I caught myself in the middle of night asking “God, why do we need to die?” after dreaming of some people I was dearly missing. Instantly, I was reminded of what happened in my childhood. How I had turned from a sunny to sullen child after my grandmother’s death. My mother had asked me what’s wrong and I had told her ‘I hate God’. She asked me why I thought so. And I had told her ‘because he makes people…
Do you know how precious you are? Do you know your worth? Do you know how loved you are? I hope you do. Because you are all that and even more. You’re not a mere mortal, you are an eternal being called into life by God himself. You find your true worth and identity in Christ. God sent Jesus to die for us so he could save us and then lavish us with the immeasurable riches of his grace in…
Did you know that Jesus did not die only for our salvation? According to the Bible he also died so that we would ‘die to sin and live to righteousness’ (1 Peter 2:24). Being saved by grace is not the end. It is the beginning of holy living. God hasn’t invited us into a disorderly, unkempt life but into something holy and beautiful—as beautiful on the inside as the outside. (1 Thessalonians 4:7, MSG) Grace does not excuse us from…
You’re ready to start letting Jesus take over your life, but you don’t know how to go about it. You’ve come to the right place. I will share some know-how of the process of decreasing right here, right now. If you grasp and cling to life on your terms, you’ll lose it, but if you let that life go, you’ll get life on God’s terms. (Luke 17:33, MSG,*) Surrendering your life to Jesus is a series of little deaths. Only…
Lately, I’ve been more and more shocked about how the western culture seems to be getting more vulgar and immoral all the time. For example, the things they show on TV and what the general public is forced to tolerate nowadays are repulsive. Like the world had gone mad or something. Yet the Bible reminds us there’s nothing new under the sun. You’re addicted to thrills? What an empty life! The pursuit of pleasure is never satisfied. (Proverbs 21:17, MSG,*)…
As a parent I am so happy that my children want to be hugged. They seek my embrace no matter how old they get. Their obvious delight when we embrace is a blessing to me. Today, after receiving a warm hug from my daughter, I wondered whether our God loved our embraces as much as I did. What do you think? And, if ‘yes’, how could we embrace God? Embracing God seems unattainable. But it isn’t. God is never far…
Do you know that God has no favorites? This is true no matter how it looks like or feels like. If you don’t believe me, believe the Bible. It’s God’s own truth, nothing could be plainer: God plays no favorites! It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from—if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open. The Message he sent to the children of Israel—that through Jesus Christ everything is…
I never thought that I would be blogging about President Obama giving eulogy. But life does surprise us, doesn’t it? And this one was a very pleasant surprise. I truly liked what President Obama said in eulogy for Reverend Clementa Pinckney last Friday in Charleston, South Carolina. Who would have thought that Obama’s theology echoes Dietrich Bonhoeffer? Or St. Paul? For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift…
This year God has been teaching me about hospitality. Ever since experiencing scriptural and spiritual hospitality in very tangible ways this spring, I have been wanting to learn to practice spiritual hospitality myself. Do not forget or neglect or refuse to extend hospitality to strangers [in the brotherhood—being friendly, cordial, and gracious, sharing the comforts of your home and doing your part generously], for through it some have entertained angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:2, AMP) It’s important to realize…
Lately, we have had a lot of heart-breaking diagnoses and deaths in our extended family. So much that it forces you thinking and praying. How should we live in the shadow of death? I think this is one of the most important questions in life, don’t you think? It is a matter of life and death after all. It determines how we live and for what we live. And what happens to us after our death. The sad thing is…
