Adoration

 Arise and shine

Painting by Mattia Preti (1613-1699)

Arise,

shine,

for your light has come,

    and the glory of the Lord

rises upon you.

See,

darkness covers the earth

    and thick darkness

is over the peoples,

but the Lord rises upon you

    and his glory

appears over you.

Nations

will come to your light,

    and kings

to the brightness of your dawn.

[Isaiah 60:1-3]

December give-away

Dear readers of this blog,

At the end (almost) of yet another beautiful and inspiring blogging year I want to thank you for reading along, for commenting and for sharing the posts. Your input and responses make each post a valuable interaction about the deeper issues of life.

I cannot thank you all personally, some readers desire to stay anonymous and that's just fine with me, but I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who visits this blog, whether you are a reader, a blogger or a writer (to be)... Without your encouragement this blog would not continue to exist. As a way of saying thank you I will be hosting a give-away this month!

You can win a copy of My Neighbor's House and, as a bonus, a copy of any other book in the Ten Commandments series you desire. The only thing you need to do is to leave your comment underneath this post and describe in six words how you have experienced 2014. (This is a great opportunity for the writers and poets among us to practice writing a six-word-story.)

I'll ask my husband to draw a name, later this month!

Fruit of the Spirit (10)

This is already part 10 in the series on the Fruit of the Holy Spirit, as described in Galatians 5:22-23. It is very interesting what precedes these verses:  What human nature does is quite plain. It shows itself in immoral, filthy, and indecent actions; in worship of idols and witchcraft. People become enemies and they fight; they become jealous, angry, and ambitious. They separate into parties and groups; they are envious, get drunk, have orgies, and do other things like these...

Ouch! I am sure we can all recognize some of this happening around us. Thank God, the word doesn't stop there... But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

In the last part of this blog series we will take a closer look at self-control or, as the KJV says, temperance. Nowadays that is probably a word which will make people laugh or frown. Let's be honest: in the Western world we live in a time and culture of abundance. Eating a whole bag of potato chips or half a box of chocolates, purchasing fashionable purse number twenty, browsing the internet for hours and hours at the time, drinking too much, wasting precious time in front of the television etc. etc. Too much, too much, too much.

Self-control, temperance... not our strongest point. The more we try, the more we fail. And that is exactly why God wants to help us. Without self-control we are weak and an easy target for the enemy. Proverbs 25:28 says: Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.

The self-control the Holy Spirit wants to produce in us is not the kind of effort we sometimes undertake, as in 'I can do it if I want to' or 'just a little longer and I made it'. It is self-control at the most unexpected moments. Right when we think we can NOT do it, the Spirit wants to come alongside to help. We can simply ask Him to do so!

Less of our own will, more of His!

Fruit of the Spirit (9)

We are nearing the end of this blog series about the fruit the Holy Spirit wants to bring forth in the lives of believers.

What the Holy Spirit wants to produce in us, is truly beautiful: The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Let's take a look at gentleness.

Does 'being gentle' mean that we must be soft? That people can walk all over us? No, of course not. The Lord Jesus is gentle, but I wouldn't dare to call Him weak or cowardly. In Matthew 11:29 He says: I am gentle and humble in heart. Gentleness goes together with being humble: daring and willing to be the last or the least.

Practically, this means:

• not always wanting to be right,
• regarding someone else more important than ourselves,
• extending grace and not being judgmental...

In our efforts to be important, popular, nice and pretty we often forget that this was not the focus of Jesus' ministry. He brought gentleness into a violent world and they hated Him for it. And this is still so today. Being gentle is definitely a way to get noticed in the world today... daring to be gentle in situations where debate is rising and grace is nowhere to be found.

Personally I am not too good at this. That is why I have a big need to see this supernatural (godly) fruit become visible in my life. Gentleness is not a human virtue, it is supernatural character of God Himself... in us.

Fruit of the Spirit (8)

Throughout the ages people from all kinds of religions have done their best to be recognized; recognized from the outside that is... Just think about wearing hats, head coverings, toga's, habits, crosses and beads. However, the outside doesn't always say much about the inside, and that is really the place where God wants to bring forth fruit.

What the Holy Spirit wants to produce in us, is truly beautiful: The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). In this blog series we have come to faithfulness. The King James Version says faith.

Isn't that what faith-fulness really is: being full of faith...?

The faith that we receive as a gift from God, and that needs to bear fruit in our lives, is not the faith from our parents, church or friends, but it is supernatural faith from God! Hebrews 11:1 tells us what kind of faith(fulness) that is: 

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (NIV)

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (NKJV)

The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. (MSG)

To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see. (GNT)

Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. (AMP)

Amen. I want to be recognized by that kind of faith, what about you?

Fruit of the Spirit (7)

Personally I find it useful and refreshing to take a step by step look at the fruit the Holy Spirit wants to produce in our lives. I hope you are enjoying it as well, as we are beginning to see that we cannot force these things to grow in our lives and they cannot be learned.

It is super natural character of God Himself which will grow in us when we give room, when we yield our will to His.

What the Holy Spirit wants to produce in us, is truly beautiful: The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithful-ness,gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Today I want to stop and think about goodness.

Goodness, that's an interesting one... We probably all know good people and maybe they do not even believe in God. Well, yeah, some people are simply more friendlier and more generous than others. Doing good is something we can learn from our parents, or in school, or from some kind of philosophical book. Is that the goodness the Bible talks about in this context? No, that is not the kind of goodness (friendliness, generosity, goodwill, grace, honesty, integrity, kindness, mercy, righteousness, beneficence, honor, humaneness, kindheartedness) when talking about the fruit of the Spirit.

The divine fruit 'goodness' goes much, much further than a positive human characteristic. We are talking about a goodness as mentioned in Luke 6:35 (GNT), Love your enemies and do good to them; lend and expect nothing back. You will then have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God. For he is good to the ungrateful and the wicked.

Well, Jesus explains it in a way that leaves no discussion, don't you think? Doing good to our enemies. And then that last part, a real eye-opener... God is good to the ungrateful and wicked. Ouch, is that really true? I have never heard someone preach on that one...

Being good to ungrateful people... when we find ourselves doing that, we can be sure His character is being formed in us :)

Fruit of the Spirit (6)

Fruit of Gods Spirit in our lives, what a wonderful concept. That fruit is not the little things we can do for Him or in His name, that fruit is the development of His character in us. more of Jesus, less of me...

It doesn't matter what our strong or weak points are, but it matters what His Holy Spirit wants to produce in us, and that is truly beautiful: The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Let's take a look at kindness, which in the Greek language is chrēstotēs. When researching the Bible we can find out that this is not our every-day kindness, the nodding to our neighbor or the friendly word to our co-worker. That sort of kindness is great and definitely to be praised, but the kindness that God wants to bring forth in our lives is kindness of a different order...

It is the kindness the apostle Paul writes about in 1 Corinthians 4:12-13, We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly... Kindness when being slandered? You gotta be kidding, right?! Well, it surely gives us a great exercise for this week: Do I allow the Holy Spirit to work through me or am I always going ahead of Him?

Supernatural kindness, that goes against all political correctness. That is being kind when we do not feel like it, that is kindness when we do not want to give it. Jesus explains it like this: But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked (Luke 6:35).

Ouch and ouch again... being kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Now, that is only possible with the help of the Holy Spirit!

Fruit of the Spirit (5)

When talking about the fruit that God wants to bring forth in our lives, I sometimes hear people say: 'Yeah, kindness and goodness, I can see that in my life. But patience? No, that is not my strongest virtue.'

No, not your strongest virtue, but certainly Gods! His fruit in our lives is not the same as our human or natural character, it is supernatural character of the Lord Jesus Himself. It doesn't matter how we try to perform or what we want to produce, it matters what the Holy Spirit wants to do in us, and that is beautiful: The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Forbearance or longsuffering or patience... Supernatural patience; that is not the kind of patience we have when it suits us. That is not the kind of patience we have with the ones we love (our children, partner, parents or dog!). No, that is patience with ALL people.  And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. (1 Thessalonians 5:14).

Ouch! Be patient with everyone? You must be kidding, right?!

Well, He is not kidding. But we must bear in mind that we can never, ever do this in our own strength, it is work from Him in us. God is patient, absurdly patient if you ask me... 

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance...Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation (2 Peter 3:9 and 15).

Fruit of the Spirit (4)

This past summer I watched some of the soccer games played in the World Cup 2014 and I kept seeing the statue of Jesus above Rio de Janeiro and the soccer stadiums. It made me think about peace amidst the chaos. What a beautiful picture for this blog series.

What the Spirit wants to do in us, is beautiful: The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Let's take a look at peace. The peace the Bible talks about in this scripture is not necessarily the absence of war, but peace despite the war. Not a superficial peace, but an inner peace that surpasses all understanding. Where can we find such peace? Such peace comes from Jesus Himself, it is a peace He likes to give to all people... but do we want to receive it from Him?

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid (John 14:27).

Often we are willing and eager to try whatever it takes (therapy, pills, counseling, meditation etc.) but not the one thing the Prince of Peace promises. Often we have more confidence in our secular methods and doctors than in God Himself. But He is the one that promises peace, a peace that will break down all barriers, all walls and all animosity. Yes, also in the Middle East.

This summer the Elav Conference took place again, in Israel. Jews and Arabs came together to pray in the name of Yeshua and to pray for the peace in their nation (yes, amidst the chaos), which will start with peace in the hearts of the people! (See this awesome clip from last year's conference)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).

Fruit of the Spirit (3)

How would people recognize you as a Christian? Do your friends, colleagues and enemies know what you stand for? Critical question to ponder this coming week.

As Christians we are not being recognized by our clothes, a cross around our neck or a Bible under our arm. No, we should be recognized by the fruit that God produces in our life. The first proof that the Holy Spirit takes up residence in a believer, is that He will begin to produce godly character (fruit) in us, so we will become more like Christ. If there is no fruit, it is not reasonable to call ourselves Christians.

The fruit is Gods character in us and thus not be confused with human virtues (because they can be learned and adapted). What the Spirit wants to do in us is beautiful: The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Let's take a look at joy.

Joy is supernatural fruit that God wants to bring forth in and through us. This is not about being happy because something good is going on, or because someone is being nice to us. This is not about pleasure or having fun or enjoying something or someone. Being happy, enjoying ourself and having fun... there is nothing wrong with that, but happiness depend on happenings and it can disappear as fast as it came (for example, if something goes different than we expected or when trouble shows up).

The joy that the Holy Spirit wants to produce in us, is joy despite trouble. It is joy despite pain. I am thinking about the hundreds of thousands of Christians that are currently being persecuted around the world. They are being beaten, tortured and even killed. Churches are being burned to the ground everywhere and people are on the run with nowhere to go. Yet, sometimes we hear reports (through Open Doors for example) that they somehow experience divine joy in their hearts. Two thousand years ago it was no different: And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity (2 Corinthians 8:1-2).

The joy that the Spirit wants to grow in us, is joy despite worries, sickness, poverty, violence and wars. I am not sure whether in the West we know what that really means, maybe one day we will learn...

Fruit of the Spirit (2)

A few weeks ago we had a discussion in our Wednesday night small group about the human nature. The Bible says every person is born with a sinful nature. Mankind is not righteous by nature, even though some people might be super sweet and loving. Sorry...

(Love, that's what this blog post is all about)

Quite simply said, sin came into the world through Adam and Eve and righteousness came into the world through Jesus. Romans 5:19 says it like this: For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

That is, in short, the good news. Guilt and shame can be replaced with freedom! In the previous blog post we have seen what human nature produces... a lot of bad stuff. However, what the Holy Spirit wants to bring forth is very beautiful: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

The first sign that the Holy Spirit lives in us, is that He will start to produce godly fruit (character) in our life, so we begin to look more and more like Jesus. That fruit is Gods character and thus not to be confused with human behavior or virtues (which can be learned and adapted). Let's take a look at love, which is mentioned first.

Love. What comes to mind when we think about love? Being nice to one another, tolerance, being in love, parental love...? We are often inclined to think about human love here (as in relationships, humanism, charity or eros), but Galatians 5:22 talks about supernatural love. That is not a feeling or a thought, that is a decision. That is the most beautiful and most difficult love that exists, that is:

• loving your enemies
• loving those that persecute you
• loving until death

It is therefore not a fruit we can produce by trying hard, by doing all that we can. It is a fruit that will grow when we give the Holy Spirit room to change our heart.

Go ahead, ask God: Lord, teach me to love the ones that are unlovable, the ones I struggle with. That prayer will change your life!

Fruit of the Spirit (1)

Summertime, when the living is easy... remember that song? Summertime, when bloggers contemplate a writing break. Yeah, me too; but today I decided not to do it. There are two simple reasons for that decision; 1) on some continents it is wintertime and 2) for many people the living is not so easy.

In the upcoming weeks I will share a new blog series on the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Basic stuff, short posts, straight to the point, practical and simple. It might be a good series to share with new believers or family/friends who have questions about the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Who knows, it may turn out to be great conversation starter!

The Holy Spirit comes and lives within people who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who was raised from the death. The Holy Spirit convicts people of sin and points the way to the Truth. Besides that, one of the first things He will start doing once He takes up residence in someone, is producing fruit or producing godly character. He will do this so we can become more and more like Jesus Christ.

Why is it necessary to become more like Jesus? We're already pretty nice people, aren't we? Well, sorry... but our human nature brings about many bad things. The headlines confirm this every day. The Bible says it like this: The acts of the flesh [human nature] are obvious: sexual immorality impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like (Galatians 5:19-21).

Ouch, that is not a nice list. Thank God, the Bible does not stop there. Verse 22 says: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

About that fruit (with nine different tastes) I will write in the next nine blog posts, beginning with LOVE.

Will you join me on this journey?

The journey...

A few years ago my husband and I started a non-profit organization called Traveling Light. Whenever we can, we travel all over Europe and the Mediterranean to visit Christian drugs- and alcohol rehabilitation centers, struggling churches, small-scale organizations etc. etc. We simply offer encouragement in forms of practical help, financial support and spiritual encouragement.

The other day I was reading (again) in Lynn Austin's book Pilgrimage, and I was touched and encouraged by the following paragraph, which really made me think. I hope it will stir up your thoughts as well:

'It might be our natural tendency to build impressive monuments for Christian ministry, but it isn't God's way. We are supposed to go out into the world, not wait for the world to come to us, even if God has to turn our comfortable lives upside down to get us to do it.

I'm told that in the original Greek language, the wording of Jesus' Great Commission reads: "As you are going into the world... make disciples." Jesus assumes that we will be going; His orders are to make disciples along the way. When He sent His disciples out two by two to teach in all of the villages, He didn't tell them to buy a chunk of land and build an impressive building. He said, "Take nothing for the journey except a staff - no bread, no bag, no money in your belts" (Mark 6:8). I call that traveling light.

Jesus wanted them to trust God and the Holy Spirit's leading, not build elaborate projects and programs and ministries.'

Sometimes I wonder what Christianity in the Western world has become... We are often really busy maintaining our buildings and ministries, which leaves no time for the journey...

I truly believe we have to go back to the simplicity of the assignment we have received as Christians: making disciples along the way, no matter whether our journey is local, national or international.

Life on the couch?

On rainy days like today, I enjoy reading through old journals... just to measure my spiritual growth and development. I came across a page where I had written with big letters:

I cannot live a godly life on automatic pilot

I wrote it in a period of my life where I became aware of the talents and passions God had planted in my heart.

Talents and passions that need to be worked out and exercised and that will keep me from spending a life on the couch.

I wrote it down long before Twitter became popular, but I think it makes a cool tweet, don't you?

Peace in a world of violence

This past week I emailed back and forth with a Spanish publisher regarding my book Grace of Giving. That's always fun and exciting. Just thinking about the new readers I will reach with this message of generosity makes me jump for joy.

A few years ago, while working on my book Grace of Giving, I studied the parable of the good shepherd in John 10 extensively and ultimately John 10:10 became the foundation scripture for the book. While studying however, my attention was also drawn to John 10:9. Jesus says there: I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.

For the longest time I wondered about the coming in and going out. Once we belong to Jesus and have entered his Kingdom, who wants to go back into the world? With Him, without Him, going in and out, that would be stupid, right? That would be like the ancient Israelites wanting to go back to slavery in Egypt for the simple reason that the meat was better there! No, the going in and out had to be about something else.

Jesus is the gate to eternal life and we can only enter through that one gate; which certainly narrows our choices down! We will come in, that is: we will enter his Kingdom, a spiritual realm where God's will is being done. The Bible says the Kingdom cannot be seen, but it is within reach or within us (Luke 17:21). We will go out, that is: into the world. We are not of this world, but we still live in it! And then... we will find pasture!

Wow, we will be able to find green pastures and quiet waters amidst the trouble and turmoil in this world (Psalm 23). That is a very comforting thought. The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. It is possible to enjoy safe pasture despite all the unrest in this world, despite all the bad news and the uprisings, despite political and economical unstability.

We have to trust God to provide that safe pasture for us. We must not engage in negative talk about this world but continue to proclaim His promises and bless all people! Jesus said in John 16:33, In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world! Take heart! Be encouraged! The world cannot invade the Kingdom, but we must bring the Kingdom into the world and share our peaceful and safe pasture with others, so they will get a glimpse of what a life with Jesus is all about!

Happy weekend!

Writer's muse

Due to lack of inspiration for a quick blog post (which none of you suffer from, I suppose), I rummaged through the bins of the past and came upon something I wrote many years ago, just after finishing my first book (how interesting)...

When He spoke, the world was created. You can find those words in Psalm 33:9. Besides the world, He created you and me and He embedded His creating power in us (by giving us His Holy Spirit). That is why we love to build, design, fabricate and invent. That is why we love to write!

Never before would I have thought it possible to write so much about just two verses in the Bible, like I did in Sacred Sabbath. It tells me something about the enormous impact of God's words. If just two verses give enough inspiration for a book, just imagine how many books are hidden in the Bible! People get inspired every day, all over the world, when reading God's word.

Think again about that word 'inspired', it means in-spirit. I don't get inspired because I am so good and wonderful, it is because the Spirit is alive in me. He shows me things I simply could not see before. Reading God's word must be like being with Jesus. The gospel of John ends with these words: Now, there are many other things that Jesus did. If they were all written down one by one, I suppose that the whole world could not hold the books that would be written!

Wow, I am looking forward to endless inspiration! Isn't that every author's dream?

PS: Are you sometimes looking for inspiration in the weirdest places?

Pros and cons of FB pages

Back in 2006 (yeah, when I started this weblog) my first book in the Ten Commandments Series was released: Sacred Sabbath. It was basically a book about time management: taking a day of rest after every six days of work.

Not too long ago I was reading through that book again and while making notes I was amazed at how timely the message still is in 2014. So... (and this is how my mind works) I decided to make a Facebook page for this book series. Not just for the latest or upcoming one, but for the whole series!

The downside: I gotta bother my friends (you!) to like the page. The upside: it is a great way to give away snippets and one liners for friends to share and tweet. As more and more books are being translated in different European languages I tend to 'neglect' my English speaking audience... (forgive me). So I thought FB would be an easy way to stay connected, even if we miss each other's blogs every now and then :)

So, I hope you will visit the Facebook page and I would be honored to receive your LIKE.

Born again ABC (5)

In the previous blogs on the subject of being born again, we have seen that the Bible clearly speaks about two different kind of births. The spiritual birth is not the same as the natural birth. But, why is it necessary for a human to be born again, or: to become spiritually alive?

The fact that we need to become spiritually alive, implicates that by nature we are spiritually 'dead'. In Colossians 2:13 we can read: When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins. The Bible speaks about living people who are 'dead' because of their sins.

Being not physically, but spiritually 'dead' means there is a barrier between man and God. Ephesians 2:1 (Good News translation) says it like this, In the past you were spiritually dead because of your disobedience and sins. Sin stands between God and mankind and makes us spiritually dead for communication with Him. I always had trouble accepting this, I used to believe in the goodness of mankind. But one look at today's headlines tells me the opposite is true.

It is easy to see this in little children, we must teach them to do GOOD, the bad comes naturally. Every human being is born with a sinful nature. Kind David wrote: Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me (Psalm 51:5). This is why we all need to be born again! This is why we need to accept the forgiveness that Jesus Christ offers, and turn our back to sin.

There is so much more to be said about the born again experience, about the new life that we can receive, but the most important thing is to admit that we need it! Why not accept what He wants to give us (Ephesians 2:5): to be alive with Christ! That acceptance is the most important decision we can make in our entire life.

Now that by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves and have come to have a sincere love for other believers, love one another earnestly with all your heart. For through the living and eternal word of God you have been born again as the children of a parent who is immortal, not mortal (1 Peter 1:22-23)

Born again ABC (4)

When reading through the previous blog posts on this subject, it turns out that the term 'born again' is not as strange as many people think it is. The Bibles speaks about it in several places.

That the term being born again raises curious questions is understandable. It is after all something we cannot really grasp with our human (limited) mind. Even a scholar and learned man as the Jewish leader Nicodemus didn't understand it: How can someone be born when they are old? Nicodemus asked. Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born! (John 3:4). I do learn from his question that being born again happens at a later point in life. This can be when we're 10, 20, 30 or 80, it doesn't really matter.

Nicodemus did not understand the difference between the natural and spiritual birth. All he knew was the new life that came forth from a human being. The Bible, however, speaks about the new life that comes from God. We are not being born again of a human being, but of God! How that works exactly, I don't know, but I do know that it works. In 1 John 5:1 it is being described as follows: Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God... Well, that is not too complicated, isn't it?

The main question therefore is: do you believe that Jesus is the Christ (the anointed one, the Messiah)? This is a question of epic proportions since millions and millions of people all over the world are looking for the answer, especially within the Jewish and Islamic religions. It is a very important question that can only be answered with yes or no. If your answer is YES, you can and will experience the spiritual rebirth. Dare to say it out loud: I believe that Jesus is the Christ, He is the Son of God. If you sincerely mean this, it will without a doubt change your life forever!

In the next blog post I will take a closer look at WHY we need to be born again, namely the blockade between God and mankind: sin.

Born again ABC (3)

In the previous blog about spiritual rebirth we have seen that Jesus is pretty clear about it; there is more than a natural or human birth, there is also a spiritual birth. These are two different happenings. We could say that the Bible speaks about a natural birth and a super natural (spiritual) birth.

The first chapter of the gospel of John describes how Jesus, the Son of God, came to the earth. Some people believed in Him, some people did not believe in Him. It is still the same today. The Bible says: Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God (John 1:12-13).

The first time we are born in a natural way (out of our parents) and the second time in a supernatural way (out of God)... that is, IF we decide to believe in Jesus and to receive Him (in our life, in our heart, in our mind). The natural birth is not our choice, the supernatural (spiritual) birth is! After all, we have been given the free will to NOT receive Jesus, to NOT believe in His name and thus to NOT become a child of God... and so miss out on the rebirth.

The New King James translation says it like this: But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Wonderful, isn't it? We can simply say this: I receive you Jesus, I want to believe in You. That sounds very simple, but such a prayer (and that is what it is) has life changing consequences!

Born again ABC (2)

The previous blog post ended with a question: why do we often talk and act so difficult, complicated or even vague when it comes to the need of being born again, especially within the church...? I honestly do not know the answer, if there is one. I am glad Jesus kept it simple and said: You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ (John 3:7). Do not be surprised! It is normal.

The Bible shows us that prior to these words Jesus spoke to Jewish scholar Nicodemus, He said: Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. Well, duuhhhh... that is kind of logical, right? You don't need to be a rocket scientist to understand that. Not exactly what we expect to hear in a discussion about important matters between the Son of God and a theologian. But you know what we can learn from His words? There is more than a natural or human birth, there is also a spiritual birth. Those are two different happenings.

Well, that makes life a bit less complicated, doesn't it? We enter this earth through natural birth, which was not our choice, but the choice of our parent(s). Then there is something like a spiritual birth. Do we have a choice in this or not? Read it in the next blog....

Born again ABC (1)

In our home group we are currently going through my book Frisse Kijk and these past weeks we discussed chapter ten: rebirth. We had interesting discussions about 'being born again', but at the same time I noticed that not everyone present was so sure about what the Bible says about the subject. I decided it would be useful to write down some basics in a new blog series. So, here we go....

In most churches there is not a lot of teaching on this subject. Maybe because in some denominations it is considered normal (give your heart to Jesus and you are born again) while in other denominations it is not part of the theology (we have inherited a Christian tradition). Yet, I believe every Christian should understand what it means to be born again (also called new birth or spiritual birth) and be able to explain it to someone else.

There are several places in the Bible where we can find scriptures about 'being born again', but the most famous and most used verses are written down in John, chapter 3. Jesus is speaking about the subject with Jewish scholar Nicodemus and tells him (verse 3): Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. See the Kingdom of God... can you see it? Do you understand what that means? We cannot see (or understand/grasp) the Kingdom* (which Jesus spoke about very often) unless we are born again. Wow, that's pretty straight forward talk. It shows how important it is to be born again.

Jesus is talking about the opening of our spiritual eyes so we can SEE (understand) His Kingdom for what it is: not a place or a country, but a spiritual realm where righteousness, peace and joy reign, with power. Why do we often talk and act so difficult, complicated or even vague when it comes to the need of being born again, especially within the church...? In verse 7 of the same chapter Jesus says: You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ Do not be surprised! It is normal.

* See the Kingdom basics series

Author to author

Translating author Lynn Austin

Last Thursday night I had the honor and privilege to meet with author Lynn Austin. She came to The Netherlands to promote her first non-fiction title Pilgrimage.

In the weeks prior to her visit I slowly read her latest release and was pleasantly surprised. The book is filled with nuggets of wisdom and truth! Lynn writes with raw honesty about the desert period she went through in her own life. Pilgrimage is a very inspirational book. I can absolutely recommend it. Give it as an encouragement to a friend or family member who is going through a hard time!

It was such a fun evening. Lynn showed photo's from her trip to Israel and shared the spiritual lessons the journey through that dry land taught her. I was asked to translate her message; how cool is that?! Many people came to the event and enjoyed Lynn's message and book signing.

Our very own Dutch singer/songwriter Christian Verwoerd (click on his name to see a video clip from Israel) was present as well, and performed several songs. His music turned out to be just right for this evening.

PS: I just received word this week from two of my foreign translators. The German translation of Breath of Life and the Spanish translation of Grace of Giving are finished and ready to be edited!

I sincerely hope your week had some writing highlights as well!

Physical exercise and more...

Today I am reminded of a blog post I wrote several years back. I think it will be a good start of your Monday :)

"As I spend many hours working behind a desk, I enjoy a good work out. It takes me half an hour on my bicycle to get to work and when the weather permits it, I go for a power walk during lunch time. But nothing beats a spinning lesson at my local gym! The exercise strengthens and excites me and quite often I feel much better afterwards.

Reading through Isaiah I stumbled upon a verse that talks about biblical strength, In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength (Isaiah 30:15). Now, that's a total different story!

Although I am all for physical exercise and building up some muscles, I also realize that our real strength is not physical. It is not intellectual or mental either. The Bible teaches that our strength is in quietness and trust. I really had to think that over because it goes so much against the standard the world has set. Real strength cannot be measured according to the worldly standards. It cannot be found in exercise, education, status or importance. Real strength is in God and in godly attributes like quietness, trust and joy (Nehemiah 8:10).

It is with the psalmist that we can cry out to God: Strengthen me according to your word (Psalm 119:28)

When we can stay quiet during arguments or difficult times, when we can trust God (Read: when we do NOT worry) when all goes wrong, then... we are showing strength. The apostle Paul's prayer for the believers is this: I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being (Ephesians 3:16). What a great prayer! The Holy Spirit will strengthen us with power in our inner being."

Don't you just love it when Monday starts like this?!

No worries (4)

Do you read or write Tweets? Personally I think it is a great exercise to announce something funny, serious or new in 140 words (or less). There is already so much talk, writing and debate. A little shorter doesn't hurt :)

There are few people who seriously master the art of composing a short but powerful message for the public. My greatest example is the Lord Jesus Himself! He was able to silence a crowd with two sentences. He made comments that impacted like a bomb. His words had, and still have, enormous influence and effect on people's lives.

In my previous blog posts I wrote about His words on 'worrying' about someone or something. Let's continue to read in Matthew 6. Verse 34 records one of His most peculiar sayings, Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Tomorrow will worry about itself? Haha, that has to be a joke, right? Days do not worry, people worry. Personally I think this is quite a radical statement Jesus makes here. If there is one thing we worry about, it is the future: tomorrow, next week, next month or even next year. I sometimes feel like Jesus is making a little fun of us here, as in: come on folks, are you serious? You do not even know what this day will bring, so why would you think you have any influence on tomorrow or the rest of this week?

Living per day, completely normal in the biggest part of our world, but an abnormality in the rich West. Possessions, knowledge and activities seem to increase our pain and worries... The words of Jesus are not a joke, but a very serious warning and command: daily manna, daily bread... that trouble is more than enough.

Don't be afraid to pray: Lord, I want to live day by day.

PS: His words do not imply that we should not make plans for tomorrow, but merely that worrying (about those plans) is a sin.

Lynn Austin comes to Holland

I am taking a short break from the no worries series, simply because I have a great news item. Bestselling author Lynn Austin will be doing a book tour in The Netherlands.

She will come to promote her first non-fiction book: Pilgrimage. It is a book about her personal pilgrimage to Israel where she found new passion for prayer and a deeper faith. Why am I so excited about this? Well, of course because I love books, I love writing, I love Israel and.... because I will have the honor to be Lynn's translator during her visit to Alblasserdam, the town where she will speak about her newest book. I am thrilled because I will have a chance to be with and to learn from a great author.

The back matter of her non-fiction debut Pilgrimage says:

We all encounter times when our spirit feels dry, when doubt looms. The opportunity to tour Israel came at a good time. For months, my life has been a mindless plodding through necessary routine, as monotonous as an all-night shift on an assembly line. Life gets that way sometimes, when nothing specific is wrong but the world around us seems drained of color. Even my weekly worship experiences and daily quiet times with God have felt as dry and stale as last year's crackers. I'm ashamed to confess the malaise I've felt. I have been given so much. Shouldn't a Christian's life be an abundant one, as exciting as Christmas morning, as joyful as Easter Sunday?

With gripping honesty, Lynn Austin pens her struggles with spiritual dryness in a season of loss and unwanted change. Tracing her travels throughout Israel, Austin seamlessly weaves events and insights from the Word . . . and in doing so finds a renewed passion for prayer and encouragement for her spirit, now full of life and hope.

The Dutch version of the book will come out next week. In America the book has been released last October. I am wondering, have you heard about her latest book and (just being curious) have you ever met an author you admired?

No worries (3)

Seeking instead of worrying. That is my focus this week. No worries about small or big things, but purposely seeking His Kingdom. In other words: seeking peace, joy and righteousness, because that is the Kingdom of God.

Let us continue to read in Matthew chapter six (verses 31-33), Jesus is speaking here: So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

That is not too complicated, isn't it? But maybe you are thinking, well, it is easy for Jesus to say this. He multiplied bread when there was not enough to eat, He healed everyone who was sick and when a storm nearly shipwrecked the boat He was in, He calmed the storm with his hand. Yeah, it is easy for Him to say this...

Yet, Jesus'message here is very clear and simple. Worrying about daily stuff is a pagan thing, don't fall for that, don't go there. Your heavenly Father knows what you need... So, we don't need to tell Him all the time. Do you recognize this? In prayer we often have a tendency to tell God what is lacking and what is worrying us. Often we feel the need to even explain things to God. Yep, that's us. And God seems to be saying, 'I know, I know...'

Don't get me wrong, we can freely talk with God and tell Him our daily business. But we have no excuse to worry.

I want to change my focus this week from worrying to seeking His Kingdom principles and presence. Is that easy? No. Is it possible? Yes. I want His wisdom, His solutions and His guidance in my daily situations. I hope you will seek this as well.

No worries (2)

In the Netherlands (where I live) it is quite normal to start the day with reading the news paper. In other countries it is custom to start the day with watching the news on television. Through internet and mobile phones we even have more ways to receive the bad news. I don't know how you like to start the day, but I like to start with the good news.

That doesn't mean I ignore everything going on in the world, but it means I purposely choose to focus on God's promises and truth. From that point of view I can optimistically do my share (www.traveling-light.nl) to make this world a better place. Worrying about drama and disaster doesn't change a thing, we must act! Jesus constantly warned the people about worrying too much: be careful folks, don't go there!

In my previous post on the subject of worrying I quoted His words as found in Matthew 6:25. Let us continue to read (verses 26 and 27), Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Again, two very interesting questions from our Lord.

Are you not much more valuable than birds? Yes, of course we are. Does that mean we do not need to sow and reap (read: work)? No, of course not. It means we should not worry. God will provide us with the things we need. The way I see it, it also means we should not put our trust in the drama and crisis stories the secular media is trying to push down our throats. Or, to make it practical: stop repeating the bad news! If we read God's promises with the same zeal we are reading the news paper with, things will change. We will begin to believe what the Word says! It would be wonderful if we began to speak about God's Word with the same assurance we often use when speaking about things seen on television.

And then His second question. Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?  No, of course not. Worrying does not have added value.

How do you deal with the daily news?

Visiting Karen Lange today

Today fellow blogger and author Karen Lange is hosting me on her blog. So, you could do us both a favor by hopping over for a visit, simply by clicking HERE.
Thanks a million.

No worries (1)

To worry or not to worry... that's the question, or isn't it? Personally, I am not a worrier by nature, but I know many people who are. Well, whatever the case in your life or home... I have decided to write a series of short blog posts on worrying. I hope they will inspire and encourage you.

'Worrying about something or someone'... Probably one of life's biggest and most repeated sins we commit. Yes, I am calling it a sin, because 'worrying' goes against the words of Jesus. Let us take a look at what He says about this subject, for example in Matthew 6:25,

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?

Simple words and clear questions we have learned to skip. Yes, skip... because if we are honest we must admit that food, clothing and body (health/beauty) issues are exactly the things we spend much time, money and worries on. A crazy thought really, because here in the Western world most of the people are clothed and have food to eat. There are television networks and magazines solely dedicated to food, fashion and health. And yet, despite our abundance we still worry.

By the way, Jesus does not say that eating, drinking or clothing ourselves is wrong, but that worrying about those things is wrong. Instead of worrying, we should rather be busy making sure that no one on this planet lacks these basic necessities!

Do not worry about your life! To me, that is a wonderful thought at the beginning of yet another year in which the media will probably try to convince me that I lack many things. I really want to take Jesus' words very seriously. I do not want to worry about my daily stuff, I want to care for the daily stuff of others, who are less fortunate. In doing so I will shift the focus from self to others.

I have tried to answer Jesus' intriguing questions:

• Is not life more than food? Yes indeed!  For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21)
• Is not the body more than clothes? Yes indeed! Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? (1 Corinthians 6:19)

What have you done to stop worrying?

Fresh insights, also in 2014

At the beginning of yet another new year I have taken a critical look at my blog title: fresh insights on ancient truths. Is that name still accurate and in line with the posts I publish?

I have noticed that over the years this blog has received a fair share of active readers, thankful readers, critical readers and, no doubt, some secret readers. Among them are evangelical, orthodox, catholic and charismatic believers, Muslims, agnostics and atheists. Yes, I do have the most beautiful and diverse group of readers a writer/blogger could wish for.

In 2014 it is still my desire to offer a fresh look on themes and subjects that have gathered some dust throughout the years. Things that might be religious, but not biblical. Or things that are biblical, but that we have always looked at through religious glasses. I hope you want to open the Bible with me, read it AND do it. I would like to keep it that simple and, since most of you are busy, I promise to keep the posts short!

I am very grateful for all your comments, whether on this blog, by email, Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook. It is the comments of readers that give true value to a blog.