Christians are citizens of two worlds: God’s kingdom and the world we live in. Sometimes it is a struggle to balance out these two. We don’t want to be worldly yet we are meant to live to the fullest. How should we balance life and faith? It’s important to note that the secular world does not necessarily mean an atheistic world. The secular world is a world that has no special religious connotation. C.S. Lewis has stated “Christianity was never…
One of the most quoted Bible verses is Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God!” Too often we just think of it as an invitation to silence. But it is an invitation for a whole new way of thinking. It is an invitation for a peace-filled way of life! Let’s explore! The Message Bible paraphrases Psalm 46:10 this way: “Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above…
Why do Christians want to extend peace to each other? What’s the big deal with peace? Those are interesting questions. Everybody thinks peace is nice but God’s robust peace is much more than nice! Let’s find out why. The Amplified Bible provides a neat definition for this heavenly peace: And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot…
Are you in need of life-giving, life-nourishing words? Do you feel dragged down? You’ve come to the right place. I want to share with you a gem in the Bible: the chapter 55 in Isaiah. We need to read and re-read this every time we feel spent, tired or over-whelmed (or all three at once). Because here God offers you love, grace, and joy. All three at once. “Hey there! All who are thirsty, come to the water! Are you…
Do you have regrets? Or are you carrying bitterness or hurt around? Do you keep your real feelings from God? Do you only bring the good in you before God and deal with the bad on your own? Many of us do just that. We might forget the regrets for the most of the time but they are there. We might hold ourselves accountable and don’t forgive ourselves our own wrong doings. We might have been badly hurt and we…
Often people think that they’d get more out of life if their goal was simply to satisfy all their needs and wants. But the opposite is true! It might first look like that people who pile up most material goods win. But that’s little short-sighted. When you grab all you can get, that’s what happens: the more you get, the less you are. (Proverbs 1: 19, MSG) Isn’t that the saddest thing? People who want to “create themselves” by buying…
No one wants hardships in life. But there’s no way we can avoid them all together. Even if we try. But the goal is not to avoid hardships but to know what to do when they arrive. As Christians we have a choice how to react to them. Do we use them as an excuse to run away from God? Or do we let the Holy Spirit draw us near to God in our tribulations? Hopefully we choose the latter….
Oswald Chambers talks about self-consciousness versus Christ-consciousness in his book “My Utmost for His Highest” published in 1935. Nothing could be more relevant for today’s Christian navigating his/her way in today’s world. As we struggle to thrive in the midst of all the demands of our lives the only compass that we can trust to get us through everything is Jesus Christ. When we stress out we are self-centered, self-conscious. When we bring our worries to Jesus our burdens are…
Most people want joy, peace and harmony in their lives. Too often people look for them at wrong places. Very often they get exactly the opposite what they were looking for. Because the only way to get joy, peace, and harmony in our lives is through Jesus. Why? Because we have all messed up our lives so badly. We need Jesus in order to be set right (reconciled if you will) with God again. Once we open our hearts and…
