Have you erected barriers against God in your life? Maybe not knowingly. But sometimes we act out of fear without thinking. We might think we are not good enough for blessings and turn away. We might look at our own resources and shy away from service. Hence we don’t dare to dream God-size dreams. Instead we bar God further away from our lives. That’s why we need this quote from Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis to wake us up from…
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…
Our heart is the place where we meet our God. Hence it is the most precious place. That’s why we need to watch over our heart with everything we got. Because without a heart responsive to God we are not alive anymore. Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life. (Proverbs 4:3, AMP) When our heart is sensitive and responsive to God, all is well. But,…
Some people turn away from God when going gets rough. But then we should do precisely the opposite: run to God. But how to do it when we are angry? How to approach God when all we have is bewilderment and questions? The Bible, once again, shows us the way. Habakkuk is a minor prophet in the Old Testament that shows us what to do when we are angry with God. O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,…
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…
Would you like to have some tangible proof before believing? Wouldn’t it be nice? But that’s not the way of faith. We need to believe to see the glory of God. That’s how Jesus replied to Martha when Lazarus was dead: Did I not tell you and promise you that if you would believe and rely on Me, you would see the glory of God? (John 11:40, AMP) God has prepared to give us everything but we first need to…
Do you realize the fullness of Christ? Do you live it? School’s out; quit studying faith and start living it! You have received Christ; now live him. Put what you have learned in practice and live large. Do everything in him and let your living spill over into thanksgiving. My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re…
Why on earth would we need spiritual strength training? The Merriam-Webster dictionary tells us that few definitions of strength are capacity for exertion or endurance, power to resist force, and power of resisting attack. These are all qualities needed in spiritual life. Because life is no picnic. It is a life-or-death fight. We need to be ready. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And…
The metaphor of the vine and the branches is very powerful. It emphasizes the importance of being organically connected to God. It reminds us that our aliveness is totally dependent on God’s grace. It gives us a chance to be part of God’s kingdom work here and now. “Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to…
What’s the point of Ascension Day? (Other than getting a day off in Europe?) Why would we be excited about following the cloud? Why would be excited about Jesus leaving us? Let’s find out. He [Jesus] told them, “You don’t get to know the time. Timing is the Father’s business. What you’ll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria,…
