In this section it is very clear that Paul has a lot of respect for the people of Thessalonica. He is so excited about them that he would like to go and visit them again, but repeatedly something prevents him from doing so. Paul is excited about their faith. He is filled with joy because […]
Read moreWhen I get to heaven, the first guy I want to make an appointment with is Paul. I have so much appreciation for this man – probably because I can see so much of myself in him. Probably because he was such a rough diamond and has the full box. But especially because he loved […]
Read moreIn the period after Jesus, many, many people were saved. But it wasn’t easy. 14…Friends, do you realize that you followed in the exact footsteps of the churches of God in Judea, those who were the first to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ? Choosing Jesus was not the easy route. On the contrary. […]
Read moreLife can so easily become routine. Things so easily become ordinary. We get used to the sun coming up every morning, because it’s been happening for the past million years. We grow used to getting up every day and doing the same things day after day without realising what a privilege it is. We grow […]
Read moreSometimes it feels as if there are as many opinions about the Bible as there are people on earth. People quote truths from the Bible that makes me wonder where they found it, because it is often the opposite of what I had read. I know we should allow one another space, because each of […]
Read moreI’ve finished writing the piece, but still sat reflecting on it for a long while. For one reason or another I couldn’t move on to the next one. Then I suddenly noticed it. Although the word “love” does not appear anywhere in this piece of Scripture, this is what it is all about. In a […]
Read moreA single parent told me this story: This mom was so ashamed the other day. My little girl broke her arm and at first we thought, no problem, it doesn’t seem to be broken. I bandaged the arm and we asked Jesus to help the sore arm feel better. Two days later the swollen arm […]
Read moreDo you know what God expects of you? Do you know what God would like you to do? Or in Bible language: What is your calling? Why are you here on earth? It’s important to know this, because how will we be able to live our calling in the world if we don’t know what […]
Read morePeople keep a close eye on the children of God. When it looks as if they’re deviating just one millimeter from the straight and narrow, people start lifting the finger to point it out. That’s just how people are. Sometimes Christians discuss other Christians’ mistakes in detail, talking about how they couldn’t fail to step […]
Read moreBefore Paul’s conversion he was a thunder-and-lightning kind of guy. He rode roughshod over everything. He did whatever he had to in any way necessary, and if it meant that people who didn’t want to listen had to be killed, he did it. However, the Paul we get to know in the New Testament is […]
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