THE STORY OF JESUS: John 4:16-26 “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24) In Jesus, God becomes human to bring us back to what really matters. Without God, our hearts are empty and we fill them with empty substitutes. Like multiple marriages or relationships, or religious rituals and traditions….
Thirsty for living water?
THE STORY OF JESUS: John 4:1-15 “Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.” (John 4:14) Jesus is speaking in riddles, is He trying to confuse her? We automatically spiritualize what He says, but why would this lady do this? Of course she thinks about natural water, that is what He is asking for. If…
May Jesus become greater!
THE STORY OF JESUS: John 3:22-36 “The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.” (John 3:35) The good news is that Jesus has reclaimed creation for God and us! God raised up Adam and Eve and placed everything in their hands (Genesis 1:26-28). God loved them, and their were His much-loved children. Adam and…
Moving towards the light!
THE STORY OF JESUS: John 3:16-21 “Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light.” (John 3:21) I can understand why people hate the church, or religion in general. But what I wish is that they could just focus on Jesus. In Jesus we see goodness, love beyond belief, hope, compassion. Jesus is ‘light’, a metaphor for…
Quiet Space Prayer
“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16) QUIET SPACE (based loosely on Psalm 23) Lord, You are my Friend and my Helper. You are all that I need. You calm me down when I am stressed. You whisper peace to my troubled mind. You refresh my soul. You guide me in the right direction,…
Be Still and Know…
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 46 “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10) As a Jesus follower, life can be challenging as we strive to live WITH, LIKE and FOR Jesus in the world. We face struggles from the world itself, but also struggles within our own sinful nature. And…
Battle prayer!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 108 “Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless.” (Psalm 108:12-13) The enemies we face today are very different from what David faced. But we face battles and enemies that are just as real, just as serious. Behind our troubles and conflicts there is the greatest enemy of all….
My life a sanctuary!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Ezekiel 10-12 “I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.” (Ezekiel 11:16) In the midst of these stern words, we find this encouraging reminder. Those who trust in the Lord find Him to be a sanctuary, even in exile. As Jesus followers, we are also scattered throughout…
When sin goes too far!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Ezekiel 7-9 “The land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice.” (Ezekiel 9:9) We need to realize that the detestable ways of the people were really bad. We read these judgments in the context of our times, but those times were worse. There were no human rights, and what…
The Spirit in my sails!
THE STORY OF JESUS: John 3:1-15 “The wind blows wherever it pleases… So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:3) What does it mean to be ‘born again’ (or literally, ‘born from above’)? Jesus goes on to say “unless they are born of water and the Spirit.” (John 3:5) The water refers to the outward…