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…
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…
Where were you on 9/11? I was a rookie professor in Minnesota. I had just moved across the Atlantic Ocean. All my cupboards were still very empty, I did not yet know many people, and I was still searching for the right church home. So the horrendous news made me feel very vulnerable and lonely. But I was not devastated. Because I knew my life was in God’s hands. I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from…
We all know it would be good to read the Word of God (or….add any spiritual discipline here). But how come so many Christians go by weeks, month, even years without reading it? The enemy is good in making us believe his lies “you already know all the stories”, “you don’t have time”, it’s boring” etc. But also anything we “ought to do” gets us to rebel. We might even say “I am not legalistic” as an excuse to not…
Sometimes we think that our life is so small or simple that it is not significant. Maybe not if seen through the eyes of the world. But God thinks you are a Very Important Person. God created you, gave his only Son to die for you and through the resurrection of Jesus Christ made it possible for you to be made right with him. God waits to hear from you and rejoices when you bring your joys, sorrows, concerns, dreams…
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13, NIV) God, indeed, sticthed us together in our mothers’ wombs but that is not the end of the story. God is calling us to be daily stiched with God’s grace. The first step is to surrender to God’s will. Because, as Martin Luther states it: “God creates out of nothing. Therefore, until a man is nothing, God can make nothing out of him”. ~Martin…
This image of making ourselves at home in God’s love just captured my heart today. Just think about it! God’s love is perfect. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes. God’s love never fails. And we are invited to make ourselves at home in God’s love! There’s nothing better on this earth that being at home in God’s love. “I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my…
Do you have difficulties trusting that God really loves you? Don’t let that kind of doubts eat you up. Take God and his promises seriously. Because he is really serious about loving and caring for you. When you doubt God, you diminish God in your life. And when we diminish him, we diminish ourselves at the same time. Because in Him we find our true selves. Be everything God created you to be, exceptional in every sense! So cut off…
I always feel awkward when someone says “You can be anything you want to”, because that’s not true. We do have limitations. We are not gifted in all areas of life. We don’t have equal opportunities. But thank God that’s not the end of it. As MaxLucado has said: “You cannot be anything you want to be. But you can be everything God wants you to be”. That is SO true! We can be everything God wants us to be!…
How does it feel to be the focus of God’s love? Astonishing, right? But it is true. For each and every one of us. Because of God’s love we can live in his grace. Because of God’s amazing love we can be made whole and holy. We just need to separate God’s love from our circumstances. Happiness and easy life are not proof of God’s love. Hardships and rough patches on our journey are not signs that God’s love would…
