It seems that no matter where I turn to this week or no matter what I read it comes with this message: Apply your faith! So I pass it on to you: Apply your faith! Don’t just believe on Sundays but also every single day of the week. Also, don’t just call yourself Christian but act like it! Don’t just say ‘Lord, Lord’ but obey him! “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and don’t do what I say? I’ll…
After all the Mother’s Day hype I was happy to read this on Monday morning: While Jesus was saying these things, a certain woman in the crowd spoke up: “Happy is the mother who gave birth to you and who nursed you.” But he said, “Happy rather are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.” (Luke 11: 27-28, CEB) or like the Message version says it: “Even more blessed are those who hear God’s Word and guard it…
Life is hectic and demanding. We might feel there is no time to spend with God. But the truth is there is always time for things we value. And there are ways to listen to God in the middle of everyday chaos. There are ways to blend God’s love in everything we do and everywhere we go. God has made it pretty clear to us what he wants from us: “Obey me so that I may become your God and…
Yesterday we talked about Solomon who chose wisdom over wealth and how he was richly blessed. So inspiring! But this is unfortunately not how his life ended. But before his wisdom waned his reputation as a sage was widely known. Even the queen of Sheba came to test him with hard questions and she found all the reports of Solomon’s wisdom true. What happened to Solomon? His success was too much for him. He felt entitled to break the law…
Our enemy is pretty good in selling lies to us. Unfortunately, we buy them. We are especially weak when the lie informs us that ‘we rule’. We want to believe it. We buy the lie because it makes us feel good, confident and powerful. I was reading this morning the last words of David in 1 Kings 2. David is instructing his successor Solomon. He is first giving very sage advice. Just like you’re expecting him to do. But then…
Would you like to dance in grace? Or is that too wild? Would you rather sit out? Or is that too tame? “To what will I compare this generation? It is like a child sitting in the marketplaces calling out to others, ‘We played the flute for you and you didn’t dance. We sang a funeral song and you didn’t mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ Yet the Human One came…
How do you define a full life? Is it about success, happiness, wealth? Or something different all together? A full life in Jesus gives us a few surprises. God’s blessings are not material ones or self-centered happiness in general. God wants to give us a full life even in parched places. But it doesn’t happen without change. When we come to Jesus, the old life needs to go. Because God desires holiness. God desires justice. God desires love. Just as…
Getting to know God takes a lifetime. But the journey is wonderful. How to go about it? By knocking, asking, and seeking. They are ways to get to know God. How do we then knock, ask, and seek? Let’s find out. The important thing to know is that we all do fail in our pursuit of God once in a while. But the secret is persistence. When we consistently keep on knocking (entering into the presence of God), seeking (cultivating…
Are you feeling down? Is your soul singing unexpected blues? Are you weary, burned-out, at the end of your rope? Don’t worry. There are loads of fresh hope reserved just for you. You might not believe it right now. But bare with me. Do you remember how Jesus, in his sermon on the mount, calls people happy or blessed who are hopeless? Why on earth would he do that? Read it yourself: “Happy are people who are hopeless, because the…
What do you do when you doubt? What do you do when you are overwhelmed? What do you do when a disaster strikes? What do you do when the future is unclear? What do you do when God feels distant? Your response is critical for your spiritual well-being. Your response defines your future. How come? You let the distress bring you to God, not drive you from him. The result was all gain, no loss. Distress that drives us to God…
