Isn’t it interesting how everything in Christian life starts with surrender? The word and the thing we all hate until we learn the beauty of it. Let me explain. The beauty of surrender is real. It leads us from dark disasters into light and love. Sure, we are saved by grace but it doesn’t happen without surrendering our hearts to Jesus. Also, all the growth in grace and wisdom happens through surrender. The Christian life is all about surrender. God…
My heart is full of all the things I want to share with you. In short: do not go about your day without marveling and embracing the grace of God. It’s amazing and it’s been brought to you by the blood of Christ. So do not put it in vain without accepting and receiving it. Not only for your salvation but for your everyday enjoyment and encouragement. Because you are meant to live to the praise of his grace and…
Today I was reminded of opening my hands to receive what God has for me. It shocked me a bit because I had thought I was open for God to move freely in and through my life. But I was reminded to empty and open my hands to receive. So I must have had something in them to keep me from being open-handed. That got me thinking: what kind of things do we keep in our hands even without noticing…
When you are totally empty, just crawl to Jesus. It doesn’t matter you have nothing left to give, you are still most welcome to Jesus. God is way more interested in you than in what you can do for him. Actually, with less of you, there is more room for Jesus. So when you’re exhausted and weary, don’t hesitate, just crawl to Jesus. Know that you can always find rest in Jesus. Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who…
Is there room for miracles in your life? I hope so. Otherwise, you’d be limiting God in your life. And, in some ways, I think faith itself is a miracle, anything with God is a miracle. Every breath we take is a gift, every blessing is a miracle. If we want more God, we need to make room for miracles, make room for God to show up. Because God is a miracle-worker. God is awe-inspiring from dawn to dusk. He…
Do you ever wonder whether God can still do mighty things? And if he can, could he do them in your life? We do need reminders of God’s power and goodwill towards us. Otherwise, we have a hard time believing in God and his grace. The Bible is full of these reminders and that’s why we need to keep on devouring it. But in the end, faith is a mystery, we can’t explain everything. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be faith. As Martin…
Are you after spiritual well-being? Do you want more of God’s grace and peace? Good for you. This means you know what can make your life better and more blessed. So you are ready to choose life over death. Wonderful. But do you know how to go about it? How can you have more of God’s grace and peace? Let’s find out. Grace and peace [that special sense of spiritual well-being] be multiplied to you in the [true, intimate] knowledge…
I don’t use any Bible reading plans. My plan is simply to read a chapter or two or three both in the Old and New Testaments every day (and, no, I don’t manage to do it every day). Once I’ve read through, I start rereading them again, usually in a different translation. So I was utterly delighted by the divine orchestrating that on Easter Monday I was reading through the last chapters of the letter to the Hebrews. It so beautifully…
A few days ago, I was reading an older translation of the Finnish Bible and encountered something beautiful in the last verse of Psalm 5. It declares ‘You will cover them with grace like a shield’. My heart rejoiced to know that we are covered by the shield of grace. How wonderful is that? We are safe under the shield of grace! I was so thrilled about the shield of grace that I immediately wanted to share it with you….
I love God for many reasons but one of my favorite things is the fact that he guides me. It’s not just talking. You see, it really happens whether we realize it or not. We are not alone in this world. God is with us and he is ready to help us. The best guide in the world wants to connect the dots for us. And Jesus does not just show us the way. He is the way. He guides…
