Browsed by
Tag: salvation

My Spirit Rejoices in God My Savior

My Spirit Rejoices in God My Savior

The Bible keeps surprising me. Or maybe God keeps surprising me while I read the Bible. Christmas is near so I have turned to the Gospel of Luke and this time I paid attention to the words of Mary: My spirit rejoices in God my Savior. What’s so unique about these words of Mary’s song of praise, the Magnificat? 46 Mary responded,“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.47 How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!48 For he took notice of his lowly…

Read More Read More

Grace Makes You Fruitful

Grace Makes You Fruitful

Sometimes you hear people saying they don’t need to do anything because of grace. Sure, you don’t need to earn your salvation. Yes, it is all grace. But why would grace want to make you passive? Grace invites you into a loving relationship with your Savior, and living with Jesus does not make you inactive. Instead, grace makes you fruitful. I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much…

Read More Read More

God Is Gracious

God Is Gracious

John the Baptist was born as a miracle to elderly parents six months before Jesus. He was not named after his father because an angel visited him and told him he was to be called John instead (Luke 1:13). So there must then be a deep meaning to this name, right? So what does the name John mean? And what does that have to do with us? The English name John is the transliteration of the Greek name Ioannes, and the Greek…

Read More Read More

Faith Gives You Strength, Peace, and Joy

Faith Gives You Strength, Peace, and Joy

When you walk with Jesus, you can’t hide your inner joy even though the world around you might not recognize the source of your strength, peace, and joy. If people are happy with superficial living, and just splashing on the surface, they will never find the treasures of deep grace diving. That’s a shame, don’t you think? Mainly because they can never find the pearl of deep-sea, Jesus. If you keep my commands, you will live in my love, just…

Read More Read More

How to Receive Grace

How to Receive Grace

Do you feel that God’s grace is not for you? That somehow you don’t qualify to receive it? The only way you don’t qualify is that you’re absolutely sinless and hence don’t need it. But there is not a person alive who is sinless. And Jesus pre-approved you personally on the cross. You’re all set to receive grace upon grace. God’s readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation’s available for everyone! (Titus 2:11, MSG) Okay, so God’s grace is…

Read More Read More

Emotional Holy Week Roller Coaster

Emotional Holy Week Roller Coaster

The emotional Holy Week roller coaster starts with Palm Sunday and its sweet taste of success and popularity as the crowds cheer Jesus on as he entered Jerusalem. It follows with the bitter taste of failure and betrayal as Jesus is crucified on Good Friday. Thankfully, the ride does not end there. We finish the tour with the elated resurrection joy on Sunday. How do you deal with all this? Jesus takes all our false expectations, all our self-righteous thoughts,…

Read More Read More

Grace Needs to Be Grace

Grace Needs to Be Grace

Salvation by grace is a phenomenal thing. It changes us if we just want to receive it. But why is it, really, that we so would like to add something to it? It’s hard to think something so great could really be freely given. But if it were not freely given, grace would not be grace anymore. And grace needs to be grace, otherwise, we’re doomed. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of…

Read More Read More

Worthy of God’s Love

Worthy of God’s Love

Because you’re worth it, says a cosmetic company to urge you to buy their products. It is a clever advertisement as it targets our longing to be worthy somehow. I hate to break it to you but there’s no such a product that could ever make you feel worthy. But I do know someone who can do it. Jesus thinks you’re to die for. You’re worthy of God’s love. There isn’t higher praise than that. But because of his great…

Read More Read More

This Too Shall Pass

This Too Shall Pass

This is just a sweet, little note to encourage you in the middle of your hardships. Believe me, this too shall pass. It might not feel like it and even not look like it but it’s true. Even the Bible tells us so: Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. (Isaiah 9:1, NLT,*) If we keep on seeking God and turning to him, this time of darkness will turn into light. This will not go…

Read More Read More

Sacrificial Love

Sacrificial Love

Good Friday always leaves me in awe. I’m in awe of God’s patient love. And how far he was willing to go in order to save us, to unite us with him. The crucifixion did not form a pretty picture for sure. Yet it is the most beautiful picture of sacrificial love. For us. For free. It does not make sense to us to get such an amazing gift – salvation and eternal life – for free yet that’s how…

Read More Read More

RSS
Follow by Email