It’s no secret I love quotes. There are quotes that capture my heart right away and then there are quotes that puzzle me and I need to let them sit for awhile and ask God to reveal the true meaning of them. This quote of Martin Luther is one of the latter kind. Not that I did not like it from the very beginning. But it left me wondering anyhow: God created the world out of nothing; so as long…
Every time I come across this quote by Jim Elliott I cringe. Does this convict you too? “Unwillingness to accept God’s ‘way of escape’ from temptation frightens me what a rebel yet resides within.” When we pray that God would help us….that God would rescue us from our temptations…..and then do exactly the opposite even when God is providing a way of escape….that is rebellion against God. The God-rebel tunes in to sedition— all ears, eager to sin. He has…
It is great to live in a free country. It is great to be independent. But even that is nothing if we have not been set free by God’s grace. People don’t think they are slaves in a free country. But if you just have to have that new gadget or you can’t live out without the new cute outfit in the mall, you are a slave. If you just have to watch the latest Hollywood production or you just…
Do you know how to be generous? Or are you stingy with time, money or possessions? We are naturally selfish; being generous is foreign to us. We think we will ensure our well-being if we store money or keep stuff. But that’s not how it works. We are not in control of future. We are not in control of happiness. We are not in control of well-being. But blessedly that’s not the end of the story. We are not doomed….
Worrying seems natural to many of us. Worrying might even seem like the only way to go. But, let me tell you, it doesn’t have to be so. There is a way to say goodbye to worries. But it’s nothing we can make happen. But Jesus can. 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 sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming…
The Bible says that eternal life lies in knowing God. There must be something really special about knowing God. How can we do that? We can’t do it without Jesus. But Jesus died for us so we could know God. If we receive this gift of grace, we are free to get to know God. Other religions teach that we need to first become good to approach God. But Christianity boldly proclaims that all we need is Jesus. Jesus looked…
I know the title gives a tall order for this post. But that know-how is necessary for spiritual growth. In order to bear fruit we need to be pruned. But we don’t like it. We don’t like to get hurt. So we resist it. But that leaves us in spiritual limbo. And that is not a desired state of being. Not from our point of view and not from God’s point of you. What to do then? Any branch in…
This post is for all who feel that God has forgotten you. Because he hasn’t. And he won’t. Rest assured that God cares for you personally. God has not forgotten you. And God is not delaying his plans for the world. He does know what he is doing and when he is doing it. God has a plan. And he is full of love for us. God’s love is meteoric, his loyalty astronomic, His purpose titanic, his verdicts oceanic. Yet…
This post is for all who have had disappointments, who is in limbo or waiting for new things to take root in their lives. God is not interested in your achievements; God wants you. Because he loves you and he is the author of real life. I have had two well-known but ever-powerful metaphors speaking to my soul this week. The metaphor of a grain of wheat is found in John 12: “Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is…
Are you in a place where hope is in short supply? Are you about to lose your way? Are you struggling to survive? Take a deep breath. No matter how dark your future looks like… No matter how rough the wilderness around you is… No matter how desperate you feel… There’s always grace. Even in the wilderness. You might doubt it, especially when the circumstances speak otherwise. But with God anything is possible. With God we do find grace even…
