You’ve probably heard the story of a little boy sitting in a church and asking his mom who were the people in the stained glass windows. She told him that they were saints. And after awhile the boy responded “Oh, I know who the saints are. They’re the ones that let the light in.” Exactly. The saints are the ones that let the Light in. Just like Jesus told us: “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be…
What is the calling of every Christian? God knows each of us uniquely and he has a particular plan for every one of us. But there is also a general call for every Christian. What could it be? Jesus answers: “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in…
Do you remember the Bible story of Jesus coming back to separate people from each other like a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-)? At the first glimpse it looks like the reason why some are saved is based on their works when Jesus reveals ‘I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you…
Do you ever wonder… …why your faith isn’t flowing? …why your faith is not growing? …why your faith seems not to be doing what you expected it to be doing? David Jeremiah’s quote guides us to find answers to those questions: “Have you ever changed a light bulb or called a television repairman only to find out the appliance simply wasn’t plugged in? Don’t go through life like that! This is no time to be disconnected. Get plugged in and…
Blaise Pascal’s famous quote “Not only do we not know God except through Jesus Christ; We do not even know ourselves except through Jesus Christ” gives us a lot to ponder. It states that Christ is the only way to God. But that’s not so surprising. It is one of the fundamental beliefs of Christianity. But the second part -that states that we can’t even know ourselves without Christ- can sound a bit odd for many. How could our identity…
Ten days after Jesus ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit was poured out to the disciples gathered together in Jerusalem. Suddenly a sound from heaven like the howling of a fierce wind filled the entire house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be individual flames of fire alighting on each one of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them to speak. (Acts 2:…
This week we’ve been searching for God’s will. We can be certain that God wants to be found and he will personally teach us how to live in his will. Jesus said, “Don’t bicker among yourselves over me. You’re not in charge here. The Father who sent me is in charge. He draws people to me—that’s the only way you’ll ever come. Only then do I do my work, putting people together, setting them on their feet, ready for the…
This week we’ve been pondering on what it means to “Live well, Live wisely, live humbly” (James 3:13, MSG) as we search for God’s will for our lives. Today we concentrate on how ‘living wisely’ can help us on our quest for God’s will. What could living wisely be? Maybe it’s recognizing what in life has eternal value and embracing it with everything we’ve got. Don’t love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world,…
Today our quest for what it means to “Live well, Live wisely, live humbly” (James 3:13, MSG) continues. We started our quest yesterday. Today we talk about how ‘living well’ can help us on our quest for God’s will. And, yes, you guessed it, tomorrow we tackle ‘live wisely’ and the day after tomorrow ‘live humbly’. In essence, following God, being a disciple of Jesus Christ and living in the Holy Spirit, is what leads us to find God’s will….
How does Christian living look like? How are we supposed to spend the rest of our lives when Christ lives in our hearts? The Bible gives us some guidance: As a result, they don’t live the rest of their human lives in ways determined by human desires but in ways determined by God’s will. (1 Peter 4: 2, CEB, emphasis mine) Aha. We should look for God’s will for our lives. How do we do that? Don’t be conformed to…
