Power and love

Power and hatred, a dangerous combination. Well, hatred by itself is dangerous enough. But as we see around us in the world, hatred empowered by weapons, money, and evil influence in high places becomes deadly.

How different is the combination the Bible uses: power and love!

I like the way the psalmist says it: But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress (Psalm 59:16). He sings about God's love and about His power!

Power and love go together quite well, with God that is. As a matter of fact, they describe His character, they describe who He is. Psalm 117:2 says it this way: For his unfailing love for us is powerful; the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever. Praise the Lord! 👉I like that idea, His love for us is powerful.

Jumping forward to the New Testament, we find that the apostle Paul has a message for us as well, namely that it takes power to understand God's love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is (Ephesians 3:18).

In the next verse, he turns it around. When we experience the love of God, we will be filled with the life and power that comes from Him. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God (Ephesians 3:19).

No matter how we look at it, the Bible shows us that power and love make up a divine combination and experience that we should not want to live without. He gives it to us freely, as we can read in 2 Timothy 1:7,

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

I am wondering (and asking myself): Are we people of power and love?

Snakes and doves

Have you ever been sent out to do a certain task? 

Maybe you had to sell raffle tickets, gather up a group of people to do some volunteer work, visit someone and bring a message, or go to some foreign country to preach Jesus.

Sending out

Whatever the case, such 'sending out' is often accompanied by a wish for good luck, farewells, warnings (be careful, come back as quick as you can), and lots of advice of course.

When Jesus sent out His twelve disciples, He said this:

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves [Matthew 10:16].

One or the other

Uh, excuse me Lord? You want me to be as a snake and as a dove? I don't think that will go very well together. It's either one or the other, right? One is either clever or stupid, extravert or introvert, loud or quiet, obnoxious or sweet. Oh, how we love to add labels and put people in boxes. We don't even realize how much we limit ourselves when we do so.

Perfect example

God is different. With Him all things are possible and He wouldn't be God if He had not set the perfect example Himself. Jesus is the Lamb of God and the Lion of Judah. Yeah, both the lamb and the lion. Jesus displayed tender compassion as well as harsh anger. He is the judge as well as the savior.

We have a tendency to accept the side of God we like the most and ignore the rest. But, let's not forget, God is love but He is also just. Yes, God loves the sinner but hates the sin. Yes, God forgives but He also corrects and disciplines.

Pure in an evil world

When Jesus says we should be shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves, He is not asking for the impossible. He wants us to be pure in an evil world. He wants us to be determined and yet dependent on Him. He wants us to be outspoken and diplomatic at the same time. He gives us both courage and meekness, power and love, alertness and rest.

In Him, we will have the perfect balance. In Him, we will speak up when necessary and be silent when required.

A mandate to shine

The other day I came across a sentence in one of the books I am currently reading, that really stuck with me... I mean like glue. 

Shine where you are.

Shine where you are. Four simple words that made me wonder what would happen if we all did that? Just imagine... we would live in a different world!

What if we would shine exactly in the place or position we are in right now? Not when things get better, not when we have it all together, not when we are healed, not when we are out of trouble, not when our government changes... but now, right where we are.

Maybe you don't want to shine, maybe you prefer complaining and grumbling. 👉 But for believers it is different, we have a mandate to shine! Think about that.

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may be innocent and pure as God's perfect children, who live in a world of corrupt and sinful people. You must shine among them like stars lighting up the sky (Philippians 2:14-15, GNT).

Just imagine...

Vanity and grasping for the wind

In my younger years, my friends and I often philosophized about the meaning of life. We regularly closed such discussions with the sigh: 'For all is vanity and grasping for the wind.'

We took those words from the Bible book of Ecclesiastes, in which the writer experiences that all human efforts, hard work, and pleasure ultimately lead to nothing; after all, we all have to die. It even made him depressed.

So I came to hate life because everything done here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless—like chasing the wind (Ecclesiastes 2:17).

There is nothing new under the sun indeed if this describes a phase in life you are currently experiencing; a phase many people go through. Chasing the wind is exhausting and yields nothing of value, we will all discover that at some point.

But how then, will we live the years that have been given to us? The desire to do something with our lives is surely in our blood. We don't want to spend our lives on the couch, do we?

Well, I can reassure you. The Bible clearly provide answers to the questions of life as they are exposed in the book of Ecclesiastes. For example in Psalm 34:14,

👉 Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it (go after it).

I read in that Psalm a call to repentance.... turn away from evil. But also to a new way of life... do good, do the right thing. And very specifically that means… seek peace. That is in reality a challenge to go on a quest to get to know Jesus (Prince of Peace) and His teachings better.

And that is not all. We are called to seek peace AND pursue it, chase after it. Now, that is an adventure much more satisfying than chasing after the wind!

Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another (Romans 14:10).

Writing as love language

I once got a diary for my birthday. I don't remember how old I was... maybe 8 or 9. It was one of those diaries with a golden lock on it. You could trust your secrets to paper and no one could get to them. I loved it!

For years I wrote many of my childish and (later) adolescent thoughts in such diaries. When we moved to another house, I threw them all away. The thought of anyone reading my secrets was downright embarrassing.

When I became a believer about twenty years ago, I started writing again. It's called journaling these days. I have already filled quite a few notebooks. And yes, I definitely read back from time to time. It's interesting to see what I was worried about ten years ago, what I had questions about, or what I prayed for. Most things turned out well 😁

Over the years, my writing has, in reality, become talking with God. It has become the love language between Him and me. When I make a journal entry it usually starts with me talking about what's on my mind. When I am halfway the page I often notice that I no longer write down what I think, but what God wants to say to me. You can see this change in perspective quite often in the psalms.

👉 My pen becomes His instrument in my hands, as it were. Whenever it is hard for me to hear His still small voice, I'll write. Do you recognize that?

Even if you don't like writing, you should start... just to have one of those beautiful journals from Flame Tree!

Too much talking...

Well, I should have turned my recent blog posts into a blog series right away 😏 A series about the choices we make in our thinking, seeing, and hearing.

Today, I want to add our talking. The choices we make when we open our mouths. What are we talking about? What is our main conversation of the day?

Jesus said: Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34). 👉So we speak of the things that are bountiful in our hearts.

Let's turn that around.... So if we want good, beautiful, wise, noble, and encouraging words to come out of our mouths, it is only logical that we should fill our hearts with these thoughts first.

And yes, that goes back to the previous three blogs. By consciously choosing what we think about, look at and listen to, we fill our hearts.

By consciously choosing what we allow or don't allow to enter, we feed our hearts. Just as we consciously choose whether or not to eat or drink certain things to keep our bodies healthy.

We should ask ourselves 'what am I full of?' Is it sports, work, vacation, politics, headlines, fear, doubt, or anger? What are the things we can talk about enthusiastically, passionately, worryingly, or negatively for hours? The things we talk about every day, do say something about the state of our hearts...

[Make sure to read my blog post on our hearts as the wellspring of life!] 

Managing our thoughts

My thoughts are not always nice and kind. Yeah, I'll admit it. Sometimes I notice that there is annoyance or mistrust or a bit of negativity. You can probably relate...

Human thoughts, I know. However, the Bible tells us not to worry about anything and to direct our thoughts in a different direction. Read along in Philippians 4:6-8,

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. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Okay, that's not exactly a list we can find in today's media. We better not look to the mainstream media if we want to receive the peace that transcends our understanding. That peace is Jesus. He is the Prince of Peace.

'Think about such things...' Fix your minds on these things... In other words: fill your thoughts with anything that is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and/or praiseworthy.

I am sure there are plenty of things we can come up with. If nasty and negative thoughts keep going through your head 👉maybe it would be a good idea to make a list, or a set of cards, of everything that you consider pure and lovely and use that to send your thoughts in a different direction!

Worshipers wanted!

Who will not stand in awe of you, Lord? Who will refuse to declare your greatness? You alone are holy. All the nations will come and worship you, because your just actions are seen by all [Revelation 15:4].

It is My desire to cover the earth with sons and daughters who are carrying My presence and the power of the Holy Spirit within. I want to fill the earth with My holiness and glory once more. It is My pride and joy to see sons and daughters do what My Son taught them… to go into the world and disciple the nations, one person at the time. To go and share the love I have poured out in their hearts.

I love it when they lay their hands on the sick, so My Son can make them well. I love to see the oppressed be set free and the ones in pain be joyful again. I long to see every spirit revived, every soul saved and delivered, and every afflicted body released from sickness. I am love, I am light, I am holy, I am shalom. Perfect peace and well-being come from My hand and it is My greatest pleasure to fill My sons and daughters with everything I have, with everything I am.

I seek the ones that are willing to receive what I have for them. I seek the ones that are bold enough to call Me Papa. I search the earth to see if there are any who are wise and willing to worship Me, who are willing to obey My Holy Spirit who only speaks of what He hears and who always brings glory to My Son.

I am seeking sons and daughters who are not afraid of My Spirit, who are willing to get to know Him better so He can lead them into all truth. I can and will do so much more throughout the earth when My people will let go of fear and put their trust in Me. You see, putting your trust in anything or anyone else than Me is idolatry and I do not tolerate it. It is Me or nothing. The choice is yours.

I cannot work through you if you are not willing to let Me. I want to see sons and daughters who dare to hand Me their dreams and goals, their jobs and finances, their present and future assets, their health and care issues, their family and relationships… everything really. I love to bring order in chaos, peace in troubled times, healing where there is pain, confidence where there is doubt, and hope where there is despair. Will you let Me do it?

Yes, I am looking for worshipers and no, you don’t have to sing for Me all day, although I love music. The heavens are full of worship and My angels cry out, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy,’ without end. I am looking for worshipers, for sons and daughters who know Me and are willing to spend time with Me and My Word.

I have so much to give, why don’t you give Me your time and devotion? Why don’t you give Me the worship I so desire? A thankful heart, a pure heart, a humble attitude, a lifestyle in submission to My Holy Spirit, a love for My Word, undivided attention, and the honor I deserve as your Father. This is what I am seeking. This is My cry for you, my child. This is my call for your generation.

With sincere love, Your Father

How to stay hopeful and joyful

We live in a weird, wild, wicked, and wonderful world. Although it is not exactly what God had in mind when He created it all and saw that it was good... His eyes are still on this universe, our planet, and all people.

Although God wanted all people to live in peace, prosperity, and a good relationship with Him, they decided they knew better and preferred to do their own thing. And what a mess we made of it all!

I have been there, I have done that, and I am so glad the Lord stopped me in my tracks twenty years ago and set my feet on higher ground. He brought me back to Himself (thank you Jesus) and to His Word and because of that, I know now, it is possible to stay positive in a negative world.

👉Does the Bible have the answers for today, then? Yes, I truly believe so. Every day I feed myself with truths that are the total opposite of what the world wants me to believe and that gives me great joy! Let's look at what the Bibles says about a few of the most common emotions people are dealing with today.

• FEAR - God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging (Psalm 46:1-3)
• ANXIETY - Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:6-7)
• UNCERTAINTY - For I am certain that nothing can separate us from his love: neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers or powers, neither the present nor the future, neither the world above nor the world below — there is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39)
• HOPELESSNESS - For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope (Romans 15:4)
• LACK OF PEACE - 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)

Well, you get the idea, right? It seems to me that for every negative word in the world there is a positive one in the Bible. But they will do nothing for us if we do not read and meditate and feed ourselves on those words. Do it, do it today!

Give me an S

In my Bible Alphabet Blog Series S stands for Silence.

In our loud and noisy world, where everything and everyone is crying out for attention, silence is more precious than silver or gold.

Havoc and destruction in a big bad world closes in on us, sometimes making us feel very small and insignificant and ever so often tired and anxious ... and then suddenly, in the midst of the storm, calmness is standing right there: Jesus Christ. The situation on the Sea of ​​Galilee two thousand years ago fits the scenario of our time:

And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” (Matthew 8:24-27).

He is the man of the 'great calm' and we can call on Him any time to quiet our minds.

Strangely enough we may yearn for silence, but at the same time be afraid of it. That should not be necessary, because we can learn to enjoy silence. For example by keeping a notebook at hand and writing down the words God will speak. Then silence once again becomes precious time spent in His presence, where there is fullness of joy!. 

Unfortunately, silence no longer comes naturally in our world. We must consciously seek it, chase it and create a special place and time for it. The psalmist writes (Psalm 131: 2):

I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.

Seek silence this week and listen ...