Are you a sinner? Do you need Jesus? I am a sinner and I most certainly do need Jesus. Often we’d like to skip the reality of being sinners. We’d like to escape from all the ugly stuff in life and live in a la-la land. But it doesn’t work. No matter how much we try to forget our sinfulness, it does not go away on its own. There really is no way around it: we are all sinners and…
I caught myself in the middle of night asking “God, why do we need to die?” after dreaming of some people I was dearly missing. Instantly, I was reminded of what happened in my childhood. How I had turned from a sunny to sullen child after my grandmother’s death. My mother had asked me what’s wrong and I had told her ‘I hate God’. She asked me why I thought so. And I had told her ‘because he makes people…
Do you know how precious you are? Do you know your worth? Do you know how loved you are? I hope you do. Because you are all that and even more. You’re not a mere mortal, you are an eternal being called into life by God himself. You find your true worth and identity in Christ. God sent Jesus to die for us so he could save us and then lavish us with the immeasurable riches of his grace in…
Did you know that Jesus did not die only for our salvation? According to the Bible he also died so that we would ‘die to sin and live to righteousness’ (1 Peter 2:24). Being saved by grace is not the end. It is the beginning of holy living. God hasn’t invited us into a disorderly, unkempt life but into something holy and beautiful—as beautiful on the inside as the outside. (1 Thessalonians 4:7, MSG) Grace does not excuse us from…
Do you know that God has no favorites? This is true no matter how it looks like or feels like. If you don’t believe me, believe the Bible. It’s God’s own truth, nothing could be plainer: God plays no favorites! It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from—if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open. The Message he sent to the children of Israel—that through Jesus Christ everything is…
Lately, we have had a lot of heart-breaking diagnoses and deaths in our extended family. So much that it forces you thinking and praying. How should we live in the shadow of death? I think this is one of the most important questions in life, don’t you think? It is a matter of life and death after all. It determines how we live and for what we live. And what happens to us after our death. The sad thing is…
The longer I live, the more grateful I am for grace. Because the older I am, the better I know myself. And that picture is not pretty. I am hopeless at making myself better. I am clueless to make anything happen. I am powerless to help myself. That’s why I am so thankful for Christ who doesn’t wait for me to get my act together. Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for…
This is just a short – and hopefully sweet – reminder to not forget Jesus. Because Jesus is the key to all the locks. Jesus is the answer to all the questions. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. According to Jesus “No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6, CEB). That’s why I have to ask: How long has it been that you’ve confessed that Jesus is the Son of God? For every child…
If you’re not ready for Christmas, don’t worry. That’s how it’s supposed to be. Babies are born when they are born. Most often it is when everything is not ready yet. And no matter how much you prepare, a baby is always an unknown territory anyway. So if you find yourself in a situation that everything is not perfect, you’re celebrating Christmas the authentic way. Mary did not have much for Jesus either. So be merciful to yourself and concentrate…
As you probably have noticed, I like to end my posts with a prayer. I do that because I believe that all change begins in prayer. I believe that all the good things start with God. My calling is to bring others to Jesus. And in prayer people can meet Jesus firsthand. Today I wrote the prayer before writing the post itself. And I pray God will answer that prayer in this post. (Maybe this is too random but we…
