Have you met some extra radiant people who just glow and shine God’s love and grace? Have you wondered and marveled the way Moses glowed when he came down from Mount Sinai after spending 40 days and 40 nights with God? When Moses came down from Mount Sinai carrying the two Tablets of The Testimony, he didn’t know that the skin of his face glowed because he had been speaking with God. Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, saw…
Are you flirting with the world? Are you cheating on God? Sounds like the questions are getting even tougher today. But this is not just about motivation any more. First unthinkable becomes thinkable, then suddenly it’s doable. Slowly worldly things creep up on us. Are you all for God? Or do you still play the field? Do you suppose God doesn’t care? This is a spiritual form of adultery we are talking about here! You wouldn’t think of just asking…
Our family attended a medieval festival this past weekend. We enjoyed an afternoon of family fun: tasted some medieval food, admired the gorgeous costumes and mostly had good time. What shocked my equilibrium was an over-heard conversation. There was an older couple talking with an acquaintance. The man used harsh words to describe a person they all knew and pretty much denigrated that person. I was appalled. Then the acquaintance left. And guess what the man did? He gave another…
Lately God has been waking me up (literally) to see my sinfulness. God has reminded me of some choices I have made in my life and led me to repent for them. Even though during that time of my life I did not even think they had been questionable. I did not know any better then. Selfishness does not produce good fruit. Selfishness paves the way to destruction whether we realize it or not. Go home and wash up. Clean…
One of the dangers of any relationship is taking the other person for granted. Then we fail to appreciate the value of the person. Then we assume certain amenities for granted. It is bad enough when we do that with our friends of family. But sadly we also do this with Christ and the amazing grace. Lord, have mercy. Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace…
Sometimes we are so stuck in the mud that we can’t even believe any more that life could be any different. Beware! That’s one of the favorite messages of our enemy. The devil wants us to believe that change is not possible, that God would not take us as we are, that everything is lost. But everything is not lost! God welcomes us just as we are! And change is possible! Not on our own. But in Christ Jesus! So…
We are children of God and God loves every one of us. God loves not just our Sunday best but every part of us. He doesn’t divide us into the loveable and the unlovable parts. He just loves us. It really does sound too good to be true. God’s love is astonishing but nonetheless true. He created us and loves what he created. There’s nothing he would not do for us. Just think of Calvary. If you ever doubt God’s…
Throughout this season of Lent I’ve been trying to ready myself for Easter joy by praying, fasting, and listening to God. Today I will share the biggest repentance trigger of my Bible readings this Lent. Does this speak to you as loud as it did for me? Then Jesus went with them to a garden called Gethsemane and told his disciples, “Stay here while I go over there and pray.” Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he…
When we live in grace God does not treat us as sinners anymore. We are his saints. But it does not mean that we would not be sinners anymore. We are not practicing sinners, that’s true. But we are recovering sinners. This does not mean that we could do whatever we want to and then ask for pardon. God forbid! A saint can’t willfully and actively continue to sin because we have been washed clean and died to sin. But…
The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. (Psalm 145:17,KJV) God is holy. What does it mean? Holy in Hebrew, qadosh, literally means “to be set apart”. So God is something else! God is distinct from anything and everything. God is totally different from us. God is holy! “I don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work.” God’s Decree. “For as the sky soars high above earth,…
