Migrating with Love and Understanding: Following the Example of Christ
My wife and I moved to a country in Southeast Asia for work. In other words, we became foreigners in a land very different from our own. As Westerners, we are learning to live in an Eastern culture. Cuisine, language, traditions, family structure, and social norms differ from ours in many aspects and have led us, to some extent, to a challenging process of adaptation. And even after two years, we continue to learn the nuances of a culture as rich, hospitable, and unique as the one that welcomed us.
This story of a migrant woman has inspired thousands. Now it is your turn.
A few years ago, I met a West African woman who had a calling to serve Jesus in Central Asia. It had already taken her several years to prepare for the move. Along the way, she was approached by several young men who wanted to marry her. Her first question, in response, was whether they had a calling to serve Jesus in Central Asia. All of them answered no and were, in return, informed that there was no hope of marriage. Finally, seven years after she got the calling, the woman, who remains unmarried, was ready to go.
Change the way you think and Discover God's Will for Your life
Seeing life through the eyes of an artist is one of those beautiful things only God knew in His original design. Being a very practical mom, having a child who learns through pictures, patterns, and music was complex at the beginning of our homeschool journey.
But I had to change my thoughts about teaching her so she could understand.
Overcome self-imposed limitations and embrace your original design
Never in history have we as people been as connected at such a grand scale as we are today. Yet, whether the cause or effect of societal tolerances, we are arguably less in touch with ourselves than ever.
Excellence has the power to transform a Christian's life
Perfection is impossible to reach. You can do anything you can and will still find fault, but excellence is achievable! Excellence is when you know you did your absolute best and still take one step back, look at the work again, and fix what you can with the tools or ability you have in the time allocated. Then, you hand it back to God to use for His glory.
Develop your God-given skills guided by Jesus
Living in Christ is a wonderful journey filled with inspiring prospects for the future. By accepting Christ, we embrace a new life where we experience His love intensely and understand His teachings more deeply. Along this path arises a blessed challenge: personal development. Growing in the Christian community is crucial, as is nurturing our individual growth that allows us to develop our God-given design.
Let Jesus redeem your work
At Easter, Jesus also redeemed our work, allowing us again to experience how God intended it to be. From the beginning, our designer wanted us to serve him by cultivating the earth and working and caring for the garden he had planted and placed us within (Gen 2:8 and 15). The calling is the same to us today. The society we live in is the garden God has called us to work and take care of.
The Power of Unity is Undeniable
There is a common saying that "a tree cannot make a forest" Statements like this is expected to inspire people to work together in unity. The bible is very clear about the topic on unity.
How a noble deed could become a burden when we do it alone
Paul writes that intentionally supporting and encouraging others in their faith leads to love and good works in their lives, but he also warns us not to give up on the habit of meeting for worship.
How fellowships can help you stay on track
For many of us, work meetings can feel unproductive and boring. Unless the meetings are prepared well, our discussions quickly get off track. Then, our focus may start drifting, and as the debate goes on, it becomes tempting to check emails or answer a few social media messages to catch up.
Working Together for God's Glory: Lessons from a Small Business Owner's Journey
A small business owner in a suburb of Cape Town started her business with one goal - to serve her clients so they would experience the love of Christ from the moment they entered the Spa until they left.
The love we all long for is already available
People are longing to be loved and need to be loved. This core design is wired into our very being by God, our creator. He is love; therefore, he created human beings capable of receiving and giving love.
The Unique Love of Parents for Their Children
We have been looking at the four types of Love in this month, so far we have talked about two - Philia and Eros. This week we will be looking at the third type of Love in the series - Storge.
Does God have anything to do with Valentine's Day?
The coming week Valentine’s Day will be observed in many nations around the world. The day is named after one or several Christian martyrs with the name Valentine. Now it is, however, celebrated as a day of romance.
Uncover the Profound Meaning of Philia: Love, Friendship, and Connection
This month you will get a series of devotionals where we will focus on four words of love in Greek. These are "storge" which is often seen as brotherly love, "philia" which lead in the direction of friendship, "eros" which is romantic love, and "agape" which is unconditional love or divine love.
SMART goals for people of faith
Many of us use SMART-goals both privately and at work. The SMART model can help us specify our goals and make good plans for how to reach them. The model does, however, contain some challenges for people of faith. Let us quickly look at the SMART-goals from a faith perspective.
Strike a balance between flexibility and staying firm in God's plans
At the start of each year, it is almost inevitable to find ourselves making plans and setting goals for the months ahead. Over time, we realize that these personal goals are not as easily achieved as we would like them to be. Often, we encounter unexpected obstacles and insurmountable challenges, and we can get the feeling that, somehow, our objectives slip through our fingers.
Embracing Faithful Work
Today, I was discussing work environments across cultural boundaries with a friend. I explained that it is easy to embrace the idea of serving Jesus through your work in settings where work conditions are good. The idea is, however, less appealing for people who live in chronic corrupt societies and for those who struggle to find work or to make ends meet.
He is our source of life
In general, January ranks among my favourite months of the year. This is largely because, in contrast to the fast-paced culture I have grown accustomed to, life is peaceful at this time. I find it intriguing that this month tends to bring out the gentler, more loving side of individuals.
Slim and fit when Jesus comes back
A survey done in one Western nation some time ago concluded that three things were on top of people’s wish lists for the coming year. The respondents wanted to exercise more, lose weight, and eat healthier. The survey did not distinguish between Christians and others. Most l ikely the goals were not very different for those who want to follow Jesus.