When you’re exhausted you don’t want to be pushed and told to try even harder. Especially when we are down we need grace. Jesus is calling to him all who are weary. He will not urge us to try harder, instead, he gives us rest. And when we have rested, he will empower us with his grace to do what we can’t do on our own. I see Christianity as grace and that’s why it’s difficult for me to understand…
Do you love God more than anything? And do you surrender to Jesus daily? Your will, your strength, your heart, your mind, your body, your soul, your spirit, your everything? That is a tall order, isn’t it? Are you truly willing to give up your own children, even your own life, to follow Jesus? Because that is what he expects you to do. Are you ready to give up everything to follow Jesus? With the words of Jesus: Simply put, if you’re…
For a long time, whenever I was reading a list of spiritual gifts, the spiritual gift of martyrdom – the divine enablement to undergo suffering for the faith even to death – puzzled me. Of course, even then I knew a multitude of Christians have been martyred ever since the early church and persecution is still a factor around the world. I’ve always admired the martyrs and thought they’ve possessed something I don’t have. Where I did go wrong was…
I openly admit that I love reading the Bible, I believe it’s the living Word of God. People often tell me that they don’t have time to read the Bible. But I think anyone can commit to reading a verse (or two) every day. It won’t even take a minute to do it. Yet, it has an eternal impact on our lives. It reminds us what is important and what is not. Let me give you an example. Just reading today’s verse of…
The resurrection story never gets old: it holds the miracle of salvation. I love hearing it again and again, according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and all them in different translations. Because there is always something to catch my attention anew, always something to stir in my heart. This time I realized the stone was rolled away for you and me. Not for Jesus. He did not need it to be rolled away, he had already risen. The stone for rolled…
Resurrection makes all the difference, folks. Without the resurrection, we’d be without hope. Life would be just life, no hope for broken hearted. No hope for sick and unhappy. And, certainly, no hope for sinners. Blessedly, God knew better. He knew we needed him even when we did not know we needed him. Hence, he sent Jesus to die for us. Jesus came to friend us, teach us, and save us. Because Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected,…
It’s Ash Wednesday. It reminds us that we were made from dust, and to dust we will return. These are wise words from the beginning of Genesis (3:19). Yes, we are mortal. We need to count our days right. But also we need to pay attention to what we give our time and energy. Everything but God is dust. Hence everything but love is dust. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy,and where thieves break…
Have you tried to please God and failed miserably? Join the club. We can’t please God by self-improvement and we can’t be good on our own. Blessedly, that is not the end. We are not saved by works but by God’s grace. God’s plan to redeem, restore, and refine us is rock-solid. 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…
Do you know the beauty of Christianity? Because of Jesus no middleman is needed to approach God. Jesus paved the way for all of us. He came to die for our sins and make us right with God. Since then all who believe in Jesus have a direct access to God. Amazing! Astonishing! Absolutely marvellous, isn’t it? Why then don’t you use this privilege more? But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent his Son,…
Did you know that you are fashioned for faith and not for fear? Sometimes we tend to think faith takes more out of you that worry or misery. Other times you hear people saying it’s not natural to have faith. How come? God created us to interact with him. His people are fashioned for faith, not for fear. That’s why I was thrilled to find this quote by E. Stanley Jones. It reflects beautifully the purposes of God. You are…
