? Do you know what? You’ve got that right. Holiness is something we can’t attain through effort. But it is possible to obtain holiness by God’s grace. It does not happen without the Holy Spirit’s presence is our life. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. (Romans 6:22, NKJV, emphasis…
Today’s word prompt is ‘same’. Right away I though of God Almighty who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. But I realize I’ve already written a thought-provoking post about that. So I had to think another way to approach the word ‘same’. What could it be? Then this Bible verse came into my mind: Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own…
Do you adjust your life to God? Or do you expect God to serve you? Your answers to these questions reveal who is the center of your life. People whose lives are based on selfishness think about selfish things, but people whose lives are based on the Spirit think about things that are related to the Spirit. 6 The attitude that comes from selfishness leads to death, but the attitude that comes from the Spirit leads to life and peace. 7 So…
Grace invites us to try on a new kind of wardrobe. One that God has chosen for us: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Did you just audibly sigh? Don’t worry, I know. The godly, spiritual wardrobe doesn’t quite fit! But I know a Master Taylor who can help us: The Holy Spirit. When we invite Jesus to live in our heart the Holy Spirit starts working on our new kind of wardrobe. Gently he keeps on working on us…
I caught myself in the middle of night asking “God, why do we need to die?” after dreaming of some people I was dearly missing. Instantly, I was reminded of what happened in my childhood. How I had turned from a sunny to sullen child after my grandmother’s death. My mother had asked me what’s wrong and I had told her ‘I hate God’. She asked me why I thought so. And I had told her ‘because he makes people…
Many of us want to be guided by God alone. It’s a wonderful concept, isn’t it? But how do you put it in practice in real life? How does God guide us these days? How can we live for God alone? The best advice comes from Jehoshaphat in the Bible: “But before you do anything, ask God for guidance.” (2 Chronicles 18:4, MSG,*) Whatever you do, start with asking God for guidance. Then your project is not in your…
Did you know that Jesus did not die only for our salvation? According to the Bible he also died so that we would ‘die to sin and live to righteousness’ (1 Peter 2:24). Being saved by grace is not the end. It is the beginning of holy living. God hasn’t invited us into a disorderly, unkempt life but into something holy and beautiful—as beautiful on the inside as the outside. (1 Thessalonians 4:7, MSG) Grace does not excuse us from…
Today, I want to share some centuries old prayers for spirit-filled living. May these prayers bless you today to seek God with everything you’ve got. Lord Jesus, as God’s Spirit, came down and rested upon you, may the same Spirit rest upon us, bestowing his sevenfold gifts. First, grant us the gift of understanding, by which your precepts may enlighten our minds. Second, grant us counsel, by which we may follow in your foot-steps on the path of righteousness. Third,…
Today’s word for the Five Minute Friday is ‘ten’ and I first thought about writing about ten commandments but figured I am not able to do it in mere five minutes. I prayed about it and felt lead to share ten of my favorite Andrew Murray quotes with you. Andrew Murray (9 May 1828 – 18 January 1917) was a South African writer, teacher, and Christian pastor. He has been dead almost 100 years now but still his writings are…
