Is life worth living? Is there purpose for your life? The writer of Ecclesiastes seeks answers for these existential questions. And most of us ask them at some point in our lives. Why on earth are we here for? What’s there to show for a lifetime of work, a lifetime of working your fingers to the bone? One generation goes its way, the next one arrives, but nothing changes—it’s business as usual for old planet earth. The sun comes up…
We all know the the story of Jonah. We chuckle, we might find Jonah even endearing. We might marvel how God caught this runaway and especially how Jonah moved from being prayerless to praise-filled in the belly of the whale. Jonah experienced first-hand God’s mercy right then and there, probably for the first time in his life. Jonah knew God, we might even say that he had a relationship with God. But yet he was a stranger to grace. Suddenly…
One of the biggest reasons why people keep from truly following Christ is the belief that then life would be boring and, at least, all the fun would be cancelled. People are not ready to bury their dreams. It might seem that is what God wants us to do. But when you dig a bit deeper you find out that God wants to give us life and more life. God wants to bring our dreams into his service. That doesn’t…
You’ve probably heard the story of a little boy sitting in a church and asking his mom who were the people in the stained glass windows. She told him that they were saints. And after awhile the boy responded “Oh, I know who the saints are. They’re the ones that let the light in.” Exactly. The saints are the ones that let the Light in. Just like Jesus told us: “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be…
Do you remember the Bible story of Jesus coming back to separate people from each other like a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-)? At the first glimpse it looks like the reason why some are saved is based on their works when Jesus reveals ‘I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you…
Blaise Pascal’s famous quote “Not only do we not know God except through Jesus Christ; We do not even know ourselves except through Jesus Christ” gives us a lot to ponder. It states that Christ is the only way to God. But that’s not so surprising. It is one of the fundamental beliefs of Christianity. But the second part -that states that we can’t even know ourselves without Christ- can sound a bit odd for many. How could our identity…
It seems that no matter where I turn to this week or no matter what I read it comes with this message: Apply your faith! So I pass it on to you: Apply your faith! Don’t just believe on Sundays but also every single day of the week. Also, don’t just call yourself Christian but act like it! Don’t just say ‘Lord, Lord’ but obey him! “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and don’t do what I say? I’ll…
After all the Mother’s Day hype I was happy to read this on Monday morning: While Jesus was saying these things, a certain woman in the crowd spoke up: “Happy is the mother who gave birth to you and who nursed you.” But he said, “Happy rather are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.” (Luke 11: 27-28, CEB) or like the Message version says it: “Even more blessed are those who hear God’s Word and guard it…
Did you know that “Living God” is mentioned fourteen times both in the Old and New testament? 28 times we are reminded that God is not a sentimental idea or a lofty philosophy. God is a living person who wants to lovingly interact with us. We are children of the Living God! How awesome is that? The same way that the women at the grave of Jesus on the Easter morning were reminded “Why do you look for the living…
Life is hectic and demanding. We might feel there is no time to spend with God. But the truth is there is always time for things we value. And there are ways to listen to God in the middle of everyday chaos. There are ways to blend God’s love in everything we do and everywhere we go. God has made it pretty clear to us what he wants from us: “Obey me so that I may become your God and…
