I’ve always thought that we should only serve one God and we should not have idols. God should be number one in our lives. I had thought those possible idols would be other people or work or hobbies, somebody or something else than me. But then I read this from Isaiah: “Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?” Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress…
Have you ever thought you could be Herod? The jealous king who killed innocent babies just to make sure there would not be any rivals for him. I used to say no. I used to think he was way out there. Not like me. But then I looked deeper into the text. I looked deeper into my heart. I looked deeper into the eyes of Jesus. Lord, have mercy. I am Herod! How come? you might ask. Let me explain….
Sometimes we think that God calls only impressive, competent people into his service. But I think we could not be more wrong. God is looking for willing people whom God would like to bless and equip for his service. Moses is a great example of this. Moses objected, “They won’t trust me. They won’t listen to a word I say. They’re going to say, ‘God? Appear to him? Hardly!’”(Exodus 4:1, MSG) Moses could not believe that he would be able…
“God majors in impossibility” is one of those uplifting, encouraging, and empowering facts of faith Mary DeMuth writes about in her new Everything book. Impossible is nothing to God, he is mighty powerful! Also nothing is impossible with God, he will empower us to thrive by grace. This quote encourages me to embrace life fully no matter what happens: “God’s heart…is not that we escape our lot, but that we learn to thrive in the midst of it” (Mary DeMuth)….
Failure is something that we try to avoid at all costs. We think it will be the end of the world. Or, at least, the end of our personal world. But kingdom living IS upside down living. Failure is not the end in the kingdom of God. It is the beginning. Because when we have reached the lowest point, we are open for God in our lives. Then we are, like apostle Paul, ready to trust God and not our…
Are you taking short cuts in your faith? Do you choose what you like and what you don’t like in God’s message? Has something become more important than Jesus in your life? You were running superbly! Who cut in on you, deflecting you from the true course of obedience? This detour doesn’t come from the One who called you into the race in the first place. And please don’t toss this off as insignificant. It only takes a minute amount…
Do you remember the story of Naaman? He was general of the army under the king Aram. His master valued him because it was by him that God has given victory to Aram. But he had leprosy in its early stages. His wife’s maid was a captive from Israel. She could have been silent but she chose to represent God and tell them about prophet Elisha in Israel. Elisha listened to the servant girl’s advice and went off with silver…
Do you feel God’s nearness? Is your faith flowing? Or are you wondering how on earth did you end up with this penalty loop once more? Faith journey does not have to resemble the Israelites’ journey through the desert. That’s not Biblical living. The journey to the Promised Land could have lasted just a few weeks but it lasted 40 years because all the penalty loops they took. Because they did not obey God. They grumbled instead. They took idols…
Did you know that because of Christ you are free to change? Any time, anywhere. God is personally calling you to follow Him and he has a ready-made plan for you to blossom in his care. Whenever you crave change, cry out to God and be ready to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. Surrender yourself to God and he will continue his work in you. Christ has set us free to live a free life. (Gal. 5:1, MSG) Did…
We all know the the story of Jonah. We chuckle, we might find Jonah even endearing. We might marvel how God caught this runaway and especially how Jonah moved from being prayerless to praise-filled in the belly of the whale. Jonah experienced first-hand God’s mercy right then and there, probably for the first time in his life. Jonah knew God, we might even say that he had a relationship with God. But yet he was a stranger to grace. Suddenly…
