later we will understand

Jesus had to assure his disciples in the midst of a storm,
“It is I; do not be afraid.” Matthew 14:27
That what seemed so scary was actually an opportunity for
God’s work to be revealed.
In another occasion the disciples were again surprised by Jesus’
unusual behavior. He was found sleeping in the storm
when everybody else was busy saving the boat.
They went from fear to fear.
First they were afraid of the unknown,
then they were afraid of their best friend.
“They marveled, saying to one another, ”who can this be?
For he commands even the winds and water, and they obey him?”
Luke 8:25
The disciples loved him, but they didn’t really know him.
They followed him, but often they didn’t understand him at all.
They worshipped him, but didn’t always know how to read him.
Jesus said to one of them, ”Have I not been with you so long,
and yet you have not known me, Philip?” John 14:9
After he had shocked them by washing their feet he said,
“What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”
John 13:7
We have no choice, but following him without fully understanding him.
Later we will understand why he led us so strange ways.
Later we will understand that he actually never left us.
Later we will understand that he loved us unconditionally,
just as he had promised.
The more we get to know him, the more we desire to worship him.

window of opportunity

happily spinning around with God

The whole world is crying out for justice. The Arab Spring, the foreign
troops in Afghanistan, the shocked Norwegians who try to hold
their head together in the midst of their national tragedy.
Justice can never be found without the truth.
Truth is not a human invention. Man is frustrated and angry about
the Truth, because he cannot change it. Finally he crucifies it, Him.
Death cannot keep the Truth. He overcomes death and leaves this
planet freely, just as he had entered the world without permission
from the world counsel of wise men and women.
It’s like the huge universe where man is sitting offended on a tiny
planet refusing to spin around. He doesn’t like it.
He doesn’t like it, because he cannot control it.
He writes books against spinning, he fills his planet with signs against
spinning, he broadcasts endlessly news against it, still spinning himself
inescapably. Hmm…
God is said to be the Father of the Fatherless, the defender of widows.
Psalm 68:5
He will bring forth justice His way.
“He will not cry out, nor raise His voice,
nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench.
He will bring forth justice for truth.” Isaiah 42:2-3
Man’s system of justice cannot accept grace.
If grace is not allowed in the picture, forgiveness loses it’s divine value.
It becomes just a human commodity, traded for money and
manipulated by manmade markets.
I’d rather have God as my defender.

whatever you do,do all to the glory of God, I Corinthians 10:31

well organized dust

“Set your minds on things above.” Colossians 3:2
Sometimes believers’ indifference towards the affairs of this world
gets out of balance.
As the old saying has it,” He is so heavenly minded that he is no earthly good.”
We call this hyper spirituality.
It’s a form of religiosity that is used as an excuse to laziness, passivity and
irresponsibility.
Some Thessalonian believers used it to justify their idleness. II Thess.3:11
Paul makes it clear that they are out of balance.
Jesus worked most of his adult life as a carpenter.
It’s amazing that he had time to work and make earthly goods (I would
love to sit in a chair that Jesus made).Wasn’t he on an urgent mission to save
the world! Aren’t we!
Time is for eternity. Time is not the opposite of eternity.
The earth is God’s work. It’s not a mistake nor a failure in his plan.
The balance comes when we do our earthly work with a heavenly attitude.
We have an ability to put an eternal quality into everything we touch.
Without a heavenly mindset all human endeavors would be nothing more than
just moving sand from one place to another, endlessly, without a purpose.
In the hands of God’s Spirit sand becomes a perfect vessel to fulfill God’s
eternal purpose on the earth.
The sand will pass away, the purpose will last forever.
The Holy Spirit can organize this dust to glorify God in a way
that all eternity will remember it. II Cor.4:7

on the shores of the Aegean sea

love means to follow

There is only one way to love Jesus and it is by following him.
“He who has my commandments and keeps them , it is he who loves me.
And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and
manifest myself to him.” John 14:21
When you follow someone on an easy road you don’t worry about their
character too much. When going gets more demanding and tough your
relationship with the leader stirs up more questions,
“Does he know what he is doing; Can I trust him; Does he know where I
am at? ”
Following from a distance is not possible for a long time. You loose your
connection. Following means nearness.
I think that Jesus lived a very dynamic life on the earth.
When he called people to follow he was moving.
When people responded to his call, they knew that their life would never
be the same.
That’s what it means to follow him, constant changes.
If I don’t want any changes in my life, I’d better stop following
and – loving Him.