Waiting for a dream come true is very hard. Especially without trying to manipulate the outcome. We would like to force God’s hand to bless us and bless us now. But that’s not how blessings work. That might even be a recipe for a disaster. How then could we wait in peace? John Ortberg has said, “What God does in us while we wait is as important as what we are waiting for”. If we truly understand this, we might…
Starting a new year is exciting. Getting a fresh start is even more so. But doing them both at the same time is exhilarating. And that’s available for all of us when we start the New Year with God. Because God specializes in giving fresh starts for his children. And what’s a better time to get a fresh start than the beginning of a New Year, right? So join me in starting fresh in the New Year. Right here, right…
Are you ready for Christmas? Or are you secretly hoping for an extra week? Thankfully, Christmas does not depend on our mindset or feelings or how perfectly prepared we are. The journey to Christmas joy starts slowly and it is more than okay to come as you are. No preparations needed. Just come and meet Jesus. You can walk to the stable at your own pace. There are no requirements. You can come empty-handed and heavy-hearted. Yet you don’t ever…
Are you craving for unity and peace? Yet you don’t know how to go about it? Especially among your own extended family or workplace? Isn’t it sometimes so hard? And don’t let me start talking about world peace or the lack of it. Or how about the unity among believers? Sigh. My response is ‘Come, Lord Jesus’ and I realize that Jesus really is the answer to unity and peace. How to go about it in our everyday life? We…
Is it easy for you to keep calm in every situation you face? There have been a lot of fun “keep calm” posters, keep calm and do this or that. They are fun to look at. But the thing is: there is no way anyone can truly keep calm without inner peace. And that’s not a thing you can force upon yourself. Or anyone else for that matter. What to do then? How can we find that peace and claim the…
Do you love God more than anything? And do you surrender to Jesus daily? Your will, your strength, your heart, your mind, your body, your soul, your spirit, your everything? That is a tall order, isn’t it? Are you truly willing to give up your own children, even your own life, to follow Jesus? Because that is what he expects you to do. Are you ready to give up everything to follow Jesus? With the words of Jesus: Simply put, if you’re…
We all love blessings, right? The more the better, I think. A blessing is a favor of God and a life full of blessings is the best kind of life, isn’t it? But don’t fool yourself. God’s blessings are most often not materialistic and temporal but spiritual and eternal. Somehow, that diminishes the ranks of people who want them. We’d like to have a new car and money enough to control our destiny. But that’s not how it works. Spiritual…
The world news seems to be getting more horrific all the time. Suicide bombers, kidnappings, massacres, wars, murders, accidents. It all feels terrible, it’s easy to get discouraged. How can we go on like this, we ask. How can we continue to enjoy living when the world is full of tears and heartbreak? But don’t we then forget this is not all there is? Don’t we forget why Jesus came into the world? The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on…
Do you have a lot of “shoulds” in your life? You should this and that and every other thing. The first step of letting go of shoulds is to change your vocabulary. Replace all the “shoulds” with “it’d be great if”. It’d be great if all things worked out. But if not it’s not the end of the world. This is all great and has helped me to put less pressure on me but I have even better news for…
Today, I was moved by this blessing found at the end of Paul’s letter to the Romans. This is what I want to me personally but also for you and every single person on this earth. We all need to get to know the God of hope and then live in that hope. Because that’s God will for us. God wants us to overflow with hope. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you…
