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…
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…
Are you at a dead end? Are you tied to the mundane? Do you miss God in your life? Jesus said, “You’re tied down to the mundane; I’m in touch with what is beyond your horizons. You live in terms of what you see and touch. I’m living on other terms. I told you that you were missing God in all this. You’re at a dead end. If you won’t believe I am who I say I am, you’re at…
It seems that no matter where I turn to this week or no matter what I read it comes with this message: Apply your faith! So I pass it on to you: Apply your faith! Don’t just believe on Sundays but also every single day of the week. Also, don’t just call yourself Christian but act like it! Don’t just say ‘Lord, Lord’ but obey him! “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and don’t do what I say? I’ll…
After all the Mother’s Day hype I was happy to read this on Monday morning: While Jesus was saying these things, a certain woman in the crowd spoke up: “Happy is the mother who gave birth to you and who nursed you.” But he said, “Happy rather are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.” (Luke 11: 27-28, CEB) or like the Message version says it: “Even more blessed are those who hear God’s Word and guard it…
I’ve never felt comfortable writing a Mother’s Day post. Actually, I’ve never written one before. And even this is mostly an unlikely one. I have a wonderful mom (love you!) and I love being a mom. But my heart goes out for anyone who would (have) like(d) to be a mom and isn’t. I don’t feel comfortable boasting about my blessings. (But we are certainly encouraged to count our blessings). The only thing I want to boast about is God’s…
Life is hectic and demanding. We might feel there is no time to spend with God. But the truth is there is always time for things we value. And there are ways to listen to God in the middle of everyday chaos. There are ways to blend God’s love in everything we do and everywhere we go. God has made it pretty clear to us what he wants from us: “Obey me so that I may become your God and…
