Today it has been exactly 500 years since Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of Wittenberg church. He did not know his actions would change history but they did. Luther just wanted to remind people of what faith was all about and what it was not. He wanted to get people back to the basics: we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Luther nailed it. There’s still nothing else that saves us. The power…
Becoming stuck or stale is not something anybody strives for. Especially, we desire liveliness in our spiritual matters. That’s why we need prayers for spiritual growth. It does not happen without the Holy Spirit. Otherwise our faith will become dead and we don’t want that, do we? Prayers for spiritual growth I have collected a few prayers for spiritual growth. Which one is your favourite? I felt that I could have written many of these prayers yet they were written…
Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the Wittenberg church door 499 years ago today. He was worried about the church’s way and wanted to call the church back to the grace of God. My favorite of all the 95 theses is #62 “The true treasure of the Church is the Holy Gospel of the glory and grace of God.” When the body of Christ remembers this, all is well. And this goes to each individual member too. That’s why…
It’s great that we trust God. But we are also called to follow Christ. We can’t omit the cross and Christ. Dietrich Bonhoeffer states “Christianity without discipleship is Christianity without Christ.” As followers of Jesus we can’t dictate our own terms or decide what we are willing to do. We can’t write our own program to suit our whims and wants. We can’t limit our following to our comprehension. It’s too limited. We are called to follow Christ beyond comprehension….
How do you rate loyalty? How important being loyal and faithful is to you? They are extremely important to me. I think any relationship needs loyalty and faithfulness, otherwise there’s no trust and intimacy. This also applies to our relationship with God, don’t you think? Not just from God’s side – for he is forever loyal and faithful – but also from our side. Are you God-loyal? Always and forever? Martin Luther has said “Where the battle rages, there the loyalty…
Grace is straightforward. It’s uncomplicated. It’s plain-sailing. Why then do we make it complicated? Difficult to understand? Demanding? Because grace is a sure thing for all who believe in Jesus. It is a gift from God for all who welcome Jesus. God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life. (John 3:16, CEB) God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you…
We need prayer daily. There’s no way around it. It’s not because of God we pray. It’s because we need it. (Here are my top 10 reasons why I can’t live without prayer if you’re interested). Prayer reminds us who and whose we are, why we are here and where we are going. Daily prayer gets us focused and inspired. Prayer starts our day right: When we surrender to God, everything will work out. Here I have a small collection…
Do you like to laugh? Or have you forgotten how? Holiness does not mean cheerlessness. Actually, we are called to be cheerful no matter what. We are called to sing ourselves into God’s presence. We are called to be joyful. Laughter and good cheer are God’s good gifts to us. On your feet now—applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence. (Psalm 100:1-2, MSG,*) Laughter is indeed a gift from God. Life without laughter would be dull,…
Did you know that prayer is a privilege? I think so. Did you also know that prayer is also our duty? Prayer is our joy, our weapon, and our ministry as Christians. With the words of Martin Luther “As is the business of tailors to make clothes and cobblers to make shoes, so it is the business of Christians to pray.” The power of prayer is beyond our understanding. As Watchman Nee has said “Our prayers lay the track down…
Do you know the deep secret of joy? It has nothing to do with the entertainment industry but it has everything to do with Jesus. Because, you know, nothing but Jesus can give us freedom from all the ugliness in our lives. And that’s not even all. Jesus can save us from eternal separation from the ultimate goodness. Martin Luther explains the deep secret of joy very well: The heart overflows with gladness, and leaps and dances for the joy…
