Today I want to concentrate on the awesomeness of the Lord. I want everyone to soak in God’s abundant grace for the two last weeks before Easter. I want each and everyone of us to be fully motivated to keep on surrendering to God. Because it is what ultimately makes us happy. Because it is what ultimately is best for us. Because it is what brings life and more life forever more. Don’t take my word on it, the Bible…
Do you know why we try so hard to hide our wounds? It almost feels like being vulnerable and real would be the end of the world. Like the real life would be only reserved for beautiful, perfect and unbroken. But that’s so, so wrong. First of all, there’s beauty in brokenness. Second of all, blessings come through wounds. Not by avoiding or hiding them. But by embracing them. Really. He was pierced because of our rebellions and crushed because…
Do you know how to keep joy? How to be always joyful? Happiness seems to come and go. In order to be happy we want more of things that used to make us happy. More stuff, more experiences, more fun. Always more. But that thrill-seeking leads us astray. Happiness-hunting gets us into trouble. More is never enough. It is a cycle to unhappiness. Why is everyone hungry for more? “More, more,” they say. “More, more.” I have God’s more-than-enough, More…
Life does not have to be same old, same old over and over again. Your past can be buried and you can start anew and stop repeating the same old, same old over and over again. But if the wicked turn away from all the sins that they have committed, keep all my regulations, and act justly and responsibly, they will surely live and not die. (Ezekiel 18:21, CEB) Your future does not depend on your past but on the…
You know that faith is a gift from God. You can’t earn it, you can just receive it. Just as spiritual gifts in general, also faith is inspired and brought to pass by one and the same Holy Spirit. All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when. (1 Cor. 12:11, MSG) If you have had the pleasure to receive the gift of…
Now is the flu season. The best way to avoid catching a cold is to boost your immune system. What do you think? Do we need to have a spiritual immune system? I think so. Life is hard, life is rough, life is difficult – even if we don’t talk about spiritual battles. Our faith is on trial every single day. In order to be able to feel spiritually well and live our lives according to God’s will we need…
Do you feel inadequate to be God’s disciple? Are you struggling with insecurities? Today’s post is for you. Here’s what Paul wrote to Timothy from jail. Suddenly Timothy had to take up a primary leadership role and he felt inadequate and maybe a bit terrified of the size of the task waiting for him. Then he receives this letter from Paul reminding him of a very encouraging fact in all of our lives: For God did not give us a…
Do you have heroes of faith? Or do you have a faith-filled role model who preaches the gospel (also) without the words? Good for you. My heroes of faith are people who have God’s image imprinted on their hearts. They are people who let God into their lives and have learned to bask in his love and care. They’ve learned to listen to God and trust him no matter of what. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and…
Do you know that God waits to be gracious to you? That God is ready to show mercy on you? That God loves you so much that he wants to show his endless compassion to you? And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate,…
Do you recognize God’s presence in your life? Or are you too busy to take notice of the divine intervention? These are the questions the Bible asked me today. I was reading the chapter 19 in Luke where Jesus is entering Jerusalem to be crucified. Jesus wept over the city because he knew they were not recognizing and welcoming God’s personal visit. This is how he prophesied: When the city came into view, he wept over it. “If you had…
