Robust peace might sound a bit odd first. That’s because we’ve learned to think of peace as of lack of something. Peace is a lack of hurry or lack of pestering people. The peace the world ever is able to give is this kind of peace: a removal from busyness or a subtraction of something from our lives. But this kind of peace is not lasting and it diminishes our lives. This kind of peace is not robust peace. This…
We all know that Jesus is our best Christmas gift ever. But do you know what to give Jesus this Christmas? Just yesterday this was a novel concept to be. It had never occurred to me that I could concretely give Jesus a birthday present until I read Ann Voskamp’s blog post where she shares how their family gives birthday gifts for Jesus by buying goats or mosquito nets. I thought it was a brilliant idea. So during the dinner…
Outer motivation does not work in the long run. We need inner motivation to get things done. This psychological principle is surprisingly true also in faith matters. If we are told (outer motivation) to behave or believe in certain ways, we are unlikely to meet those expectations. But if we have personally encountered Jesus (inner motivation), we follow his guidance with gladness. That’s why we should not force rules and regulations on others. We should let Jesus change people according…
The Bible is very clear that we are all called to be holy like God is holy. It does not happen without effort but by God’s grace it is possible. To be holy is to be transformed into the image of Christ. What bothers me is the fact that people think that holy people are boring, repressed, stiff-necked,and self-righteous. But Jesus was not at all that kind of person! What’s gone wrong here? We are called to be like Jesus,…
Yesterday we talked about Solomon who chose wisdom over wealth and how he was richly blessed. So inspiring! But this is unfortunately not how his life ended. But before his wisdom waned his reputation as a sage was widely known. Even the queen of Sheba came to test him with hard questions and she found all the reports of Solomon’s wisdom true. What happened to Solomon? His success was too much for him. He felt entitled to break the law…
Are you alive in Christ? Do you trust in the Risen Christ? Do you feel the joy of his resurrection in your heart? Great! From this point on we are called to live not for ourselves but for Christ. And that is a game changer for sure. Because the cross of Christ is a vantage point. The world looks different with the eyes of Christ. People look different by divine standards. And so do we. Even God looks different from…
As we approach the Holy week my mind has started swirling around the sacrifice of Jesus. I am in awe of vastness of God’s love. And then I think if God loved us so immensely … how should we respond to him? We can’t save ourselves but we can’t help but love God in return. How could we love God more and more? So, brothers and sisters, because of God’s mercies, I encourage you to present your bodies as a…
An old saying insists that love is blind. I dare to disagree. I think real love is not blind. But that’s the thing. Infatuation is blind. But real love is not. Real love is many things but not blind. Love is patient, love is kind, it isn’t jealous, it doesn’t brag, it isn’t arrogant, it isn’t rude, it doesn’t seek its own advantage, it isn’t irritable, it doesn’t keep a record of complaints, it isn’t happy with injustice, but it…
Peter is one of the Bible characters whose spiritual growth impresses me time after time. He was passionate for Jesus from early on yet he didn’t first really understand what it meant to live for Jesus. But Peter was willing to learn, first from Jesus and later on from the Holy Spirit. Peter’s story is an encouraging example of heavenly spiritual formation, what it really means to grow in grace. Just think…Peter was the one who cut off the ear…
Do you have engrams, memory traces, of God? Has God touched you in such a way that there’s been a physical alteration in your living neural system? I hope so. Just like the men who fought along Saul: Along with him went courageous men whose hearts God had touched. (1 Sam. 10:26, CEB) When we have been touched by God, we are marked by God for good. When we have experienced God’s love and grace, our brains will always carry…
