A wave of the sea

I am currently working on the final stages of my new book (yeah!). People are proofreading, I am editing, making corrections, and rewriting sections here and there.

My new book will be the tenth and final book in a series about the Ten Commandments in the 21st century. The book is based on the first commandment that tells us not to have other gods before Him.

It will probably come as no surprise that the title of this new book will be 'No other gods' and it basically deals with the importance of undivided loyalty towards God and His Word. My free translation of 'no other gods' would be 'no compromise.'

👉Undivided loyalty will make us stand firm, especially in a world that is getting crazier by the day! We see new ideas, trends, and philosophies popping up like mushrooms and people are being tossed around like ragdolls trying to follow all that is 'new'. 

I will not be tossed around for I am standing on solid ground and I hope the same is true for you. We need to guard our position, however, and pray for wisdom. James 1:6 says about such prayer, But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.

Aha, we will be blown and tossed by the wind if our loyalty is divided. We should therefore ask ourselves if we feel like a ragdoll because of everything that is going on in the world. If the answer is yes, we should check our loyalty towards God and His Word. Does the Good News still stand above all the bad news in our lives?

James continues: Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. Ouch. Instability is the result of divided loyalty. I have the feeling that it's time for a faith check-up for many believers. Let's do it now!

The value of listening (4)

According to the writings in the book of Proverbs, listening to wisdom (listening to Jesus, to His Word, to the Holy Spirit) has great benefits. Proverbs 1:33 says,

But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.

Oh, to be untroubled... don't you love that idea?

Let's move on to chapter 4 in the book of Proverbs. The heading in my NLT Bible says 'A Father's Wise Advice'. I love that chapter. It speaks so much about life 💖. Let's stop at verses 20,21 and 22 and listen:

My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.

Listen carefully to my words. Father God is calling you and me today to listen, just as much as Salomon called his children to listen thousands of years ago.

God's words bring life to those who find them. We can find words everywhere today; in the newspaper, on television, on the internet, in books, and in magazines. And yes, these words can be encouraging, inspiring, and uplifting. But none have the power to bring life. None have the power to bring healing to our whole body!

I have a deep desire to listen to His words. I hope that is your deepest desire as well. The benefits are eternally good!

The value of listening (1)

Too many chiefs and no Indians. When we were in the USA, I have heard people say that often. I would like to give that saying a twist:  Too many talkers and not enough listeners.

Now, if the world would just be filled with listeners, it would get awfully quiet (well, we might finally hear the birds!). Of course, there is nothing wrong with talking... but we want our words to count, right?

Let's be honest here, there is way too much foolish and obscene talk, way too much lying and manipulating, and there are way too many useless words spoken. Let's make it our goal to speak truth with power!

👉I truly believe that being an influential speaker starts with listening. That is, listening to God's voice, to His words (I am still learning!). And since we are kind of losing the art of listening, I decided to do a blog series on the value of listening.

I will base this series on several verses in the Book of Proverbs and I will be using the New Living Translation (NLT) in case you want to read along. The short posts will surely inspire and encourage you and maybe even ignite a deeper longing to sit at His feet and listen. I hope you will join me. Proverbs 1:5 says:

Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance.

The things that occupy our time

The Bible is full of beautiful, encouraging, but also difficult and sometimes bizarre passages. Well, I am sure you all know that :)

One of the most important warnings in simple words was urged by the Master Himself when He addressed His followers about the vine and the branches. Jesus told them to stay connected to Him if they wanted to bear fruit, to be productive, and then He added: Apart from Me, you can do nothing (John 15:5).

I always thought that was such a radical and strong statement and kind of weird at the same time. Let's face it, there are millions of people who do all kinds of stuff without Him, every day. There are millions of people who labor in their own strength and purposely keep the Lord out of their daily business. What exactly does Jesus mean when He says 'apart from Me you can do nothing?'

Of course, I understand that if it wasn't for the breath of life He gives us, we would be dead. But still... 👉I personally believe Jesus' emphasis was not on the 'doing' of stuff, but on the fruit our labor produces. Does our work bring forth fruit? Are we putting energy in things that will be gone next year, or in relationships with everlasting value? 

Are we investing money in things that will be outdated or gone over time, or in programs that build the Kingdom? Are we working for earthly success, or to serve others? Quite some introspective questions to think about.

'Apart from Me, you can do nothing'. That is not a negative statement, it is a positive promise. It is everything we trust in and hope for! It seals our connectedness with and our dependency on God. It is a reminder that we live and move and have our being in Jesus Christ alone.

His words remind us, over and over again, that knowledge, education, status, or success are not important in the Kingdom, but the measure of fruit-bearing for the Kingdom of God... a matter of eternal value!

Ears to hear...

In my previous two blogs I wrote about directing our thoughts and enlarging our view by fixing our eyes on things  invisible. Someone wrote to me and said  'don't forget our ears.'

And indeed, our hearing… the Bible has quite a lot to say about that as well. Jesus said 'He who has ears, let him hear.' Rather logical, is my guess, unless you have a hearing impairment or are completely deaf.

We have ears to hear, to perceive sounds, to follow conversations, and therefore to listen. The question is: what are we listening to?

Not everything that comes to us within earshot is useful. Not everything is pleasant, pure, lovely, honorable, virtuous, and praiseworthy… yes, the very things that we should fill our minds with. 👉 Conscious listening means making choices.

Romans 10:17 says, So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. If you read that entire chapter, you will see that it is about listening to and obeying the gospel that is being preached. Faith comes from hearing the good news of Jesus Christ.

There are people who are always "preaching" bad news, whether on television, in church, or at work. That is not what builds our faith. On the contrary, it crumbles whatever faith we might have left in this difficult time we are experiencing on a worldwide scale. Remember: faith comes by hearing the word of Christ and His words are spirit and life!

Make sure you listen to His words. How? Read the Bible out loud! Listen to an audio bible! Listen to faith-based sermons! Listen to the Holy Spirit! Faith comes by hearing.

He who has ear, let him hear.

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!

150 short devotions on the psalms

I can't believe I did it, but over the past months, I recorded 150(!)🤩short (two-minute) video devotions, one on each psalm, and posted them on my YouTube channel and IGTV.

As I mentioned before, my one word for 2021 is connect, and to make that practical I started this project, #apsalmaday. The thoughts in the back of my mind were: 'We all need encouragement and we need to stay connected to avoid isolation. The Word both encourages and connects.'

So, I began taping short messages on the psalms. Unedited, raw, spontaneous, and simple thoughts, encouraging the viewer to read the psalms for themselves and to ask the Holy Spirit for fresh insights. My friend Martin Podolák provided English (and Slovak) subtitles👌which made it easier to follow for people who have English as their second or third language.

I can highly recommend a journey 👣through the psalms, especially in this time we live in. You will be able to relate to so many thoughts, prayers, and emotions. You will be blessed, your faith will rise, I promise! And the best thing is, you can start any day or just pick a random psalm, however you want to do it.

📌Link to the playlist

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!

A psalm a day...

In my previous blog I wrote about my #oneword for 2021: connect.

To be honest with you, I find it quite difficult from time to time to stay in close contact with people during these crazy times ... family, friends, readers of my blogs and books. Some people want to connect, others don't;  you have to be careful these days and try to feel and understand where people are in this crisis.

I often pray about it, "Lord, show me what I can do, how I can keep encouraging others and myself." Well, that's how we started our small group at the end of September which is such a precious and joyful time with several ladies.

And that is how last weekend I got the idea to record a series of videos about the psalms. For years there was a sign in our kitchen with the saying: 'An apple a day keeps the doctor away'. I once brought that over from America. And suddenly the thought came to me: 'A psalm a day ...' 

Why not encourage people to read a psalm a day and get something personal out of it? A bit like an antidote to all the negative news. So I now post a very short encouragement (2 minutes) about a psalm every day and with it the challenge to read that psalm out loud and see which verse appeals to you.

Since my personal reflections are in English, people from Georgia, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Ukraine, Slovakia, and the USA have already joined me in reading through the psalms.

You can follow the video series on my YouTube channel, my IGTV, Facebook, Twitter, and MeWe. Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel!

The good armor (7)

Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation... we looked at it briefly in the previous blogs. They are the God-given weapons we need to fight with and to protect ourselves with in a hostile world.

When we read verse 17 in the sixth chapter of the letter to Ephesians in its entirety, it says:

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. So, what is this sword? The Spirit of God or the Word of God, or maybe both? Surely, we are not supposed to stab people with Bible verses, as if we were in a sword fight ...

No, that would not be wise. However, this verse does show us that the Word of God is sharp, and no doubt powerful. The Bible is not just a book full of letters, it is a book full of life. Jesus said to His disciples, The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life (John 6:63).

Such an awesome statement. The words of Jesus are spiritual and full of life, which is why they are still speaking to people today (two thousand years later)! His words are not theory or theology, but spiritual truths. In Hebrews 4:12 the Word is described like this:

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The sword, we cannot and should not live without it. Reading (and then doing) the living word is essential everyday food!

Eerie feeling?

I don't like it when it happens, but from time to time I have that eerie feeling come over me, that feeling that we can't be sure of anything anymore. 

Anyone with me? Or is it just my imagination?

What was wrong yesterday, is right tomorrow. What used to be normal is now regarded as weird and what was logical is now unexplainable. Talking about confusion...

I was pondering about that this morning and the thought came to me that God is not a God of confusion, He is a God of order, of peace, and of love. I really felt He wanted me to write a blog about the 'surelies' as we can find them in the Bible. You know, where someone, or even God Himself, starts a sentence with SURELY....

'Remind the people about My surelies...' So, okay, here we go. I hope this post will be an encouragement to you.

• Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:6)
• Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me (Psalm 54:4)
• There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off (Proverbs 23:18)
• Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:2)
• Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear (Isaiah 59:1)
• 👉And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”(Matthew 28:20)

Well, if that does not get you excited, I don't know what will. God's Word is our treasure, true riches at hand. And the most beautiful thing is that everything may change around us, but the Word of the Lord remains forever.

It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” (Romans 14:11).

Power games

In Him we live, we move, and have our being (Acts 17:28).

One of my favorite Bible texts. Such depth in a few words! The 'Him' being Jesus Christ Himself.

For the biggest part of my life (well, up until now) I did not know or understand this. I thought I was the master of my life and my future. I had one life to live and wanted to make the best of it. Nothing wrong with that of course, but without the Giver of life... such goals are unattainable 😉 I know now!

No matter how good and lofty our intentions are to make life great, we will find opposition, we will encounter immense struggles. As long as we do not acknowledge the One who holds the universe in His hands, we will keep bumping into obstacles in our limited little world.

In my previous blog I wrote I wrote about and commented on the vicious battlefield we find ourselves in nowadays, whether we like it or not. We are seeing immense power games in our world today. Political leaders, nations, organizations… all acting as if the world would stop to function when they are no longer there. Such arrogance and misconception.

The truth is: the whole world exists because of Jesus, the whole universe is sustained by Him and by His powerful Word. This is our foundation, this is our hope for today and the future. The world may crumble, but the powerful Word stands forever. I love how it is written in Colossians 1:15-17,

Christ is the visible likeness of the invisible God. He is the first-born Son, superior to all created things. For through him God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen things, including spiritual powers, lords, rulers, and authorities. God created the whole universe through him and for him. Christ existed before all things, and in union with him all things have their proper place.

👉We do not need to learn more about the world, we need to learn more about the Word!

If you could ask for one thing

If you could ask one thing of the Lord, what would it be? Restoration of health or finances? Peace in your country or in your heart? Family members to turn to God? The answer to that question is probably different for everyone.

A long time ago, God asked King Solomon that question and the King answered: 'Give me wisdom and knowledge that I may lead Your people'. And so King Solomon became the wisest man that ever lived and God added wealth, possessions, and honor like no other king ever had (you can read that amazing story in 2 Chronicles 1).

Health is important, but so are peace and wisdom. I was reading Psalm 19 in my New Living Translation and I noticed God offers all that we need, in His Word. Take a look at verses 7 and 8.

• The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. Oh my goodness, how I need that every day! My health depends on a thriving soul!
• The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. Yes, please Lord, yes, let it be me!
• The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. I know the joy of the Lord will be my strength, I need it!
• The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. I must have this in an ever-changing world that seems to have gone insane.

Such riches in God's Word: instructions, decrees (laws), commandments, and commands. 👉We may not always embrace such terms, but they are filled with spiritual riches. I discovered that in my own life when I started my writing journey.

While working on the book series about the Ten Commandments, I received a totally different perspective on God's laws and regulations. They are not restrictions, on the contrary, they offer great opportunities to heal our souls, to make us wise, to bring us joy, and to give us all the insight we will possibly need!

Guidelines

Following guidelines. In context of the Corona virus we are busy doing so on a worldwide scale these weeks. And that is a good habit. Washing hands regularly, keeping distance, working from home when possible ... well, you name it. Those guidelines are there to ensure our physical health.

I would like to share a few spiritual guidelines to ensure the health of our souls.

Last year I posted a series on this blog about a healthy soul and it focused on the words in 3 John 1:2,

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

Just as your soul prospers. It is so important to keep that in mind, especially now that a virus is spreading that fills people with fear, absurd fear. Fear is not good for the soul, fear torments and it paralyzes.

So, how do we take good care of our souls? I have listed a few basic guidelines, hopefully, they will help you.

💦Spend time with Jesus
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened... and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-29)
💦Praise and worship
Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits (Psalm 103: 2) 
💦Listen to His voice
Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, for the life of your soul is at stake (Isaiah 55: 3) 
💦Speak and receive sweet words
Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones (Proverbs 16:24)

Give me a B

[Samaritan woman at the well by Zambian muralist Emmanuel Nsama]

In my Bible alphabet blog series B stands for Believers.

The word comes from the Greek verb πιστεύω or pisteuó which means to believe, entrust, have faith in.

The first group of believers mentioned in the Bible [are NOT to be found in the book of Acts!] were actually the people of the Samaritan town Sychar. 

Jesus spoke with a woman from that town and because of her encounter with this Jewish man, many of her own townsfolk became believers. John 4:39-41: Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers.

So, believers are people who have put their faith (trust, confidence) in Jesus Christ and believe His Word. In Biblical times the believers were known for their communal living as recorded in Acts 4:32, The believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.

The Bible further mentions how new believers modeled after each other, a process that is still going on today! The apostle Paul writes about the Greek believers in Thessaloniki: You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia... (1 Thessalonians 1:6-7). And more than that, it went worldwide. Paul writes that their faith in God became known everywhere.

I want the same to be true for the faith of modern day believers!

Give me an A

On my Dutch blog I have started a summer vacation series on Biblical words. Kind of like an ABC on Christian basics.

The posts are short and clear and fun. Each letter stands for a word that we use quite often, sometimes so often that it has lost its meaning. I know you all don't have time to read long blog posts, but yet you want to be encouraged...

So, please join me as we go through the alphabet in the coming weeks. I will make each post up as we go, so I have no doubt it will be a refreshing blog series :)

I will do my best to share great, inspiring, uplifting and sometimes funny posts. I hope you will read along and share 'm with your friends and family when you think a post is fitting and timely. Are you ready?

Give me an A!

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]

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?

A resting place

Resting place at Apollonia National Park, Israel

In The Netherlands we are very spoiled with vacation days and vacation time. Depending on the financial situation people choose to stay home, to travel in The Netherlands or to other countries in or outside of Europe. Adventure can be found everywhere, whether we choose to go hiking in a provincial park or in the mighty Alps. Each country has it's charm and points of interest, if we would only open our eyes.

This is somewhat how I experience Bible reading. As I wrote in one of my previous blog posts, I am currently reading through the Book of Acts. Which means reading slow, stopping, thinking, making notes, asking questions, pondering... and reading again. Just think about the fact that we have 66 Bible books to visit... each with it's own charm and special points of interest. Sometimes a single word or sentence jumps off the page and catches my eye as it has never done before. In any case, if you are reading along, please make sure to read the context or chapter that holds the words I am highlighting.

In chapter 7 I came across the following words (verse 48 and 49), However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says: Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be? What a fascinating question from God to us... 'where will my resting place be?' God is looking for a resting place, not built by human hands, but created by Himself.

In general we are looking for a resting place by God, in His presence. But has it ever occurred to you that God desires to find a resting place in or with us? A place (our body = His temple) where He can feel at home, where He is welcome and where He enjoys talking with us?

Oh, those questions of Jesus...

Isn't it wonderful to travel through the gospel of Luke? I love it. Of course there is much more to read and learn than I am posting on this weblog... but I just enjoy zooming in on those small sentences and scenes that can raise big thoughts.

It happened more than once that the theologians in Jesus' time tried to trick or test Him. We can read this for example in the text preceding the parable of the Good Samaritan. One of the teachers of the Law approaches Jesus with a question about eternal life. Jesus answers his question, according to Jewish custom, with another question. Two questions really. Read along in Luke 10:25-26, On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” Those two questions should penetrate the heart of every believer.

WHAT is written in the Law? Do we know what is written in the Law, in the Old Testament? Do we still read the Law and do we learn from it?

HOW do you read it? Let's say you do read in the Old Testament, and you do know what the Law says (most people who have gone to church most of their lives have a good knowledge of the scriptures), then there is still the question: how do you read it?

Do we read with pre-conceived ideas? Are we skeptical, critical or are we reading without really thinking? Do we accept everything the preacher says from the pulpit, without re-reading it? Do we read with our heart or with our brains, or both? Do we read with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us and who inspired the writers of the Bible? How do you read it? Jesus'question is still ringing in our ears today.

It is written about the disciples: Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures (Lucas 24:45). That is still possible today, for you too if you desire so!

TIP: Ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you when reading the Bible, so you can see the things through His eyes.