Whenever you feel small… …remind yourself that God thinks the world of you. Whenever you feel down… ….remind yourself that God things you are to die for. Literally. God sent his own son to die for your so you had a way to spend eternity with him. Joyfully. God did not save you grudgingly. He saved you in his joy. Lovingly. God loves you. He is not going to take his love back. There’s nothing you can or leave undone…
Are you marked by joy? Is it evident in your life that Christ lives in you? If he lives in you, your life should be brimming with joy. Because God is joy. God is indeed the source of joy. All joy comes from him. When we stick close to God, joy is present in our lives no matter how dark the world around is. When we dare to embrace the cross of Christ, we are filled with overflowing joy. And…
Do you take God seriously? Do you trust God to fulfill his promises? If you do….then be jubilant! Be exuberant! Our God is an awesome God! Why do we then drag along without joy? We forget to remember the good deeds God has done in our lives. We forget to praise God and worship him. But if we do not worship we are “swept into a vast restlessness, epidemic in the world, with no steady direction and no sustaining purpose“,…
Did you know that “Living God” is mentioned fourteen times both in the Old and New testament? 28 times we are reminded that God is not a sentimental idea or a lofty philosophy. God is a living person who wants to lovingly interact with us. We are children of the Living God! How awesome is that? The same way that the women at the grave of Jesus on the Easter morning were reminded “Why do you look for the living…
The whole world is hunting for peace, wholeness, and hope. But these things can only be found in a very unlikely place: the empty tomb of Jesus Christ. Because of the resurrection of Jesus who was crucified for our sins we can be made right with God. And when we are through faith right with God we receive peace upon peace. It’s not outwardly peace but inner peace right where we are. And when we have first peace with God,…
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Yes, alleluia! But what does it mean, right? What does it mean to you when you are struggling to make ends meet? What does it mean to you who is just beginning to understand God’s love for you? What does it mean when God seems to be silent? What does it mean here and now? What does it really mean? The first step into resurrection living is to let Jesus carry your burdens….
Peter is one of the Bible characters whose spiritual growth impresses me time after time. He was passionate for Jesus from early on yet he didn’t first really understand what it meant to live for Jesus. But Peter was willing to learn, first from Jesus and later on from the Holy Spirit. Peter’s story is an encouraging example of heavenly spiritual formation, what it really means to grow in grace. Just think…Peter was the one who cut off the ear…
Is it wrong to have fun and enjoy life? Is it okay to love life? Is joyful living a sin? These are questions that used to haunt me as a teenager. I was on the verge of independence, eager to start out my own life. I had grown to love the Lord more than anything but I didn’t know if it was okay to have fun, enjoy life. I have a bubbly personality so this was indeed an important question…
I just finished reading the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old testament. What can I say? I am very glad for Christmas this year. What an awesome God! What a pitiful bunch of people we are! How dare we to be so selfish, sinful, and shameless! God, have mercy on us! Despite everything God sent his only son to the world. Despite everything God displays his love to us in Jesus. Despite of everything Jesus died and rose…
What does John the Baptist have to do with Christmas? First of all, his life was fully intertwined with Jesus. He was only few months older than Jesus and he was called to clear the way for Jesus. John knew his place in God’s salvation plan. He had dedicated his whole life for serving God. His message for us this advent season is: prepare your hearts for Jesus. What needs to go that we’d be able to fully concentrate in…
