Happiness seems to be what the whole world wants. But happiness is based on feelings, luck, and circumstances. Blessedness is something deeper. Blessedness is rooted in God. I bless God every chance I get; my lungs expand with his praise. (Psalm 34:1, MSG) There’s a huge difference between happiness and blessedness. The difference is GOD. God is the source of all the good things in our lives. God is the source of peace in the midst of hardships. God is…
Are you feeling blue? Has life sucked all energy out of you? Do you need a little boost? Here’s an important verse (used in two different psalms!) to lead us into the right path on our search for spiritual adrenaline into our souls: Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God— soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God. (Psalm 42:5…
This week our children were asked “How would you describe yourself?” as part of an assessment in their kindergarten. Our daughter answered “I am beloved and I don’t pick on my brother”. That got me thinking. If I felt this delighted to hear that my child knew she was loved…how much more our Heavenly Father would be delighted if we truly embraced his love and grace? How wonderful it’d be if all God’s children could say with confidence “I am…
If we are free in Christ….why do we need to bother with holy living? If we are not under law….why should we be holy? It is true that we are set free by grace through faith in God. And that we can’t do anything to earn our salvation. But holy living is not about trying to save ourselves. Holiness is our way to love God back. Holy living is about acting out our love for God. It cost God plenty…
Do you want to live fearlessly? Good for you. Because fear cripples and cramps joy out of living. And joyless living is only surviving from day to day. We are meant to thrive, to enjoy the days we’ve been given. How then can we achieve the state of fearlessness? The first step: PRAYER! Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a…
Are you in need of life-giving, life-nourishing words? Do you feel dragged down? You’ve come to the right place. I want to share with you a gem in the Bible: the chapter 55 in Isaiah. We need to read and re-read this every time we feel spent, tired or over-whelmed (or all three at once). Because here God offers you love, grace, and joy. All three at once. “Hey there! All who are thirsty, come to the water! Are you…
I love the Bible. But it does condemn me pretty much on every single page. What to do then? Do I have any chance 4 eternity? Do you remember the story of the rich man who asked what he needs to do to get eternal life? Jesus lovingly told him to sell everything, give it to the poor and follow him. The man’s face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with…
Are you on your way to heaven? Do you know how we are supposed to spend our time waiting for the second coming of Jesus? Let’s find out! I don’t think, friends, that I need to deal with the question of when all this is going to happen. You know as well as I that the day of the Master’s coming can’t be posted on our calendars. He won’t call ahead and make an appointment any more than a burglar…
Do you have weird dreams? What do you do with them? God has been speaking to his children through dreams from the beginning (the Genesis). What should we know about dreams today? I am not an expert dream interpreter but I want to share a practical way to deal with bad dreams. It’s not magic, it’s not a secret but unfortunately in today’s world fewer and fewer Christians know about/use it. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So…
We all know God is love. But God is also Joy! All the joy in the world derivatives from God. And there is no joy apart from God. No matter how hard people try to tell you so. All the attempts to have fun are poor substitutes for joy. God was, is and will be JOY. “God sovereignly made me—the first, the basic— before he did anything else. I was brought into being a long time ago, well before Earth got…
