Sheep are mentioned in the Bible more than five hundred times. Also Jesus talked about sheep many times: Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were troubled and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36, CEB). “My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me” (John 10:27, CEB). These verses show us that Jesus was familiar with this passage from Ezekiel: “‘God, the Master, says: From now on, I…
This message will be short and sweet but extremely important: Don’t let anything keep you away from God. Don’t let anything keep you from receiving the gift of faith. Don’t let anything keep you from embracing grace day by day. There’s nothing in your past that could make God love you less. Don’t give in to shame. There’s no mess that big that would keep God granting you grace. Don’t give in to shame. There’s nothing that makes you unqualified…
Anytime you start doubting, go back to your Bible. Anytime your feelings tell you that there is no way out, take your Bible out. Anytime you want to be assured by God’s amazing love check out some of the Bible verses that include these two little words “but God”. They’re small words but they declare God’s powerful ways to operate in this world in a big way! I’ll share here just a few of the Bible verses so you can…
Do you know how much God loves you? Do you know that you are God’s beloved? Because that is your true identity. Don’t believe me? Read on. God’s favorite word is yes. God says yes to you. Over and over again. And God’s yes is not valid just when you are doing well. God loves all of you. The bad and the ugly. The good and the beautiful. Everything. God speaks yes to you in Jesus. Whatever God has promised…
Christmas is gone. What to do now? Should we still sing for joy? Should we still exalt God, give him glory? Well, yes, of course. Heavens, raise the roof! Earth, wake the dead! Mountains, send up cheers! (Isaiah 49:12, MSG) What if you feel that you’ve been forgotten? What if Christmas was just an earthly happening? Shouldn’t we just pack Christmas neatly away? Not so fast. Hold on. God has comforted his people. He has tenderly nursed his beaten-up, beaten-down…
We all know that Jesus is our best Christmas gift ever. But do you know what to give Jesus this Christmas? Just yesterday this was a novel concept to be. It had never occurred to me that I could concretely give Jesus a birthday present until I read Ann Voskamp’s blog post where she shares how their family gives birthday gifts for Jesus by buying goats or mosquito nets. I thought it was a brilliant idea. So during the dinner…
Do you know that God knows you by name? To God you are not a nobody. To God you are his beloved child. To God you are a very special person. Hosea put it well: I’ll call nobodies and make them somebodies; I’ll call the unloved and make them beloved. In the place where they yelled out, “You’re nobody!” they’re calling you “God’s living children.” Isaiah maintained this same emphasis: If each grain of sand on the seashore were numbered…
“Is your default mode toward others judgment or grace?” asked Rick Warren on Twitter a few years ago. It got me thinking. This is crucial. Have I fully embraced grace, been changed inside out and now truly reflecting and extending God’s love and grace? And not hate, doom, and judgment? Because God is love and he wants us to live and move in grace. “I give you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, so…
Are you in need of a cup of kindness? Congratulations! It’s available! Come and taste God’s goodness and kindness. It lasts from everlasting to everlasting. For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 100:5, NASB) God has been working behind the scenes for long time to get us out of dead-end, empty-headed lives. Now everything is ready in Jesus. By grace through faith in Jesus we are transformed into new life, real…
Do you have a positive identity?Do you know that you are beloved? One of life’s most amazing experiences is finding yourself in God. If you don’t yet know that you are God’s beloved or if you keep forgetting that you are God’s treasure, this message is especially for you. This post was inspired by Jason Gray‘s fabulous song called “Remind Me Who I Am”. It’s about the struggle we face when we forget whose we are, what is our true…
